Valor Mortis is a game I’ve kept an eye on since its reveal last year, and after playing a demo, it’s one of my most anticipated upcoming games. Fortunately, you and I won’t have to wait much longer to play it, as it launches on September 24 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
This was revealed by way of a new narrative-focused trailer shown during today’s Xbox Games Showcase, pulling back the decrepit layers on this unique first-person Soulslike from the studio behind the excellent Ghostrunner series. In it, you control William, a former soldier who rises from death and must confront the true cost of destiny, loyalty, and empire in this twisted alternate-history version of the Napoleonic Wars.
Check it out in the Valor Mortis release date trailer below:
“When the emperor commands, will you shrink from the opportunity or give everything for your country?” the game’s description reads. “Wield supernatural powers, battle horrifying monsters, and unravel a conspiracy that threatens all of humanity forged in the shadow of Napoleon’s ambition.”
Valor Mortis launches on September 24, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
State of Decay, the open-world, zombie-hunting game from Undead Labs’, has been quiet for a while, but today marked the game’s grand return. The 2026 Xbox Games Showcase showed off our first real look at the sequel’s gameplay, and revealed a 2027 release window. You can get a look at the co-op action in the new trailer below.
The trailer shows scenic views of the game’s rural environment before cutting to the flashy, explosive combat and co-op settlement creation. Players can drive vehicles through crowds of zombies, team up to take out grotesque nests, and hack and blast their way through undead hordes. We also got a look at plenty of unconventional zombie types, like large-bellied fire-breathers and huge, writhing nests.
Crazy Taxi is back in the form of Crazy Taxi: World Tour, a new game in the high-octane, Offspring-infused arcade racer-ish game, and it’s launching next year on Xbox Series X/S and PC. In Crazy Taxi: World Tour, players control Alex and his trusty taxi cab as he chases down the mysterious masked villain who, well, stole his actual beloved taxi.
Crazy Taxi: World Tour comes by way of Sega, and will task players with taking on extreme (timed) missions around the world while earning crazy amounts of money…but only if you get your passengers to where they need to go in time.
Check it out in the Crazy Taxi: World Tour reveal trailer below:
Crazy Taxi: World Tour hits Xbox Series X/S and PC sometime in 2027.
Senua, the protagonist of both Hellblade games, is now the titular hero in the next game. The next game from Ninja Theory, is simply called Senua and appears to be changing genres… a little bit.
“This is an out-and-out action-adventure game. It’s a bold new step for Senua, as a character, into the action-adventure space,” Ninja Theory studio head Dom Matthews writes on the Xbox Wire blog.
The Hellblade games are arguably action-adventure games, so it’s not yet clear exactly what this means for Senua, but Matthews insists it is different style of game, which is why it is not called Hellblade III.
Senua releases next year on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and will also be available on PlayStation 5.
We first learned that the long-rumored Persona 4 remake from publisher Sega and developer Atlus was indeed real, and it is called Persona 4: Revival, during last year’s Xbox Games Showcase in June. We got a very early look at the game then, so it’s surprising that this remake is launching in February. More specifically, Persona 4 Revival hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 18.
We learned of this release date by way of the remake’s first gameplay trailer that debuted during today’s Xbox Games Showcase, giving us a look at our protagonist and his party fighting all manner of enemies in the world of the Midnight Channel.
Check it out for yourself in the Persona 4 Revival release date trailer below:
Persona 4 Revival launches next February on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a new, visually improved retelling of the events of the original Halo game, released way back in 2001. Today, we learned it’s right around the corner, and got a look at the new content Halo Studios is planning to incorporate. The game is set to launch on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and for the first time ever, PlayStation 5, on July 28.
The trailer also showed footage of some prequel missions, known as Operation : METEORITE. It’s a three-mission story arc set one year before Halo: Combat Evolved takes place, and follows Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson as they strike a Covenant research vessel.
A post on Xbox Wire goes into more detail, reading, “While Halo: Campaign Evolved faithfully remakes the original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign, Operation: METEORITE gives players a chance to expand their experience with new locations, new enemy variants, more weapons from across the Halo series, and new ways to play within the Halo sandbox, all while getting to spend more time with beloved characters and witness a new event that adds to the legacy of their heroic history.” This implies that we might get weapons like the battle rifle, which was introduced in Halo 2, in this remake of the first game.
The game is also available to pre-order now, The base game is $49.99 / £49.99 / €59.99, while the premium edition will cost you $69.99 / £69.99 / €79.99, adding on cosmetics, a digital story & art collection, and five days of early access. In other words, you’ll be able to play the premium edition starting July 23.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is a prequel to A Plague Tale: Requiem and it stars the former buccaneer, Sophia. Courtesy of a new gameplay trailer during today’s Xbox Games Showcase, we now know it launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 27.
We first learned about Resonance during last year’s Xbox Games Showcase, and it was nice to see it again this year, this time with a look at the more action-oriented gameplay. While it still retains some of the third-person DNA from the first two Plague Tale games, Sophia is decidedly more adept in combat, using swords to slay enemies and her wits to solve puzzles and more. It continues to look like a great time.
Check it out in the Resonance: A Plague Tale gameplay trailer for yourself below:
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 27.
Isabel claims to be a hero – the one hero Albion needs – but there is an undercurrent of evil to her monologue. “Isabel is a driven, powerful Hero on a quest to make right a tragic injustice,” narrative director Craig Owens writes. “Driven by grief, Isabel has turned her pain into determination and focus that sets her at odds with The Hero of Briar Hill and Humphry, her one-time guardian. Isabel’s conviction that she’s not just doing the right thing, but she’ll be able to make right any harm she causes along the way makes her a powerful, dangerous enemy.”
The trailer also ends with what appears to be the return of Jack of Blades, the antagonist from the original Fable. Jack of Blades, however, has always worn a mask, so it could just be someone taking on the mantle.
Fable will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC sometime in February of next year.
Today’s Xbox Games Showcase brought our first look at gameplay for Gears of War: E-Day in a new trailer featuring Marcus Fenix wearing… very normal clothes?? That’s likely because E-Day is about Emergency Day, or the day in the Gears of War universe where the Locust made themselves known from their underground hives.
Marcus, answering the call to protect the city he seemingly lives in, picks up a gun and gets to work, and it looks awesome, showcasing a key piece of Gears of War’s history we’ve never seen in a game. Plus, this gameplay trailer revealed that Gears of War: E-Day launches exclusively on October 6 on Xbox Series X/S and PC (despite rumors of a PlayStation 5 release).
Check it out in the Gears of War: E-Day gameplay reveal trailer below:
As you can see, Gears of War: E-Day still retains the classic third-person cover shooter DNA of the prior Gears of War games, though this one is decidedly even more bloody and violent. Its visual fidelity is impressive, too, with developer The Coalition showcasing its Unreal Engine 5 prowess.
In case this is your first time hearing about the game, Gears of War: E-Day is an origin prequel for the series, set 14 years before the events of the first Gears of War game, and as the name implies, it chronicles the events of longtime protagonist Marcus Fenix as he navigates the eruption of the Locust Horde’s siege on humanity.
Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6, 2026, as a console exclusive game on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Blood Message is developer 24 Entertainment’s first AAA single-player title, and in several ways feels like the team looked to the best playbook for making such a thing: first-party PlayStation. The game boasts incredible production values and cinematography, centers on a father/son relationship, has scripted high-octane linear chase sequences, and feels as much like watching a prestige historical TV drama as a game. I’m not saying that with any shade; I’ll always enjoy that popcorn blockbuster flavor of interactive experiences. But more than anything else, Blood Message wowed me with its cinematic and realistic combat.
Blood Message is set in 848 AD during China’s late Tang Dynasty. The nameless protagonist is no great significant figure, but rather a rank-and-file soldier and messenger. Caught in a massive conflict, the messenger must embark on a brutal 1,000-mile journey to Chang’an alongside his young son. In addition to surviving skirmishes with enemy forces, they’ll have to contend with the unforgiving terrain and the elements themselves.
My demo opens early, with the messenger and his brother, racing to return to the former’s home as their city falls under attack. To the protagonist, nothing matters more than getting home to protect his son. I don’t get much in the way of plot details beyond this, but the presentation makes up for it. Blood Message is a beautiful game, and while I can’t 100% confirm it, it appears to feature a single-shot camera. I can’t recall seeing any camera cuts during my time playing, and the cinematography reminded me heavily of the modern God of War games.
I moved through the linear street alleys, semi-abandoned homes, and rooftops, mashing button prompts to push an obstruction out of the way (like a fallen shelf) and squeezing through narrow entryways. It’s all very familiar fare, but it’s achieved with a AAA shine. It’s Blood Message’s impactful sword-combat that raised my eyebrows the highest. The action on its face is nothing new; assault foes using light and heavy attacks, block and parry offense, and occasionally QTE-button mash out of an enemy grapple. But the realistic animations of the intimate and brutal encounters add a satisfying, visceral edge to the action; this is not a stylish action game, but something more grounded and weighty, yet still slick.
Attacks are mapped to the right shoulder triggers while blocking/parrying occupy the left bumper; it’s a very Souls-like setup, but this is not a Souls game, to be clear. I didn’t find the combat particularly challenging, but I quickly settled into a fun groove of chaining light attacks, using heavy attacks to break the defenses of shield-bearing foes, parrying any form of retaliation (creating satisfying sword clashes), and initiating highly-scripted executions. Watching the combat is like watching an impressive tech demo that looks too good to be true, but I can confirm that, at least in this build, it’s all very real. I always smiled when another wave of enemies tried to impede my progress.
Some areas allow for stealth, letting me sneak up and quietly – and violently – execute targets, such as pounding the point of a hammer into their throats. Again, the stealth segments are basic AAA fare: crouch behind some cover, sneak up, and drop the targets, with the protagonist’s brother joining in synchronized ambushes in some instances. The same familiarity applies to a big chase sequence where, upon being spotted by the enemy, the protagonist must flee down linear streets, leaping over scripted obstacles, where things are exploding, arrows fly my way, and structures crumble around him as he makes a dramatic leap, just barely managing to grab hold of something before crashing down anyway. It’s a sequence Nathan Drake would feel right at home in, and while it’s nothing new, it’s executed well and is fun to watch.
This early section of Blood Message suggests it will provide a meat-and-potatoes experience for the average AAA action fan. It checks off many of the boxes that made games like God of War and Uncharted successful; it sports visual fidelity you’ll want to show non-gamer friends to brag about how far video games have come; its combat is easy to grasp but oh-so fun to execute. I didn’t see anything to suggest it will reinvent the action game genre, but not every game needs to or can, for that matter. I had a great time playing the demo, and I’m most interested in finding out whether Blood Message has the storytelling chops to match its razor-sharp presentation and combat. We still have no idea when the full game is coming, but for now, I’m optimistic it will be a completely enjoyable take on a proven formula.
