What I’m playing during gaming’s biggest month

We’re safely in the fall season now, which means it is a non-stop blast of AAA games for the rest of the year. September was no slouch, giving us big hitters like Astro Bot, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Space Marine 2 just to name a few, but October might be the biggest month for games all year. Across the board, from PlayStation and Xbox to the Switch, there’s at least one big game coming out that could easily be your game of the year. If you are interested in two or three of them, you better cancel any social commitments because most of these games aren’t going to be short.

Being the month of Halloween, there are a nice amount of horror games on the way, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve got RPGs, we’ve got shooters, we’ve got brawlers, and, yes, one big horror game I couldn’t reasonably leave off the list. Before I get too excited and start spoiling my own list, let’s cut to the chase and go over all the biggest games coming this October that everyone will be talking about.

1 Silent Hill 2 remakes the seminal horror classic

Revisit Silent Hill on October 8

The Silent Hill 2 remake is our one horror spotlight for the month, but not for lack of options. While I was initially very skeptical of this remake, as many people online were, the more footage and impressions I’ve seen about the game, the more hopeful I’ve become. The original Silent Hill 2 is regarded as one of the most influential and effective psychological horror games of all time, so a remake has a lot of pressure on it to match, if not surpass, the original. The graphical updates we’ve seen so far appear to keep the tone, but whether or not the new gameplay and performance retains that off-kilter feeling that lent so much to the experience or not won’t be known until it is in our hands.

2 Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a love letter to the series

Go Super Saiyan on October 11

October is going to be a huge month for Dragon Ball fans. Not only are we getting the last piece of Dragon Ball media creator Akira Toriyama contributed to with the Daima anime series, but the most ambitious fighter we’ve seen. Sparking! Zero hearkens back to the Budokai games from the PS2 era and embraces that arena-fighter style but with a level of polish and detail that was never possible before. We’re talking about over 150 characters from the entire franchise, new story scenarios, and even the ability to stage your own dream matches. I’m not expecting the deepest fighting game here, but a pure celebration of this influential series.

Get ready for some style on October 11

It seems we’re deep in the era of games getting the most ridiculous names like Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy, Unicorn Overlord, and now Metaphor ReFantazio. Besides their names being so awkward, the only other thing these games have in common is being excellent. Metaphor is coming from the core Persona team, and it shows. Just one look at the style, menus, and combat screams Persona. However, instead of a modern Japanese setting featuring high school protagonists, we’re diving into a new fantasy world. We already know the team is pushing the boundaries with the combat here, so hopefully the same risks are taken with the storytelling.

4 Black Ops 6 looks like a return to form

The 90s are back on October 25

You wouldn’t know it based on sales, but the critical and fan reception to Call of Duty has been on a downward trajectory for the last few years, really taking a nosedive with Modern Warfare 3 in 2023. It would be hyperbolic to suggest the franchise depended on Black Ops 6 to save the series, but it might be the final straw that dethrones it as the most powerful force in gaming. That said, all signs are pointing to Black Ops 6 being a massive shot in the arm. The Black Ops games have always been hits on the campaign side, and the multiplayer advancements we’ve experienced in the betas feel like the glory days. Shooter fans are already going to pick this up anyway, but lapsed fans should be paying attention, too.

5 Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be BioWare’s redemption

Defend the Veil on October 31

Finally, your Halloween treat (and hopefully not a trick) is Dragon Age: The Veilguard. What a long and tumultuous path this game has had, originally being a multiplayer, live-service game before being rebuilt as a more traditional single-player RPG. Most games couldn’t survive such a fundamental restructuring, but The Veilguard at least looks like it might be the exception. Previews are strong, the combat and story feel very much in line with the series, and BioWare must know how much is riding on this game’s success. However, a great BioWare game isn’t built on just gameplay and plot, but the characters are how influential your choices are in how it unfolds. That isn’t something we will know it delivers on until the whole game is in our hands.