What to play this weekend: A globe-trotting gaming extravaganza!

Happy Friday, Watchers! Congratulations on making it to another Friday. It’s still summer (in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway), and since summer is the season of travel, traditionally, we’ve got a whole passel of games for you this weekend that visit exotic locales, so you can travel around the world without ever leaving the warm glow of your computer.

Release of the week: Fallout London (RPG)

You’d be forgiven for thinking Fallout London was a first-party release, given the quality of what’s on offer here, but nope — this is an ambitious and long-awaited fan community mod for Fallout 4, expanding the story to a country other than the United States for once. Fallout London is ambitious and gorgeous, and it can be yours for the low low cost of free (though you do need to own Fallout 4 and all of its DLC, or the Game of the Year Edition, on either GOG or Steam). Highly recommend using the installer to install it — otherwise you may have a less-than-optimal time playing it. As long as you get it set up correctly, though, you’re in for a good time, dealing with revolutionaries and the post-apocalyptic Knights of the Round Table in jolly old post-nuke London. Stay safe out there!

Get Fallout London for free on GOG.com.

Early access deal: Old School Rally (racing)

If you have a soft spot for off-road racing games like the Colin McRae Rally, Dirt, and Sega Rally series, you might be exactly the target audience for Old School Rally, from Frozen Lake Games. Currently in early access on Steam, Old School Rally already has an impressive array of scenic tracks and surfaces to race on, rally cars to slip behind the wheel of, and worldwide leaderboards to score on. The enthusiasm and love for this genre of game shines through in every aspect, and as a bonus, it’s on a small sale right now.

Get Old School Rally for $8.99 on Steam.

Folklore drawn to life: Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus (action platformer)

Developed by Squid Shock Games and published by the (unfortunately recently laid off) Humble Games, Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is a hand-drawn 2.5D platformer based on Japanese folklore. Combat is acrobatic and graceful as you control Bō, a celestial blossom wielding a legendary bo staff and sent to fulfill a mysterious ancient prophecy. The art is colorful and adorable, and the combat is fast and fluid; the game also has Metroidvania elements, as you travel between strange and wondrous places like a haunted castle and a thriving Japanese-style city, then revisit places once you’ve unlocked new abilities to find new surprises. You can even brew tea to give yourself new powers, and summon Daruma dolls to aid yourself in battle. What’s not to love?

Get Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus for $19.99 for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC on Steam.

Bonus round: Simfest sale ending soon!

The current Steam sale is Simfest 2024, a celebration of all things simulation — and scrolling through the offerings here will emphasize exactly how broad a word “simulation” is, with everything from dynamic physics-based car-driving (and wrecking) sim BeamNG.drive to Voidtrain, an open-world crafting sim about driving a train through the interdimensional void, on offer here. My personal recommendations: indie darling Dwarf Fortress ($25.49), noir sandbox detective stealth game Shadows of Doubt ($14.99), cozy fantasy visual novel Tavern Talk ($17.99), laid back management adventure (where you’re also a bear) Bear & Breakfast ($12.99), and spooky occult library restoration crafting sim Book of Hours ($19.99).

Now tell us, Watchers — what are you playing this weekend? Share in the comments below, and we’ll feature your new interest in next week’s round-up!