Physical media is present in the news cycle quite a bit of late, what with the latest news from Xbox about its disc-to-digital program. Then there's PlayStation's double whammy of removing digital content from libraries and then announcing it will be stopping new game discs from 2028.

The move to all-digital has been on the cards for some time, and PC gamers have already long embraced that future. But in a bizarre twist of fate, it seems some are reversing this process and actually starting to make their own physical copies of digital PC games.

I stumbled across a YouTube video by Archades Games (which is embedded below) that's been up for many months, but nevertheless, its subject matter made me click. On PC there's quite often a way where there's a will, and with GOG especially, it's actually pretty easy to create your own physical installer for your game library.

Of course, it requires having the necessary hardware to do it, and Blu-ray drives (like everything else) have been getting more expensive in recent years. But if you have a drive and some discs, there's little else to stop you.

There's a wider discussion that is ongoing regarding game preservation and generally good data backup habits. But in this specific instance, GOG will offer DRM-free offline installers, and the right Blu-ray discs can last at least your own lifetime, and potentially many more besides.

The process itself seems pretty straightforward, though the video and a follow-up, which goes into more depth, including multi-disc scenarios, walk you through every step. Multi-disc is certainly something you'd need for Cyberpunk 2077.

Essentially you need a Blu-ray or DVD drive capable of writing to discs, the right discs, a copy of MakeMKV (which, as the site is currently offline, you'll have to grab from an archived version of the page), and ImgBurn to both create an ISO file and burn it to the disc.

Archades Games goes one step further and even creates a nice-looking label for the discs, just to add a finishing touch. Though that's entirely optional.

You can also write your own autorun file to add to the disc so that when you insert it into a PC, it will immediately open up the installer. Just like in the old days when you'd buy a big box PC game.

I haven't tried this yet, and I'm not necessarily sure I will. But recent events have certainly made me start to think about "ownership." I don't own anything in my Steam library; I don't own any of the digital movies I've bought over the years from Apple, Google, and Amazon. Long-term rentals are only fine as long as the rights holders say so.

I've been buying up physical copies of movies I only have digitally on Blu-ray and creating a digital copy of those Blu-rays to store on my NAS. I'm not suggesting it's practical to create a full library of PC games on disc, and in many cases, you can't get new releases on GOG or anywhere else with an offline installer.

But preservation is something we should all care about. I've thought more and more about it as my children are growing up and I'm able to enjoy content with them. My son is absolutely loving being able to play games on Xbox from before he was born, and much of that is thanks to backwards compatibility.

But we also have an Xbox 360 running every day right now, with physical copies of games that we can use for as long as the disc lasts.

The idea of "cold storing" important data on Blu-ray discs is something I've been toying with, too. With the right discs, such as M-Discs designed for archiving, that data can be preserved for centuries. So long as you have a way in the future of actually reading them, of course.

It might be a fun project for game installers, but for treasured memories, photo libraries, and things that are irreplaceable, having a copy that could stand the test of time is looking more important. Good backup processes are something we should all be doing.

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One of the more unsung announcements from this year's Gamescom that has me personally excited is that Shadow of the Road, an upcoming CRPG published by Owlcat Games of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader fame, has revealed that it's releasing on November 12, 2026, for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.

This game has you command a group of ex-samurai and Shogun retainers traveling with a child gifted with mysterious powers, his mother, and their massive bodyguard on a quest to put an end to a bloody civil war that's tearing Japan apart.

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Shadow of the Road will have you explore a gritty, alternative history version of Japan in 1868 where Steampunk technology reigns supreme, manage a team of powerful warriors in intense tactical turn-based battles, make tough dialogue choices that will determine the course of the story and your party's friendships, and obtain the dark power of being able to transform into horrifying yōkai in battle.

I previewed Shadow of the Road's alpha test back in 2025, and I was rather enthralled by its Japanese setting, in-depth turn-based combat, and unique take on dialogue choices in RPGs, as it allowed the entire party, not just the main character, to have dialogue options during conversations based on who the player wants to speak first.

So I can't wait to finally play the full version when Shadow of the Road launches on PC this November.

Although I'm sad that there's no word of Shadow of the Road releasing on Xbox anytime soon, as this game would be cool to play on Xbox Ally via Xbox Play Anywhere, like Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader was.

But who knows? If this game does well on PC, maybe it will release on consoles at some point later? Only time will tell the answer.

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Fable is not skimping out on any details at this year's Gamescom, as it provided a metric ton of new gameplay information through an 18-minute gameplay demo, accompanied by a gameplay preview write-up at Xbox Wire.

There's a lot to unpack here, so let's not waste any more time and get into the nitty-gritty of what Playground Games has in store for this highly anticipated reboot of the Fable series.

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The demo begins with a recap of Fable's life-sim elements, where you can mingle with NPCs to potentially start a family, buy a home, or start a business. The player then sets off on a quest to save their grandma and village, which have been turned to stone by the mysterious hero-turned-villain, Isabel.

Throughout the demo, we see the player engaging in dialogue choices that determine how NPCs feel towards them, some funny cinematics that play off like a fantasy version of the iconic sitcom, 'The Office', exploring the city, developing skills in the skill tree, and most of all, beating the stuffing out of bandits with the game's combat system.

Judging from the footage shown in the Gamescom demo and from Xbox Wire's preview write-up, this game's combat system is shaping up to be the most in-depth one any Fable title has had to date.

You can parry and dodge enemy attacks, blast enemies off of cliffs using fireballs, catch incoming arrows and throw them back at enemies, trip or knock weapons out of enemies' hands using bows and crossbows, stun enemies by filling their stagger gauge before performing melee finishers on them, turn enemies into chickens using magic, and so much more.

And all this is done without messing about in menus or loadout bars, so you can focus on the action intuitively without immersion-breaking menu micromanagement.

You will need to master this evolved take on Fable's combat quickly, as you will contend with more dangerous foes than bandits throughout the game, including reanimated skeletons, wraiths, Cockatrices, and tough mini-bosses like the ghostly Lantern Keeper, to name a few.

Windows Central's take

I admit it's been a LONG time since I played the original Fable from 2004, but I do remember combat not being the most in-depth thing in the world, as it mainly amounted to whacking enemies once, moving back to shoot fireballs, rinse and repeat.

So to go from that to this new Fable where we're catching arrows to throw them back in enemies' faces, parrying attacks Sekiro-style, and blasting enemies with magic doesn't take forever to cast anymore is a massive improvement.

If Playground Games can continue polishing this promising combat system to be more speedy and perhaps show off more destructive spells, Fable could be a massive shoo-in for a 2027 Game of the Year contender.

We will have to wait to find out if the combat system, as well as its other gameplay aspects, live up to the hype when Fable launches on February 23, 2027, on Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox Play Anywhere support), Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Game Pass (Day One), PlayStation 5, and Steam.

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Perhaps one of the biggest challenges facing Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is what exactly to do with Halo.

Halo used to be synonymous with Xbox. It was to Xbox what Mario is to Nintendo, but after years of painful mismanagement, corporate inertia, and hundreds of millions of dollars ... Halo is arguably at its lowest point ever.

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Halo Campaign Evolved arguably didn't resonate as well as it perhaps should've done. Selling yet another re-master of the original Halo game, albeit this time without even competitive multiplayer, doesn't seem to have been a hugely worthwhile endeavour. You could even argue it did more harm than good to Xbox, given the fact Microsoft released it on PlayStation too, but that's just my opinion.

What is perhaps less of an opinion is that Halo has absolutely mountains of untapped potential. It's a known quantity, the fanbase is clamouring for a new high-quality Halo game, and the transmedia opportunities are painfully clear. It's always been about execution.

Perhaps the answer to getting Halo back towards firing on all cylinders again is looking towards the alumni who made it great in the first place. Co-creators of the original games such as Joseph Staten have been reminiscing about the game lately, with Staten wondering what more Halo ODST-like spin-offs and expansions might look like.

"I often think about what it would have been like if we’d kept building on Halo 3 with ODST-like expansions — new stories, innovative mechanics, etc. Would have been great fun."

There has been a lot of rumors and conjecture about what it's like working at Halo Studios right now, with some arguing that Microsoft and Xbox leadership isn't running it all too well.

Others have suggested Halo's slide is frustrated by its location, or Microsoft's creativity-stifling corporatism. Many others have expressed hopes that maybe some OG Bungie or 343i alumni could return to the franchise, such as Marcus Lehto.

I really enjoyed Halo Wars 2, and Halo Infinite's campaign gameplay was decently fun, but there was always this sense of untapped potential across the franchise. Many of Halo Infinite's story beats connecting it to Halo 5 were shunted into books and out of the game, as 343i repeatedly reworked story beats only to subsequently abandon them and leave them unfinished. And let's not discuss the disastrous Halo TV show on Paramount.

With Gears of War, Fable, and Forza enjoying an incredibly strong showing throughout Gamescom and this year in general — Halo has oddly become the runt of the litter, which is an absolutely wild thing to say.

What would you like to see Asha Sharma do with the Halo franchise? Is it worth saving? Can it be saved? Would you like to see Joseph Staten return to lead? Let me know your thoughts.

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The next-gen Xbox Helix is gradually appearing on the horizon, but there's very big question marks over how it will actually show up.

Microsoft's attempts to disrupt the gaming industry ended mostly with it disrupting itself, harming its own Xbox console business as well as third-party developers in its ecosystem. As Xbox's hardware footprint has shrank due to poor marketing and lack of exclusive games, so too has its relevancy on the general gaming stage. The turmoil has been turbo charged by the AI-driven RAMpocalypse, which has seen consumer electronics prices soar due to RAM shortages.

New CEO Asha Sharma has been tasked with reviving Xbox's gaming fortunes, starting by bringing back exclusive games (including the amazing-looking Gears of War: E-Day), and delivering a barrage of fan-requested features.

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Fans are increasingly wondering how Xbox will respond to PlayStation's own PR nightmare right now. PlayStation inexplicably announced a gradual phase out of disc-based games on its platform, with discs going away entirely by 2028. Microsoft has moved in the opposite direction, revealing today that Xbox discs will now grant digital entitlements for gamers in that ecosystem, including Xbox Cloud Gaming access and Xbox Play Anywhere.

In conversations with BBC reporter Laura Cress, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma acknowledged the backlash to Sony's physical phase out.

"I know players love physical media, and I know there's a lot of benefits in digital media, and I want to make sure people have a choice," Sharma said. "There are stacks of games on everybody's shelves. We're announcing the ability for players for 1,000 titles with physical discs to be able to have a digital entitlement."

"We've long pioneered backwards compatibility and so you'll continue to see that as we go forward in the generations. This next generation, we have to be thinking about efficiency and affordability alongside performance."

Will Xbox give disc-loving gamers the lifeline PlayStation won't?

Speaking to my own Xbox hardware sources, I was told that it's less about the discs themselves and more about the supply chain around optical disc drives collapsing. Factories and assembly lines previously oriented around making optical disc drives are moving towards other, more lucrative and more scalable industries, such as camera lenses and the like. Demand for optical disc drives revolves entirely around Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 right now, with laptops, Blu-Ray devices, and other formats essentially phasing out the tech.

Consumers opted overwhelming for digital-only in the last few years, although the downsides are becoming increasingly apparent. The lack of rights consumers have over digital content has come into focus, as licenses can be revoked remotely at any time potentially. At least with a physical game or Blu-ray movie, it's definitively yours in perpetuity.

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It's ironic perhaps given the revival of vinyl records in recent years, as more of us seek ownership and hobby-oriented collecting. Digital games, books, and movies don't create the same sense of participation, and lending games and sharing content with families is obviously much harder generally speaking when the content is tied to a specific account.

Xbox doesn't have strong family-sharing systems like Steam yet, nor does it come with the ability to re-sell digital games as some have called for. There's also no legislation in place to refund users when digital games are sunset or revoked.

It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft and the next-gen Xbox Helix navigates this impending reality for optical disc drive manufacturing, given the widespread backlash to PlayStation's vocal policies on it.

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The Division 2 is one of my favorite games for a number of reasons. One of those is how it's been treated by Ubisoft, a company that faces its fair share of well-founded criticism.

The original plan would have seen new content end long ago, but it was so popular with such a dedicated community that it's still here today. There's an absurd amount of content in this game, and now we're getting another DLC expansion.

Following on from last year's Battle for Brooklyn, which took us literally back to where it all began in the first game, we're now going to a previously unseen part of New York City in "Echoes of Central Park."

One of the city's most iconic locations hasn't been part of The Division to this point, but it will be the central focus in the next expansion, announced for the first time as part of a Ubisoft The Division 2 panel at Gamescom in Cologne.

Naturally there will be an expanded story with new missions, but we're being promised something a little different this time around.

The summary that's been shared with me prior to the panel certainly gets my attention. With this new location we're promised that the Upper West Side is petrified with fear, and that fear is going to be an underlying element that our Agents will be dealing with in this expansion.

That's particularly interesting because all through The Division franchise, Agents have felt like superheroes. Equipped with wild tech and insane weapons to take down the worst that the post-Dollar Flu apocalyptic world has to offer.

That fear itself is going to be an enemy is a different approach. Echoes of Central Park, we're told, is going to follow a darker tone to previous content in the franchise, with horror themes taking us down a very different path.

It'll start in a familiar manner; Division Agents will receive a distress call from inside Central Park and will be dispatched to answer it with no idea what's there or what's been happening since the outbreak.

Other tidbits include a warning that we'll have to prepare and untangle the mysteries before finally finding out what lies within the park. Mysterious indeed.

Ubisoft also says that Echoes of Central Park isn't just another story expansion. They really wanted to focus on the gameplay, and it certainly sounds like it'll be something a little different to what we're used to.

A full reveal of Echoes of Central Park is slated for a special presentation on September 24, where we'll also get our first look at the new map and gameplay. Given what happened so far in New York City across the two games in the series, I always assumed Central Park would have been turned into some kind of mass grave, but I guess I'm wrong on that.

Bring on September 24.

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Gamescom continues to steamroll ahead with tons of more exciting game announcements, this time with the Future Games Show showcase, which has just recently concluded after kicking off on August 26, 2026, at 10:00 am PDT / 1:00 pm EDT / 6:00 pm BST.

This event featured new gameplay trailers, deep dives, and developer interviews on over 40 Xbox and PC titles, along with revealing 13 brand new games.

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With so many games getting the spotlight, we've rounded up all the biggest announcements from the event as they go live in one convenient place to save you the trouble of finding and remembering them yourself.

Where and how you can watch Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026

To watch Future Games Show at Gamescom live or rewatch its VOD if you couldn't make it, you will have to tune into the Future Games Show's YouTube, Twitch, X, and Steam platforms.

All Xbox and PC games shown at the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026

This is where we have compiled all the major game announcements from the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026, with links to their trailers and short descriptions of their premises, release dates, platforms, and more.

Worms: Galactic Tactics

The show kicks off with a new trailer for Worms: Galactic Tactics, a turn-based tactical spin on the classic Worms franchise with roguelike elements where you'll be blasting enemy worms to kingdom come with rocket launchers, bombs, and explosive sheep, to name a few.

Worms: Galactic Tactics will be releasing in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PC via Steam.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Capcom makes an appearance to show off a new cinematic trailer for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, an upcoming action game where you travel the land of Japan to rid Kyoto of the evil demons known as Genma.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is scheduled for September 4, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival

The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival is a side-scrolling beat 'em up in the grim universe of The Walking Dead franchise, but with a Streets of Rage-style twist.

Your goal is to play as one of the iconic survivors of the franchise like Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne, and Negan, and beat the undead snot out of any zombie standing in your way.

Walking Dead: Streets of Survival is set to launch on September 18, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Dioxide

Dioxide is an upcoming tactical FPS with Soulslike elements where you are tasked with forging the last sanctuary for humanity in a dying, dystopian plagued by industrial decay, and infested with ravenous beasts and maniacs.

Dioxide is scheduled to release sometime in the future on PC via Steam.

Wolcen 2

Wolcen 2 is an upcoming ARPG set in a dark fantasy world where you must fight to survive being destroyed by hordes of monsters, giant spiders, and other evil creatures of the night.

Wolcen 2 is scheduled to release into early access during 2027 for PC via Steam.

Serious Sam: Shatterverse

Serious Sam: Shatterverse is an upcoming roguelite FPS where you play as multiple alternate versions of the iconic Serious Sam and blast your way across the multiverse in chaotic shootouts solo or with friends in 5-player co-op.

Serious Sam: Shatterverse is scheduled to release on August 31, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

SPINE - This is Gun Fu

SPINE - This is Gun Fu, is an upcoming cyberpunk action game where you play as a rebellious street artist named Redline searching for her brother, who's been captured by a tyrannical AI regime.

Together with your sentient combat implant named Spine, you will shoot and kick your way through bad guys in over-the-top battles using a unique combat system that makes you feel like you're living in a gun-fu martial arts movie.

SPINE - This is Gun Fu is set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer is an upcoming racing game set in the Star Wars universe, and the developers stopped by with an interview trailer to talk about the game's systems, vehicles, and more.

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer is set to launch on October 6, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Alkimya: House of Wisdom

Alkimya: House of Wisdom is an upcoming survival horror game set in Baghdad, 1258, where you must explore the titular library for an elixir to save your dying daughter while avoiding being murdered by Mongolian invaders and eldritch horrors.

Alkimya: House of Wisdom is set to release sometime in the future for PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Hieronymus 

Hieronymus is an FPS set within a world inspired by the surreal and terrifying artworks of the famous painter Hieronymus Bosch. As the young Helena van Aken, you must master the art of alchemy, magic, and combat if you hope to survive encountering the bizarre creatures and horrors of this world as you uncover your family's darkest secrets.

Hieronymus is set to release sometime in the future for PC via Steam.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is an upcoming action-RPG where you explore dungeons for ancient treasure and sell it off to help your shop prosper while helping out your local community.

The game leaves early access on September 2, 2026, and will launch on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and Windows.

Sword Sage: Awakening

Sword Sage: Awakening is an upcoming hack-and-slash set in a world inspired by Chinese mythology. In this game, you are tasked with mastering a diverse combat system to fight ancient evil monstrosities let loose by a mistake made by your ancestors a thousand years ago.

Sword Sage: Awakening is set to release sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Tides of Annihilation

Tides of Annihilation is an upcoming action-adventure where you must embark on a dangerous quest to restore a fractured London to its original form after otherworldly invaders destroyed it.

The Future Games Show gives us a deeper look into its story, gameplay, and dark fantasy setting inspired by the legends of King Arthur with a developer deep dive trailer.

Tides of Annihilation is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Guns of Eschaton

Guns of Eschaton is a soulslike FPS where you are travelling through an apocalyptic Wild West to find your way back home. Along your journey, you will be getting into firefights with cultists, demons, and other unspeakable monsters that require dark magic and a ton of lead to put down.

Guns of Eschaton is set to launch sometime in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Everwind

Everwind is a sandbox survival game where you and your friends work together to build fantastical airships to explore the world and fight dangerous foes using swordplay and magic spells.

It was released into early access on March 17, 2026 for PC via Steam, but its latest trailer at the Future Game Show has confirmed it will ported onto home consoles in 2027.

Resonance: A Plague Tale

Resonance: A Plague Tale is an upcoming action-adventure game where you must uncover the mysteries of your past by solving the puzzles of the enigmatic Minotaur Island while keeping ahead of an army looking to collect your head.

Resonance: A Plague Tale is set to release tomorrow on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

If you want to learn more about this game, check out our review of Resonance: A Plague Tale, where we gave it 4.5/5 Stars.

Last Ditch Effort

Last Ditch Effort is a dark fantasy brawler with a slick, pixel art style and insanely over-the-top side-scrolling combat gameplay. Your goal in this game is to fight through an apocalyptic world as the long warrior Igor Emmerich to find an ancient gate that can grant any wish, no matter how times you must die to reach it.

Last Ditch Effort is set to release sometime in 2027 for PC via Steam.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster is a side-scrolling stealth platformer where you play as a member of the rat-like Skaven race, working your way up the food chain to become the ultimate Deathmaster assassin of the Clans Eshin.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster is scheduled to release in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Escape from Playtime

The main show concludes with a trailer for Escape from Playtime, a co-op horror game set in the Poppy Playtime universe where you play as misfit toys desperately trying to escape a decrepit factory before being dismantled by horrifying freaks of nature.

Escape from Playtime is set to launch into early access on PC via Steam sometime in the future.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2

The FGS portion of the show kicks off with a new gameplay trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2.

This game is an upcoming FPS set in the grim dark Warhammer 40,000 universe where you must purge the universe of heretics as the indomitable Space Marine, Malum Caedo, or the unstoppable Sister of Battle, Nyra Veyrath.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is set to release on October 14, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Crimson Moon

Crimson Moon is an upcoming hack-and-slash where you are on a crusade to cleanse the fallen city of Gildenarch of vampires, undead, and demons with holy fire in an epic campaign that can be undertaken solo or in 2-player co-op.

Crimson Moon is set to launch on September 1, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Amphibian 

Amphibian is a cute-looking yet deceptively serious, pixel-art RPG where you play as humanoid frogs on a quest to save their pond from a terrible drought while fending off beasts and invading toad armies in turn-based battles.

Amphibian is set to release sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PC via Steam.

Apart

Apart is an action-adventure set in a zombie apocalypse where you play as a zombie yourself. You play as undead girl who has formed a bond with a severed hand, and you must work together to survive in this hostile world where not being a member of the undead will exempt you from being hunting by mindless infected.

Apart is set to launch sometime in the future on PC via Steam.

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I’ll admit it, I’m the guy who side-eyes sequels and especially prequels. Maybe it’s childhood trauma from sitting through the first three Star Wars movies, but prequels and I have never really gotten along.

I don’t know what it is specifically, but the prequels I come across tend to be pointless. Adding nothing to the existing story, or go off in different directions that have no relation to the original stories. That’s where Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is different.

The deeper I got into the game, the more I realized just how good it really is. The story doesn’t just tag along for the ride; it actually builds on the Plague Tale universe. And Sophia? She plays nothing like Amicia de Rune, which is something I didn’t know I needed so much of.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is like the best recipe from Asobo Studios, mixing in the action vibes of the Tomb Raider reboots and tossing in a dash of early Assassin’s Creed storytelling. The result is that Resonance easily becomes the best Plague Tale game so far.

From the stillness of silent trekking to open-area sword combat, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is both similar yet an entirely reenergized overhaul of the Plague Tale we’ve grown to love in all the right ways.

This review was conducted using a pre-release code of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy provided to Windows Central by Asobo Studios. The company had no input or prior knowledge of its content.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — Story

As I said in the beginning, prequels are very hard to get right. One of the many repeated mistakes I see with prequels is the lack of ties into the story of the main entries. Something substantial has to be there, not just a hook where both main characters once ate at the same diner or some other crap. While I obviously am not the one who’s going to spoil a single second of Resonance’s fantastic storytelling, I will say that the tie-ins are more than sufficient to warrant a prequel.

From the jump, you can feel the Plague Tale DNA pulsing through the game. You step into the shoes of young Sophia, darting through crowds with a frame not much bigger than Hugo de Rune. Her childhood wasn’t great, as growing up in a house of God wasn’t exactly a blessing. The Nuns put her through a gauntlet of injections, sparking nightmares of a mysterious island that sends her father, and eventually herself, on a quest for the reasons behind the dreams.

The deeper she dives, the further her connection with the island grows; a reimagined story of the ancient Greeks’ Minotaur island. The contraptions of Daedalus, Minoan civilization, and the myth of the Minotaur all blend beautifully and terrifyingly with that of the Prima Macula, the main “antagonist” of the Plague Tale series.

That same connection with the island grants her a unique ability to see into the past of Theseus, legendary hero of Greek mythology. These sequences offer a glimpse of new details she may have missed, or of a puzzle that went missing centuries ago.

Both stories unfold over the 10+ chapters of the game, and I was absolutely hooked. I’m an absolute sucker for ancient mythology, and when you add a new take on top of it? Sign me up!

The pacing of Resonance never once felt dull, not even for a moment. Tension was high nearly throughout the game, with quieter moments offering a much-needed respite. Honestly, by and far this is one of the best narrative-driven games I’ve ever played.

My only major plothole was the random intervals of enemies you come across in the game. You’ll enter locked areas that no one has entered for centuries, and that your friends have tried to enter for years.

Finally, with the right equipment, you get inside, only to be met by an army of men that followed you to the island. Their constant invasion into spaces that are otherwise sealed felt beyond odd, but at least I got to kill them all!

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — Gameplay

The big kicker with Resonance is the newly added gameplay mechanics that nearly overhaul those of the previous games. Gone are the days of knocking guards out with stones; in are the split-second parry moments of Sophia.

Sophia gets her hands on a bunch of different swords, each with its own twist that bolsters some talent of hers. She can block, and if you time it right, pull off a parry that fills up the enemy’s stun meter. Once that’s maxed out, you can land some seriously heavy hits through the use of Critical Strikes.

Sure, these mechanics don’t sound astonishingly new, but what’s there is incredibly polished. I don’t usually see developers that nail that feel from stealth jump to melee combat with any success, as there always seems to be a specialty that they’re better at. But Asobo Studio has disregarded that notion and succeeded.

They nailed the flow of combat in a way that feels responsive and intuitive throughout the campaign. I never once thought, “Wow, I really wish this worked better, or it wasn’t like this,” which is a rarity for someone like myself who prides their gameplay on Soulslike adventures.

That’s not to say Resonance is some game-changing masterpiece, but it’s very refreshing to see a developer who can deal with opposite genres so well. Some small things that could be improved? Absolutely, but they won’t break the game for anyone.

Things like Sophia’s rope hook feel a little pre-programmed. Like, I know this isn’t Naughty Dog we’re talking about, so I don’t expect Nathan Drake levels of swinging, but I also didn’t expect every rope interaction to be static.

Climbing walls is straight up and down, while swinging from rope hook placements above your head, which there are plenty of, is also fairly static. I feel like this mechanic alone could have been spruced up just a bit, and the world expanded as a result of it.

Take, for example, the puzzles. Clearly, a lot of refinement and effort went into making the puzzles of Resonance more so than any before. Partly because the scope of said puzzles has expanded beyond fire and into the use of more directional-based lighting mechanics.

As you progress, more puzzle mechanics are unlocked, and with that, the equivalent level of difficulty. Resonance does a very good job of providing environmental clues as time goes on without being completely blatant about the solutions (although there’s a clever amount of that as well).

Mirror usage, for example, is pretty frequent, but the ways in which you use mirrors develop over time. Subtle yet noticeable hints lead you in directions of these mechanics without some massive text tutorial spelling it out for you. Even puzzles that aren’t so obvious will see Sophia using her notebook to jot down answers or clues that players can make use of to solve things that aren’t so obvious.

With that said, it wasn’t always perfect. I did think some of the puzzles were either too simple or relied too heavily on using the notebook. For me, it felt like the notebook couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be optional at times or mandatory to use. This makes sense early on (if you play the game, it makes even more sense), but as you progress, it becomes narratively weirder to rely on.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — Performance, graphics, and the world

Yet again, another stellar showing from Asobo Studios. While the worlds of Plague Tale have always been nothing short of beautiful, what the developer has done between the interwoven worlds of Sophia’s present and her linked past is none other than masterful.

The Plague team has always had a special way of depicting worlds on the brink of collapse, but it’s always a pleasure to watch them distribute beautiful environments as well. Much of the Ancient Greek portions are gorgeous to look at, and more often than you’d think, I found myself taking a moment to pause and look over my 4K OLED screen to get a better look at each individual thing on screen.

All of this beauty surely comes at a cost, right? Well, yes, at least if you’re looking to run it at native 4k Ultra settings. But if you’re willing to run things with a little DLSS Quality or Balanced, you’ll be just fine.

The two builds I used were my laptop with a 4060 mobile chip at 1080p, and my main rig, an RTX 5080, 9800X3D, and 64GB of CL30 DDR5 RAM at 4K. For each, I ran at Ultra settings, with DLSS set to either Quality or Balanced, and I don’t recall ever dropping below 60 frames per second. In fact, I played most of the game well above 100 when mixing in a little frame gen.

Yes, I know, “Boo, frame gen sucks!” and I hear you, but hear me out too. Frame gen works rather well when a game is already pushing past 60, and even better when it’s not a twitch shooter. On third-person action games, the difference in smoothness far outweighs the precious sadness over “fake AI frames.”

Note: I did not get a chance to test the Xbox version, but I've been told it targets 60 fps with a dynamic 4k resolution.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — Should you buy it?

Short answer: yes. Long answer: yes. Fully summarized answer: this game isn’t for your normal everyday Call of Duty or Madden player. Games like these are meant to be played by those who are drooling for gorgeous vistas, well-planned puzzle mechanics, and a story that forces you to feel.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is beyond a shadow of a doubt the best entry in the series. Every new title showcases just how far Asobo has come in terms of quality and talent on their team.

I can’t believe I’m already saying this cause this game hasn’t even technically released yet, but I absolutely need a sequel to Plague Tale: Requiem with Amicia, Sophia, and crew. That, or whatever this studio decides to make.

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Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live is over, but the fun is getting started, as Gamescom has tons more video game announcements to make through the Future Games Show livestream.

This event will feature trailers and news updates on over 40 Xbox and PC games like Tides of Annihilation, Onimusha: Way of the Samurai, and much more.

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Here's how you can tune into the Future Games Show at Gamescom so you don't miss out on the reveals live.

Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026: watch times and platforms

Future Games Show at Gamescom will go live on YouTube, Twitch, X, and Steam at the following times:

• August 26, 2026, 10:00 am PDT
• August 26, 2026, 1:00 pm EDT
• August 26, 2026, 6:00 pm BST
• August 26, 2026, 7:00 am CEST

What can we expect to see during the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026?

The Future Games Show will be showcasing over 40 games (including world premieres on 13 unannounced titles) with several gameplay trailers and developer interviews.

Some of the games confirmed to appear include Capcom's upcoming revival of its classic Onimusha series with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the indie action-RPG Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, and the original character-action game based on Arthurian lore, Tides of Annihilation.

Once the Future Games Show concludes, it will be followed by FGS Live, which will feature additional reveals, trailers, and developer interviews on smaller titles like Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, the sequel to one of my favorite first-person shooters of 2023.

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Frankly I have no idea why it didn't always work this way, but better late than never eh?!

Speaking at Gamescom, Microsoft confirmed that the long-expected disc-to-digital program is going live on Monday for Xbox Insiders, and it works exactly as you would've hoped and expected.

First detailed by Tom Warren at The Verge following datamining leaks, codename "Positron" is a new feature that will be available across Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles with a disc drive. Simply insert your Xbox physical game disc into a console, and you'll be prompted to redeem a digital version of the game too.

Naturally, it needs to be a game that actually works on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S. OG Xbox and Xbox 360 discs aren't compatible, since they were never manufactured with digital identifiers in mind.

The digital version will have all the same benefits as any other digital Xbox copy of a game: Xbox Play Anywhere support, meaning access on an Xbox Ally handheld or Windows PC and support for Xbox Cloud Gaming. If you console share with a family member, they'll also get access to the license via your account. Once you've activated the digital version, you won't need the disc to play the game. However, the disc you used doesn't become inert — it still contains the digital license, too.

Just like sharing a physical game in the real world, if you sell or give the disc away, the digital license will then transfer to the Microsoft Account of the new user, and off your account.

The system will go live for Xbox Insiders on Monday will support for "thousands" of games, sources tell me. Microsoft plans to roll out support for more discs over time as it refines and polishes the service, although it seems that some discs may be incompatible due to how they were manufactured at the time.

It's unclear if PlayStation will be able to replicate this feature on PS4 and PS5. Indeed, it's an awkward discussion right now potentially, given that Sony recently announced that it is phasing out disc-based games entirely to a visceral backlash.

Microsoft still hasn't really put its mark on the debate, although sources tell me it's less about the discs and more about the disc drives themselves; the entire supply chain for the components required to make optical disc drives is collapsing, with assembly lines pivoting away from the tech as users actively opt for digital-only.

Microsoft has also been actively building out Xbox game emulation on PC as well, with planned support for all Xbox 360 games, and potentially Xbox One and above in the future too. It's great, in my view, that Xbox is offering some sort of exit for those with digital collections — it remains to be seen if those on other platforms will be so lucky.

It'll be interesting to see how they navigate the inevitable phase out with the next-gen Xbox Helix as well, as users call on Xbox to take a different path to PlayStation.

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After Xbox's controversial 'reset' that laid off over 3,000 people and rumors of State of Decay 3 not coming to Xbox Game Pass flying about, fans of the long-awaited zombie survival game were starting to panic and think State of Decay 3 was going to be canceled.

Thankfully, Microsoft has laid all the doom and gloom to rest as it has announced on Xbox Wire that State of Decay 3 is still coming to Xbox Game Pass.

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On top of that, Microsoft has also announced that State of Decay 3 will be hosting closed beta tests before the end of 2026, which players can register for right now on the official State of Decay 3 website.

It will feature the largest map in a State of Decay game to date with untethered multiplayer, allow more people to join than the previous alpha tests, and incorporate gameplay improvements based on feedback players made during the alpha tests.

Windows Central's take

State of Decay 3 is the latest entry in the popular State of Decay series, where players band together in online multiplayer to survive the zombie apocalypse by scavenging for weapons and building settlements to hide in.

While I never played these games myself, I know my colleague, Jez Corden, absolutely loved State of Decay 2 despite its launch-day issues and has been waiting for its sequel for nearly a decade now.

So I'm betting he and many other zombie game fans are happy to see State of Decay 3 survive Xbox's recent mass culling and is continuing to press on for its eventual release in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming with Xbox Play Anywhere support.

Stay tuned for further updates as we continue this highly anticipated zombie survival game that refuses to die before it sees the light of day.

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Are we on the cusp of a turn-based tactics renaissance? After playing Star Wars Zero Company on Xbox for a few dozen hours over the past couple of weeks, I absolutely want to believe it.

Star Wars Zero Company is from Bit Reactor, made up of XCOM and Firaxis alumni. The studio partnered with Respawn and EA, who are stewarding the Star Wars license for Disney through the oft-treacherous universe of gaming. Respawn and EA, I would argue, have more than done the license justice over the years. Jedi Fallen Order, Battlefront 2, and even Star Wars: The Old Republic have all performed incredibly well, even as Disney itself struggles with the universe on the silver screen.

Indeed, I admit I've had some of my own "Star Wars fatigue" given Disney's handling of some of the movies and shows. Disney spent a ton on the property, but in their haste to capitalize on it, they've probably done more harm than good.

It was my fandom of XCOM rather than Star Wars that drove my intrigue in Zero Company. If Take-Two no longer wants to make XCOM games, then Bit Reactor spun up a new studio to carry the torch. And Force be damned, carry it they did.

Star Wars Zero Company is truly phenomenal. Bit Reactor threw a lot of the rules out of the window building this game, delivering a cinematic "AAA" experience that is rarely associated with the isometric turn-based tactical genre. You can expect an authentic Star Wars experience here, complete with a crew of interesting characters from all sorts of galactic species, wrapped in an original plot that runs concurrent to the famed Clone Wars.

Here's why Star Wars Zero Company is an essential play for fans of turn-based tactics, and something well-worthy of consideration for Star Wars stalwarts.

Star Wars Zero Company launches on August 27, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. This review was primarily conducted on Xbox Series X with a code provided by EA.

Star Wars Zero Company: Art and Performance

Star Wars Zero Company follows a familiar formula for those who have played XCOM, given the pedigree of those who worked on both properties. The gameplay primarily revolves around isometric turn-based battles, with a grid-based cover system and squad-oriented combat mechanics. However, Zero Company goes a little bit further than most within this genre.

Given the Star Wars property, Bit Reactor has poured a ton of work into making Zero Company seem truly cinematic. This required ditching the rulebook to some degree, and giving the player the ability to explore the environments up close and personal. It also required a similarly cinematic story, with detailed character models that meet modern expectations.

Typically XCOM-style games straddle a stylized presentation, given the de-emphasis on story content and zoomed-out camera, but Zero Company defies this convention. The environments and lighting are immaculate and authentically Star Wars, with impressive explosion and smoke effects, in heavily destructible, dynamic combat spaces.

The game runs at a solid 60 FPS on Xbox Series X even with many, many units on screen. You'll see some dips at times when there's huge amounts of volumetric smoke popping off, but there's rarely an issue.

My only real complaint on the performance front pertains to calculation glitches that seem to be a staple of the genre in some ways. Sometimes the enemy AI can get stuck in loops in some scenarios, unable to actually take their turn. It's an issue that I've seen in various incarnations of this genre, whether it's XCOM, Gears Tactics, WH40K: Mechanicus, and beyond. Usually these kinds of issues get patched out over time, and Zero Company does have a turn-based autosave function, but it's not ideal in situations where you can lose progress. I also did have a couple of hard crashes even after the day one patch, so more polish is probably warranted. But it's hardly a deal breaker, and issues are definitively rare.

Overall, Zero Company is a generally technically impressive game. The art delivery is exactly what you'd expect from Respawn Entertainment's era of Star Wars games, with tons of little details and easter eggs Star Wars fans will appreciate. The digital acting is excellent, and the explorable environments between battles are also engaging and immersive. I would argue Zero Company has raised the bar and expectations for the genre as a result.

Star Wars Zero Company: Story

I did not expect to be sitting here thinking of comparing a turn-based tactics game to the likes of Mass Effect for story delivery, but here we are.

Star Wars Zero Company absolutely rose to the occasion with regards to story treatment, given expectations around the legendary sci-fi license.

Players take the reins of Hawks, a disgraced former Republic captain, dishonorably discharged in a military stitch-up of sorts. Hawks sets up a mercenary band to make ends meet, although his team, Zero Company, has fallen upon hard times. And hard debt, owing thousands of credits to the Hutt clan.

It's only when an exiled noble, Jae, and a Republic Intelligence officer show up on his doorstep that things begin to look up. At least, comparatively speaking. Early on, Hawks finds himself running afoul of a new galactic faction, known as The Coil. Infected with some mysterious, psionic space virus, Coil members form into some sort of hive mind, intent on spreading their deadly cult. The Coil has already threatened various planets in Republic space, but the Clone Wars are in full swing, and resources are stretched thin. Perhaps some outsourcing might help?

Republic Intelligence offers Hawks' band a deal he can't refuse, but the investigation into The Coil quickly becomes personal.

Without spoiling too much, the early stages of the game really did give me a Mass Effect vibe, particularly so in Mass Effect 2, in the most complimentary way possible. You're chasing a mysterious threat that kidnaps citizens, all while gathering a menagerie of mercenaries from all walks of alien life, with all sorts of different motivations. There are even loyalty-style missions that offer deeper insights into the various characters, complete with unique scenarios and unlockable story sequences that can also boost character prowess in combat.

Typically, I play these types of games for the infectious tactical gameplay and gradual sense of progression, but Zero Company was the first where I found myself playing specifically for the story.

I would've liked Zero Company to have been a little bit on the more "mature" side, given the espionage angle and coming off the back of Star Wars: Andor, but that's perhaps just personal preference. The Coil is a genuinely interesting threat, and the adjacency with the events of the Clone Wars is woven expertly in such a way that it doesn't interfere with established lore, but still makes for nostalgic moments and fan-service scenes that are truly delightful.

Thankfully, the gameplay itself is also top-notch.

Star Wars Zero Company: Gameplay

The last pure XCOM-style tactics game I played before this was Gears Tactics, and as much as I did enjoy it, it was clearly limited by the scope of the Gears in-universe tech. Given the diversity of weapons, technology, abilities, and enemy types in the Star Wars universe; Zero Company absolutely does not have this issue. There are so many options in Zero Company that you're often too spoiled for choice.

In Zero Company, you create your own character with a variety of alien races, clothes, and cosmetics to choose from; you're then able to choose a basic archetype class. These seem deceptively simple to start with, stuff like highly-ranged Sniper, advantage-seeking Scoundrel, and general-purpose Assault-type classes, and so on. However, as you level up, unlock focus points, equip different mods, weapons, accessories, and bond skills — depth ramps up quickly. And that's before we talk about hero character-specific abilities.

Indeed, beyond the basic archetypes and custom-created mercs you can make, Hawks will meet some very powerful characters along the way, fitting famed Star Wars roles. A Jedi padawan deserter signs up, alongside a jetpack-wielding Mandalorian. A Disney-approved new alien named Kabb is always on task to uppercut enemies across the map, too. Each of these heroes has unique and powerful abilities that can set up satisfying kill zones when the right conditions align.

Many XCOM-style staples return, such as overwatch scanning zones, melee knockback attacks, and so on. Star Wars Zero Company changes it up with advantage points, which allow squaddies to use more powerful abilities. As you rack up kills, you'll be able to spend advantage points on things like a powerful Jedi area knock back shockwave, an extreme-range guaranteed crit sniper shot, and an electrifying taser stun gun.

You can switch between party members at any time, too, so you'll want to make sure they're positioned to complement each other well. Some passives let characters take extra shots in some conditions, for example. So you'll want them in line of sight to take advantage of that. You're also able to do things like Force-push enemies off ledges and into overwatch fields for extra shots, and call upon allies to back you up when you attack with their own follow-up shots.

Zero Company also tasks you with upgrading and maintaining your mercenary "den" between missions. Ensuring that you have a proper arsenal of powerful weapons, complementary equipment like grenades, and facilities like a med bay for healing injuries is paramount.

I've been playing through on normal difficulty so far, and have found the game to be a decidedly addictive experience. It doesn't reach the stakes of XCOM's panic-inducing time-limit mechanics, but you can ramp up the difficulty and turn on character perma-death and "beskar mode," which is Zero Company's ironman no-save scumming mode. Every decision is final. And yes, even major story characters can die here.

Star Wars Zero Company is simply a top-shelf XCOM-styled game, well worthy of the genre's legacy, and arguably the best we've seen from the medium in a very long time.

Star Wars Zero Company: Conclusion

Star Wars Zero Company is one of those rare games where I found myself grinning ear-to-ear (something I rarely do these days, frankly). Whether it was the nostalgic nods to Clone Wars events and even obscure Star Wars lore, pulling off kill sequences that made me feel smart (even though I'm not), or the various surprises and little details Bit Reactor weaved throughout the game — Star Wars Zero Company is a true delight.

If you don't like XCOM-style games like Gears Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics, Midnight Suns, and so on, Star Wars Zero Company likely isn't going to do much to change your mind. It leans into that genre incredibly hard, at least on the gameplay side.

Where Zero Company changes it up is in the cinematic, character-driven story that feels every bit as deserving of a place among some of Star Wars' greatest video game tales. The characters are as interesting as they are fun to be around, making it all the more painful if you find one of them perma-killed by an ill-thought-out plan.

There's perhaps more Zero Company could've done to mitigate the genre's long-standing foibles. My attention-addled mind is less tolerant of things like waiting for the AI to catch up, or turn-based tooltips and messages to play out. I'm not sure why some abilities can't run concurrently, or enemies can't take attacks more quickly at times.

I also think Zero Company could've benefitted from leaning more towards Andor's darker tone rather than the family-friendly Clone Wars movies, given the likely age range of the turn-based tactics demographic (we're old, guys). But none of my personal preferences undermine what Bit Reactor has crafted here: Star Wars Zero Company is a banger, and I absolutely hope we see more of Hawks' squad in the future.

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Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live was packed with non-stop gameplay trailers. One of the longest was an extended gameplay reveal for Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox Play Anywhere support), PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

This upcoming action-RPG is, as you might expect, set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. After watching this intriguing trailer, it's shaping up to be the biggest AAA video game adaptation of the franchise since Baldur's Gate 3.

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Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons has you assume the role of Kaatri, a Warlock who made a dark pact with an ancient witch named Tasha to gain the power to find someone precious to her that she lost.

To accomplish her mission, Kaatri must feed on raw magic throughout the forgotten realms, discover and master forbidden spells, rituals, and weapons, and battle her way through hordes of monsters infesting the Mists of Darkon.

As seen in the trailer, you will have a ton of magic spells at your disposal, and you will decide which ones are best employed for exploration, puzzle solving, and combat.

Windows Central's take

As someone who spent many years playing the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop RPG, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is looking promising even in its early stages of development.

Most of the iconic spells of the Warlock's kits from the tabletop RPG have been faithfully recreated in this game, from the laser-spewing Eldritch Blast, the telekinetic Mage Hand, and the shadowy Tentacle of the Deeps, to name a few.

It even shows a sequence where the player is casting a ritual to summon rain by sacrificing rare materials to make the environment and enemies more susceptible to lightning attacks.

If the developers can polish up its graphics and performance, and show off more insane spells from the Warlock's kit, this could be a great game for action-RPG and D&D fans alike, especially for those who like playing games on the go on the Xbox Ally since this game is getting Xbox Play Anywhere support.

Games getting Xbox Play Anywhere support seem to be happening more often these days, as twelve games shown at the Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live event are receiving it (as confirmed by IdleSloth at X), including The Witcher 3, which is getting a free remaster upgrade.

Either way, we'll keep an eye out for future developments on Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons to see if the final product's performance earns the Xbox Play Anywhere blessing.

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Gamescom 2026: Opening Night Live has wrapped up, and one of its biggest announcements was the reveal of a new trailer for Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the final chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series.

This trailer was a cinematic and gameplay montage showcasing the terrible might of the Weapons, a group of giant monsters created to defend the planet from dire threats and serve as the game's ultimate challenges both in the story and end-game content.

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The trailer also shows gameplay footage of the Job class 'FITS' system in action as Tifa uses Black Mage powers to fire fireballs and summon a called Typhon, grappling hook and chocobo mounts, open-world exploration, and even the return of the Submarine battle mini-games from the original Final Fantasy VII.

Windows Central's take

When I was a kid watching my brother play the original Final Fantasy VII in the 1990s, one of the things that left the biggest impression on me was the Weapons.

They were the first Godzilla-sized monsters I've ever seen in fiction, and they looked so much cooler to me as a kid than Sephiroth ever was (and to some extent still do as an adult), despite having no personality beyond smashing humans to pieces for ruining the planet.

Not to mention they served as the hardest boss fights in the original game that required insane party compositions, builds, and strategies to defeat. So I'm hoping that these new versions in Final Fantasy VII: Revelations will end up being just as hard or even harder to compensate for the new action-RPG combat system.

Either way, I can't wait to fight these monstrosities again when Final Fantasy VII: Revelations launches during the Spring of 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

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Gamescom 2026 is in full swing, and there's already a bunch of big wins emerging for Xbox.

My Gears of War: E-Day campaign preview just went live (and it looks amazing), a metric ton of Gamescom titles just got revealed for Xbox, and we have even more goodies being announced throughout the week (stay tuned for tomorrow ...). But, here's a personal big win that I'm very excited about.

The Witcher 3 is inarguably one of the best games ever made, and it's getting a big remaster version on September 29, 2026, and is also COMPLETELY FREE for users who own the existing game.

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"Remastered is a free upgrade for players who own The Witcher 3 on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and includes both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions. It is also available for pre-purchase on Battle.net and Nintendo Switch 2."

Update: I missed this part on the initial write up, but yes, The Witcher 3 is also coming to Microsoft and Blizzard's Battle.net. It's part of a wider initiative to open up Battle.net to third-party developers so I'm told, which we should hear more about at BlizzCon 2026 in September. Stay tuned for that one.

Furthermore, CD Projekt RED revealed in the small print that it also grabs Xbox Play Anywhere support, finally bridging the gap between Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Ally versions. It'll also get FSR 4.0 support on the Xbox Ally X, giving it massively improved performance.

Here's just some of the changes you can expect in the free update:

• Improved combat flow, with new finishing moves and skills.
• Boosted traversal with more intelligent and dynamic vaulting, platforming, etc.
• Overhauled visuals, with improved lighting and spell effects.
• Improved monster AI, giving them new moves of their own.
• Revamped horse riding.
• A complete Cyberpunk 2077-style overhaul of the skill tree.
• Armor transmogrification.
• Improved photo mode.
• A variety of other smaller enhancements, such as boosted looting systems, UI interactions, tutorial modernization, HDR improvements, lighting overhaul, Xbox Play Anywhere, and more.
• DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR 4.0 (great for Xbox Ally), Path Tracing on high-end systems, raytraced hair (wtf?), and more visual features.

Witcher 3 expansion "Songs of the Past" gets teased, too!

CD Projekt RED also recently announced that The Witcher 4 is slated for 2028, with yet another Witcher 3 expansion slated for later in 2027.

Additionally, CD Projekt RED also showed off the first teaser trailer for the third and final Witcher 3 DLC, titled "Songs of the Past."

"This full-fledged third expansion takes the White Wolf on a new adventure to the peaceful realm of Letten, where dark secrets lurk beneath the surface… Coming in 2027."

In the trailer, we catch a glimpse at a new hook-like tool Geralt has for pulling in enemies, as well as twisted nature-oriented enemies.

CD Projekt RED has been over-delivering almost none-stop since Cyberpunk 2077's launch, which disappointed users on PS4 and Xbox One owing to its performance. Fast forward half a decade, and Cyberpunk 2077 was fully revived and revamped, it had an award-winning TV show, and now we're getting an absolute mountain of free content for Witcher 3, the game that helped CD Projekt RED claim its top spot at the RPG pile.

Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 are deep in development as well, and there's every reason to think they too will continue CD Projekt RED's path towards legendary status.

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Gears of War is having something of a renaissance right now, as The Coalition go all out to put the franchise back on the map.

Gears has been one of the most consistent Xbox staples in the brand's history, popularizing the third-person shooter genre with its gritty storytelling and bleak world. Gears 4 and 5 experimented away from the formula a bit, and perhaps got lost in the weeds in some ways as they sought to give the franchise new footing. After a successful Gears of War: E-Day beta event, increasingly it's looking like the key to Gears' future may, in fact, lie in the past.

Recently, I was lucky enough to go hands-on with two missions from Gears of War: E-Day's campaign, set during the initial attacks from the vile Locust swarm.

E-Day follows a younger Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, worn down already from a major civil war that society had only just begun to recover from. Then, subterranean horrors emerged from the ground, bringing with them a whole host of terrifying war beasts and brutal makeshift weaponry in a legendary surprise attack that would eventually leave humanity on the brink of extinction.

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E-Day is about those early years, and if the full game is even close to as good as what I experienced last week, Gears of War: E-Day could cement its place as the best Gears of War story in history.

A painstakingly detailed, reactive world

The original Gears of War is very much a product of its time, but also its setting. The game is essentially post-apocalyptic, taking place years after E-Day, with much of civilization already reduced to grey-brown ash and ruins.

Given that Gears of War: E-Day takes place at the very start of the war, The Coalition had to approach it like it is: a very different beast, ultimately. The stakes are far higher; there are still survivors running around, trapped in their homes, and The Coalition weaves that bleak reality into every pixel of E-Day's presentation and gameplay.

Taking place in the town of Kalona, the levels I experienced are right up there with the most painstakingly detailed urban environments I've experienced this gen. It feels less like it's designed specifically as a gameplay canvas, and more like it's designed to feel lived in. The Coalition absolutely delivered here, while still sneakily dotting the map with chest-high (and now shin-high) walls to hide behind with its dynamic cover system.

If you played Gears of War's Siege mode beta, you might already have some idea of what I'm talking about with regard to environmental detail. Car tires puncture and deflate under gunfire, windows shatter, and cover deforms, giving E-Day a sense of life that was missing from the older games.

The town is full of storefronts and interiors, without even a whiff of copy-and-paste. Gears' campaign seems to connect linear segments into wider areas, complete with a mapping tool that was reminiscent of Silent Hill's own. Marcus will sketch notes and routes on the map as you move, which opens up exploration opportunities and side objectives for unlocking weapon mods and equipment for your loadout, as well as lore-enriching collectibles.

It's still unmistakably Gears, complete with a rough prototype chainsaw lancer machine gun, canned execution animations, atop a more dynamic cover system. But it also feels fresh in a way that many franchises struggle with several games deep. I dare say The Coalition cooked here.

A darker, more desperate tone

Gears of War: E-Day is every bit as violent as the previous games, although I feel like we're getting more up close and personal with the reptilian Locust than ever before.

I mentioned stakes in the intro, but there's a keen sense of vulnerability for a C.O.G. that has been caught with its collective pants down — NPCs are seen fleeing the warzone, being gunned down (or worse) in cold blood, as wretches screech through, devouring up the remains.

This first wave of Locust is chaotic and visceral, armed with the ballistic equivalent of axes and clubs intent on murdering anything and everything with a human pulse. The top brass have no idea what's going on. One day, everyone woke up to murderous, hungry monsters writhing out of the ground, and E-Day leans hard into that dark fantasy.

Marcus' self-assured stoicism hasn't fully hardened in E-Day; that sense of inexperience is oddly exposing, giving E-Day a tangible sense of vulnerability. The Coalition uses the game's side objectives to tell short stories within the game's world as well, giving you opportunities to see how regular civilians are being slaughtered en masse in the Locust feeding frenzy. It's an extension of the side-objectives system The Coalition seemed to explore a bit in Gears 5, although I'd argue it makes a lot more sense in E-Day's dense urban climbs. It doesn't rely on vehicular traversal, which arguably tripped up the game's pacing a bit in 5, and there are fewer engine limitations on injecting new areas on the fly.

Speaking of the engine, I think Gears of War: E-Day is probably the most visually impressive game I've played so far this gen. The Coalition are without a doubt the masters of Unreal Engine, perhaps surpassing Epic Games itself. The visual density, the lighting quality, the detailing, all while running at 60 FPS in an inexplicably crisp resolution, demand wonder and immersion like few other developers can muster.

The visuals and music delivery make Gears of War: E-Day's darkly cinematic presentation all the more evocative as you scrape through the blood-soaked streets of cities that are undoubtedly in the process of total destruction.

The Coalition takes Gears to the next level with total and complete confidence

There's little room for hope in Gears of War: E-Day. We all know the conclusion. But for the first time, we're going to experience that hopelessness firsthand.

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Right after playing through the E-Day campaign preview, I loaded up the original Gears of War to do a direct comparison. It's easy to forget sometimes just how far we've come in terms of visuals, presentation, gameplay fidelity, and general polish. It's also easy to fill in the blanks with your imagination — that's practically what we had to do back in the day, playing games at 480p.

The Coalition and other developers working on legacy franchises have some of the toughest jobs in the business. How can you deliver experiences that compete with our nostalgia-tinted imagination? How can you exceed expectations that are, in part, misremembered through fragments of fading memories?

The Coalition's answer seems to be: "you have to over-deliver."

If Gears of War: E-Day's full campaign offers the kind of quality I experienced last week throughout — I'm confident it'll not only be remembered as the best entry in the franchise ... Gears: E-Day could also represent the starting point for a new decade of an Xbox dominated by The Coalition.

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Gamescom 2026 has arrived, and it's bringing with it a tidal wave of exciting Xbox and PC game announcements, courtesy of its Opening Night Live ceremony.

The event has just concluded, so we're rounding up every major new game reveal, gameplay demonstration, cinematic trailer, and news update for upcoming games shown at the ceremony for your viewing convenience.

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Where and how you can watch Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live

To watch Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live or rewatch its VOD, you will have to tune into Gamescom's YouTube and Twitch channels.

All Xbox and PC games shown at Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live

Here is where you will find all the game announcements from Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live, with links to their trailers, short synopses of what they are, and what we know of their release dates, platforms, and more.

We'll be updating this post live as the event happens so be sure to keep refreshing to stay on top of the latest announcements.

Nodus Fall

The show kicks off with Nodus Fall, a new co-op action game produced by Genshin Impact creators, Hoyoverse. In this game, you and three other players take on the role of Weavers and set forth on a perilous journey to defeat mythical gods and monsters in a ruined world.

Rainbow Six Tactics

Rainbow Six Tactics is an XCOM-like tactics game where you dispatch the iconic Operators of the Rainbow Six franchise across the world to dispatch terrorist threats.

The game is set to release in 2027.

Gears of War: E-Day

Gears of War: E-Day shows more cutscenes of its highly anticipated single-player campaign in a new cinematic trailer. This latest chapter in the iconic third-person shooter series launches exclusively on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Game Pass on October 6, 2026.

Ananta

Ananta is an upcoming open-world urban RPG with an anime art style where the player must protect humanity from destruction by the forces of Chaos.

It showed off a new gameplay demo trailer at Gamescom, which confirms that the game will release on January 15, 2027, for PC, PlayStation 5, and mobile devices.

Silent Hill: Townfall

Next up we have a new, cryptic trailer for Silent Hill: Townfall, a new entry in the legendary survival horror series where the player must navigate through the island of St. Amelia to uncover dark mysteries and avoid getting killed by horrifying monsters.

Silent Hill: Townfall is set to release on September 24, 2026, for PC and PlayStation 5.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, an upcoming action-adventure game, shows off a new trailer of the main character struggling to survive and unravel the secrets of the Minotaur island.

This game is set to release on August 27, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Sea of Remnants

Sea of Remnants is an upcoming, free-to-play action-RPG where you roam the seas as puppetfolk pirates in search of glory and treasure.

The game is set to release in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, and it's latest gameplay trailer confirms that the game is open for pre-registering.

Crimson Desert

The hit open-world RPG, Crimson Desert, has announced a new Enhanced Edition, which will feature all of the game's post-launch updates, expanded voice-overs and subtitles, and new story moments.

The game is available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

The Blood of Dawnwalker

The Blood of Dawnwalker, the upcoming open-world action-RPG made by former CD Projekt Red developers, has released a new launch trailer ahead of its September 3, 2026, release on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

In this game, you play as Coen, a Dawnwalker vampire struggling to control his hunger for human blood while protecting his family from evil vampires. You will explore a dark fantasy world, make tough choices, and battle enemies in visceral combat using vampiric powers.

Lofsong

Lofsong is a brand new and strange puzzle-adventure game where you explore a post-apocalyptic Earth to uncover the last remnants of our fallen civilization without the aid of dialogue or a map.

Lofsong is currently scheduled to release on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Tides of Annihilation

Tides of Annihilation is an upcoming character-action game based on Arthurian legend. Its latest trailer shows off more of its story and gameplay, where Gwendolyn must travel with the Knights of the Round Table on a quest to restore a ruined world to its former glory.

The game is set to release sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5 and is now available for wishlisting.

Mega Man: Dual Override

Mega Man: Dual Override is a brand new entry in Capcom's classic side-scrolling Mega Man franchise, and we've gotten a glimpse of its gameplay in a new trailer as the iconic Blue Bomber once again strives to save the day from the evil Dr. Wily.

Mega Man: Dual Override is set to release in 2027 on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Rayman Legends Retold

The upcoming remake of the critically-acclaimed Rayman Legends shows off its insane platforming gameplay with a trailer showcasing its Macarena Music Level.

Rayman Legends Retold is set to launch on October 1, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros 

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is an upcoming real-time strategy game based on the long-running Games of Thromes book series where you be commanding the setting's various faction to dominate the land in an epic single-player campaign or intense multiplayer PVP skirmishes.

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is set to release in early 2027 for PC.

Control Resonant

The hack-and-slash follow-up to the critically acclaimed action-adventure game, Control, has released a new gameplay trailer showcasing more of its otherworldly setting and bombastic combat system set to music by the classic electronic band, The Prodigy.

Control Resonant is scheduled to release on September 24, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Exodus

Exodus is an upcoming action-adventure where you are tasked with exploring the galaxy for Celestial technology to help ensure mankind's future after they fled a dying Earth.

Its latest trailer showcases its third-person gunplay, sci-fi setting, and an intriguing party named Salt, who is literally an octopus riding a mech suit.

Exodus is set to release on April 7, 2027, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is an upcoming third-person action game set within the universe of the legendary Dungeons & Dragons universe. This Gamescom trailer gives us a 6-minute extended gameplay demo how the player will wield the dark powers of a Warlock to explore the world and slay the monsters of the Forgotten Realms.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is set to release in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

1001 Threads of Mizan

1001 Threads of Mizan is a brand new, original 3-player co-op action game where the players must work together to defeat towering beasts and monsters in a world inspired by One Thousand and One Nights (a.k.a. Arabian Nights).

1001 Threads of Mizan is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Metro 2039

Metro 2039, the latest entry in the grimdark Metro franchise, has revealed more of its gritty setting, its tough-as-nails survival gameplay in the first-person, and some of the horrifying men and monsters you will encounter in this post-apocalyptic world.

Metro 2039 is set to launch in February 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Silver Palace - House of Greed

Silver Palace is an upcoming action-RPG where you play as a detective solving mysteries in a Victorian-like setting while battling ancient horrors and mysterious beings. It will also feature a survival horror-like multiplayer mode called House of Greed.

Silver Palace is set to release sometime in the future for PC and PlayStation 5.

Gravhounds

Gravhounds is a 4-player co-op action builder where you play as humanoid dogs fighting on hostile worlds to extract their resources and fight off any pesky aliens looking to stop your mining operations.

Gravhounds is set to release via early access in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

No Law

No Law is a first-person shooter where you play as Grey Harker, an ex-soldier struggling to survive in a dangerous, dystopian cyber-noir city where no laws exist.

No Law is set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Cinder City

Cinder City is a new tactical shooter where the player must explore a ruined, near-future version of Seoul and protect humanity from ravenous monsters and maniacal villains.

Metro 2039 is set to launch in February 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5 and is now available for wishlisting.

ONTOS

ONTOS is a new dark sci-fi adventure game made by the creators of classic horror games such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA. In this game, you are exploring a repurposed moon hotel called Samsara to uncover your father's past while making sure you don't lose your mind as reality has begun fracturing within this hotel.

ONTOS is set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

DUST: Origins

DUST: Origins is a top-down action-horror game where you must fight to escape a prison platform before its inmates, security guards, and invading monsters murder you.

DUST: Origins is set to launch in 2027 for PC and has launched a Kickstarter campaign for players to help fund and improve the game's development.

Showa American Story 

Showa American Story is an upcoming action game set within an alternate version of America that's been reshaped by Japanese culture. In this game, you must fight to survive against hordes of gangs, zombies, and monsters in over-the-top hack-and-slash battles while partaking in insane mini-games to make a living in this absurd take on post-apocalyptic settings.

Showa American Story is set to launch in 2027 for PC and PlayStation 5.

Crazy Taxi World Tour

Crazy Taxi World Tour, the long-awaited sequel to Sega's classic Crazy Taxi racing game, has shown off its multiplayer gameplay in a crazy new trailer.

Crazy Taxi World Tour is set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Turok Origins

The classic dino-slaying shooter series, Turok, is back with a new AAA entry called Turok Origins. In this game, you will blast killer dinosaurs and reptilian villains with over-the-top weaponry while harvesting your enemies' DNA to become stronger.

Turok Origins is set to launch in Spring 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Path of Exile 2

The popular upcoming ARPG, Path of Exile 2, has announced it's finally leaving early access and will be releasing its 1.0 update on December 11, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5, while still being free-to-play.

To celebrate, Path of Exile 2 released a new trailer showcasing gameplay of the new and long-requested Sword weapon type and the Duelist class.

Exterminauts 

Exterminauts is a co-op shooter where you play as astronauts dispatched to colonize worlds while dispatching all kinds of nasty alien monsters blocking your path by blowing them up with insane laser guns and explosive weaponry.

Exterminauts is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5 and is now available for wishlisting.

Zoopunk

From the creators of F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch comes their new third-person action game set in the same universe called Zoopunk. You play as a group of anthropomorphic warriors fighting to survive in a dieselpunk world filled with killer robots and savage villains.

Zoopunk is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Remake

One of the most critically-acclaimed turn-based strategy games of all time, Heroes of Might & Magic 3, is being remade for the modern era with brand new graphics, compatibility with fan-made maps, an expansive campaign, and much more.

The Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Remake will launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5 and is now available for wishlisting.

Final Fantasy VII: Revelation

The last chapter of the Final Fantasy VII: Remake series shows off a new gameplay trailer showcasing the terrible might of the Weapons, a group of powerful boss monsters that will give the player their biggest challenges yet outside of finally confronting the villainous Sephiroth before he destroys the planet.

Final Fantasy VII: Revelation is set to launch in Spring 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered

The beloved open-world action-RPG, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, will be receiving a Remastered edition that will include all of the game's post-launch updates and DLC expansions, along with updated visuals, an expanded photo mode, gameplay enhancements, Xbox Play Anywhere support, and much more.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered will launch on September 29, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and PlayStation 5. If you own a digital copy from previous console generations, you will receive the Remastered edition's upgrades and features for free.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past

The show then concludes with the world premiere of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past, the last DLC expansion for The Witcher 3. In this expansion, you will travel to a new Continent to uncover its secrets, encounter new and familiar characters, face off against new terrifying monsters, and be forced to make tough moral decisions.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and PlayStation 5.

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