July Games Release Radar: Cyberpunk, speedrunning, and animal cuteness galore

July is looking like a hot month for indie gaming, with crazy cyberpunk titles, loads of cuteness, and some good old-fashioned puzzles. Here's our July Games Release Radar to give you a heads-up.

We've got cyberpunk madness, cute animals, and brain-scratching lined up in your new July gaming releases.
We've got cyberpunk madness, cute animals, and brain-scratching lined up in your new July gaming releases.  © Collage: eBrain Studio, Coin Crew Games, BlueTwelve Studio, Gummy Cat Studio

Even though big triple-A titles aren't dominating July, there are still some fantastic-looking indie games coming out, and we are pumped for each and every one of them.

Here are four picks to keep on your radar, ranging from high-speed action to cozy sim, with a healthy helping of cute to go with them.

So get out your cyberpunk goggles, prep your speedrunning skills, and get ready to jump into the hottest indie titles of July.

Loopmancer

Loopmancer looks great – let's see how well it plays upon its release.
Loopmancer looks great – let's see how well it plays upon its release.  © eBrain Studio

Facts:

  • Genre: Action platformer
  • Platform: PC
  • ESRB Rating: Rating pending
  • Release Date: July 13

Loopmancer looks like it will deliver on the promise of a slick cyberpunk action title, with adrenaline-pounding combat and room for speedrunners to go to town.

Jennifer Lopez is "making the best" of her summer as Ben Affleck drama continues
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez is "making the best" of her summer as Ben Affleck drama continues

The game is set in 2046, and even though the future's technology has advanced so far that people have bionic and prosthetic body parts, there is still a massive gap between rich and poor.

We're looking forward to seeing how well the developer team can give us action-packed platforming and still do justice to the narrative.

Escape Academy

Get out! But do it in colorful and playful style in Escape Academy.
Get out! But do it in colorful and playful style in Escape Academy.  © Coin Crew Games

Facts:

  • Genre: Puzzler
  • Platform: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch
  • ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
  • Release Date: July 14

If escape rooms are your jam, but you want to play more of them from the comfort of your gaming chair rather than an in-person obstacle course, then Escape Academy might be just the puzzler for you.

Its art style looks cute and quaint, where rooms upon rooms of puzzles await.

It will even feature two-player co-op, and you just know this is the sort of game streamers live for – where you can get a whole crowd of people hyped on your sleuthing skills.

Let the escaping begin!

Stray

Stray looks cute, but with a flip-side full of mystery and danger.
Stray looks cute, but with a flip-side full of mystery and danger.  © BlueTwelve Studio

Facts:

  • Genre: Feline action adventure
  • Platform: PC, PS5, PS4
  • ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
  • Release Date: July 19

Stray will let you control the paws of a lone cat trying to escape a futuristic city.

Along the way, you'll meet living robots and have to avoid dangerous drones and other threats, and get out of the city without spending your nine lives.

Also, there is some bonus cuteness built into the game, because a little flying droid you befriend is named B-12 – a little Easter Egg ode to the developer studio, BlueTwelve Studio.

Meow!

Bear and Breakfast

Get fuzzy with it, and turn a rundown shack into a bear's Bed and Breakfast.
Get fuzzy with it, and turn a rundown shack into a bear's Bed and Breakfast.  © Gummy Cat Studio

Facts:

  • Genre: Bear-based business sim
  • Platform: PC, Switch
  • ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
  • Release Date: July 28

You get to run a cozy Bed and Breakfast as a bear, making this a solid addition to the list of warm and fuzzy games released in 2022.

In Bear and Breakfast, you play a bumbling bear trying to keep a BnB in the woods running. But just like in Cat Cafe Manager, there is mystery to uncover in the surrounding forest.

Kooky characters abound, and there will be plenty of relationships to explore while you expand your BnB, and find out what the mysteries of the woods are all about.

Forget triple-A titles, July is keeping the indie games train rolling with gorgeous entries in the puzzle, platformer, and action genres. More please!

Cover photo: Collage: eBrain Studio, Coin Crew Games, BlueTwelve Studio, Gummy Cat Studio

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