Gamers are headed for horror this autumn – and it’s GTA 6’s fault
The September schedule is bursting at the seams. Several potential Game of the Year contenders are set to release within a few days of each other. And who’s to blame for this gaming car crash? GTA 6.
It’s 2026. The year Rockstar shall finally bless us with the gaming messiah, Grand Theft Auto 6. While a dream come true for fans, it’s a living hell for publishers.
Rockstar’s gangster epic is set to break records. Millions of players will spend weeks doing nothing but cruising around Vice City, and no one will give a toss about new game releases any more. Gaming publications and mainstream media will drop nothing but GTA content for weeks on end. And if you aren’t interested in the game? Tough, you’re still going to see it everywhere and everyone will be talking about it – kind of like the upcoming World Cup.
In short, the world will come to a standstill and play GTA 6.
Source: Rockstar Games
And as a result of all this hype, the gaming industry’s treating GTA 6 like a nuclear bomb. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere near it, either before or after its 19 November launch.
This was also evident in Sony’s State of Play presentation yesterday, during which numerous release dates were announced.
Publishers are releasing their games as far away from GTA 6 as possible. It looks like September’s going to be one of the most epic months in gaming history.
Here’s an overview – I’ve highlighted the biggest blockbuster releases in bold:
- The Blood of Dawnwalker – 3 September
- Marvel’s Wolverine – 15 September
- Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter – 17 September
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV – 17 September
- Dune: Awakening (Consoles) – 22 September
- Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea – 24 September
- Control Resonant – 24 September
- Silent Hill: Townfall – 24 September
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword – 25 September
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve – 29 September
Source: Sony
But that’s not all. October’s also slowly filling up with (too many) high-quality releases:
- No Rest for the Wicked 1.0 – October
- Rayman Legends: Retold – 1 October
- Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered – 1 October
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer – 6 October
- Planet Zoo 2 – 13 October
- Toy Story 3 Complete Edition – 15 October
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 – 23 October
- Phantom Blade Zero – 29 October
Source: Activision
Still keeping your cool after that State of Play? Well, then check out these games scheduled to come out in 2026, but with no specific release date just yet:
- Transport Fever 3
- Minecraft Dungeons 2
- Star Wars Zero Company
- Metro 2039
- Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
- Tropico 7
- Kena: Scars of Kosmora
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Gears of War: E-Day
There’s a good chance that publishers will release these titles before the GTA bombshell drops as well.
We’re expecting more information to be revealed at the upcoming showcases during the Summer Game Fest.
Not a sound strategy
Just looking at this release calendar gives me a headache. How on Earth am I meant to play all these great games in such a short time? My pile of shame is already big enough – and in just a few short weeks, it’ll double in size.
I fear that a lot of these publishers are shooting themselves in the foot with their September/October strategy. This year’s gaming autumn is going to be a veritable bloodbath, from which only a few games will emerge victorious. A torrent of high-quality releases is just as detrimental to new titles as the release window for GTA 6. Gamers don’t have unlimited time and money. Unfortunately. Something else I’m wondering about: how many of these games are being released while they’re still unfinished? Will we see a wave of buggy messes this autumn?
Source: Bandai Namco
Does Ubisoft have to release Rayman Legends before GTA? How much do their target audiences overlap, really? I think I’d really enjoy the occasional round of Rayman every now and then between my GTA sessions. Star Wars: Galactic Racer would make a great Christmas game, too. Releasing Silent Hill: Townfall and Control Resonant on the same day doesn’t make any sense. The former would be perfect for those spooky days leading up to Halloween. And Phantom Blade Zero has been in development for ages, they could easily push it back to early 2027.
A particularly disappointing tidbit: aside from GTA 6, November’s still completely empty. And there’s nothing slated for December right now either.
Dear publishers, why not take the plunge and push back the release dates for a few of your games? Microsoft set a good example recently, postponing the release of Fable to February 2027 «to give it the attention it deserves.» A valid reason, since you’ll really need to set aside some time for a role-playing game of this calibre. Time no one will have in autumn.
Source: Microsoft
Nintendo the wildcard
How Nintendo will handle the GTA 6 dilemma is still a complete mystery. One thing’s for sure: Star Fox will drop on 25 June, Rhythm Paradise Groove on 2 July and Splatoon Raiders on 23 July. Also confirmed for 2026 are the Switch 2 exclusive FromSoftware title The Duskbloods and Nintendo’s strategy classic Fire Emblem: Fortunes Weave.
Source: Nintendo
Those two will almost certainly not be the only games Nintendo has in the pipeline for 2026. According to rumours, the company’s planning a major remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the legendary game series.
How will Nintendo position this major Switch 2 release? The company operates in its own little bubble within the gaming industry, where it doesn’t have to worry too much about other publishers or the competition. But even a powerhouse like Nintendo can’t completely ignore a GTA 6 class event.
Source: Nintendo
More details about Nintendo’s plans should be revealed during a Nintendo Direct, which will most likely take place in June. I’m praying to Miyamoto and CEO Furukawa, begging that the remake of this classic won’t get squeezed into the fall lineup as well. Take your time. December’s a slow month, and Zelda would make the perfect Christmas gift for Nintendo fans.
My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
This is a subjective opinion of the editorial team. It doesn't necessarily reflect the position of the company.
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