Depending on your perception of when the seasons fall, we may be nearing the end of the summer, or it may just be getting started for you. Either way, August is the last bastion of summer before autumn falls.
Whether that thought makes you melancholy or joyful, one thing’s for sure: there’s plenty to look forward to when it comes to gaming, as is almost always the case. The calendar is generous!
This year’s lineup for August is sure to give you something to keep you occupied or to relax with after a long, hot summer’s day, so without further ado, here are the best games to check out in August 2026!
Beast of Reincarnation (PC, PS5, Xbox Series – August 4th)
We kick off with the latest effort from Pokemon studio Game Freak, but this one is a very different, ahem, beast to what you might be used to from the developer.
Rather than a light-hearted creature-catching RPG, Beast of Reincarnation is a Soulslike-adjacent action RPG set in post-apocalyptic Japan, and it looks like a pretty interesting departure from Game Freak’s usual fare.
Taking inspiration from other Soulslike games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Black Myth: Wukong, Beast of Reincarnation is sure to give you plenty of action thrills when it lands in early August.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (PC, PS5 – August 6th)
Speaking of studios stepping outside their comfort zones, here’s one that absolutely is not doing that. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls comes to us from Guilty Gear’s Arc System Works, and it’s looking very pretty indeed.
Packing a roster full of iconic Marvel heroes, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls looks to be bringing the studio’s deep fighting systems expertise to an all-new world, and we’re very excited indeed.
It remains to be seen whether the game has any staying power in the notoriously fickle fighting game community, but we’ll definitely be giving this one a look this month.
The Sinking City 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series – August 18th)
Where Frogwares’ original The Sinking City was a freeform detective game of the type for which the studio is known, The Sinking City 2 deviates from that formula to bring you an all-new survival horror game.
What we’ve heard of the game so far seems insanely ambitious; it’s a semi-open-world horror game, which is often very hard to pull off, and it’s also got a water mechanic that changes areas as they become flooded.
Whether or not Frogwares can successfully make the jump to survival horror remains to be seen, but we’re very much in their corner for this one. Come on, guys! You can do it!
Mortal Shell 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series – August 20th)
Lest you think the Soulslike boom is over, think again. Developer Cold Symmetry and publisher Playstack are back with a brand new take on FromSoftware’s classic punishing RPG formula.
We say “brand new”, but we’re very much in the realms of moody dungeons and realistic-feeling combat that emphasises punishing mistakes and watching out for animation quirks again, so this is comfort food for Soulslike aficionados.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with that, and what we’ve played of Mortal Shell 2 via its open beta looks and feels great, so we’re looking forward to getting our hands on the finished product. Here’s hoping it’s better than its predecessor!
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series – August 25th)
If, like basically anybody with a pulse, you thought 2013’s Aliens: Colonial Marines was awful, you’ll be pleased to know that significantly-better shooter Aliens: Fireteam Elite has a followup on the way.
The imaginatively-titled Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 (hey, it gets the job done) has more aliens to shoot, more gloomy locations to explore, and more co-op fun for you and your friends.
The devs are promising “deeper squad mechanics” and “smarter enemies” for this one as well, so expect to face off against a significantly tougher xenomorph threat this time around.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch – August 27th)
Finally, Konami is bringing Solid Snake’s last adventure to modern platforms, and you’ll get to play and/or watch the entire thing in all its glory in late August.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is a slightly stingy package, collecting Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker but neglecting to include games like Metal Gear Acid or Portable Ops.
Still, it’ll be nice to revisit the insane conclusion to the series and to see where Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s gameplay mechanics got their start in Peace Walker. We can’t complain.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy (PC, PS5, Xbox Series – August 27th)
Both of the previous Plague Tale games have revolved largely around sneaking and setpieces, but Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is taking things in a decidedly more action-oriented direction.
The game will take place across two time periods, namely 14th-century Crete and its Minoan counterpart, and will see protagonist Sophia doing fierce battle with foes instead of trying to avoid combat.
All in all, this one is looking like a very interesting experiment for developer Asobo Studio, so let’s hope they can pull it off. In our minds, more genre-hopping franchises are no bad thing.
Star Wars Zero Company (PC, PS5, Xbox Series – August 27th)
Now here’s a very interesting little experiment. Star Wars Zero Company is a turn-based tactical game from the folks behind Apex Legends (although that’s a touch disingenuous; it’s actually developed by Bit Reactor).
The game will tell what publisher EA calls a “gritty and authentic” tale set during the Clone Wars period of the Star Wars canon, in which a shadowy crew of mercenaries must protect the galaxy from a new threat.
If you’re a fan of games like XCOM or Phoenix Point, you’ll probably get a kick out of this one, and if you’re looking for deep cuts in the Star Wars universe, then this’ll almost certainly be for you as well.
