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The Watchlist: Notable Games Through End of Year

Last updated Jul 6, 2026

We're in the second half of 2026 and the release schedule is actually stacked. This is my running list of notable games coming through the end of the year. Highlighted in gold are the ones I'm personally watching. Scroll past the grid for my thoughts on each.

A few thoughts on what I'm watching and why.

This one is a weird anomaly and that's exactly why I'm interested. Yes, we already have the Gears 1 remaster on PS5, but Halo feels like a different category entirely. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I ever truly experienced Halo the way it deserved. It's been so long I can't even say with confidence. What I know is I want to go through this with fresh eyes and the updates that come with a modern version. I'm not a multiplayer person, so the fact that this is campaign focused doesn't bother me one bit. I just want to experience what made Halo, Halo.

I am terrible when it comes to Metal Gear Solid in the sense that I can't stop buying it. I have so many copies, so many collections. It's a problem and I accept it. But this one is genuinely important because this is the first time Metal Gear Solid 4 is being brought to modern platforms. That is a massive deal. MGS4 has been locked to PS3 since 2008. Never remastered, never ported, just sitting there. And for a game that is essentially the closing chapter of the main story, that was always a hard pill to swallow, especially during an era when the PS3 itself wasn't exactly everyone's go-to system. On top of that you get Peace Walker, which a lot of people consider their favorite Metal Gear. Originally a PSP game, it got an HD collection treatment on PS3 but this brings it to a whole new audience. This is a big one.

I am an XCOM person through and through. I love those games deeply and I haven't found anything that quite hits the same way since. Maybe attaching a familiar IP helps, even if that IP is Star Wars, which honestly doesn't really do much for me. But I know the universe, I know the world, and if Zero Company brings those hardcore turn-based tactical elements, the kind where one wrong move costs you dearly, then this could scratch that itch in a way nothing has for a while. Hopeful on this one.

This game just looks fantastic. I know it's the first major release from this studio, but that's a little misleading because a lot of these developers are ex-CD Projekt Red. I love Cyberpunk. I love the world of The Witcher even if I never finished it. Taking that kind of creative energy and putting it into a vampire setting just sounds like a great idea. I want to see what they can do on their own, what they build when it's fully theirs. Everything I've seen so far looks really cool. I'm excited.

Capcom feels like they cannot miss right now. Everything they touch lately has been quality and they're getting bolder about it. Onimusha is admittedly a blind spot for me from when I was younger, but I loved Devil May Cry back in the day and I've grown into this kind of setting over the years. This is Capcom bringing back a beloved franchise in a modern way and everything I've seen looks great. I'm in.

What can I say. Insomniac has been crushing it. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Miles Morales, all fantastic games. I don't always love that superhero games seem to be all they do now, but the results speak for themselves. Wolverine is supposed to be more focused, less open world, more set pieces and big moments. That sounds right for the character. And honestly, Wolverine was one of my favorites growing up. This is very much up my alley.

The Control and Alan Wake Remedy universe is completely my jam. I thought Control was a fantastic surprise when it came out. Took me a little while to get past the controls which felt a little loose and floaty at first, but once I got into the world and the story I was hooked. Then Alan Wake 2 came along and it was just great. This one has my full attention. And I appreciate that they're not playing it safe. Control Resonant is apparently not just more Control, it's a different kind of game, more action forward. That's a risk but I trust what Remedy is building. As long as I get that story, that thought provoking weirdness that makes the Remedy universe what it is, I'm there.

Silent Hill is in a real resurgence right now and it feels earned. The Silent Hill 2 remake was excellent. True to the source, and anything they added felt like it belonged. I'll admit I haven't given Silent Hill f a fair chance yet, but as a horror fan who loves what Silent Hill represents as a concept, any new entry gets my attention. Townfall seems to have a more indie feel with Annapurna involved and it probably isn't going to be a massive budget production. That's fine. Silent Hill has never been about scale. It's about getting into your head. Curious to see what they do with it.

This one just looks good. Forget all the Xbox politics for a second, forget what it means for the platform, forget the console exclusive stuff. Just look at the game. If you like Gears of War, if you like cover-based third person shooting, this looks like exactly what you want. You're back in the locust war, Dom and Marcus are back, and based on what I've seen it looks badass. I'll probably end up playing this on PC since I still haven't bought an Xbox Series and probably won't, but I'm genuinely excited for this one.

Castlevania coming back to a 2D plane is the right call, and the developer choice here is what really has me locked in. Evil Empire has Castlevania DNA running through them. Their Return to Castlevania DLC for Dead Cells was a fantastic look at what a Castlevania game feels like in modern hands without actually being Castlevania. It made complete sense that Konami came to them for this. Now they have a full slate and full support. I want to see what they do with that.

What can I say about this that hasn't already been said. GTA 6 has been in development for over a decade. Rockstar always captures the moment. They always read the room and then flip it back on you. There is no reason with the time and money and the patience of Take-Two that your expectations shouldn't be out of control. You're going to get a single player campaign first before they roll out all the expansion content, and that is completely fine because that campaign alone should be more than enough. This is what we have been waiting for. I fully expect to be blown out of the water.

This one is pure nostalgia, full stop. I was a kid when this game came out and it was one of the most formative experiences of my childhood. I want to see what they do with it in 2026. That's all this is. I don't need to overcomplicate it.

Sports games, Madden, NBA 2K, College Football, they're always on my radar but there's not much to say about them. I know what I'm getting, I'll get to them when I get to them.

But I have to give a real shoutout to Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls. This game looks so cool. I genuinely think it could be something special and I think it has a long shelf life ahead of it. I just know I'm going to be terrible at it. Like really, genuinely bad. But it looks awesome and I'm happy it exists.