The biggest upcoming game releases land in October 2026: Gears of War: E-Day on October 6, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on October 23 and Phantom Blade Zero on October 29 lead the month, with Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve arriving on October 2. The run starts even earlier, on September 29, when Minecraft Dungeons II and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered both launch.
Below is every big launch from September 29 through October 31, grouped by week, with platforms, prices where the publisher or store lists them, and every early access window and demo worth knowing about. Each date was verified against the publisher, the platform holder or the official store listing on September 28, 2026. Games without an official date sit in their own section near the end, and a short look at November’s biggest dates closes things out.
Week of September 28
Also this week: AION 2’s Founder’s Pack early access opens September 30, Gears of War: E-Day Premium Edition owners start playing October 1, and the Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse demo arrives the same day. Each is covered under its full launch below.
Minecraft Dungeons II
Release date: Tuesday, September 29. Platforms: PC (Steam and the Xbox app), Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Price: $29.99, and included with Game Pass from day one.
Mojang’s sequel swaps the first game’s chapter-by-chapter mission map for one interconnected world built in Unreal Engine 5, and keeps the co-op loot crawling of the original. Our Minecraft Dungeons II guides cover co-op, capes, builds and which platforms it skips.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered
Release date: September 29. Platforms: PC (including Battle.net), PS5, Xbox Series X|S and a native Nintendo Switch 2 version. Price: a free upgrade for existing owners on qualifying platforms, per CD PROJEKT RED.
The 2015 RPG returns with upgrades to its visuals, performance and gameplay, including new skill trees. Before it unlocks, check the release time for your platform and how the Switch 2 version handles the free upgrade, or browse our Witcher 3 guides.
Transport Fever 3
Release date: September 29. Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG), Mac, Linux, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Price: $49.99 on Steam.
Urban Games’ transport tycoon sim, now published by Paradox Interactive, is built around towns and cities whose needs change over time, so your trains, buses, ships and planes have to keep adapting as they grow. Our Transport Fever 3 guides are the place to start.
Way of the Hunter 2
Release date: September 29. Platforms: PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Price: $34.99 on Steam as of this writing.
Nine Rocks Games’ open-world hunting sim leaves Steam Early Access, where it has been since March 26, and arrives on consoles for the first time. Multiplayer reached every player in a September 1 update, and THQ Nordic’s pre-order bonus, the Heirloom Pack, adds an engraved .243 Win rifle, a .270 Win rifle and a bronze elk statue for your lodge.
Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler II (Switch 2)
Release date: Thursday, October 1. Platform: Nintendo Switch 2. Price: $59.99 each on Square Enix’s US store.
Square Enix’s two HD-2D RPGs return as Switch 2 versions with improved resolution and frame rate over the original Switch releases. Each game follows eight travelers with their own stories and turn-based battles, which makes them an easy pick if you skipped them the first time.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Release date: Friday, October 2 (Steam unlocks at 3:00 PM PDT on October 1). Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam). Price: $69.99 standard, $89.99 Deluxe on Steam.
Bandai Namco’s first mainline Ace Combat since 2019’s Ace Combat 7 is already playable for Deluxe Edition owners, whose three days of early access began September 28. Our Ace Combat 8 guides cover every plane, flight stick setup and which edition is worth buying.
Week of October 5
AION 2
Release date: Monday, October 5, with Founder’s Pack early access from September 30. Platform: PC (Steam and NC’s PURPLE launcher). Price: free-to-play, with paid Founder’s Packs.
NC’s MMORPG sequel gets its global launch, separate from the Korean and Taiwanese version that went live in November 2025. Our AION 2 guides cover the release time and early access, every class and which Founder’s Pack to buy.
Gears of War: E-Day
Release date: Tuesday, October 6 at 8am PT, with Premium Edition early access from October 1. Platforms: Xbox Series X|S and PC (Xbox app and Steam). Price: $69.99 standard on Steam, and included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one.
The Coalition’s prequel is set 14 years before the original Gears of War and follows Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago through Emergence Day. No PS5 version has been announced. Our Gears of War: E-Day guides cover unlock times in every region, co-op, Horde and the PS5 and Game Pass question.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Release date: October 6. Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Price: $59.99 standard, $79.99 Deluxe, $159.99 Collector’s Edition.
Secret Mode calls Fuse Games’ racer a runs-based Star Wars racing adventure. It pairs a single-player campaign starring a mysterious pilot named Shade with online racing for up to 12 players.
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival
Release date: Thursday, October 8. Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC (Steam). Price: $39.99 standard, $49.99 Deluxe.
Saber Interactive’s first-person survival horror game casts you as Aidan Lynch, who strikes a bargain with the Cenobites to save his girlfriend Sunny’s soul. A free demo is already on Steam if you want to test your nerve first.
Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III]
Release date: October 8. Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Price: from $74.99 on Square Enix’s US store.
The collection bundles Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind, running natively instead of through the cloud streaming the original Switch versions used. Owners of the digital versions on Switch (Cloud), PS4 or Xbox One get 50% off. New to the series? Start with how many Kingdom Hearts games there are and our Kingdom Hearts guides.
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen
Release date: Friday, October 9, per Capcom (Steam’s US listing shows October 8). Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. Price: $29.99 for the expansion on Steam.
Capcom’s paid expansion adds a new story to 2024’s Dragon’s Dogma 2. On PS5, Xbox and PC it is sold as add-on content, while the Switch 2 version, the game’s debut on that console, packs the base game and the expansion into one release.
Week of October 12
Planet Zoo 2
Release date: Tuesday, October 13. Platforms: PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Price: $49.99 on Steam.
Frontier’s zoo management sequel brings fully aquatic species, flying birds and Wildlife Reserves, large customizable areas where you release species into the wild. It is the pick of the month for builders and management fans.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2
Release date: Wednesday, October 14. Platforms: PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Auroch Digital’s sequel to its retro first-person shooter lets you play as Ultramarine Malum Caedo or Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath, with more enemies and more weapons than the first game. A Switch 2 version is coming later (see the unconfirmed section below).
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
Release date: Thursday, October 15 (Steam’s US listing shows October 14). Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam and the Xbox app). Price: $29.99 on Steam.
Konami’s new 2D action-exploration Castlevania, made with Evil Empire and Motion Twin, follows Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor Belmont, through Paris in 1499. Konami’s free demo arrives October 1 with the opening chapter, and your save carries over to the full game on the same platform and account. The launch caps a busy anniversary year, including the original Castlevania going free on phones.
Enshrouded
Release date: October 15. Platforms: PC (Steam) and PS5. Price: $39.99 on Steam.
Keen Games’ co-op survival action RPG for up to 16 players leaves Steam Early Access, where it launched in January 2024, and arrives on PS5 the same day. Version 1.0 brings reworked mage combat and a big push on performance.
Tales of Eternia Remastered
Release date: Friday, October 16 (Steam unlocks at 3:00 PM PDT on October 15). Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC (Steam).
Bandai Namco’s original PlayStation action RPG is remastered for the first time, with quality-of-life additions such as destination markers, an option to turn off enemy encounters and a high-speed mode for auto-battles.
Week of October 19
Final Fantasy Resonance
Release date: Thursday, October 22. Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam and Microsoft Store). Price: $49.99, or $59.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition.
The first HD-2D Final Fantasy retells the first story arc of the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, rebuilt as a full console RPG. If the Octopath ports earlier in the month catch your eye, this is that art style applied to Final Fantasy.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
Release date: October 22. Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (exclusive). Price: from $49.99 on Nintendo’s US store.
Nintendo’s motion-control party game packs 12 sports, from archery and boxing to Thumb Wrestling, Skateboarding with Joy-Con 2 mouse controls, Power Cruising and Prop Plane, for one to four players on a single system. It is the obvious family pick of the month; for what is already out, see our best Switch 2 games of 2026.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Release date: Friday, October 23 (Steam’s US listing shows October 22), with Campaign Early Access from October 16 for digital pre-orders. Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC (Steam, Battle.net and the Xbox app). Price: $69.99 standard on Steam, with a Vault Edition also sold.
This year’s Call of Duty is set during a North Korean invasion of the Korean Peninsula, with Captain Price on the run, and launches with Campaign, Multiplayer and DMZ on day one. Our campaign trailer breakdown covers the story setup.
Week of October 26
Phantom Blade Zero
Release date: Thursday, October 29 (Steam’s US listing shows October 28). Platforms: PS5 and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and others). Price: $59.99 on Steam.
S-GAME’s “kungfupunk” action RPG follows Soul, a warrior framed for his master’s murder who has only 66 days left to live. The Deluxe Edition adds two outfits, a digital artbook and the soundtrack.
The Wolf Among Us Remastered
Release date: October 29. Platforms: Telltale lists PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2; the Steam and PlayStation Store listings both carry the October 29 date.
Telltale’s noir adventure, based on the Fables comics, returns with enhanced visuals and a new black-and-white Noir Mode you can switch on at any time. It is the warm-up for The Wolf Among Us 2, which Telltale has scheduled for 2027.
Dates Still Unconfirmed
- Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 on Switch 2. Auroch Digital says this version follows “shortly after” the October 14 launch but has not named a day.
- Football Manager 27. Sports Interactive’s Steam page still reads “Coming soon.” Some release calendars list a November launch, but no official day has been announced.
- Rayman Legends Retold (moved). Older October calendars list it for October 1, but Ubisoft’s own posts now give December 3, 2026.
Looking Ahead
November’s confirmed dates are headed by three heavy hitters:
- World of Warcraft: Forever, November 4. Blizzard says it launches globally that day, after a beta that runs through October 21. Our WoW Forever ruleset guide helps you pick a home before launch.
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Switch 2), November 5. Nintendo’s store lists the release for that day. Our rundown of everything that has changed in the remake covers what is new.
- Grand Theft Auto VI, November 19. Rockstar Games lists it for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with no PC version announced. Our GTA guides will grow once it is out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the biggest games releasing in October 2026? Gears of War: E-Day (October 6), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (October 23), Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (October 2) and Phantom Blade Zero (October 29) are the headliners, with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Planet Zoo 2 and Final Fantasy Resonance close behind.
Which new games are on Game Pass at launch? Minecraft Dungeons II joins Game Pass on September 29, and Gears of War: E-Day arrives on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on October 6, per Xbox.
Which October games can I play early? Ace Combat 8’s Deluxe Edition early access is already live, AION 2 Founder’s Pack owners start September 30, Gears of War: E-Day Premium Edition owners start October 1, and digital pre-orders of Modern Warfare 4 unlock the campaign on October 16. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse also gets a free demo on October 1.
Why does Steam show some games a day early? It usually means the game unlocks at one moment worldwide, which lands on the previous evening in the Americas. That is why Steam’s US listings show October 22 for Modern Warfare 4 and October 28 for Phantom Blade Zero. Check your platform’s store page for the exact unlock hour in your region.
When does GTA 6 come out? Rockstar lists Grand Theft Auto VI for November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.