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In an effort to escape the Grand Theft Auto VI hype event horizon, which is sure to crush everything in its path to the most infinite point possible, games are currently being packed into the prior months like sardines into a tin.
I’m having a small bout of deja vu here, as I remember six years ago writing an article about a particularly packed release day in February. Of course, a vast majority of those titles turned out to be duds, so it was all for naught, but to say this year’s September is becoming a sight for sore wallets is an understatement.
Unlike that dark day from six years ago, I do think every game in September has made a compelling case to be the tentpole release in a month full of tentpole releases. Perhaps something was lost in the publisher group huddle as they all sought to navigate Rockstar’s upcoming money-printing mega game, and we might yet see a game or two slide from the schedule.
And the below doesn’t even include the likes of Halloween, Dune Awakening, which is getting a console release, or Hell is Us, which should, fingers crossed, find some success on Nintendo Switch 2.
But here’s a look at what’s coming out in the modest thirty days of September, and why it is, or isn’t, going to be deserving of your time and hard-earned.
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Perhaps the largest unknown quantity of the lot, but backed up by an incredible pedigree, The Blood of Dawnwalker is a tantalising new action RPG headed up by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, whose past credits include The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077.
As you’d expect from a team made up of CD Projekt Red alum, it’s a game that’s big on player freedom, taking advantage of the protagonist’s daywalker credentials to offer two duelling planes of action depending on whether it’s day or night to complete non-linear, time-sensitive quests in an adventure to save his family within just thirty days.
Rebel Wolves is clearly confident in this new IP as they envision it to be the beginning of its own saga, and the studio, which has grown to 160 staff since its inception, has claimed the game has anywhere between 50 and 70 hours of content.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is set to get its foot out the door first with its September 3 release date.
Phantom Blade 0
This is perhaps the game I know least about, simply because it isn’t in my wheelhouse. It has a bit of a Soulslike veneer, though the game is billed as more of an action game.
From the Chinese studio S-GAME, Phantom Blade 0 casts the player as Soul, a high-calibre assassin who acts in the service of The Order, a most sinister-sounding and not at all duplicitous organisation. Based on wuxia traditions, which Western audiences have observed in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the creator has pondered the possibility of Phantom Blade 0 being the birthing place of its own action subgenre.
His name, by the way, is Soulframe Liang, which, I don’t need to emphasise, is bad ass.
Ultimately, as a fan of action games, I do hope this skews more toward something Devil May Cry, which I find keeps you in the action more than something like Elden Ring, which punishes missteps with exhausting runbacks.
Phantom Blade 0 is expected to release on September 9.
Marvel’s Wolverine
After the State of Play gameplay reveal, I’m so in on Marvel’s Wolverine. It’s everything I’d want a game starring Logan to be. It’s action-packed, brutal, and exceedingly visceral. I don’t know what this game is going to be rated, but I’ll be shaken to my core if it isn’t R.
It’s a completely different kind of superhero game from Insomniac’s Spider-Man games; if anything, it looks to emulate PlayStation’s more action-focused, linear portfolio in games like The Last of Us or Uncharted. I also love how they’re not holding back at all in building out the larger X-Men world, with Jean Grey being revealed early on.
I couldn’t be more excited for this one, having seen a good chunk of gameplay. The action looks unrelenting, and it’s pretty confronting in its gore, although Wolvie’s healing factor is seen to be working a treat throughout.
Although I’ve still got some questions as to how they’ll ultimately handle the character’s veritable immortality, it’s pleasing to see our Liam McIntyre pick up the mantle from our Hugh and show us his James Howlett through a fresh lens. Go get it, bub.
Marvel’s Wolverine is releasing on September 15, 2026.
Silent Hill: Townfall
I’m loving Konami’s new scattershot approach of shopping out Silent Hill to anybody interested in crafting a game using the storied horror IP, and Screen Burn’s upcoming first-person take on the game is exciting, set once again outside of the titular town of Silent Hill, the second departure in as many games after Silent Hill f’s rural Japan setting.
As a fan of Screen Burn’s prior work, while operating as No Code, including Observation and Stories Untold, I don’t doubt for a second they’ve got the chops to do something cool with the IP.
Fortunately for those who love the eerie setting of Silent Hill, Scotland has no shortage of fog, and jamming a nineties aesthetic into the mix gives it a jarring, analogue feel that translates extremely well to horror. One thing’s for sure, getting through this one is a task for the brave of heart.
Silent Hill: Townfall, born from a partnership between Konami and Annapurna Interactive, is set to launch on September 24.
Control Resonant
The second title in the September 24 double-header is none other than Remedy’s Control Resonant, the much-anticipated follow-up to 2019’s Control.
To make one thing clear, Remedy has my sword, and I’ll be seated for anything they choose to create. With that said, Control Resonant, with all of its departures and how much of a formulaic shift it is from the original, is a fascinating sequel. With Jesse benched, the game puts you in the shoes of Dylan, the brother she sought for the majority of Control’s runtime.
The game is also no longer a third-person shooter as the team shifts towards more of an action role-playing approach, trading in Jesse’s Service Weapon for Dylan’s own shapeshifting weapon, a presumed Object of Power called Aberrant, which can be brandished in melee combat.
It’s quite a different approach, but all of the Remedy hallmarks, specifically storytelling, are still intact. In that sense, it’s hard not to be excited for this new direction for the Control franchise.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
The limits of my Onimusha knowledge cease beyond the first hour of the original game, which I started the remaster of recently, and the fact that Jean Reno eventually enters the mix. Beyond that, the series is a bit of a blind spot for me.
But one undeniable thing is Capcom itself and the tear they have been on in reinventing and reinvigorating a large portion of their portfolio in the last handful of years. Way of the Sword is set to be a wonderful access point for people who’ve not really taken the chance on Onimusha before, with a narrative that bears no relation to any prior game.
There’s a more deliberate approach in the combat, which has been motion captured by actual swordsmen, and the game is less of a hack-and-slash game, instead forcing the player to observe and react in kind to enemy attacks. I also like that the character isn’t overly grim or serious; it helps keep things lighter in an otherwise dark fantasy version of Kyoto.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is releasing on September 25, and there’s a demo you can play right now.
