Monthly Recap September
It would seem that this month the gaming industry started to look at 2026 much more seriously with a huge number of announcements and reveals for next year. For this month’s recap we are focusing on big events held in late September that had big news in all of the major gaming genres. Some of the titles discussed are truly projected to become big hits and would absolutely deserve reviews of their own, so we would not be able to fit all of the details at this point, but you can surely expect us to do so in other blog posts in the future! Let’s not wait any longer and directly fly to Japan for the first piece:
Everything Important that got Announced Xbox at Tokyo Game Show
Earlier this month we got the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2025 broadcast filled with major news, exciting reveals and moments some of the highlights were actually themed or revolving around the hosting country of Japan. The list includes the long-awaited reveal of Forza Horizon 6, which is going to actually be set in Japan! A more detailed look at the Japanese maps in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, the reveal of Gemma Chan as Dr. Selina Tan in 007: First Light, high-level action gameplay footage from Ninja Gaiden 4 and even Bruce Lee joining Hitman: World of Assassination as a partner of Agent 47. There were many huge announcements made during the show and you will find all of the important ones if you keep on reading!
The highly anticipated Forza Horizon 6, which is set to be launched in Japan in 2026. The presentation showcased a beautiful vista of Mount Fuji and hinted at Japan's rich culture, which would influence the game’s setting with urban streets of Tokyo and serene rural areas. The game would of course incorporate changing seasons to better reflect on Japan's unique climate and natural beauty, while merging it with the astonishing racing culture it has.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was another important highlight, revealing the two Japanese maps it would have. The first map, Toshin, is set in a futuristic Tokyo in 2035 and includes multiple themed locations such as a cat café and a karaoke bar, both very typical for Japan. The second map, Den, showcases a repurposed Japanese castle in the countryside. Black Ops 7 is going to be released on November 14, with an early access beta launching as early as October 2 and then an open beta starting on October 5.
Konami has finally shown the Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater Online Mode, Fox Hunt and its release date. The company revealed that the online multiplayer would be coming out on Oct. 10, 2025 during its Tokyo Game Show 2025 stage event and Fox Hunt will have two game modes (Survival Capture and Survival Intrude) available for up to 12 players!
Ninja Gaiden 4 also was bound to stand out, previewing its training mode and the challenging Master Ninja mode, available after completing the story. This mode features much stronger enemies and an increased level of challenge in the game. Additionally, there is a Death Wish mode for the group of players that are seeking an even more grueling difficulty. Ninja Gaiden 4 is set for a nearing release on October 21.
The Xbox broadcast also introduced fans to a completely new story trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection and announced that the first two games in the Monster Hunter Stories series would also be available for the Xbox Series X|S on November 14, 2025.
In a very unique collaboration, Bruce Lee would be joining the cast of Hitman: World of Assassination as Agent Lee, working alongside 47 in a new exciting mission named The Infiltrator. This mission would involve an infiltration attempt at the Concord Union, during a secretive martial arts tournament held in Bangkok that Agent Lee must do everything in his power to win. The mission would introduce new gameplay mechanics in order to present us with the protective role of 47 (which is not very typical). The Infiltrator is going to be available from September 25 to November 20.
Gungrave Gore Blood Heat is going to be a remake of 2022's Gungrave Gore, it promises various modern updates while preserving the original's core essence. Players could enjoy better level design, enhanced visual graphics and most importantly would be in control of Beyond the Grave (once known as Brandon Heat), equipped with dual Cerberus pistols and his Death Hauler - another massive weapon that can also be used as a protective shield.
The real-time strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV released the first in-game capture trailer in Tokyo too, showcasing many of the game's main features. Initially announced at Gamescom 2025 back in August, it is developed by King Art Games and published by Deep Silver, marking the fourth entry in the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series and the first not to be created by Relic Entertainment.
Other notable announcements from the event included Age of Mythology: Heavenly Spear, that is also set in Japan; a 2D-HD remake of both Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II featuring a new ocean floor area; the announcement for a remake of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly; an extra challenge mode in Double Dragon Revive; information about Project Evilbane, which would be a co-op game encouraging players to team up with their friends; and Sudden Strike 5, which will be bringing WWII strategy to Xbox in 2026. Lastly, Terminull Brigade will feature a massive crossover with Neon Genesis Evangelion, along with its Xbox release.
Taking things to the other side of the gaming field now with several of the important updates from Sony:
All of the Major Announcements We Got During State of Play This Month
Another State of Play has just passed and it provided us with a lot of exciting updates and reveals for several hit games that would drop until the end of this year or in 2026. The key announcements included a gameplay trailer and a release window for Marvel's Wolverine, an extended look at Saros by Housemarque and a very strong first look at the campaign mode in Battlefield 6, so let’s dive right to it and discover everything that stood out to us during the broadcast.
Marvel's Wolverine was the major highlight of the event and the game will feature very violent gameplay (as it should, especially when we are speaking about one of the most beloved X-men characters out there) and is set to be released in the Fall season of 2026, with Liam McIntyre in the role of portraying Wolverine. The trailer showcased Logan in various settings and periods of his brutal life and story, including encounters with Mystique, Omega Red and even a Sentinel. Insomniac stated that more specific details would be shared in Spring 2026.
Saros also made a very strong impression with its extended gameplay demo, planned to be launching on March 20, 2026, This new game by Housemarque would follow Arjun Devraj, who is navigating through the shape-shifting terrain of the planet Carcosa. The gameplay included some very unique mechanics influenced by the rough environment and weapons linked to a solar eclipse event. Players would be able to find Holologs that are going to reveal more about the planet's history and as a final treat the demo featured a giant boss encounter that was not fully shown as the footage suddenly stopped.
EA has chosen this month’s State of Play to reveal the campaign mode in Battlefield 6 since there was a first look of some mission gameplay and cutscenes were shown, a couple of weeks ahead of its release on October 10. Players can absolutely rest assured that they would get impactful action and tough missions packed with lots of chaos and destruction in both the campaign and multiplayer modes of this title.
The event also revealed an upcoming video game based on the horror film Halloween. We are not getting it on time for this year’s scary festivity season, since it is scheduled for a September 8, 2026 release, but players are going to be able to choose to play as either civilians trying to survive or Michael Myers himself. The Halloween gameplay seemed to heavily emphasize on strategy and teamwork under high-stakes conditions.
Another game that is worthy of attention is Zero Parades - For Dead Spies. It was introduced as a narrative-driven espionage RPG by the creators of Disco Elysium. Players would take on the role of Hershel, as they are navigating through a world of great distrust and utter betrayal. The game is expected to include many new features and is planned to launch on PS5 in 2026.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles also received a gameplay overview trailer just days before of its official release on September 30. The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, previously exclusive only to Xbox and PC, would be landing to the PS5 on December 8, 2025. Support for PlayStation VR2 is also in the works, although it most likely will not be available at launch. As for some updates in the world of racing, we got Gran Turismo and its celebration of surpassing 100 million units sold, and because of that awesome development, Gran Turismo 7 is getting updated with a major Spec III update this December, bringing multiple new tracks and vehicles to the game. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is going to feature exclusive content from the Mega Man universe, with both Mega Man and Proto Man joining the racing roster in early 2026, which also includes a reimagined course from a level in the iconic Mega Man 2.
Chronoscript: The Endless End was another 2D action-adventure game title with an interesting premise about an editor that gets trapped in a manuscript and it will be released some time in 2026. Additionally, the open-world action-adventure game Crimson Desert is launching on March 19, 2026, focusing on Kliff's journey to unite the Greymanes against the forces of evil. Code Vein II is expected to launch early next year, more specifically on January 30th, 2026, about seven years after the original game was released. Finally, Deus Ex Remastered is going to have an official launch next year on February 5, 2026, bringing the beloved classic to the PS5, while the standard edition and Treasure Box Edition for Nioh 3 would release on the next day, on February 6, 2026.
In other news, the survival action Roguelite Let It Die: Inferno will arrive on the PS5 before the end of 2025, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is bringing an updated version of the PS2 classic to the PS5, Last Epoch: Oryboss is an exciting new expansion that would have its launch with the base game. The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is going to present us with an original story based in the world of the beloved Manga and Anime and in the hardware department there was also the reveal of the Official PlayStation Wireless Speakers by Sony and the DualSense Wireless Controller - God of War 20th Anniversary Limited Edition to celebrate the 2 decade-long legacy of Kratos!
Speaking of Kratos, he has been a character that crosses through different games over the years and also to show you we are completely covering all of the genres with this recap, we are giving you the next card game focused piece involving the iconic God of War character:
Magic the Gathering is Getting Some Very Exciting Inclusions!
Magic: The Gathering has now introduced many new cards featuring popular characters and elements from various video game hits in a new Secret Lair expansion super drop. This massive collaboration involves companies such as Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio, Guerrilla and Sucker Punch Productions to create themed cards that reflect the essence of their games with impressive artwork and unique skills and mechanics. The expansion includes cards from The Last of Us series, showcasing Legendary Creatures like Joel, Resolute Survivor, Ellie from the first game, as well as Abby, Merciless Soldier and Vengeful Hunter Ellie from the sequel. The Uncharted series contributes with another popular character in the likes of Treasure Hunter Nathan Drake to the mix.
Fans of God of War are going to be delighted to find cards depicting Kratos from both his Greek and Norse adventures, complete with his iconic weapons, alongside Atreus and his bow. Additionally, the expansion features Aloy, Savior of Meridian from Horizon Zero Dawn and Jin Sakai representing Ghost of Tsushima. Wizards of the Coast has previously partnered with many other gaming franchises for exclusive MTG card sets and the list already included popular franchise titles such as Fallout, Assassin’s Creed, Tomb Raider and many others. At MagicCon Atlanta, Wizards also revealed future MTG expansions for both 2025 and 2026, which are going to include sets based on The Hobbit, Marvel Super Heroes and even Star Trek.
Moving up to some other interesting bits such as a Web3 game title updates and a free demo release for one fan-favorite title:
The Web3 based Legend of Ymir passes more than 1M pre-registrations
Legend of Ymir, a South Korean Web3 MMORPG, reached over 1 million pre-registrations on September 26, 2025. The game will launch in the fourth quarter of 2025 for Windows PC, as well as Android and iOS platforms. It will include five different hero classes: Völva, Warlord, Skald, Orb and Berserker.
To celebrate the achievement of this important milestone, the developers are going to host a series of events and competitions during the pre-registration period, offering rewards of 55,000 YMIR Treasure tokens and a Bitcoin.
The game presents a dark version of Norse mythology set before Ragnarok and will feature six races: Aesirs, Vanirs, Jotunns, Humans, Alves, and Dwarves. Developed by WeMade and its Web3 arm, Wemix, it will use an in-game rewards token called G-Wemix, which is pegged 1:1 to the Wemix native coin of the same name.
Little Nightmares III Offers a 30-Minute Demo Across All Platforms before the Release
An exclusive free 30-minute demo of Little Nightmares III was released earlier this month on September 16, 2025, for all of the platforms where the game is going to be available. The anticipated game will launch on October 10, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, Little Nightmares III tells the story of two characters, Alone and Low, who try to escape a nightmarish world called The Nowhere. As you may already know from pervious posts on our blog, this installment allows players to choose between playing solo with an AI companion or teaming up with another player in online co-op mode.
With this we are going to conclude our YUPLAY monthly recap for September and hope that you join us for the coming blog posts on our website during next month too. There are some incredible promos and gaming reviews that await us until the end of the year, so be sure to regularly check on here and read about them!