Every new PC game and major update from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 was stuffed to the brim with announcements, many of them exciting, some of them less moving, and a few that were plain stupid. Fear not, however, because I’ve trawled through the lot and pulled together everything that’s worth caring about. Though, in the interests of transparency, I should stress that that doesn’t include the fact that Snoop Dogg is now an Elusive Target in Hitman as part of a new mission called The Herbalist, because it’s utterly stupid and I refuse to write about it. Except just now… In fact, don’t read that last sentence. Right then, on with the round-up.

First up, the pre-show

The Worms series has flirted with 3D a handful of times since wriggling onto the scene in 1995, but in each case it has chipped away at the charm and simplicity of the original idea. Galactic Tactics takes a different approach, locking things into an isometric perspective and reigning in the freewheeling visibility issues that have plagued previous experiments. The trailer gives off some distinct Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle vibes, and the game includes all the usual wormy goodness that you’d expect, including turn-based wars of attrition, a suite of classic weapons, and destructible environments (although it looks like this might be block-based rather than explosives taking messy bites out of the terrain). Oh, and it’s a roguelike, obviously, because what game isn’t anymore. 

Team17 also found the time to append a sneaky teaser for another Worms game in development – perhaps a remaster, and maybe even a new 2D instalment.

Dovetail continues to insist on depicting a fantasy world entirely unrecognisable to UK gamers in which every train passenger has their own seat. Despite this ridiculous aspect, the series is otherwise pretty realistic, and this iteration introduces freight hauling, live weather, and a new PC-only ‘Epic’ setting that punches up draw distances, shadow quality, and lighting. Choo choo!

As much as I love the bells, whistles, and unfettered freedom of modern theme park sims, I often hanker for the simpler times in which I looked down on glossy, pre-rendered buildings and popped them on a grid. Wonderworks taps into that nostalgia with a gorgeous reinterpretation of the original, sporting beefed-up ‘90s-style graphics, but like a sleeper car it hides a much bigger engine under the bonnet than you’d expect. There’s a new roller coaster builder, beautiful lighting, and a chaotic physics engine tied to fully destructible rides. This game is going to take up a lot of my time, I fear.

No change to the already announced launch date, but Pawprint showed a new trailer of its intensely colourful free-to-play creature catcher.

Genigods Lab also dropped a new trailer, this one offering an extended look at gameplay which conjures up some pleasant evocations of Bayonetta, God of War, and god-battling stone-cold classic Asura’s Wrath.

Perceptum gets a brief-but-creepy new trailer to let us know it’s coming in Spring 2027.

Just like real jobs, Acornia tasks you with tending to your professional duties while simultaneously battling demons that your bosses don’t know about. Here, you do that literally by switching dimensions, popping pastries on shelves in one and hurling them into the faces of angry spirits in the other.

Valor Mortis has been pushed back to October, but we get a new story trailer to tide us over.

Tankrat gets a January release date and a trailer that hammers it home.

The first Humankind was hugely ambitious, but didn’t always manage to balance its fastidious authenticity with the playfulness of Civilization. The prospect of a sequel is very exciting, and this time there will be new cultures, a dynamic climate, and a reworked UI. It’s also worth noting that accusations of AI usage for the trailer have been staunchly denied by the studio.

Only the briefest glimpse of gameplay here, but Elta sports an attractive painterly art style and looks like it will be a satisfyingly weighty brawler when it launches early next year.

Murals, an isometric hack-and-slash set in a fantasy fable world, features – among a stellar cast – the voice acting talents of British comedian Bob Mortimer. That really should be enough of a reason to look forward to this, but the game’s striking visuals and fast-paced combat are also worth mulling over if you need any more convincing.

This two-player co-op adventure sees a grandfather and granddaughter team up to solve puzzles, all the while zipping between different ages using a pair of mysterious bracelets. The energetic trailer presents a game that feels adjacent to the genre-defining output of It Takes Two creator Hazelight Studios.

The sixth Onimusha: Way of the Sword trailer treats us to more gameplay, new sibling characters Ifuu and Burai, and voice acting so histrionic you’ll need to spend some time in a sensory deprivation tank after watching it.

El lanzamiento de Mariachi Legends se ha pospuesto hasta 2027, pero parece que la espera valdrá la pena.

Right, now onto the main show

Well, this is unexpected. Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse has swerved from cutesy anime gacha to a co-op action RPG that’s more Nightreign than Star Rail. In it, you take on the role of a ‘Weaver’, taking on huge Monster Hunter-style beasts. While no release date or platforms have been officially confirmed, this will certainly be coming to PC. 

There hasn’t been a new Rainbow Six game in quite some time – partially, I suspect, because people like me insist on continuing to play Siege religiously – which makes the reveal of a XCOM-style, turn-based tactics R6 doubly exciting. The game will feature a roster of 15 unique operators; hostage, bomb defusal, and target-elimination missions; and, most enticingly, the ability to set up complex synchronised breaches using your whole squad.

Next up, a story-focused trailer for the GoW prequel which offers a brief glimpse of the Locust Horde’s beefy leader.

A release date confirmation for this bonkers combo of Grand Theft Auto and meme sharing, along with a first look at one of the game’s two cities. It looks beautiful, but I don’t think my desire to explore the expansive setting can trump my revulsion at the prospect of playing the role of an influencer. YMMV.

A cast reveal for Silent Hill’s first first-person entry.

Assuming you’re reading this on the day it’s published, Resonance is out tomorrow! Here’s the launch trailer to whet your appetite. If you’re reading this in the future, however, enjoy watching this launch trailer and reminiscing about a time prior to the game being available to you! Read The Wand Report review.

An extended look at Joker Studio’s piratical, puppetfolk RPG which is absolutely beset with the kind of generic country music that would make me thankful for the offer of an even shorter plank for my already brief walk into shark-infested waters.

Released on the night, Crimson Desert has received a massive 2.0 update that includes new cutscenes and story elements for the main campaign. Read our Crimson Desert review to find out what we thought of the base game.

The first story trailer for Eclipse Glow’s Arthurian action game reveals that Angela Sant’Albano, who played Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem, is playing Gwendolyn.

Spartan, brutalist landscapes give way to puzzles that are built around geometry and sound in this wordless puzzle adventure about helping a dead world remember itself.

Announced at last year’s The Game Awards, Capcom gave us our first look at gameplay during this year’s ONL. Proto Man is now playable, teaming up with Mega Man against bosses like the newly introduced Twinkle Girl. There’s also a new Override System that lets you overclock yourself, temporarily pushing past your limits but risking a stat-sapping overheating event.

We’ve known that Rayman is coming back since last year’s State of Play, but now we also know that he’s insisting on dragging the Macarena back with him. The trauma-inducing earworm is the soundtrack for one of four new musical stages added to this 3D reimagining of the 2013 game.

Another unexpected reveal, Ded.Net dials up the silliness for a multiplayer FPS with roguelike progression mechanics. But it also features body horror, the occult, and high-speed downhill planking. What’s not to like?

Here’s another look at Control Resonant, which is shaping up to be something very special indeed.

A new story trailer ahead of its release in a few days’ time.

Our first look at gameplay from PlaySide’s forthcoming bloody RTS. It has more than a hint of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (albeit somewhat less colourful) about it, enhanced with some lovely physics-based destruction.

This gritty isometric horror shooter is from the team that brought us Darksiders and is set aboard a failing orbital prison platform from which you must escape (relatively) intact. The timing’s rather good, as this looks like a modern-day Alien Breed – a classic series that has just had a 35th anniversary reissue confirmed. The intense lighting also calls to mind the lesser-celebrated PlayStation shooter Loaded, but I enjoyed that too so I’m all in on Dust: Origins.

Archetype’s third-person sci-fi ARPG now has a release date, along with a mech-piloting, talking female octopus called Salt – an addition which, prior to watching The Boys, I would have been much more comfortable with.

Another Wizards of the Coast game, and another first gameplay reveal. The game features Resident Evil Village voice actor Maggie Robertson, who plays an ancient witch queen called Tasha; a magic system that allows you to manipulate the environment and weather; and realtime third-person combat with slow-motion dodging. Environments look expansive, and the combat looks fluid and weighty.

A one-to-three-player co-op action adventure that lets you zip about its huge Arabian fantasy world on a magic carpet. The announcement trailer suggests an atmospheric setting, and showcases a handful of colossal bosses, along with three playable characters (Yusra, Malik, and Sufyan).

This exceptional-looking open-world investigation action RPG wrongfooted everyone by appending the latest trailer with a glimpse at a new multiplayer mode called House of Greed.

Metro 2039 gained a release window and gave us another look at gameplay.

More gameplay, and a locked-in release date for MMORPG sequel Aion 2.

Well, this is exciting. The first original IP from Crusader Kings and Hearts of Iron devs Paradox, this post-apocalyptic grand strategy game juggles elements of CK, Fallout, and Mad Max. In it, you’ll be in charge of a modest group of survivors and will be forced to make difficult decisions around scavenging, rationing, social politics, and rival groups. Set in a procedurally generated North America, which will be different each time you play, your task is to rebuild a society from the ashes of the one that buggered up the last attempt with nuclear weapons. You can settle and set up supply lines and convoys, but if resources run dry you may need to migrate to a new area. There’s also a dynamic ‘Ideas Tree’ which unlocks advances based on what you discover in the world. It’s an intriguing left turn from a studio so obsessed with historical events, and it will be fascinating to see how this is handled.

Release window and confirmation that the final beta will kick off on September 20.

Surprise! It’s out now.

1666: Amsterdam pulled off a similar trick, launching into Early Access on the night.

Things went rather quiet regarding Showa American Story for a while there – almost a couple of years, in fact. But it’s back with a new gameplay trailer. It’s absolutely absurd.

Road Kings now has a release date which, annoyingly, isn’t on the 18th of any month. What a missed opportunity…

Remember when rhythm action behemoths like Rock Band and Guitar Hero stopped selling anywhere near as many copies as they used to and stopped releasing sequels? RedOctane doesn’t, so here’s an official release date for Stage Tour.

A different kind of world tour, here’s our first look at the series’ first foray into online multiplayer.

A story trailer – apparently narrated by Patrick Stewart – and confirmation of a delay to the originally planned 2026 release date. It has now been pushed back to next year.

Gravhounds is a four-player co-op action base-building game from former Halo and Battlefield devs starring a bunch of bioengineered surly mutts. It should succeed on the strength of its floppy ear physics alone, but if you need more encouragement then think of it as Deep Rock Galactic with dogs rather than dwarves 

Good grief, how has this not happened before? Lego Skylines is a (cosy) city builder created by the current custodians of Cities: Skylines II, Iceflake Studios. You manage infrastructure while customising your own outlandish builds – this could be a considerable time drain.

A shift-based three-player co-op PvE shooter that pits you against (presumably indigenous) alien ‘pests’ as you carry out your dutiful work as sanitation commandos.

Path of Exile 2 leaves Early Access in December this year, we now know.

The relentless procession of remakes continues apace, this time alighting on turn-based strategy classic Heroes of Might and Magic III. I don’t know about you, but I barely have time to play the new games I want to, let alone replaying ones I’ve already finished. Having said that, this does look rather swish, fully rebuilt in a 3D engine and sporting 4K graphics. It’s tempting…

‘Cybergrunge’ is a fun word, and adds a fresh spin to a well-worn genre. Whether that definition is meaningfully distinct remains to be seen, but here’s another chance to be dazzled by Neon Giant’s density-over-immensity world building.

A release window and story trailer pushes this MMO tactical shooter back to next year. 

The fear connoisseurs at Frictional Games delivered the first gameplay footage of their forthcoming psychological sci-fi horror. Soma remains one of my favourite horror games of all time, so I’m particularly looking forward to this – the wait has been extended a little, however, as the release has shifted back to next year.

Inscryption developer Daniel Mullins’s latest project now has a release date, and a genre-spanning trailer to go with it.

TiGames showcased new squad-based gameplay for its action RPG, and revealed that it is a prequel to the studio’s 2021 Metroidvania F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch.

A little more gameplay from The Defiant, a World War II FPS that focuses on China’s fronts.

Like or Die (which, incidentally, is a much better name for Ananta), is a brand new team shooter which pits streamers against each other in a battle for views and likes. A truly dystopian nightmare, I’m sure you’ll agree. In a nod to Fortnite, players can change the battlefield by spawning blocks wherever they like, creating bridges, defensive barricades, or better vantage points. Gunplay looks frenetic enough from the trailer, but the fractured townscape arena that it takes place in is a bit dowdy and samey, which is also true of the characters. Hopefully the finished game will exude more personality than the trailer suggests (though, given that it’s populated by people who prioritise social media interactions, that’s unlikely, amirite?)

The third and final instalment in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, Revelation is hugely anticipated. This new trailer shows off a number of absolutely enormous planetary guardians that have taken exception to Cloud and co’s shenanigans. 

Well then, this one’s a twofer. First up, Wild Hunt is getting another glow up in the form of a remaster, a free upgrade that not only further overhauls the graphics (including advanced path tracing), but also revamps combat systems, the abilities system, and movement, among other tweaks. It looks sumptuous, and will serve as the definitive version of the game until the next time this happens. 

But there’s more. The studio also delivered a first look at its forthcoming Songs of the Past expansion, the third for Wild Hunt. There’s a brand-new region, called Letten, and we also see Geralt wielding a new chain weapon (which, it turns out, is a callback to the first Witcher’s intro). Perhaps the best news, however, is that the first two expansions will now be free with the remaster. Right, that’s it for this year’s ONL – I’m going to have a little sit down and think about what I’ve done.