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October 2026 is coming for the backlog with Gears E-Day, Call of Duty, Castlevania and Phantom Blade Zero
September is not even over and October's release calendar already looks hostile to free time. Gears of War is returning, Castlevania has a new Belmont, Call of Duty is back again and Phantom Blade Zero waits near the end of the month.
By Maëlle 
October 2026 barely leaves a quiet week. The first notable release arrives on the first day of the month and major launches keep appearing until October 29, ranging from platformers and aerial combat to turn-based RPGs and several very different interpretations of hitting things with sharp objects.
October 1 — Rayman Legends Retold
Ubisoft starts the month with Rayman Legends Retold on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and PC. Despite the familiar name, this is being positioned as a broader reimagining rather than a straightforward remaster.
Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan are adding 3D visuals, a new story, fully voiced cinematics, an additional sixth realm and four new musical stages. Kung Foot returns as well, while Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition is included with the announced releases.
October 2 — Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Ace Combat 8 launches one day later on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. It is the first mainline Ace Combat in seven years and returns to Strangereal with the Federation of Central Usea already under occupation.
Bandai Namco Aces is also expanding online play with cross-platform multiplayer, separate progression, cooperative and PvPvE modes and an interactive Air Base lobby capable of hosting up to 100 players.
October 6 — Gears of War: E-Day
Gears of War: E-Day launches globally on October 6 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Premium Edition owners able to begin up to five days earlier.
The Coalition is taking the story back to Emergence Day, fourteen years before the original Gears of War. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago face the first Locust assault as the series deliberately leans harder into horror and the sheer danger of enemies that eventually became familiar targets.
The campaign supports solo play, local split-screen co-op and online co-op for up to four players. It also launches directly into Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
October 15 — Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
Konami's next Castlevania arrives on October 15 across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC. Evil Empire is developing the game with Motion Twin acting in an advisory role.
The story takes place in Paris in 1499, twenty-three years after Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Rose Belmont, Trevor's daughter, inherits the Vampire Killer and leads an exploration-focused 2D adventure built around faster movement, several weapon categories and Arcana obtained from defeated bosses.
October 22 — Final Fantasy Resonance
Final Fantasy Resonance reaches PS5 on October 22. Square Enix describes its visual concept as an attempt to imagine how Final Fantasy's pixel-art tradition might have continued to develop rather than being abandoned.
The game combines HD-2D presentation with turn-based battles, a visible action timeline and a stagger system. Visions acquired from characters can teach abilities that remain equippable even after changing to another Vision, opening up combinations across different builds.
Sephiroth has also been revealed as a challenge encounter. A PS5 demo containing the full first chapter is already available, with save data carrying into the final release.
October 23 — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Modern Warfare 4 follows just one day later on October 23. Its campaign begins with a full-scale invasion on the Korean Peninsula before moving through locations including New York, Paris and Mumbai.
Xbox currently lists the game for Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. The PC version requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot as part of Activision's security requirements.
October 26 — Hunter's Moon
Hunter's Moon launches exclusively for PS5 on October 26. Graceful Decay is building the game as a first-person historical folk-horror story unfolding across a single night.
Its release date is deliberate: October 26 is the night of the Hunter's Moon, matching the setting's rituals, masked mummers and witch hunters.
October 29 — Phantom Blade Zero
Phantom Blade Zero takes the final major slot in this selection on October 29 for PS5. S-Game's action RPG follows Soul, an assassin framed for murdering his organization's patriarch and left with only 66 days to uncover the conspiracy behind it.
S-Game calls its aesthetic “kungfupunk”, combining Chinese martial arts, occult elements and machinery with fast combat inspired by action cinema. Rather than building one enormous open world, the studio has opted for several handcrafted areas of more controlled size.
October 2026 release calendar
- October 1: Rayman Legends Retold — PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, PC - October 2: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve — PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC - October 6: Gears of War: E-Day — Xbox Series X|S, PC - October 15: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse — PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC - October 22: Final Fantasy Resonance — PS5 - October 23: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 — Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC - October 26: Hunter's Moon — PS5 - October 29: Phantom Blade Zero — PS5
October starts with Rayman and ends with Phantom Blade Zero, but the most crowded stretch comes later: Castlevania, Final Fantasy and Call of Duty all land within eight days. November is not exactly offering recovery time either.