Best Upcoming PS4 Games for June 2019

June 2019 drops us right into the dead heat of the Summer drought, but the month still brings a wealth of new experiences for PS4 owners. It’s an especially good month for any fans of Japanese games, and there’s a wide array of genres being represented. So without further ado, here are the best upcoming PS4 games for June 2019.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

Trails of Cold Steel made its PS4 debut earlier this year with the first game, and if you’ve missed this fantastic series of JRPGs, now’s the time you need to jump on board.

Trails of Cold Steel II picks up right where the first game left off, with Rean Schwarzer having to travel all around the world to find the scattered members of Class VII. Unlike the first Cold Steel, the second game isn’t tied to the school setting, giving you a much larger scope of the world and the evolving conflict of the series.

Gameplay-wise, Cold Steel II is pretty much identical to its predecessor, using the same turn-based combat that puts a huge emphasis on character placement and area-of-effect.

The Legend of Heroes is a massive inter-connected story like nothing else out there, and Trails of Cold Steel II is easily the best of the bunch, so don’t miss out when it comes to PS4.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

A classic kart racer returns to PS4 with a new lease on life in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, and it looks better than ever. Nitro-Fueled is still the game you know and love, but with a ton of different enhancements, the first of which is a gorgeous visual update.

The biggest new addition, of course, is online multiplayer letting you go head-to-head with other players, but you’ll also be able to switch out your kart for different ones and customize them, something not present in the original.

The Adventure Mode also adds brand new cinematic cutscenes, and lets you choose between a “Classic” and “Nitro-Fueled” option that tweaks the gameplay a bit. As if that all wasn’t enough, Nitro-Fueled also adds on a bunch of characters, racetracks, battle arenas, karts, and more from Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Tag Team Racing.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is so much more than just a remaster on PS4, as all the changes and additions practically make it a brand new game.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Castlevania fans have had a rough time of it in recent years, with nothing more than remasters and collections releasing on PS4, although the series being featured in Smash Bros. was a nice high moment.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night may finally fulfill that wish of a new Castlevania game, as the kickstarted title comes from the father of Castlevania himself, Koji Igarashi.

Bloodstained tells the story of an orphan named Miriam, who’s taken in by the Alchemist’s Guild and subjected to experiments that expose her to crystallized demonic energy.

Everything about Bloodstained makes it a spiritual successor to Castlevania, from the heavily gothic themes and aesthetic, to the 2.5D Metroidvania gameplay and multiple playable characters.

Hopefully, Igarashi can once again tap into that magic he managed to find for Castlevania.

Judgment

Judgment is a fascinating new PS4 title from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the developers behind the cult classic Yakuza series. Described as a courtroom action thriller, believe it or not, Judgment is just that.

The game tells the story of Takayuki Yagami, a disgraced lawyer who now works as a detective in Kamurocho. As a string of grisly serial murders hits the city, Yagami’s investigation starts to uncover a larger plot.

Despite being its own thing, Judgment shares quite a bit in common with the Yakuza series, including a personality-filled Kamurocho to explore and play around in. There are a ton of minigames and sidestories to uncover, and a brand new Friendship system lets you make friends with the residents of Kamurocho, making the city feel more alive than ever.

Of course, there’s also plenty of insane over-the-top action, and Yagami has two distinct fighting styles he can use in combat.

If you’ve never played a Yakuza game before, Judgment is the perfect introduction to what they’re all about, especially since it has a full English dub.

Samurai Shodown

Fighting games have had a major renaissance in recent years on PS4, with titles like Dragon Ball FighterZ, SoulCalibur VI, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mortal Kombat 11, and more. Next in line for a comeback is Samurai Shodown, the stylish 2D fighter that’s been absent for nearly a decade now.

The new game, simply titled Samurai Shodown, sports an absolutely gorgeous cel-shaded 2.5D style, really making animations and attacks pop off the screen. The title brings back series mainstays like Haohmaru and Nakoruru, while introducing three new characters and a brand new final boss.

Gameplay-wise, Samurai Shodown looks pretty similar to past games in the series, but it tightens up mechanics and controls. With a new style and lease on life, the Samurai Shodown reboot on PS4 could easily end up in the current pantheon next to games like Street Fighter V and Dragon Ball FighterZ.