Get ready for some gaming news. It’s officially June, which means splashy new events from PlayStation, Xbox, gaming hype man Geoff Keighley, and more.
Summer Game Fest 2026: All the news from gaming’s busiest week
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PlayStation kicked things off with a big event that was mostly about premium single-player games like the new God of War Laufey — a statement from PlayStation that it’s getting back to what it’s good at. At Summer Game Fest Live on Friday, the biggest news was Final Fantasy VII Revelation, but we also got announcements of a Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake and a January 15th release date for RGG Studio’s Stranger Than Heaven.
Xbox’s show is still to come on Sunday at 1PM ET. But so far, one of the biggest storylines of the show has been everyone avoiding Grand Theft Auto VI’s November 19th release date, which is warping the release calendar.
We’ll be tracking the biggest news of the June gaming events season right here.
- Signing off!
I’ll be back tomorrow with more of the Verge crew to keep covering Summer Game Fest. The Xbox Games Showcase starts at 1PM ET and the PC Gaming Show kicks off at 3PM ET. See you all then, and if I missed any cool games, tell me about them!
- No Devolver Direct right now.
There have been a lot of events recently, but Devolver’s next big show will happen “later in the year.” Still, with the Xbox Games Showcase and the PC Gaming Show on Sunday, there’s plenty to look forward to.
- Exodus sure looks like Mass Effect.
The sci-fi RPG, developed by a studio with ex-BioWare staff and published by Wizards of the Coast, is giving off serious Mass Effect vibes. But with no word yet on when the actual next Mass Effect game is coming out, next year’s Exodus looks like it could scratch the itch until that’s released.
- The dino is back.
According to a new look at the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, Legacy of Atlantis, moments in the game like the T-Rex battle will be “transformed into epic gameplay encounters on a cinematic scale.”
We’ll see how cinematic it really is when the game launches on February 12th.
- Chronoscript: The Endless End has a terrible name for such a cool-looking game.
In the game, you play as some kind of sword fighter in a book-inspired platformer world. I’m definitely interested. It’s launching on PS5 and Steam this fall.
- Vampire Survivors is getting an “accidental” expansion.
Legacy of the Blood Moon will add new characters and new weapons, and it will launch at some point later this year.
- A pirate’s life for me.
Ubisoft showed off a “deep dive” of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, including some of the game’s graphical improvements, story updates, and combat and naval skirmishes. Resynced launches on July 9th for PS5, Xbox Series X / S, and PC.
- Ever wanted to play as a sentient guitar in a horror game?
That’s the premise of Don’t Fret, a new game launching on October 1st. I love music games, but I don’t know if they need horror?
- Cairn’s first free DLC launches on August 13th.
The On the Trail: Deep Water DLC for the excellent mountain climbing game adds three new climbing spots and a new playable character. The game is also getting a free roam mode.
- Van Gogh to the MMO.
Thatgamecompany’s MMO, Sky: Children of the Light, will get an experience that’s “themed around the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh” on July 17th.
- That’s a big ship.
Two developers on Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve shared a few new details about the upcoming dogfighting game, including a preview of a giant battleship enemy that can go on land.
The game launches on October 2nd.
- VR zombie game Arizona Sunshine is getting a flatscreen remake.
It will be available “soon” on PC and consoles.
- The Future Games Show Summer Showcase is about to begin.
The two-hour show kicks off at 3PM ET, and it will include a new look at Exodus, the big new sci-fi RPG published by Wizards of the Coast.
- A deep dive on the new Virtua Fighter.
Last night, Sega and developer RGG Studio aired a 25-minute video about Virtua Fighter Crossroads, including a look at its story mode and the actual battles in the game. Crossroads is set to launch in 2027.
The first Story-Rich showcase was packed with narrative-driven games
Image: SFB GamesFellow Traveller, the publisher behind games like Titanium Court and 1000xResist, just wrapped up its Story-Rich Showcase, which featured a bunch of narrative-driven indie games. With more than 20 games on display, there was a lot to follow, but we’ve pulled together some of the most notable announcements below. You can also catch the full show on Fellow Traveller’s YouTube channel.
Ambrosia Sky, a sci-fi game about death where you have to clean up alien fungi, will be getting its second act as a free update on August 6th. The game was originally planned to have three acts, but developer Soft Rains announced in March that it would be brought down to two. When Act Two launches, the game’s price will go up from $14.99 to $24.99.
Read Article >- Don’t worry: Queen’s Blood is back for Final Fantasy VII Revelation.
The in-game card game was one of the best parts of Rebirth, and while it wasn’t featured in Friday’s reveal, Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi gave a few hints to Polygon earlier this year about how Queen’s Blood will evolve:
I want to expand on Queen’s Blood so that we are enhancing it, and giving you a more powered-up version of it when you see that third installment… Queen’s Blood is still going to be available in the third installment. We just want to expand on it.
- Fellow Traveller’s Story-Rich Showcase is starting now.
It will feature “story-rich indie games” — which are my jam, so I’m excited. Tune in on YouTube.
The cutest games from the Wholesome Direct 2026 showcase
Image: Hidden Folks B.V.Every year at Summer Game Fest, nestled in between the splashy blockbuster showcases, the Wholesome Direct provides a nice change of pace. It’s similarly packed with games — this year’s edition had more than 50 — but the vibe is more chill and, well, wholesome. As in years past, I’ve pulled out some of the more intriguing reveals and announcements, though you can watch the whole thing for yourself right here. And if you’re interested in checking out some of the games — a few are available now, and a bunch have demos — there’s a dedicated Steam page.
Way back in 2017, Hidden Folks helped usher in a new genre of seek-and-find games — and now it’s getting a sequel. There aren’t a lot of details yet, but Hidden Folks 2 will feature “hand-drawn, interactive, miniature landscapes in various new themes, together with more silly jokes, more mouth sounds, and various quality of life improvements.” It’s launching in 2027 on both mobile and PC.
Read Article >- Yooka-Laylee is back as a karting game.
Super Yooka-Laylee Kart looks like a love letter to an older generation of the karting genre. But it also has some modern upgrades, like eight-player local splitscreen and rollback netcode for online racing. There will be a “deep” story campaign, too — maybe it will rival Diddy Kong Racing?
- Wait, Tupac was in a Summer Game Fest Live trailer? In 2026?
Yes, and he wasn’t the only deceased figure to make an appearance in the “Tupac & Cast Reveal Trailer,” at last night’s event. It also featured the likeness of Bunta Sugawara, a legendary Japanese actor who died in 2014.
Stranger Than Heaven, from Yakuza developer RGG Studio, highlighted Snoop Dogg as a cast member in a trailer last month, and there’s plenty of time for more reveals before its scheduled release in 2027.
1/5Image: Sega - The original Hitman trilogy is getting remastered.
Hitman Classic Trilogy Remastered will include updated versions of Hitman: Codename 47, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, and Hitman: Contracts for modern platforms. It’s set to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X / S, and PC in 2027, and will add “enhanced visuals, improved performance, Photo Mode, and the ability to switch between classic and remastered presentations at any time.”
- Monster Hunter Wilds is coming to the Switch 2.
No details yet on when it will be released, but it will join a growing list of other big Capcom games on the platform like Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and next year’s Resident Evil Veronica.
- A cozy interruption.
If you need a change of pace from the bombast of last night’s SGF Live, the Wholesome Direct, an indie-focused showcase, is streaming at 12PM ET. It’s always full of cute things to play.
- Get your knives out for this one.
The team behind Duck Detective announced what they describe as a Knives Out-inspired mystery, which is really all I need to hear to be curious about Apple Crumble. It’s launching on PC at some point this year.
- Screenbound, a game that can be both a 2D and 3D platformer simultaneously, launches in September.
The mind-bending game comes out on September 10th. A free demo is available now.
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Source: theverge