Weekend Playtest Roundup: A Few Games Worth Your Time

This past weekend wasn’t a full testing marathon—half of it was spent out of town with my wife, which is always time well spent. Still, the sessions I did jump into left a strong impression. Below are my quick thoughts on the games I played, sticking strictly to public descriptions so we stay clear of any NDAs. If any of these sound like your kind of chaos, now’s the perfect time to get on the waitlists and wishlists.

1. The Holdouts – Ruckus Games

Public pitch: “Smash, grab, and grow in this third-person shooter, solo or co-op. Scavenge small-town locales to craft wild weapons from lawn tools, appliances, toys, and even brass instruments. Fight back, hold out, and rebuild your home in a warped new reality.”

I’ve played earlier builds and written about this one before, and the team has clearly been iterating hard. The DNA of veteran talent, including people who worked on early Halo and Borderlands, shows in the feel of the combat and the sheer inventiveness of the weapon crafting. It’s still very much in that “stupid weapons, serious fun” lane, and the co-op loop of scavenging, holding out, and rebuilding continues to click.

If you like session-based co-op shooters with personality and ridiculous weapon creativity, get on the list.

2. Gang of Frogs – Aska Studios

Public pitch: “Gang of Frogs is a third-person 1-4 player co-op looter-shooter. Sail through the galaxy as a fearless outlaw frog aboard the SS Leviathan. Plunder loot, upgrade weapons, eat flies, and fight through hordes of monstrous bugs!”

I went in curious and came out hooked. The constant cycle of battling, grinding, upgrading, and unlocking kept the momentum high the whole time, and the boss fight delivered. It’s pure chaotic co-op energy wrapped in frog-outlaw absurdity, and the progression loop is already satisfying enough to make you want “just one more run.”

This one is easy to recommend if you enjoy looter-shooters with strong co-op personality.

3. The Final Lane – Eli / Bewtarious Games / REDDCUBE / Dumb Duck Games

Public pitch: “Realistic bowling meets deckbuilding roguelike where the BALLS ARE THE CARDS! Draft a synergistic deck of bowling balls, hone your skills, and battle the fellow damned as you climb through Hell for the ultimate prize: a shot at Satan and a chance at redemption.”

I signed up mostly out of curiosity and walked away genuinely impressed. This is not your standard Wii Sports bowling. There’s a health bar, perks, upgrades, and a full deckbuilding layer layered over solid bowling physics. The result feels fresh and strangely addictive—every run has you making meaningful choices about which balls (cards) to draft while you bowl your way through Hell.

If the idea of bowling + deckbuilding + roguelike progression sounds weird in the best way, this is worth a look.

4. Timefront – Flama Craftworks

Public pitch: “A unique blend between RTS and battle royale, where you recruit units, expand your territory and battle other armies through a shrinking battlefield in a fight to be the last commander standing. Try this refreshing take on the RTS genre.”

This top-down RTS with a shrinking-map battle-royale twist scratched a real itch. It has that classic Age of Empires-style base-building and unit management, but the closing battlefield forces constant engagement and smart positioning. There’s both a campaign and PvP matchmaking, which gives it solid longevity potential.

This one is already on my personal wishlist. If you miss classic RTS games but want something that feels modern and tense, keep an eye on it.

5. Project Espresso

Public pitch from the playtest page: “Project Espresso is a third-person PVPVE competitive action game where competing teams race to infiltrate high-security locations, steal valuable cargo, and make it out before their rivals. Grab your crew and sign up now to playtest.”

This was my second weekend with the game, and the team is clearly iterating quickly. It’s addictive in that “one more extraction” way, but fair warning: the lobbies can get sweaty fast. Note that even if you sign up through Steam-related channels, you’ll need a PlayStation Network account to play.

If high-stakes PvPvE heist gameplay is your thing, the playtests are ongoing.