Fearing and wanting to avoid Grand Theft Auto 6, many publishers decided to launch their games in the ninth month, resulting in a rarely seen flurry of hits.
We are not in the habit of commenting on the offer of new games for a month that is a whole season away, but the ninth month of 2026 deserved to be an exception.
In short, a few weeks apart during the ninth (and the first half of the tenth) month there are TOO many new games coming out. And we don’t mean the total number of games, but there are too many high-budget hits fighting for the attention of buyers. And some will certainly “suffer” in sales because of that.
This schedule is dense:
03. 09. Blood of the Dawnwalker
15. 09. Marvel’s Wolverine
17. 09. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4
22. 09. Dune: Awakening
24. 09. Control Resonant
24. 09. Silent Hill: Townfall
25. 09. Onimusha: Way of the Sword
01. 10. Rayman Legends Retold
02. 10. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
06. 10. Star Wars Galactic Racer
And we still don’t have confirmed dates for all the planned autumn games. Gears of War: E-Day is also rumored to be available sometime around this time, New EA Sports FC and NBA 2K are also traditionally released in the ninth month. Phantom Blade Zero, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and Halo: Campaign Evolved are also expected to be released in the fall of 2026. Fortunately, Fable and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis have been moved to next year.
Although the ninth month is traditionally full of new games (when people come back from vacations), this kind of hits was actually the result of one game – Grand Theft Auto 6.
Simply put, no one wants to launch their game anywhere near GTA 6 because in 99% of cases it would mean death for the sales and media exposure of those games. Just look at the current list of announced games for the 11th month. Only one new game (Crymelight) is planned for 11/4, and maybe it will be delayed.
It has never happened that five months before the pre-holiday season there are no new games in the schedule for the 11th month. This clearly shows how much of an anomaly GTA 6 is and for the benefit of everyone in the gaming industry – nedobog to postpone the release of GTA 6 once again.