We've only got three months left in the year, but our list of upcoming 2026 games has enough October releases and updates to tide me over until this time next year. I just installed Silent Hill: Townfall, but who knows if I'll get to it before we start decking the halls or whatever the song says. I was hoping to deck a few monsters in Scotland. Alas.
It's a very my-steak-is-too-juicy complaint, but I've already overcommitted my October schedule to more survival crafting with Enshrouded's 1.0 update. I'm also trying to make time for MMO nostalgia when MapleStory Classic is out, and Final Fantasy Resonance will have to squeeze in there somewhere.
My own calendar is already buckling under the weight of this month's treats, so in the spirit of spooky season, I haunted a few colleagues with threats of dead pixels and ghosting until they shared their staff picks for the month. I'm pacified, for now. But I'll be back again next month with a turkey and the world's most mumbly protagonist.
October 2026 PC Gamer picks
Steam | I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but I have a soft spot for 1999's Star Wars: Episode I Racer and other sci-fi racing games of the era, like F-Zero. I'm hoping for cool crashes—like 50% of the fun of these things is exploding spectacularly—and I'm curious to know what the 'run based' structure entails. — Tyler Wilde
Steam | There's nothing more American than cars and this satirical city builder, like so many US cities, centers around them. Turn a walkable town into an automotive paradise by using car-positive propaganda to convince citizens their homes should be bulldozed in favor of towering parking garages. — Christopher Livingston
Steam | My appetite for Soulslike games is not enormous these days, but first-person takes are more intriguing to me, especially when they pick a setting as original as the Napoleonic wars (except supernatural). The creators of the Ghostrunner games have picked a new and exciting lane with Valor Mortis – I just hope it's not too difficult. — Samuel Roberts
October 2026 gaming events and sales
- LudoNarraCon begins its digital celebration of narrative indies on October 8
- Brasil Game Show kicks off its four-day convention in São Paulo on October 9
- PAX Australia returns for three days of gaming, cosplay, and panels on October 9
- League of Legends Worlds begins its quarterfinal and semifinal tournaments on October 15
- Paris Games Week celebrates its 15th anniversary with new programming starting on October 22
- Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show returns for its second four-day convention in Bangkok on October 29
- Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest makes its next (and final) stop in Japan on October 31
- As always, you can grab more Epic Store free games every Thursday, and check out weekly Steam sales for themed deals:
- Oct. 1 – 8: Steam Autumn Sale
- Oct. 12 – 19: Cooking Fest
- Oct. 19 – 26: Next Fest (October Edition)
- Oct. 26 – Nov. 2: Steam Scream 5 Fest
October 2026 game updates and DLC highlights
Steam | Dragon's Dogma 2 adds more character creator options, additional challenges, and a new storyline when its Dark Arisen expansion heads to the Snowy North.
Steam | Enshrouded begins its 1.0 chapter with a major combat overhaul, optimization fixes, QoL changes, and more.
Steam | Once Human becomes seaworthy when its Isles of Abyss expansion adds new ocean regions, floating bases, and a sprinkle of ancient evil.
Steam | Age of Empires 4 expands Crucible Mode and throws the Vikings and Scots into the fray with its Raiders of the North update.
Steam | Cairn keeps its scenic survival challenge climbing with Aava and Marco, sending the pair to three new locations in On the Trail: Deep Water.
Steam | Crimson Desert also gets an ocean-themed update when Charting the Unknown adds new ships for exploration, sunken treasures, and deep-sea enemies.
The October 2026 games calendar
New game releases, events, and updates you can check out during spooky season.
October 1 |
Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 1 |
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 1 |
End of Abyss (Epic) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 2 |
Deadlock - City Never Sleeps hero update (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 5 |
Aion 2 (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 6 |
Gears of War: E-Day (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 6 |
Star Wars: Galactic Racer (Steam) |
⭐ HIGHLIGHT |
October 7 |
Hunt: Showdown 1896 - Bound by Blood (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 8 |
LudoNarraCon begins (Site) |
📌 EVENT |
October 8 |
Arc Raiders Frozen Trail (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 8 |
Neon Abyss 2 (1.0) (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 8 |
Hellraiser: Revival (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 8 |
Invokyr (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 8 |
Forever Ago (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 8 |
Neon Abyss 2 1.0 (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 8 |
Order of the Sinking Star (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 8 |
Silver Pines (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 9 |
Brasil Game Show begins (Site) |
📌 EVENT |
October 9 |
Car Park Capital (Steam) |
⭐ HIGHLIGHT |
October 9 |
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 9 |
Lost & Found (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 9 |
PAX Australia begins (Site) |
📌 EVENT |
October 9 |
Permafrost (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 9 |
Paperhead (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 9 |
Truckful (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 13 |
Attic Antiquities (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 13 |
Deep Dish Dungeon (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 13 |
No Such Place (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 13 |
Planet Zoo 2 (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 13 |
Valor Mortis (Steam) |
⭐ HIGHLIGHT |
October 13 |
Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 13 |
Trash Day (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 14 |
Among the Trolls (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 14 |
Over the Hill (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 14 |
Thank You Bus Driver (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 14 |
The Witch's Bakery (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 14 |
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 15 |
Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 15 |
League of Legends Worlds begins (Site) |
📌 EVENT |
October 15 |
Beyond These Stars (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 15 |
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 15 |
Chained Beasts (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 15 |
DayZ Badlands (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 15 |
Disney Pixar Toy Story: Retro Roundup (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 15 |
Enshrouded (1.0) (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 15 |
The Jackbox Party Pack 12 (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 15 |
Tales of Eternia Remastered (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 16 |
Online: 404 (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 16 |
Penguin Colony (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 16 |
Tenebris Somnia (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 19 |
Athanasia (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 20 |
Mycopunk (1.0) (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 20 |
Star Trek: Outposts Unknown (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 20 |
We Were Here Tomorrow (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 21 |
Escape from Playtime (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 21 |
MapleStory Classic (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 21 |
Stupid Never Dies (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 22 |
Final Fantasy Resonance (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 21 |
Once Human - Isles of Abyss (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 22 |
The Dead We Knew: Open World Survival (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 22 |
Paris Games Week begins (Site) |
📌 EVENT |
October 23 |
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 26 |
Night Plane (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 26 |
Pao Pao (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 27 |
Emberville (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 27 |
Northgard Battlegrounds (Steam) |
🔓 EARLY ACCESS |
October 27 |
Virtue and a Sledgehammer (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 27 |
You Are Empty: Absolute Edition (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 28 |
Anomalith (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 28 |
Final Fantasy 14 patch 7.5x (Site) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 28 |
Phantom Blade Zero (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 28 |
Probably Stolen – Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 29 |
Age of Empires 4: Raiders of the North (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 29 |
Cairn - On the Trail: Deep Water (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 29 |
Crimson Desert - Charting the Unknown (Steam) |
💫 UPDATE |
October 29 |
Danchi Days (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 29 |
Joe & Mac Retro Collection (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 29 |
The Wolf Among Us Remastered (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 30 |
Queen's Domain (Steam) |
🆕 NEW RELEASE |
October 31 |
Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest begins (Site) |
📌 EVENT |
