2026 Video Game Release Calendar: What's Left, What Slips to 2027

Journal du Geek publishes its semi-annual report on 2026 video game releases. An opportunity to take stock of the blockbusters still on the calendar, those that are moving to 2027, and the general state of the industrial schedule.

Context

It is good, mid-year, to take a calendar check - this is what the Journal du Geek proposes in a recent dossier, listing the main video game releases expected for the end of 2026 and the titles that have already slipped to 2027.

What the dossier says

The dossier reviews month by month. A few milestones it confirms:

• Late July: Splatoon Raiders (July 23) and Halo Campaign Evolved (July 28).
• August: Beast of Reincarnation (August 4), Metal Gear Solid Collection Vol.2 (August 27) and Star Wars Zero Company (August 27).
• September: The Blood of Dawnwalker (September 3), Onimusha: Way of the Sword (September 4), Marvel's Wolverine (September 15) and Silent Hill Townfall (September 24).
• October: Gears of War E-Day (October 6), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (October 23) and Phantom Blade Zéro (October 29).
• November: the behemoth, Grand Theft Auto VI (November 19).
• December: Dragon Quest Monsters (December 3).

As for delays to 2027, the dossier notes several notable cases: Fable (initially 2025), Persona 4 Revival, Wo Long 2, Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis, Stranger Than Heaven, InZoi, or even State of Decay 3 (expected since 2023).

Our take

At the editorial office, we take away three things from this mid-year review.

First, the density of delays to 2027 has become an indicator in itself. Seeing State of Decay 3 or The Wolf Among Us 2 slip again, or Fable shift from 2025 to 2027, is a sign that AAA production cycles are still structurally underestimated at the time of the reveal.

Next, the 2026 S2 calendar is massive on the Japanese side: Onimusha, Splatoon, Metal Gear Solid Collection, Dragon Quest Monsters, Captain Tsubasa II, Fire Emblem, Kingdom Hearts Collection. We feel the will of Japanese publishers to regain control of the end of the year - GTA VI or not.

Finally, the game that obsesses us the most is Beast of Reincarnation on August 4. A Game Freak that steps out of the Pokémon loop doesn't happen very often. We want to see what the studio has in store when it's not at the service of the biggest video game franchise in history.

For whom

Players who plan their purchases based on releases, backlog managers (we are guilty) and those curious about the industrial health of the sector.