Why video games like Control: Resonant, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave’ and Star Wars: Galactic Racer make for a very memorable 2026, plus thoughts on Magic: The Gathering – Reality Fracture.
The last few months in the 2026 video game release calendar have been an absolute whirlwind. And Grand Theft Auto VI still looms in the distance. Games are releasing so quickly it’s difficult to catch up, so we’ve rounded up a large handful of some of the best to highlight why 2026 might go down in the history books as one of the best around. Let’s get stuck in.
Control Resonant (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Control Resonant is Remedy at its risk-taking finest. It takes the developer’s beloved 2019 original, then radically changes both its protagonist and the underlying gameplay in one fell swoop. Yet against all odds its easily one of the most creative, entertaining and truly bonkers games you’ll play all year.
Set seven years after the original, Resonant focuses on Jesse’s brother Dylan, who upon waking up from his coma, is quickly tasked with clearing out a Hiss outbreak in the streets of Manhattan. The more open, sprawling nature gives Resonant such a striking visual style that is only amplified by some truly incredible traversal mechanics – Dylan able to hop all around Inception-style layouts. It’s unique, frequently awe-inspiring and beautifully done, especially on PS5 Pro.
This is also matched with the FBC service weapon being swapped out for a transformable melee weapon, which sounds controversial but does well to switch up the series’ formula, even though it can get repetitive at times.
Underlying it all is Remedy’s signature quirk which is once again on full display as the developer continues to build out its expanded universe. It won’t be for everybody, but Control Resonant hits far more than it misses and is an exceptional experience because of it. An easy recommendation that solidifies Control as a force to be reckoned with.
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Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (Switch 2)
Let’s cut to the chase. This is one of the most in-depth, rich and enjoyable Fire Emblem games of all time.
It’s also a game with truly ridiculous scale that’ll see you sink countless hours as you enter the Dagdan Empire to compete in the heroic games. The winner is promised a wish granted, but your adventures will actually see you jump between four heroes in an attempt to save the world. That’s a very abridged summary, but much of Fortune’s weave enjoyment stems from learning about the world, each of your characters and how they might interact.
The rest stems from the series’ rock-solid turn-based gameplay, which is still best in class. Learning how to maximise your team and power through the opposition is consistently engaging and the new party-focused Clashes allows for an interesting new dynamic.
Pair that with a great soundtrack and exceptional visual style and you have one of the Switch 2’s best games. It is a seriously meaty adventure though and that may prove to be too much for some gamers, but if you’re up for the challenge the Heroic Games presents, it’s hard to imagine you being disappointed.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Forget the movies because the Star Wars video game world is absolutely thriving right now and Star Wars: Galactic Racer is not exception. An intergalactic racer that draws a lot of comparisons to Burnout 3: Takedown, it’s an absolute surprise hit that should speed straight to the top of your most wanted list.
Galactic Racer offers a relatively simple setup, but does well to lay the groundwork early for a speedy adventure as you chip away at a classic rags to riches tale. As a result, you control a racer joining a very unsanctioned racing circuit known as The Galactic League. It’s all in an attempt to best the infamous champion Kestar Bool – an alien you have some existing beef with.
And speedy it certainly is. Star Wars: Galactic Racer often feels like its moving at a spectacular pace, and the danger that entails around every corner. Simply careen off the track and smack into a boulder and it’s game over. Layering offensive abilities only ratchets up the tension and keeps you on your toes throughout each race.
But at its core, Star Wars Galactic Racer is fast, furious and frantic. Using a roguelike structure to underpin the adventure is is an ingenious idea and you’re bound to lose hours upon hours of your life into it. This one’s an easy Game of the Year contender.
Gears of War E-Day (Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Xbox might be in a bit a rough spot at the moment but the gaming giant is hoping to get things back on track with the release of Gears if War E-Day.
After a lukewarm reception to Gears 5, E-Day hits pause on that narrative and takes things back to series mainstays Marcus and Dom. The game does this by taking things back to the very begging, as you meet the soldiers after the conclusion of the Pendulum Wars.
As you might expect though, peace is short-lived and humanity is quickly faced with a new Locust threat popping out from underneath the ground, causing all sorts of death and destruction in the process.
Emergence day is a pretty massive deal for Gears fans, so it’s to the game’s credit that the event is handled as confidently as it is. Watching a city slowly get torn to shreds is a heartbreaking spectacle and the game actually would have benefited from lingering on that more than it does, before fully transitioning into more traditional Gears landscapes. Expect plenty of cover-based shooting and bombastic setpieces but there’s also an enjoyable weapon upgrade system that’ll allow you to tweak your playstyle for your particular needs.
Once you’ve polished off the campaign you can tuck into the multiplayer suite and Siege Horde mode. The longevity of the multiplayer remains to be seen, but it’s easy to imagine Horde mode having some legs – seeing your squad roam the streets of Kalona to complete PvE objectives as a before eventually calling for extraction.
It makes Gears of War E-Day one of the most promising Xbox packages in quite some time and a great entry for both newcomers and hardcore fans.
Magic: The Gathering – Reality Fracture
Between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel Super Heroes and The Hobbit, Magic: The Gathering has delved pretty deep into licensed territory throughout 2026. But with Reality Fracture we get back to a more traditional release, and one of the series last for the year also happens to be one of its best.
It all starts with a pretty interesting narrative arc, focusing on Jace Beleren – the most powerful mind-mage in the Multiverse. Once a heroic saviour, Jace has made the call said Multiverse and gone ahead and decided to create a fresh reality free of all the doom and gloom currently about. A noble quest, but that naturally rubs quite a few people the wrong way and leads to one hell of a battle, drawing upon familiar faces long-term fans will surely appreciate. It’s certainly a tale more skewed to the Magic faithful, but newcomers should still pick up the thread pretty quickly and find a lot to enjoy here, especially as it segues into mechanics.
The main one to take note of is Empower Jace, which sees you placing a number of loyalty tokens on an existing Jace token or creating a new one. Once powered up your Jace token will also allow you additional actions like drawing a card or surveilling, so keeping everybody safe and sound will be a primary strategy to ensure you keep steadily trucking along and causing all sorts of multiversal madness.
This theme also extends well to the art and it’s another exceptional job here. The Shattered Mirror cards are also a particular highlight – designed to represent the strain upon Jace’s reality. The shattered pieces of glass flying across the card feel ripped straight out of a Doctor Strange movie and is indicative of Magic’s art team clearly having a lot of fun.
As a whole package Magic: The Gathering – Reality Fracture is a highly engaging and entertaining set and is just another win for what has been an incredibly strong year for the card game.
EA Sports FC 27 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC)
The football behemoth is back once again for another outing on the pitch and its about as familiar as you might expect from the annual release.
The big ticket item for FC 27 is the The Grounds – an online focused-open world social hub that sees you building a custom avatar then roaming the streets of one of three larger hubs. Find a friend and you’ll be able to challenge them to rounds of Rush football (consisting of fast-paced, smaller-sided bouts), or jump into various mini-games that’ll see you popping balloons, kicking balls into buckets and more. It’s a fun aside sure, but it never properly captured the attention and admittedly needs a bit more work if it has hopes of sticking around in the years to come.
Outside of The Grounds FC27 remains as polished as you’d expect and is still a wonderful game of football. It certainly feels as though things have been slowed down a little, but for hardcore players that’s bound to be a welcome change to allow greater consideration and strategy mid-game.
Ultimate Team also has some minor tweaks for anybody down the rabbit hole, without reinventing the hugely successful wheel.
That’s the overall sentiment of FC 27 as a whole, and it’s easy to understand why. It might be safe, but it’s also still easily the best game of football around.
Silent Hill Townfall (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Silent Hill Townfall might mark the third entry in the horror series in three years, but when they’re this consistent it’s difficult to complain. Interestingly, Townfall returns to the series’ more traditional routes as you follow newcomer Simon Ordell as he journey’s to the coastal village of Simon Ordell. Pity for Simon, said town has seen its residents trapped by a mysterious fog, leaving it to him to solve while simultaneously uncovering his connection to the location.
Townfall’s major shake-up here is perspective – embracing a first-person view for the first time in the franchise. The change instantly ratchets up the tension and claustrophobia, amplified by Townfall’s focus on avoidance rather than direct combat. It also is critical to the introduction of an oldschool portable television, which you’ll need to track the movement of various monsters by tuning into different frequencies. It’s a fresh idea that really helps the game achieve a unique feel.
Outside of that Silent Hill Townfall is a fairly traditional, linear survival horror, but there are plenty of puzzles that’ll have you scratching your head and a sufficiently eerie environment and atmosphere to enjoy. It’s a perfect title to jump into before Halloween.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC)
Released way back in 2015 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was instantly regarded as an RPG masterpiece. But in the years that followed it’s a legacy that has endured and only grown. It makes sense then that CD Projekt Red has introduced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered – providing a fresh coat of paint and a substantial number of improvements to the original experience.
What doesn’t make sense is the developer choosing to release it completely free of charge for all existing owners, although one shouldn’t complain over such a boon. And there’s a hell of a lot of work at play here. Visuals have seen a massive overhaul, especially on the Switch 2 which has made some incredible strides since its original release and performs remarkably well while on the go, but PS5 Pro shines even brighter, adding better lighting and more environmental detail to sell the world you get lost in.
Combat too has also seen some improvements in enemy interactions, general movement and an improved perk system, but it’s still bound to be one of the game’s more controversial elements. It just makes controlling Geralt more responsive across the board and it’s a big improvement that is incredibly appreciated.
The fact that CD Project Red has offered The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered free of charge to all existing owners is positively bonkers. There is an incredible amount of game on offer here and the upgrades make it a pretty sweet pot for anybody yet to make the jump. Best get in now before the Songs of the Past DLC drops next year.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC)
When Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 launched a couple of years ago, there were inevitable question marks around Volume 2 and how Konami would be able to handle the reaming titles. The good news is that for all accounts it’s a huge success and avoids many of the pitfalls plaguing its predecessor.
The release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the main star of the show and it’s a pretty monumental occasion. It’s the first time the game has been able to escape the clutches of the PlayStation 3 and it makes the jump surprisingly well. The game consistently hits 60fps (even on Switch 2), making it far more playable off the bat than when Volume 1 first launched.
Resolution for Switch 2, meanwhile, unfortunately isn’t as successful. While Metal Gear Solid 4 manages to hit a 1080p cap, Peace Walker is limited to 720p. It feels like a bump up from the PSP original but is still disappointing. It’s also worth noting though that PS5 and Xbox Series X do not have this issue.
Outside of MGS4 and Peace Walker, Volume 2 does also include the Game Boy Colour-exclusive Metal Gear: Ghost Babel and a serving of other extra goodies (like a screenplay book and digital soundtrack), but how much value you get out of these will vary depending on your level of fandom. Regardless, this is the perfect way to continue revisiting a classic franchise with some welcomed modern bells and whistles.
Devil May Cry 5: Devil Hunter Edition (Switch 2)
The Switch 2 catch-up ports continue full steam ahead, this time with the likes of Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition.
If you’re not caught up on the 20}+ years of Devil May Cry lore, you needn’t stress. Devil May Cry 5 mercifully includes a helpful recap of what you’ve missed, and while it’s no replacement for actually playing the games it’ll give you a decent cliff note experience that’ll see you hacking and slashing in minutes. And that’s the name of the game here as Nero, V, and Dante — band together to defeat a powerful demon called Urizen. Y
What that equates to is a whirlwind rollercoaster of stylish action that benefits from having three unique characters to utilise. Nero, V, and Dante all have their own playstyle, ranging from gun-slinging, to ranged attacks and classic melee bashing, and switching between the trio is a lot of fun.
The game also looks incredible, and continues Capcom’s impeccable run of quality Switch 2 ports that look and perform flawlessly. It’s another remarkable effort that deserves your attention if you’re looking to slay some demons on the go.
Two Point Hospital: Full Health Collection (Switch 2)
Looking for an absolute time sink on your Switch 2? Two Point Full Health Collection might just be the cure you’re looking for – bundling in both the main game and all previously released DLC into one package.
If you’ve never played Two-Point Hospital the premise is simple, build your dream hospital and sink your blood sweat and tears to making sure your patients are happy and you make enough money to keep the lights on. It sounds easier than it often is as you juggle patient happiness, layout woes and doing what you can to diagnose a slew of illnesses. That’s in amongst additional objectives like preventing deaths on the premises for a set period of time.
Two Point Hospital gameplay is often chaotic but deeply addictive, especially as you move from hospital to hospital, each with its own challenge to conquer. That’s not including the frankly ridiculous seven rounds of DLC included in the Full Health Collection, some of which are making the way to consoles for the first time. Nothing dramatically reinvents the wheel but does add a smorgasbord of new illnesses to sort through.
The Switch 2 iteration thankfully runs pretty smoothly, making it handy to play on the go, but it is hampered a little by a 30fps cap and some more cumbersome control method, which makes sense considering the game was originally designed for a mouse and keyboard.
Still, if you’ve ever wanted to jump into Two Point Hospital, Full Health Collection is unquestionably the way to go.
