It’s an understatement to say that 2026 is a big year for gaming. And even though it’s October, we’re really just getting started. This Fall is shaping up to be a torrential wind with gnarly video game releases flying at us left and right. And even if you have the disposable income to nab them all, the average person will not have the bandwidth or time to take all of these on. Marvel’s Wolverine, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Control Resonant all just made swift landings one right after the other. October gets even hairier with games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Final Fantasy Resonance, Phantom Blade Zero, Gears of War: E-Day, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, and many more. Of course, most games have cleared the November runway (to continue my aviation metaphor) for the almighty Grand Theft Auto 6, a game bound to set records and lay claim to the entire video gaming market for the holiday season.
But just because several games made sure to head off the GTA 6 juggernaut by a month doesn’t mean that they aren’t swallowed up in its shadow. Rockstar and Netflix launched a first look at the game weeks ago that sent the internet into a frenzy. Everyone is already anticipating Rockstar’s next big (likely assured) home run. This level of hype will undoubtedly still have an effect on the games that precede GTA 6 as fans make room in their lives, save their hard-earned dollars, and schedule days off from work and ordinary daily duties to give the game their undivided attention. Sure, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake are probably not going to be heavily impacted. But many other games will be, and you should consider these titles before writing them off completely.
It’s October, which means we could all use a good adrenaline bump to celebrate the spooky season. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival will bring horror fans back to the dark, torturous world of the Cenobites made famous by the film franchise the game is based on. If the movies are any indication, the game will be a gruesome affair. Set in the first-person perspective, Hellraiser: Revival is a survival horror and action title that puts you in the biker boots of Aidan Lynch as he carefully navigates both reality and the extradimensional plane home to the sadomasochistic Cenobites. Pinhead will undoubtedly make his grand return, along with many other Cenobites from the series.
Stealth will be key, but you’ll also wield weapons (both melee and firearms) and objects, including the famed puzzle box, the Lament Configuration. Saber Interactive has been on a licensing kick as of late, bringing fans excellent gaming experiences set in established worlds that we are all familiar with. Hellraiser is the next in line, and if early impressions are any indication, it looks to be a painfully good time, as Pinhead intended.
Joining other major Wuxia-inspired RPG titles like Where Winds Meet is Phantom Blade Zero, which is set for release on October 29th. This action-RPG allows players to control the lead protagonist, Soul, an assassin armed to the teeth. Like the other games in this niche genre, swordplay is a key element of combat, with parrying, dodging, and blocking mechanics inherent to this style. Don’t mistake this game for a soulslike; it’s much more fast-paced than souls players would be used to. Other mechanics are at play, including Sha-Chi. This meter determines your ability to deliver more punishing attacks. Your enemies have Sha-Chi as well, so be on your guard.
Make no mistake, despite this game not being a traditional soulslike, it’s still challenging and requires coordinated precision to land successful parries and break your enemy’s stance. It’s a game that will undoubtedly speak to fans of the genre. Death might not deliver the same sting as a game like Sekiro, but there are still many reasons to fear it. If early impressions are indicative, the challenge is ever-present, and this will be one Wuxia-RPG you may not want to miss.
While the Star Wars name offers instant recognition, it’s still easy to see how this one might slip past fans. And while Grand Theft Auto 6 will assuredly provide some racing thrills, there’s nothing that can come close to speeding across other worlds and perilous landscapes in the lawless outer rim of Star Wars: Galactic Racer. It’s a game that promises a reclamation of the exhilaration many of us 90s kids felt when we popped the Star Wars Episode 1: Racer cartridge into our Nintendo 64s. The sheer speed and intensity of pod racing was easily the best cinematic element of The Phantom Menace.
For all the experiences and wild stories that the Star Wars universe can offer, Galactic Racer sheds most of the franchise’s core trappings for a stripped-down, good-old-fashioned challenge of speed and precision. I love how the official Star Wars: Galactic Racer website sums it up: “No force. No prophecy. Just skill, strategy, and the will to rise.” If that doesn’t put a racing fire in your belly, I don’t know what will. Galactic Racer is surprisingly incorporating a roguelike element into its mechanics. This could offer an interesting twist on the racing genre. Any racing fan should keep an eye on this one. Unlike the famous yet proverbial pair of droids, this might actually be the game you’re looking for.
The grimdark world of Warhammer returns with a sequel to the chaotic and violent Boltgun, Boltgun 2. Stylized like the classic 90s shooters we all know and love (Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, Hexen), Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2’s imminent release is proof that its predecessor had unmistakable style and magnetism. The pixelated sprites of the past have moved beyond their evolutionary status in gaming to becoming an art form that many game makers are adopting. That era of gameplay also returns us to the run-and-gun frenetic pacing that kickstarted the genre as we know it today. The story might be thin, but one thing is for certain: you’ll be decimating heretics for the Imperium in brutal fashion.
For those unfamiliar, the original Boltgun placed players in the armor of Ultramarine Malum Caedo, who is sent on a mission to retrieve the Power Source used by Techpriests in Graia to open a rift that allowed the Forces of Chaos to invade. Equipped with the titular Boltgun and many other delightfully destructive weapons, it’s up to you to destroy all who stand in the way of your goals. It’s simple. It’s fast. And most importantly, it’s incredibly fun. Boltgun 2 promises to deliver more of what we all loved about the first game, with Malum Caedo returning in cool, Ultramarine fashion. Be sure to check this one out when it launches on October 14th.
I know what you’re thinking: Gears of War fans won’t sleep on this release. I get that. But there’s a wider, more casual player base that absolutely will in favor of GTA 6‘s decension upon the masses. In fact, the game has strikingly been absent from what many would have assumed to be a loud promotional cycle for one of Xbox’s flagship franchises. I wouldn’t be surprised if many have forgotten that the game’s release is upon us. So, it’s important that you don’t forget about Marcus, Dom, and company fighting the good fight. Gears of War: E-Day promises to give players a look at the events that unfolded prior to the original Gears title that is famously known as Emergence Day, a day marked by the sudden attack of the Locust Horde.
This new entry in the long-running Gears franchise has quickly become the highest-rated game in the series since Gears of War 3. Many are claiming that the game is a return to what made the series truly great. Multiplayer returns, offering a new cooperative element known as Horde Siege alongside the traditional PvP. By all accounts, Gears of War: E-Day is shaping up to be a notable next step in the Gears series, and fans should take notice.
