October 2026
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Factorio 2.1 stable: what is known, what is not
Factorio 2.1 is still experimental on 22 October 2026: 17 builds since 23 June, no stable date from Wube, and how long 0.17 and 1.1 took to go stable.
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Star Trek: Outposts Unknown: what is known, what is not
Magic Fuel Games' Star Trek outpost builder is due on Steam on 20 October 2026 at $32.99. What the demo changed, the PC specs, and what is still unannounced.
Magic Fuel Games, 20 October 2026. Windows PC
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Order of the Sinking Star explained before you start
Jonathan Blow's game of 1,000-plus puzzles, out since 8 October: the four free puzzle games it grew from, prices and platforms, and what the first patches fixed.
Thekla, Inc., 8 October 2026. Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2
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Ristar (1995): the SEGA star who grabs instead of jumping
SEGA's early-1995 Mega Drive platformer, whose hero grabs and headbutts instead of stomping: dates by region, two stories, the reviews, where to play.
SEGA, 1995. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Final Fantasy Resonance: what is known, what is not
Square Enix's first HD-2D Final Fantasy, rebuilt from Brave Exvius, is due 22 October 2026 on five platforms. The prices, the demo, the ratings and one stray date.
Square Enix / LANCARSE Ltd., 22 October 2026. PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC
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Old School RuneScape explained before you start
The 2007 RuneScape that players vote forward: what free play gets, what membership costs on each store, how a poll passes at 70%, and what lands this autumn.
Jagex Ltd, 22 February 2013. Windows PC, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
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ToeJam & Earl (1991): the random levels its sequel gave up
SEGA's 1991 Genesis game, pitched as a game like Rogue for two players: dates by region, how its random levels work, why the sequel dropped them, where to play.
Johnson Voorsanger Productions, 1991. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Grand Theft Auto VI: what is known, what is not
Rockstar's next Grand Theft Auto is due 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S after two delays. The editions, prices and ratings the stores list.
Rockstar Games, 19 November 2026. PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
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Subnautica 2 explained before you start
The underwater survival sequel entered Early Access on 14 May at $29.99; its makers expect that to last two to three years. What is in it, what it costs.
Unknown Worlds Entertainment, 14 May 2026. Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S
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Ecco the Dolphin (1992): why Japan got an easier version
SEGA's 1992 dolphin game: dates by region, how air, sonar and passwords work, what changed for the easier 1993 Japanese release, and where to play it now.
Novotrade International, December 1992. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Phantom Blade Zero: what is known, what is not
S-GAME's wuxia action RPG is due 29 October 2026, the 28th in the US, after a 50-day delay. What each store charges, and the age labels no board database lists.
S-GAME Studio, 29 October 2026. Windows PC, PlayStation 5
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Among Us explained before you start
Innersloth's 2018 party game added its eleventh role last week and is $2.99 on Steam until 8 October. What a first lobby asks, what it costs, and the chat rules.
Innersloth, 15 June 2018. Android, iOS, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
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Comix Zone (1995): the comic-book game SEGA patented
SEGA's 1995 comic-panel brawler: dates by region with every disagreement printed, the four US patents behind it, how health works, and where it is sold now.
Sega Technical Institute, July 1995. Mega Drive/Genesis
September 2026
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Transport Fever 3: what is known, what is not
Urban Games' tycoon sequel launches 29 September 2026. Consoles cost $10 more by design, the UK gap is smaller, and only the ESRB has published a rating.
Urban Games, 29 September 2026. Windows PC, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
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Deep Rock Galactic explained before you start
A six-year-old co-op mining shooter on its sixth free season, with Rocktoberfest starting today. What the four classes do, and what the event hands a new player.
Ghost Ship Games, 13 May 2020. Windows PC, Xbox, PlayStation
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Shining Force (1992): the tactics game that never ends in defeat
SEGA's 1992 Mega Drive tactics RPG: dates and prices by region, a disputed Japanese day, how its battles work, and why losing a fight only costs gold.
Climax Entertainment and Sonic Co., 20 March 1992. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Planet Zoo 2: what is known, what is not
Frontier's zoo sequel arrives 13 October 2026. Four storefronts agree on the price to the penny; the three ratings boards disagree with each other.
Frontier Developments, 13 October 2026. Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
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Valheim explained before you start
Five and a half years of Early Access ended on 9 September 2026. What the tenth world asks of a new player, what 1.0 added, and why the patches arrive in step.
Iron Gate AB, 9 September 2026. Windows PC, macOS, Linux, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch 2
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Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994): what the lock-on cartridge changed
Two 1994 cartridges that plug into each other: dates by region, what lock-on actually did, the save file, the elemental shields, and Knuckles as a route.
Sonic Team, 2 February 1994. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Gothic II Complete Classic: what is known, what is not
A 2002 PC role-playing game reaches PS5, PS4, Xbox Series and Xbox One on 29 September 2026. The date is firm on three storefronts; the price is not.
Not named for consoles; Steam credits Piranha Bytes on the PC original, 29 September 2026. PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
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Factorio explained before you start
The factory game at stable 2.0.77 with 2.1 in experimental: what a beginner faces, prices by store on 18 September 2026, the expansion, ratings and gaps.
Wube Software LTD., 14 August 2020. Windows PC, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992): what it changed
The Genesis sequel that added the spin dash, Tails and a split-screen race: dates by region with sources, who built it, and what it costs to play now.
Sega Technical Institute / Sonic Team, 21 November 1992. Mega Drive/Genesis
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The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410, what is known and what is not
Ashborne Games' medieval economic sim enters Steam Early Access on 17 September 2026: the developer's own Early Access answers, the roadmap, and the gaps.
Ashborne Games, 17 September 2026. Windows PC
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Gothic 1 Remake explained before you start
The 2001 RPG rebuilt in 2026: what THQ Nordic and Alkimia say changed, prices by store, patches through 1.0.5, PC specs, age ratings, and open questions.
Alkimia Interactive, 5 June 2026. Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
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Panzer Dragoon Saga (1998): the Saturn RPG and why it is hard to play
Team Andromeda's four-disc Saturn RPG: dates by region with the disagreements shown, the battle system from the manual, and what is on record about re-releases.
Team Andromeda (SEGA), 29 January 1998. Sega Saturn
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Joe & Mac Retro Collection: what is known, what is not
Three Data East Joe & Mac SNES games in one collection: the 29 October 2026 date quoted, the game list, editions, displayed ratings, and what is unknown.
Red Art Studios, 29 October 2026. Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
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No Man's Sky explained before you start
What a new No Man's Sky player faces ten years in: modes, prices by store, the Cosmos 7.0 update, PC specs, ESRB and PEGI ratings, and what is still unclear.
Hello Games, 9 August 2016. PlayStation 4, Windows PC, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
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Super Metroid (1994): what it is and why it matters
The Super NES game that became a genre's template: its makers, its dates in Japan, North America and Europe, how its map and items work, and what to know first.
Nintendo R&D1, 19 March 1994. Super NES/Super Famicom
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Streets of Rage 2 (1992): what it is and why it matters
The Genesis beat-em-up people still recommend: its makers, its dates by region, its four fighters, and why the sequel overtook the original, with sources.
SEGA, 20 December 1992. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Sonic the Hedgehog (1991): what it is and why it matters
Who made the Genesis pack-in, when it shipped in each region, how its six zones are built, and what a first-time player should expect, all sourced.
Sonic Team (Sega), 21 June 1991. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Phantasy Star IV (1993): what it is and why it matters
Sega's last traditional Phantasy Star RPG: the credited staff, release dates by region with one left open, the macro and combination systems, and how to play it now.
SEGA, 17 December 1993. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Metroid Ravenous: what is known, what is not
The next 2D Metroid, announced 9 September 2026 for Switch 2: Nintendo's stated date quoted, prices and ratings in three regions, and the developer it has not named.
Not named by publisher; press credits MercurySteam, 28 January 2027. Nintendo Switch 2
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Marvel's Wolverine: what is known, what is not
Insomniac's PS5 Wolverine game before it ships: the publisher's stated date quoted, the ESRB and PEGI ratings, what official pages say it is, and what is not known.
Insomniac Games, 15 September 2026. PlayStation 5
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Gunstar Heroes (1993): what it is and why it matters
Treasure's first game: who founded the studio, when it shipped by region, how the four-weapon combination system works, and what it did on the Genesis hardware.
Treasure, 9 September 1993. Mega Drive/Genesis
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Doom (1993): what it is and why it matters
The shareware release of December 10, 1993, the id Software team, what the engine could and could not do, the ports that followed, and what to know before playing.
id Software, 10 December 1993. MS-DOS PC
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 explained before you start
Who made the 2025 turn-based RPG, where it shipped and when, how its real-time parry system works, what the age rating covers, and what to know before starting.
Sandfall Interactive, 24 April 2025. Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
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Chrono Trigger (1995): what it is and why it matters
The Square RPG that put a time machine in the party: who made it, the Japan and North America dates, the ports up to Steam, how battles work, and what to know first.
Squaresoft, 11 March 1995. Super NES/Super Famicom
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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997): what it changed
The PlayStation game that made Castlevania an explorable castle with levels and equipment: makers, dates in three regions, the Saturn port, current re-releases.
Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, 20 March 1997. PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Xbox 360, PSP, PlayStation 4, iOS, Android
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Blast processing: what SEGA claimed and what the Genesis did
Where the phrase came from, who coined it, what the Genesis hardware actually did, and how Nintendo answered, with every claim traced to a named source.
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Balatro explained before you start
Who made the poker roguelike, when it shipped on each platform, how a run is actually structured, why PEGI moved it from 18 to 12, and what to know first.
LocalThunk, 20 February 2024. Windows PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, Android