Xbox’s powerful 2026 continued in September with another round of shake-ups that left followers little to be optimistic about. Layoffs and studio departures have made the way forward for Microsoft’s gaming model unclear as its focus tightens round main IP. Contemplating the grim vibe, October has develop into a vital month for Xbox. Two main first-party releases, plus a slew of promising Xbox Sport Go additions, might want to impress gamers sufficient to maintain wanting ahead to Project Helix.
Although Microsoft is combating an uphill battle, it does have some much-needed assist in October. Gears of Struggle and Name of Obligation will co-headline Xbox’s healthiest month to this point this 12 months, not less than in the case of new video games. Should you’re on the lookout for a cause to maintain your Collection X operating this fall, maintain these upcoming video games in your radar.
1
Gears of Struggle: E-Day
Launch date: Oct. 6
Even with out the high-stakes enterprise drama taking place at Microsoft, Gears of Struggle: E-Day was all the time going to be an enormous deal for Xbox. The third-person shooter seems to maintain considered one of Xbox’s crown jewel franchises related with a prequel stuffed with blood, guts, and testicle monsters. Based mostly on what we’ve performed throughout a few previews, followers of the sequence are in for a great time. Regardless of it taking the sequence to the start of the Gears timeline to indicate how Emergence Day unfolded, it’s nonetheless the identical testosterone-fueled motion romp, full with an exhilarating Horde mode. Should you solely have time to play one new Xbox sport this month, E-Day will probably be your doubtless choose.
2
Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Launch date: Oct. 6
The Star Wars sequence is on a roll proper now because of the superb Star Wars: Zero Firm, and that may proceed in October with Star Wars: Galactic Racer. The brand new racing sport applies the basics of Burnout to the Star Wars universe, which means that gamers are in for high-speed races stuffed with slo-mo crashes. Based mostly on a demo we tried again at Summer season Sport Fest, it’s already feeling like a good, thrilling racer that makes good use of Star Wars’ junky autos. Plus, its roguelike-inspired marketing campaign feels progressive sufficient to doubtlessly reshape how solo content material is dealt with in racing video games.
3
Echo Weaver
Launch date: Oct. 8
Echo Weaver has been on my radar for a very long time because of Xbox closely selling it as a promising indie coming to Xbox Sport Go over the previous couple of years. I can perceive why having seen it in motion. The distinctive Metroidvania has you manipulating time to progress via its 2D world. It’s the sort of sport the place you will have each energy you might want to progress from the beginning, however you’ll have to determine precisely what they’re as you play. All of it makes for an enchanting puzzle-adventure construction that might make for a breakout hit when it launches on Xbox Sport Go.
4
Valor Mortis
Launch date: Oct. 13
Should you’re on the lookout for a problem in October, look no additional than Valor Mortis. Set for a day one launch on Xbox Sport Go, the newest sport from the builders of Ghostrunner is a first-person Soulslike with a wild premise. You play as a useless soldier from Napoleon’s military who’s resurrected to combat a mysterious plague that has taken maintain of Europe. It’s a slice of historic horror, leaving you to combat via a corrupted imaginative and prescient of the nineteenth century stuffed with grotesque monsters. Contemplating developer One Extra Stage’s pedigree, it needs to be a bloody good time.
5
Name of Obligation: Trendy Warfare 4
Launch date: Oct. 23
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 wants little introduction. This 12 months’s installment of Activision’s first-person shooter sequence is poised to be an enormous second for the franchise. It follows up on 2023’s Trendy Warfare 3 with a narrative a few South Korean soldier trying to shield his dwelling from an invasion. Most intriguing this time round, although, is that Trendy Warfare is reintroducing DMZ, an extraction shooter mode featured in Trendy Warfare 2. Contemplating how standard Arc Raiders was in 2025, DMZ might stand to reenergize Name of Obligation’s viewers following a couple of years of up-and-down releases.