Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

The tale of Edward Kenway, seemingly lost to time (or at least 2013), is reborn at long last. Launching on July 9th, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a remake of the original, maintaining the same story and characters while expanding on everything else. Overhauled visuals, a denser world map, faster combat, expanded naval battles, a deeper end-game – the list goes on and on. Sure, some parts like the modern-day Abstergo segments and equipping the Hidden Blade in combat are absent (alongside the DLC and multiplayer). But it’s otherwise a faithful retelling of our favorite assassin/pirate’s legend with so much more to offer.

EA Sports College Football 27

College Football’s resurgence and success means a new yearly sports franchise for EA, for better or worse. But at least College Football 27 is trying a few new things when it launches on July 9th, starting with a PC debut for the series. Long-time fans can expect Dynasty improvements, new customization options in Road to Glory, and more. Perhaps the most intriguing new addition is Mascot Mashup, where teams of mascots can clash in games.

Echoes of Aincrad

Somehow, Sword Art Online returned, but instead of playing as well-known characters like Kirito or Asuna, you’ll experience the first season’s death game as an original character. Customize their appearance, learn unique skills, venture through dungeons, and try not to die. But for those who want that authentic experience, there’s Death Game Mode, where your save is deleted upon death. Echoes of Aincrad looks the part visually, so we’ll give it a shot, but a revamp of the tutorial certainly wouldn’t hurt before its July 10th launch.

Palworld 1.0

Pocketpair’s creature-collecting, open-world, survival crafting title exploded when early access debuted in 2024, and it’s come a long way since. While storming the World Tree is the end-game, 1.0 is going all out in terms of new gameplay features. A Wing Pack for flying around on your lonesome; a Pal that transforms into a two-handed sword with a unique move-set; and those mysterious floating islands that developers seem to be fans of. Touted as the biggest update for Palworld yet, we can’t wait to see how 1.0 changes the game when it goes live on July 10th.

The Alters: Last Variable

Remember when you left Jan Scientist behind at the end of The Alters? If the answer is, “I didn’t play The Alters,” well…don’t worry about it. All you need to know is that cloning yourself is back on the menu, as you explore new regions, expand a new base underground and learn the truth about something called the Oasis. With cryo-sleep enabling longer-term consequences, Last Variable could feed into the survival drama that helped the base game thrive when it launches on July 13th.

Moss: The Forgotten Relic

PlayStation VR titles have been less common over the years, but thankfully, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2 players will have a chance to experience Polyarc’s Moss series without the need for a headset. Alongside both games and DLC, it promises a new Smart Follow camera and the option to skip combat. There are also new cutscenes to go with the improved performance. So if you’ve never experienced the journey of Quill, a mouse who ventures through the ruins of a kingdom, there’s no better day than July 16th when Moss: The Forgotten Relic launches.

Gothic Classic (PlayStation and Xbox)

With how well-received Gothic 1 Remake has been, PlayStation and Xbox players will finally get the chance to experience the 2001 original on July 28th. And it’s about as untainted as you’d expect, preserving the unforgiving challenge and janky gameplay that made the original such a treat.

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game

A good Avatar video game is about as rare as an enjoyable live-action adaptation, but Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game could fill those shoes. It’s 1v1, featuring hand-drawn animation and packs 12 playable characters, from Aang and Korra to Azula and Kyoshi. Along with Training and Spectator modes, you have the requisite Versus with rollback netcode and cross-play support. Best of all, single-player fans have Story Mode, which offers an original tale, and Arcade Mode. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game lands on July 23rd for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC.

Splatoon Raiders

Instead of competitive modes like its predecessors, Splatoon Raiders leans fully into single-player but with a fresh gameplay loop. As the Mechanic, you’ll explore the Spirhalite Islands with Deep Cut, unearthing relics and fighting the Salmonids. By mining Spirhalite Shards, you can develop Gadgets for additional combat options. With optional local and online co-op, it looks intriguing, if nothing else, and arrives on July 23rd for Nintendo Switch 2.

Halo: Campaign Evolved

The campaign that started it all, but evolved. Halo Studios may not have the most sterling reputation, but we have to admit that its remake of Halo 1 has looked good in recent showings, whether it’s the visuals or revamping levels to facilitate four-player co-op. The prospect of over 40 Skulls, including one that adds a third-person perspective, and a Campaign Remix option means heaps of replay value. Just try not to focus too much on the lack of Theater Mode or post-launch content plans when Halo: Campaign Evolved arrives on July 28th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Mistfall Hunter

We’ve already seen a Souls-like battle royale-style game in Nightreign, so why not an extraction title in the same vein? Announced in October 2024, Mistfall Hunter will finally launch this month on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, offering six playable Gyldhunters who venture into the titular mist to take on various monstrosities. And while there’s a very “end of the world” style scenario, it’s still all about finding loot, either solo or in teams of three, and surviving against enemies and other players long enough to extract it. Enjoyable or tedious? We’ll find out on July 29th.

The Relic: First Guardian

Of course, if we’re talking about Souls-likes that have been a long time coming, The Relic: First Guardian is out on July 31st for PS5 and PC after first being announced five years ago. Suffice to say that the setting and prospect of venturing into the ruined world of Arsiltus to help save it is enticing. The fact that you don’t lose stamina from attacking also means a more aggressive playstyle, and while we’ll need to wait and see how the bosses pan out, The Relic could make for a nice diversion.

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu

If you’re not in the Souls-like mood and just want a more co-op-focused experience with plenty of the same oppression, The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu may be worth playing. The premise is simple – you and up to three other players venture into a jungle in the hopes of finding the Mound. However, there’s the Madness system, similar to the Sanity system from Eternal Darkness, which can mess with your senses in a variety of ways, from making allies appear hostile to creating truly horrific sights. In other words, a fun ol’ time with friends when it launches on July 15th.

Backyard Baseball

The original Backyard Baseball is a classic in many ways, but for those who wanted a more contemporary version, there’s good news. Mega Cat Studios is reimagining it for consoles and PC with completely revamped visuals. The Backyard roster returns in full force with 30 choices, and you can duke it out across 11 stadiums and six modes. With a range of options for both casual and competitive players, it promises to capture the magic of the original – with some modern quality of life – when it launches on July 9th.

Dinoblade

So there’s one more game to look forward to in July, and yes, it’s another Souls-like. The twist? Dinosaurs. In a post-cataclysm, you take up a Great Sword as a Spinosaurus and embark on a journey for…something, taking on all kinds of hostile dinos. These include Alphas who may have their own weapons and skills. As ridiculous as it sounds, there’s no denying how cool it looks. Dinoblade launches on July 23rd for PC.

Each title retails for $29.99 and contains adventures that are just as sizable as the original. Gothic 2 Complete Classic, for example, promises 500+ NPCs, more than 100 missions, and over 200 weapons and spells. Gothic 3 Classic only contains more than 50 spells and 100 weapons, but it packs in a massive world with “virtually no boundaries” to explore and “countless side quests.”

Of course, for those who want a more contemporary experience, visually and gameplay-wise, Gothic Remake is out on June 5th, retailing for $59.99 on Xbox Series X/S and PS5, and for $49.99 on PC. Developed on Unreal Engine 5, it promises to retain the feel of the 2001 cult classic (right down to its various factions, dynamic world, and more) while improving the combat. Head here for more details on the improvements to character models and learn more about the art-style changes here.

Alongside the visuals for the remasters of the three classic action RPGs getting a boost thanks to higher resolution textures and smoother framerates, THQ Nordic has also confirmed that the three games will be getting updated control schemes to make better use of modern gamepads. The three titles were announced with a new trailer that you can check out below.

While these remasters are getting ready to pop up on consoles next year, THQ Nordic along with developer Alkimia Interactive have also been working on a remake of the original Gothic. During its event, the publisher had also announced that the remake would be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in early 2026. The announcement was made with a trailer that showed off legendary necromancer Xardas.

For players that might be curious but haven’t yet gotten around to checking out the free Nyras Prologue demo that has been available since February, a video had been released earlier this year that showcased 22 minutes of gameplay for the Gothic remake. The video gave us a good look at what the open world of the RPG will look like. Starting things slowly with a conversation between the protagonist and Diego, more of the world is then revealed as the player explores the opening mine.

In February, Alkimia Entertainment released the first of its Making Of video series for Gothic 1 Remake. The primary focus of the video was the “essence of Gothic”, with several developers from the studio talking about their experiences with the original game and how their love for the classic will carry over into the remake.

“What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.”

A second Making Of video was then released in April, this time focusing on the differences between the original Gothic and the upcoming remake. In the video, the developers spoke about making the original Gothic for a modern audience while still maintaining some of the rougher edges that made the original a cult classic RPG to begin with.

“Our job was to find out what elements should stay exactly as they are and what elements should be expanded,” said studio director Reinhard Pollice.

A third Making Of video was released in July, focusing on the visual and art changes that are being made in the Gothic 1 Remake. The video featured developers talking about walking the “fine line between being realistic and believable and also at the same time having this dark fantasy theme inside,” as described by art director Daniel Candil.