We’re about to enter a particularly fertile period for the gaming calendar. The months of September, October, and November typically bring with them some truly titanic releases, and 2026 is shaping up to be no different.
What that means for the world of gaming news is that developers and publishers will often recede into the shadows a little to give players a chance to experience the games they’ve been building for the last few years.
With that said, you’ll be pleased to hear that there’s still plenty to chew on when it comes to discourse, so let’s take a look at the hills and valleys of the gaming landscape over the last seven days or so!
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is off to a strong start
We begin with yet more good news for Capcom, as its latest title, rebooted hack-and-slasher Onimusha: Way of the Sword, has performed admirably in sales terms, adding to Capcom’s recent slew of strong single-player outings.
During its first week on sale, the game managed to rack up a cool million sales for itself, a feat to which Capcom attributes the game’s “exhilarating sword-based action” (although the studio also admits “several marketing initiatives” certainly didn’t hurt).
What this means for the future of the franchise is unclear, but it’s certainly a promising start, potentially indicating that there’s a way forward for Onimusha (the way of the sword, presumably). Fingers crossed for that Devil May Cry continuation next.
The first big Civilization VII expansion has been announced
4X strategy game Civilization VII is getting its first big expansion, and while we don’t yet know when it’s slated to arrive, we do know it’s setting its sights beyond our planet, giving you the chance to fire up your rockets and head out into the great unknown.
Earthrise will take inspiration from previous Civilization titles, as well as the likes of Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, in order to introduce space exploration and all of its associated challenges to the latest entry in the long-running series.
Prior to that, though, you’ll be able to sink your teeth into the Arc of Tomorrow update, which brings a brand new age based on the advent of atomic energy. That’s due to arrive sometime next year, as is Earthrise. No concrete dates yet, though.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time returns in November
Nintendo revealed its remake of one of the most beloved early 3D adventures of all time (no pun intended), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, in June, and this week, we got to learn when we’ll be able to play it courtesy of a Nintendo Direct show.
The reimagined version of Link’s inaugural 3D outing, which will boast all-new visuals and revamped gameplay, will be arriving exclusively on Nintendo Switch on November 5th, which should shore up sales of the console somewhat.
This will, of course, technically be the second time that a remake of Ocarina of Time has washed up on our shores, although whether 2011’s retrofitted 3DS port can truly be considered a remake is another matter entirely. Either way, this one’s the real deal, and it’s just a couple of months away.
There’s a new Metroid game on the horizon
Ocarina of Time wasn’t all Nintendo had in store for us this week, as the presentation dedicated exclusively to the upcoming flagship title was followed directly (again, no pun intended) by a standard Nintendo Direct the day after.
During that show, a brand new Metroid game was revealed, and this one will adopt the same general visual and gameplay style as 2021’s well-liked Metroid Dread. It’s being worked on by the same devs, too.
Metroid Ravenous is currently set for a January 2027 release, and it’ll see Samus descending once more onto an alien planet, this time with a disquieting undercurrent of body horror.
PlayStation ditches Kojima as he jumps ship to Xbox
Legendary gaming auteur Hideo Kojima announced this week that he’s jumping ship from PlayStation to Xbox, which will serve as the new publishing partner for his upcoming action game Physint.
Kojima and his studio Kojima Productions say that Xbox “understands and shares” the studio’s “bold creative vision”. As a reminder, Xbox is already the publisher for the very P.T.-esque OD, which is still without a release date.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier puts the move down to ballooning budgets and frequent missed deadlines on Kojima’s part. If that is truly the pattern, let’s hope it doesn’t repeat itself in Kojima’s new home.
The September PlayStation Plus lineup has been revealed
Are you a PlayStation Plus subscriber? If so, you’re probably looking for some more titles to get stuck into now that the nights are getting longer and the temperatures are (supposedly) dropping.
Well, Sony has you covered on that front, as the next wave of PlayStation Plus games were revealed this week, with Extra subscribers getting the likes of RuneScape: Dragonwilds, WWE 2K26, and Date Everything! this month.
If you’re signed up to the more expensive Premium tier, you can look forward to retro classic Mega Man X Command Mission, as well as the PS4’s Metro Redux, which collects two remastered post-apocalyptic shooters in one handy package.
Diablo and World of Warcraft get some big updates
If you hadn’t guessed by the heading for this particular item, it’s BlizzCon time, and as is customary when BlizzCon rolls around, Blizzard has revealed some big updates for some of its tentpole franchises.
First up, ready your clicking hand and retrieve that moth-eaten wrist rest from your long-neglected PC accessories drawer, because Diablo V is coming. It’s set for 2029 (!) and will see the return of character classes like the Demon Hunter and the Monk.
Perhaps more interestingly, World of Warcraft: Forever was revealed during the showcase as well. Many devotees are referring to Forever as “Classic Plus”, and that’s effectively what this is; it expands the original vanilla World of Warcraft experience with new content. This one’s launching in November.
