Halfway through the year, 2026 has already been a great year for video games, and with Summer Game Fest now in the rear-view mirror, we all start to look at the summer and holiday games, which doesn’t appear to be stopping any time soon. Every genre of games has at least one game coming out later this year that seems like a must-play. Then there’s the big elephant in the room: Grand Theft Auto IV.
Grand Theft Auto VI is officially coming in November, and just about every major game is treating this release as a Majora’s Mask moon-level threat. Just about every major release is currently slated for September and October in an effort to avoid one of the biggest releases in modern video games. I don’t really blame most of these games for trying their best to avoid it either, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be huge.
Some of these games have a reason to be concerned about releasing around Grand Theft Auto VI, there’s no doubt about that. But should every game avoiding Grand Theft Auto VI really be that concerned? Is Grand Theft Auto so big with its audience capture that it would severely damage any game sharing the month? I’m not completely convinced that’s the case.
With just how clogged September and October have become, are some of these games doing more harm to themselves by releasing before Grand Theft Auto VI than by just moving into November? With some games already shifting their release dates to counter other games and other potential releases still looking for a date to launch, there are games that are going to need to figure out a date. With January and February starting to stack up too, some games might have to just take a chance and see just how much of an audience they share with Grand Theft Auto. Here are five games that could realistically come out this year that I think could release in November and might even be better off for it, despite Grand Theft Auto VI.
Silent Hill Townfall
Silent Hill Townfall made an appearance at Sony’s most recent State of Play, showing more from this interesting entry into the long-running Konami franchise. The new trailer also announced a September 24 release date. Silent Hill: Townfall is currently set to release the same day as Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush and Control Resonant. While Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush might not be the biggest competition for a game like Silent Hill Townfall, Control Resonant feels like something that could share a decent amount of the same audience.
Every Silent Hill fan that I know has always been deeply loyal to the franchise, even through the bad times. Given that and the loyalty horror anything seems to have, I think it could be released in November and be fine. Control Resonant feels like a much tougher game to release around for Townfall, let alone on the same day. Releasing near the end of November, still in time for Black Friday and with some distance from Control Resonant, Silent Hill: Townfall should still find an audience. That, mixed with the game’s $59.99 USD price tag—cheaper than a lot of major releases and $20 less than GTA VI’s recent price tag—I feel like Silent Hill Townfall would be fine in a late November setting.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV is currently slated to release on September 17, on the same date as both Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. There aren’t a ton of real-time or tactics-based releases coming out at the end of the year in general, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV is one of the few, in fact. The only one of note that’s similar is Star Wars: Zero Company, releasing August 27. But Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV would have an even clearer lane with a November release date.
November is wide open outside of Grand Theft Auto VI. But Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has a lot of reasons not to be completely intimidated by it. First, it’s a PC-only release, and with Grand Theft Auto VI only coming to Xbox and PlayStation 5 at launch, it’s got no overlap there. On top of it, the Warhammer games usually have a pretty dedicated audience. Especially the Real-Time Strategy genre. With how crowded September and October are, with many games coming to PC on top of it, there are a lot more chances of overlap because of Star Wars: Zero Company, Control: Resonant, and Blood of Dawnwalker, perhaps. Dawn of War IV would just have less to go up against if it were to move to November.
Final Fantasy Resonance
Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy Resonance at the Summer Games Fest. This HD-2D turn-based RPG follows a similar path to the one Octopath Traveler 0 made a few years ago in the sense that Final Fantasy Resonance is actually a narrative remake of a previously released mobile game. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius was the original mobile game released in 2015 before being shut down last year. There seemed to be general excitement and hype surrounding this title coming out of Summer Game Fest, even with its October 22 release date announcement.
There are four RPGs already set to release in September and October, and many more with a 2026 window still looking for a spot to go. Final Fantasy Resonance might have a bigger problem releasing against these games than a game like Grand Theft Auto VI. Given the hype around an old school-ish Final Fantasy, the name recognition that Final Fantasy still carries, the fact that this game is releasing on all systems and PC, and the price tag ($49.99 USD), Final Fantasy Resonance could hold up releasing in November and separating itself from a lot of the RPGs releasing around its current October 22 release date. Especially since this game feels like the perfect Switch game.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
Speaking of Switch RPGs, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave popped back up at Nintendo’s June Direct. Along with the new trailer came the official release date of September 17, the same day as the previously mentioned Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War IV. It’s a stacked two months for RPGs and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, much like Final Fantasy Resonance, could easily stand on its own, separate itself from the rest of these releases, and find a better release window near the end of November.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave being the follow-up to Fire Emblem: Three Houses also plays a factor in this. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the best-selling game in the entire Fire Emblem franchise, so the audience for Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is there. I’ve definitely seen people get more excited for this game once they discover the connection to Three Houses. With that and the fact that Fortune’s Weave is Switch-exclusive, a console that won’t get Grand Theft Auto at launch, there is easily a spot to occupy in November for a game like Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. I don’t see something like this getting completely overshadowed by a game like Grand Theft Auto VI. If Fortune’s Weave is completely locked into its date, though, Nintendo has another game it could easily release in November…
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Give Millennials a nostalgia-filled November. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake of the classic Nintendo 64 game was revealed at the end of the June Nintendo Direct, and while the reveal provided very few details, it did come with a 2026 release window. With Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time almost assuredly coming out later this year, there’s very little room for it at this point. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is already in September, and if that doesn’t move, why not release this in November?
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has the Switch exclusivity going for it, much like the previously mentioned Fire Emblem. It’s got the nostalgia going for it as well. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an absolute classic, especially for people around my age group. A game like Ocarina of Time could easily release a week before or after Grand Theft Auto VI and still sell really, well given the franchise, the nostalgia, and the system. Nintendo usually releases a major title the week before Black Friday, and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time feels like the perfect game for that window. Even if Ocarina of Time released at a $70-$80 USD price tag, I think it’s big enough to still sell really well, even in the gravity of something like a Grand Theft Auto VI.
Are there any other titles you think could go head-to-head with GTA VI? Tell us in the comments below, and keep checking GameObserver!
