The PC and console gaming spheres have largely been unified, with most new games releasing on all major platforms at the same time. That said, the indie game space is mostly still on PC, leaving a lot of console-only players missing out on some great games.
While the Steam Deck and other handheld PCs are great options for having a hybrid PC/console experience, it’s not quite the same as having the game be officially playable on Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Below, we’ll take a look at some great games that we would love to see get a console release, ideally in the near future.
Satisfactory is a factory management game where you land on an alien planet, and have to use every resource at your disposal to set up miners, smelters, constructors, and a number of other pieces of infrastructure, with the goal of delivering complex parts to the Space Tower and completing project milestones.
The game had its official release last year, after around five years in Early Access, and just recently added full controller support on PC. While the developers have stated that the console version should be coming out in 2025, I can’t wait any longer to play this one on the TV, sitting back while my factory churns out thousands of items each second.
Last Epoch is a Diablo-like ARPG that also has full controller support, but remains locked to PC. Many other recently released ARPGs in the genre, like Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2, are available on console, so it’s past time for Last Epoch to follow suit.
In my opinion, it’s a much better game than the aforementioned ARPGs, and so definitely deserves to be a fully recognized release on consoles. Plus, a console release would help iron out some controller issues that currently exist on PC, like the finicky nature of managing your inventory.
Fextralife Wiki
It’s only a matter of time before the second installation of Supergiant’s massive roguelike comes to consoles (specifically, the Switch and Switch 2), but I don’t know how much longer I can wait. Sure, I’ve already played the hell out of it on PC, but Hades is a game that just feels at home on the Switch.
Hades 2 may be a sequel, but it’s not a strict upgrade in the sense that it fully replaces the first game. Both complement and build on each other simultaneously, so having them both side by side on my Switch is something I’m definitely looking forward to.
Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children is a strategic RPG where you take control of a crime-fighting agency in the city of Valhalla. In terms of gameplay, Troubleshooter plays like a mix of XCOM and Fire Emblem. Your units are incredibly customizable, with dozens of builds you can work towards for each of them, combined with strategic gameplay and hundreds of missions to tackle.
The game does support controllers on PC, but it’s not quite polished enough to be comfortable. That said, there’s definitely potential, since many other tactical RPGs work perfectly well with a controller, so hopefully a future console release will make the controller support better, as well as get more people to play this underrated masterpiece.
Project Zomboid has been in perpetual Early Access for the past 12 years, and it’s showing no signs of fully releasing any time soon. However, the game may as well be fully released, as it’s packed with polished and fun content.
A console release definitely won’t happen until the game’s 1.0 launch, which may not happen in our lifetime, but we can dream. Project Zomboid already has a decent controller setup, so you can play it on Steam Deck for the console-like experience while you wait for its official launch.
The MMO space is one largely dominated by PC games, but recently we’ve seen releases ported to or releasing alongside console versions, such as Final Fantasy 14, Elder Scrolls Online, and Throne and Liberty. All of these are great in their own way, but I’d personally love to see Guild Wars 2 get a console release.
Through some intricate key mapping, the game can be played on Steam Deck fairly comfortably, but dedicated controller support would be much appreciated. The game is already very action-heavy, and even has a dedicated action camera you can use instead of tab-targeting, so it’s only a few short steps away from being perfect for consoles.
1UFO 50
UFO 50 is one of the most innovative and unique games to come out in the past few years, and I wish more people would talk about it. Essentially, it’s a collection of 50 retro-inspired games created for a fictional game console. When you hear ‘collection of 50 games’, you may at first be skeptical, as you might expect only a handful to be any good.
But that’s where you’d be wrong, because every single game in UFO 50 is a full-fledged experience. Even the more obtuse games, like Barbuta, Planet Zoldath, or Combatants, have something interesting going for them, if you’re willing to put in the time to discover it.
