OK, But Do We Really Think All Those Games Are Gonna Come Out In September?

After a few of the many, many trailers shown during yesterday’s PlayStation State Of Play, a theme began to emerge: September. It seems that everyone in the games industry suddenly remembered the 21st night of September and all the others besides, with a whopping ten major releases set for the humble month and another six on the way during its annual sequel, October. Obviously, publishers are terrified of Grand Theft Auto VI, the sleeping behemoth that wakes in November. But surely somebody’s gonna blink before it’s all said and done, right?

Here’s the full list of major games now scheduled to come out during September:

The Blood Of The Dawnwalker – September 3
Halloween: The Game – September 8
Phantom Blade Zero – September 9
Marvel’s Wolverine – September 15
Trails In The Sky 2nd Chapter – September 17
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV – September 17
Dune Awakening (console) – September 22
Control Resonant – September 24
Silent Hill: Townfall – September 24
Onimusha: Way of the Sword – September 25

And just for fun, here’s a selection from October, too:

Rayman Legends Retold – October 1
Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered – October 1
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve – October 2
Star Wars: Galactic Racer – October 6
Planet Zoo 2 – October 13
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 – October 23

Now, many of these games cater to different audiences, and you don’t have to buy every game—even ones you’re looking forward to—on the day they come out. In fact, it often makes more sense to wait for a sale, especially when you’re dealing with triple-A price tags.

Still, this is the kind of pileup we haven’t seen in years, and I would have to imagine that at least a few of these games wind up getting delayed into the following months—or to early 2027, to once again avoid a potentially disastrous clash with GTA VI. Further, I cannot help but consider the current industry climate; if any one of these games falls short of—or, in some cases, even meets—sales expectations, layoffs and other grim knock-on effects are likely. However, given the shortsightedness with which companies are incentivized to operate, delays could produce similar outcomes. Not ideal no matter how you slice it!

Perhaps one especially bold publisher will move their game into November, a wintry dead zone outside of GTA VI. I’m not counting on it, but you know what they say about desperate times.