Hollow Knight: Silksong

Remember when this was just supposed to be a second playable character and DLC for Hollow Knight? Over six years since its announcement, Silksong is indeed real, and based on Team Cherry’s own admission, it’s as big, perhaps even bigger than its predecessor. Because you weren’t planning on anything for the rest of the month? Over 200 enemy types, more than 40 bosses, numerous new abilities – and based on demo impressions from Gamescom, best-in-class movement. Hollow Knight: Silksong releases on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, and at this point, we’re beyond ready.

Hell is Us

If you’re in the mood for a different kind of action-adventure, one that very adamantly won’t hold your hand, there’s Rogue Factor’s Hell is Us. A dark horse of sorts, it’s semi-open-world-ish, focusing on peacekeeper Rémi, who explores Hadea in search of his parents. The country has seen better days – it’s devastated by war and Hollow Walkers emerging in the wake of the Calamity. With just the bare minimum, you have to gather clues and ultimately unravel the mystery behind Rémi’s parents while uncovering the mysteries of Hadea. With Souls-lite gameplay and a mysterious yet foreboding vibe, Hell is Us could very well make a name for itself when it launches on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Cronos: The New Dawn

For a different flavor of horror – the sci-fi survival third-person shooter kind – there’s Bloober Team’s Cronos: The New Dawn, where players control a Traveller under the mysterious Collective, tasked with extracting the essence of key individuals. Or not – you don’t really have to, though that could affect the ending. Between these choices, you’re exploring run-down buildings and structures infested with monsters born from the mysterious Change, using shotguns, SMGs and flamethrowers to bat them back, while casually manipulating gravity and the environment to progress forward. It’s very Dead Space-esque on first appearance, but the mysterious narrative and time travel elements help set Cronos apart when it launches on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Daemon x Machina: Titanic Scion

I’m not the biggest Daemon X Machina fan out there, but credit to Marvelous Inc. for doing something different with the sequel. You’re still in this world of Arsenals and Outer factions, destroying similarly armored foes and extracting their parts for your own usage, but Titanic Scion veers hard by turning Arsenals into power armor. The vast open world also facilitates new traversal methods, such as horseback riding, which is as hilarious as it looks, and even a larger Arsenal frame for dealing big damage in a limited window. Launching on September 5th for Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and PS5, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion could very well be the standout mecha title of the year.

Borderlands 4

It’s funny to think we’ve gone from…whatever Borderlands 3 was meant to be to this epic tale of resistance against a dictatorial figure on an unknown planet that Gearbox promises is its biggest yet. And yet, from everything showcased thus far and against all odds, Borderlands 4 doesn’t look half-bad. The four new Vault Hunters – Vex, Rafa, Amon and Harlowe – all look great in their own ways; the prospect of Licensed Parts for combining different gun manufacturer pieces into one weapon is great; and the addition of grappling, dashing, double-jumping, and more feels just right. Whether the story will stick the landing remains to be seen (I still haven’t forgiven you for Maya, Gearbox), to say nothing of the endgame, but as a co-op looter shooter with slightly classier mayhem, Borderlands 4 could excel. It’s launching on September 12th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Silent Hill f

As the newest mainline title in the Silent Hill franchise since 2012’s Downpour, Silent Hill f ventures into unknown territory. It’s the first title set in Japan, specifically the fictitious town of Ebisugaoka in the 1960s, and features Ryukishi07 as the writer (with artist kera behind the creature designs). As Hinako Shimizu, who finds herself swallowed up by the fog, players embark on a more action-packed journey, one with a heavier emphasis on melee combat. Don’t let that fool you, though, as it offers some of the most disturbing creatures and sights in the franchise yet. After the success of Silent Hill 2 remake, here’s hoping Konami can pull off another when Silent Hill f launches on September 25th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

NBA 2K26

Another year, another NBA 2K and even if last year’s iteration sported solid gameplay, one has to wonder if NBA 2K6 is worth the upgrade. Outside of the improved player and arena visuals, you can embark on The Playoffs online; a new MyCareer mode sees you working up the ranks to the NBA, with The City returning; and all the usual modes, including MyTeam and The W, return with various improvements. Maybe it’ll be enough to hold one over till next year, but for now, NBA 2K26 launches on September 5th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Dying Light: The Beast

Techland has been on a venerable marketing overdrive for Dying Light: The Beast, promising its “most diverse world,” a fairly lengthy experience (about 40 to 50 hours for the story and side content), and much more. And based on the gameplay thus far, it seems like a return to everything that made the Dying Light franchise great while continuing the story of Kyle Crane, who now possesses powerful beast-like abilities. Whether it can redeem the series after the whelming second entry or not, the call of the night is hard to resist. Dying Light: The Beast arrives on September 19th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

EA Sports FC 26

With how underwhelming FC 25 turned out, EA is listening in a big way with the latest entry. Various gameplay improvements include faster overall gameplay and two experiences – Competitive and Authentic, each determining the style of play and pace. Archetypes are also debuting and will be added to Clubs to shake things up. There’s honestly a lot more, and it could be the most exciting sports offering from EA in years when it launches on September 26th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, PC, PS4, and PS5.

Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition

If you thought the title was a mouthful already, this is actually Part 1 of Survios’ VR title-turned-regular-first-person shooter. It follows Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks as she investigates a Weyland-Yutani black site. Which, to no one’s surprise, is full of Xenomorphs. While it may seem like a running and gunning affair, Rogue Incursion also features classic tools like the Motion Tracker, creating a familiar wave of dread when a Xenomorph periodically shows up. Launching on September 30th for PS5 and PC, Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition will support 60 FPS and DualSense functionality.

EA Sports NHL 26

Not one, not two, but three sports games in September? What a deal! NHL 26 launches on September 12th for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, packing several changes, including reworked X-Factors (now with three tiers), goalie size and style now affecting how they play, a new Goalie Crease Control System with over 80 new animations, and more. EA Vancouver has its work cut out after last year’s release, but thus far, it’s looking decent.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants

Everyone’s favorite archaeologist returns in a new story DLC, building on the stellar base experience by returning to Rome, as players venture deeper underground to learn more about the Cult of Mithras and the legendary giants. Based on the latest trailer, it seems the undead are also involved. In terms of puzzle-platforming goodness, The Order of Giants should be another compelling adventure for Indy when it launches on September 4th for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.

Metal Eden

Metal Eden launches on September 2nd for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and sees ASKA, a Hyper Unit, venturing into Moebius to save humanity’s rapidly decaying cores. All the usual weaponry, from a pistol, shotgun, SMG and whatnot, awaits. However, Aska’s main calling card is ripping out enemy Cores and either consuming them for a boost (and rocket punch) or tossing them back to deal explosive damage. Paired with a Brutalist aesthetic, extensive mobility and an intriguing narrative, we’re keen to see how deep the cyber-punk rabbit hole goes.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

Everyone has their dream remake, and for a subsection of role-playing game fans, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is pretty much it. A ground-up remake of the 2004 classic, it offers fully 3D environments and characters alongside Daybreak’s dual turn-based/real-time combat system. And while there are new voicovers and localization, the tale of Estelle and Joshua, who venture across Liberl, changing lives along the way, remains as timeless as ever. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter launches on September 19th for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, with a free demo currently available.

Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac

This may or may not fall under “dream remake” – really, it depends on how much you love Pac-Man – but Pac-Man World Re-Pac wasn’t half-bad. Re-Pac 2, launching on September 26th for every platform, follows in the same vein, remaking Pac-Man World 2 with gorgeous new visuals. However, its latest comparison trailer highlights noticeable differences in levels (which have also been expanded) and Bandai Namco promises quality-of-life improvements, updated bosses, and even a two-player mode.

At the core of the new system is the fact that players that have already finished Indiana Jones and the Great Circle shouldn’t find The Order of Giants too easy. In the same way, those that haven’t gotten to spend too much time with the adventure game shouldn’t be stuck because of an incredibly difficult encounter in the expansion. This largely comes down to the fact that players don’t have to have finished the base game in order to access the expansion.

“Players who are at the end of the game don’t need to worry about the difficulty [being too easy] as actually we have a new system in place where players are dynamically scaled based on how far they progressed,” explained Virant. “We know a lot of players are coming back from the endgame and would like to have a continuation of that difficulty, especially if they have health upgrades and a lot of abilities.”

Fundamentally, this new difficulty system works on a sort of tier-based logic, with a player’s difficulty tier for The Order of Giants depending on how far into the base game they are. For example, reaching Giza will bump up the difficulty to its second tier. Getting to Sukothai will similarly bring up to the third tier.

“We tried a few different things, but the one that was simplest and actually just what felt right was that if you’ve progressed to the Vatican but you haven’t gotten to Giza yet, we keep it on a first tier of difficulty,” said Virant. “If you’ve gotten to Giza, then we adjust it up to a second tier. And then once you’ve gotten to Sukhothai, we adjust to a third tier. From there we [can tune] the different amount of combos enemies can use, different amounts of health and also how many will gang up on you at the same time.”

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – The Order of Giants was officially unveiled back in June. The expansion will take Indiana Jones to Rome, with the catacombs under the city serving as the primary setting for the new adventure. The expansion is slated to add a lot more of the same gameplay that made the base game so beloved, ranging from stealth and platforming to puzzle solving and even a hint of combat.

The expansion will be coming to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 4. The expansion will also bring with it technical improvements to the base game, including the addition of the latest Nvidia technologies like RTX Hair for more realistic hair rendering for key characters. For more details, check out our review of the base game.