Recap #163: What's new this week in mobile gaming?

In this week's recap (No. 163), we take a look at the week's must-have mobile games releases, mobile news and pre-registrations/test phases not to be missed.

Sit back and relax as we round up all the week's mobile games news! On the agenda: the leak of a HoYoverse life simulator, the autumn release of Need for Speed, the July arrival of Sword of Convallaria and a whole host of other news.

Mobile games releases and announcements this week

This week has been rich in release announcements, with many games now available on the stores:

• Sword of Convallaria will be released on 31 July, a modern JRPG with tactical turn-based combat, and will be available on Android and iOS. Immerse yourself in the fantastic world of Iria, where your decisions will have consequences for the story, with a soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
• Need for Speed Mobile is preparing for its global release in autumn 2024. Expect frantic 40-player races with spatialized audio, tested during the Pioneer Test in Australia, Mexico, Indonesia and Canada.
• Release of Luna the Shadow Dust on 20 June: this indie point-and-click game will be available on Android and iOS. This entirely hand-drawn game invites you to solve puzzles with a boy and his strange pet, in a world where the moon has disappeared.
• The Case of the Golden Idol has been available on Netflix since 11 June. This investigative game plunges you into a series of 12 murders to solve, with mechanics reminiscent of Chronicles of Crime and "extremely positive" reviews on Steam.

Meanwhile, the 3D remake of the text adventure game Colossal Cave is now available on Android and iOS for £6, while Vault of the Void, a deck-builder with roguelite elements, is available on Android. Arranger, a mix of RPG and puzzle game, will be out on 25 July. 10DAY Heroes will be out on iOS in July, at the same time as The Prince of Dragons, which arrives in an interactive version on 30 July as part of the Netflix subscription. Finally, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is coming to mobile this year. Play as an investigating duck in a story about a suspicious sausage!

Pre-registration, updates and test phases

In addition to the recent releases, we have more test announcements and pre-registrations in stock this week:

• Assassin's Creed The Shadows and Resident Evil 7 are coming to the latest generation of iPhones and iPads. These ports reinforce the presence of AAA titles on recent Apple devices, following on from games such as Death Stranding.
• League of Masters: Auto Chess is in soft launch in Canada for Android. This autobattler features more than 50 characters and various commanders, with PvP and PvE modes. Get ready for strategic battles in a fantasy world.
• The Dark and Darker Mobile beta is expanding to the US, Japan and Turkey in August. This game combines Battle Royale, extraction shooter and RPG, with new characters and a mercenary system.
• Super Contras: Metal Soldier 2 is available in early access on Android. This retro racing and sidescrolling shooter features alien-controlled environments and an arsenal of devastating weapons.

In other industry news, Battle Vision Network, an intergalactic PvP match-3, will be launched on Netflix in 2025, while Realmkeepers, an MMORPG where you play as a guardian of the kingdom, is in soft launch in the Philippines and other countries. Detective Dotson, a pixel art investigation game, will be available on mobile, consoles and PC.

Meanwhile, Once Human has announced a PC release date of 9 July, but its mobile release date has yet to be announced. White Noise Survival, the action roguelite, is launching its closed beta in China. For its part, NCSoft has revealed that its mysterious Project BSS is now called Hoyeon and will be available on PC and mobile. The game promises magical battles and a colourful world akin to Genshin Impact, although concerns remain about monetisation.

And finally, we end this round-up with a leak! An alpha version gameplay video of HoYoverse's life simulator has leaked, revealing a game inspired by Animal Crossing. We've also learned that it will be available on PC, Android and PS5.

See you next week for a round-up of mobile games news!