As winter rides in on a frozen sleigh, we’ve got an exceptional showcase to close out the year. The Women-Led Games Showcase drops on December 11th as part of The Game Awards, and the game line-up looks great. With its mission of featuring innovative games from women-led and majority-women studios, WLG has assembled a killer roster. Cozy magical villages? Sandbox RPGs? Witches roaming an open world on motorbrooms? No big deal. I didn’t plan on sleeping in 2025 anyway.
WLG Showcase Game Highlights
WLG’s mission to create a more equitable games industry and spotlight achievements has already produced top-tier results. Previous participants include Gourdlets, The Wandering Village, Potion Tales, and more. 2024’s list looks just as promising. Here are just a few of the games featured this year:
- Hawthorn – A sandbox RPG about anthropomorphic animals brought to us by former Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog devs? Yes, please. Let me play that immediately. Hawthorn will let you play solo or co-op as you build a village of NPCs, farm, and explore an ever-changing world. RIP, IRL social life.
- Floridale Man: The Joy of Chaos – A physics comedy collectathon about a down-on-his-luck 30-something in the definitely fictional state of Floridale. Life was already tough in the Vacation State before a talking gator decided to intervene. From the juicy gator nugget references to the stylish art, we’ve got a few reasons to take this trip.
- Duck Detective – You’ll need all your powers of de-duck-tion if you expect to quack this case. Happy Broccoli Games has a new announcement on the way. If you’re a fan of isometric mysteries, pitch-perfect cartoon style, and fowl behavior (I’m done, I swear), this may be a WLG scene-stealer.
- Magic Inn – A fantasy tavern life sim inspired by games like Travellers Rest and Fae Farm, Magic Inn manages to stand apart in a crowded genre. Meet ghosts! Learn magic! Recruit top chefs and engage in conversation card battles! What we’ve already seen from Purpledoor Studios has me hyped for more.
- Crescent County – This open-world delivery game had one of the most fun announcement trailers of the year. I will always hold space in my heart and Steam library for a great delivery game, and the word “motorbroom” is my new favorite thing. Lake vibes meet Flying Neko Delivery vibes and a Jet Set Radio palette. It can’t release soon enough.
These are only a few of the 25 games getting featured in the showcase. Between the WLG Showcase on December 11th and the Latin American Games Showcase on the 10th, The Game Awards should be a good place to spot your next gaming fixation.
