Even with summer right around the corner, this year’s onslaught of quality software doesn’t seem like it’ll be letting up anytime soon. June may wrap up 2019’s second quarter nicely, as it includes the long-awaited release of Koji Igarashi’s Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and the return of Crash Bandicoot via Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. The 3DS will get a chance to shine with the launch of Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth and Nintendo fans will be able to craft the Mushroom Kingdoms of their dreams again when Super Mario Maker 2 arrives towards the end of the month. The following are all the best June 2019 games that PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, and 3DS users should keep on their radars.
June 2019 Games | Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth brings Persona 3‘s Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, Persona 4‘s Investigation Team, and Persona 5‘s Phantom Thieves of Hearts together so that each team can wreak havoc in a new movie-themed universe. As a sequel to 2014’s Persona Q, the title promises to refine the mechanics found in the original game so that its difficulty is more balanced.
Players won’t be able to chose their parties this time around, but they’ll still have a chance to interact closely with each entry’s core cast of characters. Persona 3 Portable‘s female protagonist even makes an appearance. Fans of the franchise won’t have to wait long to try out the game themselves, as it launches exclusively for 3DS on June 4.
June 2019 Games | Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night‘s spiritual successor, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, will finally launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on June 18. Seeing as how the Metroidvania-style action-adventure game managed to raised over $5.5 million from Kickstarter backers in 2015, there’s reason to believe many people are itching to play what could be Koji Igarashi’s next masterpiece.
Bloodstained stars Miriam, an orphan girl on a quest to prevent an alchemist guild from summoning a horde of demons. She also seeks to end a curse that was placed on her as a child, as it may force her to transform into a monster soon. There’s room for an emotional story here, though it’s likely that Bloodstained‘s most captivating qualities will lie in its gameplay. Switch users will have to wait a little longer than their friends on other machines to get their hands on the title, as it arrives on June 25 for the hybrid console.
June 2019 Games | Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash fans who demanded to see more of their favorite marsupial after 2017’s Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy should rest easy knowing that Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is set to launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch on June 21. It’s appropriate given the fact that the original Crash Team Racing is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Fan favorite characters like Ripper Roo and Fake Crash will appear alongside new faces like Crunch Bandicoot, Zem, and Zam. Of course, classic tracks like Crash Cove, Inferno Island, and Hyper Spaceway will be treated to a fresh coat of paint and features like adventure mode, quick races, and Grand Prix will return to ensure that the bandicoot continues to reign supreme.
June 2019 Games | Judgment
If Famitsu‘s review scores and our preview for Judgement last year serve any indication, there’s reason to be excited for the Yakuza franchise’s next spin-off. It follows a private detective named Takayuki Yagami, the likes of which is tasked with finding the culprit responsible for a series of grueling murders.
While veterans may notice that Judgment incorporates Yakuza 0‘s multifaceted fighting system, the game attempts to diversify itself from Kazuma’s adventures by including an investigation mode that allows players to identify hidden evidence. Loyal fans and newcomers alike will be able to jump into Takayuki’s crime-filled world when his title launches exclusively for PlayStation 4 on June 25.
June 2019 Games | The Sinking City
Horror fans have the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired The Sinking City to look forward to this upcoming month, as it releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on June 27. The game is told from the perspective of Charles W. Reed, a private investigator and war veteran who hopes to make sense of the unrelenting flood engulfing the small town of Oakmont, Massachusetts. Players will be able to uncover Oakmont’s long history with the occult as each one of its districts crumbles and hysteric citizens lose their minds in the streets.
Charles himself will struggle with his own sanity and must carefully examine clues the first time he lays eyes on them lest he expose himself to a disturbing crime scene for too long. The Sinking City‘s psychological component may be novel enough to make the title a summer hit, though it probably won’t be for everyone.
June 2019 Games | Super Mario Maker 2
One game that does appeal to people of all ages, however, is Super Mario Maker 2. Just like in the original title for Wii U, fans will be able to create their own custom side-scrolling courses using assets from some of the best games in the Super Mario franchise so far. Though elements from Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros U will be returning, Mario Maker 2 will attempt to offer something different through its inclusion of features from Super Mario 3D World.
New enemies, tools, and items will make their debut here alongside slopes and modifiable auto-scroll directions. Nintendo’s next kid-friendly creation platform releases exclusively for Switch on June 28.
The first half of the year has seen plenty of worthy Game of the Year contenders like the Resident Evil 2 remake, Devil May Cry 5, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice launch to critical and commercial success. Fans will get no reprieve this summer, as Shenmue 3, Control, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and more are all slated to come out one after the other. Additionally, there’s no telling whether this year’s E3 may have a few surprise announcements in store. The gaming community may never be able to pay a visit to the pool in 2019, but at least we won’t have to worry about sunburn.
