October 2026 is one of the busiest months of the year: Gears of War returns, the first HD-2D Final Fantasy arrives, the new Call of Duty launches and the month closes with a wuxia-inspired action game. Here are the dates to mark, checked against the official pages of publishers and digital stores.
The calendar at a glance
| Date | Game | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| October 2 | Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| October 6 | Gears of War: E-Day | Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| October 6 | Star Wars: Galactic Racer | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| October 8 | Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| October 8 | Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] | PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| October 9 | Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen | Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| October 13 | Planet Zoo 2 | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| October 13 | Valor Mortis | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| October 14 | Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| October 15 | Castlevania: Belmont's Curse | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch |
| October 22 | Final Fantasy Resonance | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2, Switch |
| October 22 | Nintendo Switch Sports Resort | Switch 2 |
| October 23 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2 |
| October 29 | Phantom Blade Zero | PS5, PC |
The headline games
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (October 2). The first mainline entry in the air-combat series in seven years, built with Unreal Engine 5 by Bandai Namco Aces. It launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC; the Deluxe Edition includes 3 days of early access.
Gears of War: E-Day (October 6). The series returns on Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam too), at 4K and up to 60 frames per second. It is included from day one in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Premium Edition buyers ($99.99, against $69.99 for Standard) can play up to 5 days early, from October 1. There is no PlayStation version.
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen (October 9). An expansion for Dragon's Dogma 2, coming to Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (October 15). An exploration-based 2D action game developed by Konami and Evil Empire, with consulting from the independent studio Motion Twin. It is set in Paris in 1499, twenty-three years after Castlevania III: the protagonist is Rose Belmont, Trevor Belmont's daughter. It launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam and Nintendo Switch; a playable demo is already available.
Final Fantasy Resonance (October 22). The first HD-2D Final Fantasy, developed by Square Enix and Nippon Ichi Software, was born from the idea "what if Final Fantasy had kept pushing pixel art to its limit?". It launches on Switch 2, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and on PlayStation 5 there is a free demo with the whole first chapter.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort (October 22). A Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive with 12 sports played by moving the controllers, including bowling, basketball and skateboarding.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (October 23). It launches on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC (Battle.net, Xbox on PC and Steam) and Nintendo Switch 2. The Standard edition costs $69.99, the Vault Edition $99.99. Pre-ordering or buying early any digital edition lets you play the full campaign early, from Friday, October 16.
Phantom Blade Zero (October 29). A wuxia-set action RPG developed by S-GAME with Unreal Engine 5: you play Soul, a warrior with only sixty-six days left to live. On PlayStation 5 it launches on October 29 (October 28 in the United States and some regions), on Steam on the 28th.
Other releases to keep an eye on
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer (October 6): racing through Outer Rim space, with a short-session "runs" structure developed by Fuse with Lucasfilm Games.
- Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival (October 8): a first-person horror game from Saber Interactive, in digital and physical editions.
- Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] (October 8): bundles Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind.
- Planet Zoo 2 (October 13): Frontier's zoo management game, with aquatic and avian species and a stronger focus on conservation.
- Valor Mortis (October 13): a first-person soulslike from the makers of Ghostrunner, set among Napoleon's soldiers.
- Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (October 14): the sequel to the 1990s-style shooter, with a branching campaign.
How to read the dates
- Early access: Gears of War: E-Day (Premium Edition, from October 1), Ace Combat 8 (Deluxe Edition) and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 campaign (from October 16) can be played before release day by paying for the editions listed.
- Time zones: some dates change from one region to another, as with Phantom Blade Zero. Check the date on the page of the store you use.
- Prices: those quoted are list prices in dollars stated by publishers and stores; in euros they may differ.
- Game Pass: among the month's titles, Gears of War: E-Day is included from day one in the Ultimate and PC tiers.
The month will close with the launch of Phantom Blade Zero: with Gears of War, Final Fantasy Resonance and Call of Duty in the same window, the days between October 6 and 29 will be the busiest of the autumn.