Keeping up with all the new games on Steam can be a job unto itself, and potentially disappointing if you're rushing to grab stuff the second it launches. That's why every month we wait for the dust to settle before picking the best new Steam games we've played and adding them to our Steam Hype Playlist. We've picked nine gems from March 2026's lineup for your approval.

Funi Raccoon Game PC

Absolute, gleeful chaos in videogame form. You are a horrible raccoon, on a quest to collect one of every object in the world for your ever-expanding dumpster home. Part dreamlike exploration adventure (think Yume Nikki), part breakneck, unhinged platform with a world almost entirely built out of stock 3D and 2D art assets smashed together haphazardly. It's consistently hilarious too, with a surprising amount of story, and some sharp things to say in the back half, without ever getting away from the screwball comedy. The first game did so well that there's a sequel already in production, too.

Timberborn PC

One of the most popular town-builder games ever, largely in part due to its unusual theme. You're building a town for several tribes of anthropomorphic beaver-people. Some of whom want to live alongside nature and some who want to go all-in on modern industry. Both groups require their own accommodations, and both require you to cut down a lot of trees and build some grand waterworks. Aqueducts, reservoirs, airlocks and lochs are order of the day, and it's really satisfying to construct something both aesthetically and mechanically pleasing. It's highly moddable too, and seems set to expand for a long time yet.

The Artisan of Glimmith PC

I've always been a fan of Lunarch Studios, but none of their games really seems to have landed quite with the general audience, until now. The Artisan Of Glimmith is a very smart, frequently-demanding puzzle game with a cozy aesthetic. Your goal is to design grid-based stained glass windows, but the game is constantly introducing new rules and restrictions and change where you're allowed to paint and in what shapes. No one puzzle is especially challenging, but there's so many of them, and of so many variants and hybrids, that it constantly keeps your brain switching gear, and there's user-made levels on top of that.

Crimson Desert PC

Short of GTA 6, this might be 2026's most AAA game. An exercise in GPU-thrashing technical visuals that'll push even the biggest PC to its limits, combined with an utterly collosal, hyper-interactive open world reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption 2, but denser. The downside is that while the world is amazing to explore, the main story is awkwardly told and thin in places. While this one launched with a lot of rough edges, Pearl Abyss have patched the heck out of it, even rewriting and expanding many of the earlier story segments to make them more coherent. There's more coming too, including underwater exploration in the upcoming expansion.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach PC

Bigger, weirder and more cinematic than its predecessor. Formerly a PS5 exclusive, now on PC with a range of enhancements and all of the post-release improvements from its console debut. Once again, this is the most literal Walking Sim. While there's more Metal Gear-ish stealth and combat than ever against human, mechanical and supernatural enemies, this is still primarily about being a delivery guy in a ghost-apocalyptic world where the afterlife has spilled over into the physical world. Most of this one is set in Australia, which was dangerous enough even before it got turbo-haunted, and makes for some great magically-transfigured scenery.

Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator PC

Comedy job simulators have become increasingly popular in recent years, perhaps with nobody able to find even something as basic as a shelf-stacking gig. Retro Rewind is one of the most charming to date, with you running a '90s video store, upgrading the decor, populating your shelves with cute parodies of classic VHS-era movies, and uncovering the occasional fun easter egg, alone or in co-op. With the success of the game, developers Blood Pact Studios have announced that they're going to be expanding this one for a while, with the first major update due later this year, bringing 90s consoles and game rental to the mix.

Lucid Blocks PC

If you've ever seen one of those 'I found an abandoned Minecraft server' videos, where someone slowly falls down an increasingly weird, haunted rabbit-hole, then you'll know the vibe that Lucid Blocks is going for. A surreal, exploration-heavy take on block-building sandbox games, with an esoteric Apotheosis crafting system that allows you to combine anything, in any quantities, to get results that kinda-sorta make sense. The whole thing is fragmented, dreamlike and deeply cool, with everyone's journey through the very alien biomes it generates is going to be a unique pilgrimage. Our man Noah quite likes this one, too.

Esoteric Ebb PC

Somehow the most successful of all the Disco Elysium-inspired RPGs to date. Esoteric Ebb applies Elysium's personality-filled roleplaying mechanics (as in, you're filled with personalities based on your stats) to a classic D&D campaign, or at least a self-aware parody of one. You're a cleric, drawn into a conspiracy that might upend a local politlcal race. How you approach the world determines your stats, and your stats change how you perceive reality, with gear both reflected in stats, visuals and dialogue. Sure, wearing a bucket as a second helmet might work, mechanically, but it's going to get you some funny looks.

Marathon PC

The source of endless debate and discourse, but this still might be the coolest extraction shooter ever, with some genuinely sharp storytelling. A real continuation of Bungie's classic Mac-era FPS trilogy, you're a mercenary, piloting 3D-printed proxy bodies around an abandoned, infested, very haunted and space-cop-patrolled space colony. Each run is a high-stakes sortie where you stand to lose everything you're carrying, and rival teams or invading hackers (taking over NPC robot cop bodies) being the most threatening thing of all. The only real concern is if Bungie can keep up the support the player-base demands after their massive post-Destiny-2 layoffs.

Another wild month in PC gaming, with some of this year's biggest, smallest and weirdest games landing in close proximity. Chances are you're still chewing on one or two of these games - have any of this set stolen your heart, or did we miss out on one that speaks to you? Let us know below - you know it's a good idea, because it rhymes!