June's Wildest PS5 Game Lets You Kickflip a Train

"We are fond of trains. We are fond of Japanese trains in particular. So I guess that's one of the reasons that Denshattack! Exists, is that we are skateboard guys, we are also train guys, Japanese train guys in particular." That's Undercoders' David Jaumandreu explaining, with zero pretence, why his studio built a game where you kickflip a locomotive through a climate-ravaged future Japan. And honestly, I love that the pitch is just "we like trains and skateboards, so we combined them." More games should start from something that sincere.

Denshattack! Arrives on PS5 on June 17, and it's easily the most eye-catching release in a month that's lighter than May's stacked lineup of Mixtape, 007 First Light, and Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. You're skating through an alternate-future Japan, grinding rails and ollieing between cities while ferrying supplies. It sounds absurd. It looks absurd. But the concept has a real mechanical hook underneath it, and this is exactly the kind of creative swing that smaller studios take while AAA publishers play it safe with sequels and remasters.

What Else Is Coming

June opens with Gothic 1 Remake on June 5, a full rebuild of the 2001 RPG set in the magically sealed Valley of Mines. Polygon's preview called it "utterly unique" 25 years after the original, which is a hell of a thing to say about a remake. For anyone waiting on The Witcher 3's recently announced DLC, this is the closest you'll get to that flavour of European RPG storytelling until next year. I'm curious to see whether it can find an audience on PS5, where the original Gothic never had much of a footprint.

June 18 brings two releases worth watching. The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an HD-2D RPG that ditches the turn-based combat the genre is known for in favour of real-time action. Polygon's preview said the gameplay loop was "relentlessly satisfying," and if you've been burning through Octopath Traveler and want something in that visual style with a different combat feel, this could be it. The same day, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam drops with its 50v50 Warfare mode. I've put time into the original Hell Let Loose and it's one of the few shooters where positioning and communication matter more than aim. Moving that formula to Vietnam, with its dense jungle sightlines and asymmetric warfare, feels like a natural fit. Polygon's preview called it potentially "the most realistic shooter I've ever played."

Rounding out the month on June 25, Dead or Alive 6: Last Round is a remaster of the 2019 fighter, launching with both free-to-play and paid versions. Koei Tecmo revealed a new Dead or Alive at PlayStation's February State of Play, so this is clearly meant to rebuild interest in the franchise before that arrives. The fighting system was always solid; the series' ongoing problem has been its insistence on oversexualising its female roster to a degree that overshadows the actual gameplay.

Five releases across the month isn't a huge haul, but June was always going to be quieter with Sony's State of Play and Summer Game Fest pulling attention toward announcements rather than launches. If you're only picking one game this month, Denshattack! Is the one I'd bet on being a surprise. A skateboarding train game from a small Spanish studio with a love for Japanese rail culture is not something any focus group would have greenlit, and that's precisely why it stands out.