Every year, the Summer Game Fest event grows in scope. While it’s still not quite the replacement for the classic Electronic Entertainment Expo, it’s very much a unique event that’s tapping into the evolving interests of modern audiences and media.
Along with the massive livestream event, there are also the Play Days for media and industry, which give those in attendance the opportunity to get some quality hands-on time with many anticipated games.
During this year’s Summer Games Fest Play Days, we got to experience a variety of fantastic games, from well-known titles to those still finding an audience. Along with Alien Isolation 2, Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, we were also able to check out breakout hits like SEED and Blood Dungeon – which made this particular round-up a challenging one to put together.
Here are our 13 favorite games of Summer Games Fest 2026, ranging across picks from the Play Days show floor and closed-door meetings, along with events such as the Day of the Devs and the Media Indie Exchange.
Best games of Summer Games Fest – quick links
Control Resonant
- Developer: Remedy Entertainment
- Release date: 24 September
The developers at Remedy Entertainment are making a bold decision by switching things up for the Control sequel. With Control Resonant, the story shifts gears to explore a corrupted, open-ended Manhattan, and to follow Jesse Faden’s mysterious brother Dylan Faden. My initial feelings of apprehension went away during my hands-on time, as I defied gravity and tore through enemies with a transformable melee weapon on the warped streets of New York City.
Control Resonant feels equal parts Devil May Cry and Nier Automata, but tuned to the weird and unsettling tone of Control‘s strange world.
My favorite moments came from using Dylan’s Aberrant combat style, which taps into Devil May Cry‘s freeform combat flow, to rip and tear into the Hiss. And this is all while floating through the air and diving across a twisted combat zone that feels ripped from Backrooms. It’s a far more action-packed spin on Control, but Resonant still retains that weird sense of mystery. It’s got the making of a strong follow-up that’s very much doing its own thing, and that might be the way to go with continuing such a strong first entry.
Alien: Isolation 2
- Developer: Creative Assembly
- Release date: TBA
It’s a little hard to properly take in that Alien Isolation is finally getting a sequel after 12 years. As one of the best horror games of the 2010s, the original game’s uncompromising approach to stealth-action survival horror, and its adaptation of the tone of the original 1979 Alien film, made for a unique take on an Alien game. With the sequel, developer Creative Assembly is taking the action to a new setting on a remote colony world, with a new protagonist having to contend with an alien that survived the destruction of Sevastopol Station.
The sequel recreates the same style and structure of the original game, but slightly opens things up with its on-planet setting. From my hands-on time with Alien Isolation 2, it felt very much like returning to that familiar tense atmosphere of the original, and I’m excited to see what new material is coming for the sequel.
It’s very exciting to see the Alien franchise’s most challenging and tense game get another shot with modern horror audiences, and it could well find a new crop of players more eager to take their chances against the ruthless xenomorph.
Forever Ago
- Developer: Third Shift
- Release date: 8 October
Forever Ago presents a new type of narrative adventure that’s all about its main character coming to terms with loss. The elderly Alfred embarks on a road trip following the passing of his late wife. Along the way, he’ll recount memories of his youth and better days, all while coming into conflict with people in the present. It’s the type of narrative adventure that seeks to give players a chance to empathise with its lead character, who will have to learn to be mindful and open to the larger world around him.
Blood Dungeon
- Developer: Messhof
- Release date: TBA 2027
Blood Dungeon is a delightfully twisted and hilarious roguelite dungeon crawler that feels like it’s pulled from the pages of a children’s coloring book. Coming from the creators behind Niddhogg 1 & 2 and Wheel World, it’s a side-scrolling comedy dungeon crawler where you play as several characters with different traits, and your goal is to survive an onslaught of monsters and giant frogs who leap into the dungeon when things ramp up. The flow of action and presentation is what makes Blood Dungeon such a riot. It feels like a children’s show that took a wildly dark turn into an action thriller. Once you build up your skills and start tearing through the dungeon, it turns into such a fun and exciting dungeon crawler that’s also hilarious to see in action. I highly recommend giving the demo on Steam a go if you want to get a small inkling of developer Messhof’s bizarre dungeon crawler.
Demi and the Fractured Dream
- Developer: Yarn Owl Studios
- Release date: February 2027
There’s a growing fondness for classic action-platformers from the early 2000s, and Demi and the Fractured Dream is one throwback game looking to recapture that same sense of retro adventure from the era of PS2 and GameCube. Focusing on the adventures of the titular Demi, players explore the world of Somnus as they attempt to slay three mythical beasts corrupting the world.
Blending that familiar early 3D Zelda style of adventuring with the influence of Dark Souls-like growth and combat, Demi and the Fractured Dream really taps into that whimsical tone from games like Okami and The Wind Waker, but with a slightly dark twist. Demi and the Fractured Dream succeeds in capturing the tone of a classic action story while delving into a dark fairy tale of its own.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2
- Developer: Cold Iron Studios
- Release date: TBA
The original Aliens: Fireteam Elite really captured the action-horror tone of James Cameron’s Aliens, which remains the gold standard for many games in the Alien franchise. With the upcoming sequel, we’re seeing developer Cold Iron Studios dive even deeper into the experience of being a colonial marine by expanding the size of the squad and unleashing all sorts of dangers drawing on deep Alien series lore.
Fireteam Elite 2 focuses on a more capable and well-rounded squad of marines as they take on hordes of Xenomorphs, combat androids and even some new Weyland-Yutani-class attack drones that can turn battles upside down. It looks to carry on what made the original such a fun co-op game with friends, playing well to fans of James Cameron’s Aliens film. But it’s also looking to deliver a more fleshed-out campaign and marine growth systems to make for an action-horror game that taps into the cycle of tension and release that the 1986 film captured so well.
Silent Hill: Townfall
- Developer: Screen Burn
- Release date: 23 September
Konami’s Silent Hill series has been having a strong renaissance in recent years. Along with the strong remake of Silent Hill 2 and the well-received Japan-set spin-off Silent Hill: f, Konami and Annapurna Interactive are partnering up for another fresh spin on Silent Hill that brings the series’ psychological horror and moody atmosphere to the Scottish-inspired island of St Amelia. When Simon Ordell is brought back to the townlet on the island, he seeks to correct the mistakes of his past, but soon falls into something far more sinister. Guided by a supernatural pocket TV, it can pick up the signals of nearby foes and the tragic fragments of the past still lingering about.
Silent Hill: Townfall‘s concept is very familiar by series standards, but what makes developer Screen Burn’s take so eerie is that it fully embraces the first-person perspective. Games like Silent Hill: The Room and the ill-fated P.T. (Silent Hills) made experiments with the first-person view, but Townfall is the game that really commits to it. Silent Hill is all about its atmosphere, and it actively leans into the disorientation and paranoia that come from exploring and fighting in first-person. So far, Downfall has the makings of the most original and captivating take on Silent Hill we’ve seen in some time, and I cannot wait to see more of it.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
- Developer: Crystal Dynamics, Flying Wild Hog
- Release date: 12 February
With the latest attempt to reboot the Tomb Raider series, co-developers Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog are looking to strike a fine balance between classic Tomb Raider‘s fun, playful tone and puzzle-platforming, and the structured action and intensity of the recent Survivor trilogy. So far, it’s coming together in a way that makes for an exciting, fresh start for the series.
As a reimagining of the original 1996 game, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis takes a back-to-basics approach, with experienced explorer and globe-trotting adventurer Lara Croft now finding herself in a heap of danger deep within the lost ruins of Peru.
What makes Legacy of Atlantis such a fun mash-up of classic and modern Tomb Raider is its very character-first approach to Lara Croft’s adventure. While handling an early puzzle involving finding gears to operate an ancient machine, I found a lot of enjoyment from seeing Lara Croft offer stray insights on the location while investigating the setting – all while pulling off slick jumps and engaging in combat against dinosaurs hiding out in Peru. So far, it’s a very strong approach to rebooting Tomb Raider, and I’m very impressed with how its best-of-both-worlds approach is shaping up for Lara Croft’s big comeback.
Dragonball Xenoverse 3
- Developer: Dimps
- Release date: TBA
The Dragon Ball Xenoverse series is the most popular set of games of the franchise. As an action-RPG twist on the high-flying and frenetic Dragon Ball combat from the anime series, players create their own Dragon Ball characters and are let loose in the definitive series mash-up/what-if scenario that brings together both well-known and deep-cut characters and storylines.
The long-awaited third game, Xenoverse 3 delves even further into this alternate universe by giving players a new setting to explore in solo or co-op play to power up and test their mettle against the series’s most ruthless bad guys. The action remains just as hectic and over-the-top as in early entries, but it seems to go a bit further by offering the experience of working with other players to take on daring challenges. So far, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 takes all the learnings from the massively successful Xenoverse 2 and goes even further with its concept of making your own hero and forging their path in the Dragon Ball universe.
My Arms Are Longer Now
- Developer: Toot Games / Jackbox Games
- Release date: TBA
Games about causing mischief, like Untitled Goose Game or Goat Simulator, can be a tricky things to pull off. But where My Arms Are Longer Now really nails its strange concept is by presenting a puzzle-action game in which an extremely long arm manages to worm its way into mundane situations and cause chaos.
As the title describes, you play as a character with a Mr Fantastic-esque elongated arm that can sneakily move through environments to complete objectives. It’s a bizarre puzzle game about being a total menace – in one instance, you’ll need to collect loose change and valuables from bored commuters on a subway car by creating distractions so you can sneak by and go for the steal. I really enjoyed how much fun it has with the concept of ‘the long arm of mischief’ and it’s one you’ll want to keep an eye on.
SEED
- Developer: Klang Games
- Release date: 21 July (early access)
Tucked away in the back corner of the Play Days main expo hall was a fairly modest-looking game called SEED, described as a social-sim MMO in which communities build societies on a remote colony world. Yet, that description doesn’t even come close to describing the complexity of Klang Games’ take on a civilisation builder. Essentially, SEED offers players the tools to build a new society with a community of in-game characters and real-world players. It’s essentially The Sims by way of EVE Online – and I mean with how incredibly complex a game it is.
SEED really focuses on the minutiae of society builders. Along with each character having their own schedules and responsibilities, they also have a particular lifestyle that is prone to certain ailments and conditions. You can even send text messages to characters to offer encouragement or just spread gossip. SEED really gives you the means to build your society how you see fit – whether that’s a capitalist society where citizens have to work to live, or perhaps a more socialist and equitable society where every person matters. It is such a fascinating game, and I couldn’t help but admire its ambition for putting together a civ-builder that gives you full control.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Developer: Capcom
- Release date: 24 September
It’s been a stellar year for developer Capcom, and the creative team has another big game on the way with the long-awaited reboot of the Onimusha series. With Way of the Sword, the series’ brand of samurai action-horror focuses on a reimagining of the legend of Musashi Miyamoto. Armed with his sword, an array of demon weapons and his quick wits, he is tasked with repelling demons in Feudal-era Japan. The core action focuses on measured offence against demons looking to take their pound of flesh.
While you can go all out with a flurry of strikes, it’s far more beneficial to master proper timing and parry enemy attacks. By carefully blocking and counter-attacking enemies, Musashi can cleanly cut down enemies in a single blow, which was so incredibly satisfying to pull off. Developer Capcom’s refined knowledge of fierce and sophisticated combat is on full display in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and with a stunning visual style that blends realism with some truly wild-looking to trade steel with, it’s looking to be a reboot that can elevate the series’ slick and satisfying approach to samurai action.
Sea of Remnants
- Developer: Joker Studio
- Release date: TBA 2026
On the surface, Sea of Remnants looks to be another spin on the Sea of Thieves-style of open-world pirate game. But when playing Sea of Remnant at the Summer Games Fest Play Days, I came away feeling even more intrigued and surprised at how much variety was packed into it. Essentially Genshin Impact by way of Sea of Thieves, you build up your pirate hero character from scratch and team up with other would-be swashbucklers looking to make a name for themselves on the high seas.
Along with naval combat focused on taking out rival ships and sea monsters, the on-the-ground combat taps into turn-based combat from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s a fantastically stylish and visually stunning action-RPG that shows a different side of being a pirate. So far, Sea of Remnants is offering a cool package for those looking for a new free-to-play role-playing game to dive into.
