It’s been a long road to get here – but we’ve finally made it. October 2023. The biggest month for video games in the entire calendar year. It’s a month so packed with blockbusters, it’ll be a rare feat to get around to them all – but with a sense of determination and plenty of free time, you might just surmount this pile of potential smash hits.
From Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Sonic Superstars, and beyond, there’s an absolute smorgasbord of brand new games to jump into this month, so it’s best to prepare yourself accordingly.
Here’s all the biggest game releases for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch in October 2023.
Image: Ubisoft
Release Date: 5 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
See Assassin’s Creed Mirage on Amazon.
The next game in the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise is doing things a bit differently. While recent entries in the series have taken a “more is more” approach to worldbuilding, sending players to vast and overwhelming sandbox worlds filled with quests and collectibles, Mirage is taking things back to basics, as inspired by the original Assassin’s Creed games.
Read: Assassin’s Creed Mirage – Everything Revealed So Far
This story, which follows the mysterious assassin Basim, is a tighter affair, with a shorter runtime, and a more focussed mission. While there’ll still be plenty of opportunities for exploration and experimentation in the adventure, you can expect Mirage to tell a sweeping story within a gorgeous-rendered, cloistered environment. If you’ve found recent Assassin’s Creed games overwhelming, consider checking out Mirage in October 2023.
Image: Robotality
Release Date: 5 October 2023Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch
See Wargroove 2 on Steam.
Wargroove 2, sequel to indie smash hit Wargroove, is officially landing in October 2023. This strategy series from Chucklefish and Robotality is inspired by tactical warfare RPGs like Advance Wars, with gameplay reflecting these roots. In Wargroove 2, you are a hero of Aurania, a pirate realm at the mercy of an emerging faction of warriors who uncover strange, forbidden relics that can be wielded in battle.
It’s up to you to defeat these nefarious foes by hauling bands of troops together, and setting out on a variety of battle campaigns, many of them set on gorgeous ocean reefs, rendered in neat pixel style. When you’re not heading off to battle in this game, you’ll also be able to design your own maps and storylines, and then share them with your friends.
Image: Creatures Inc. / The Pokemon Company
Release Date: 6 October 2023Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
See Detective Pikachu Returns on Amazon.
Seven years after the first Detective Pikachu game launched on Nintendo Switch – and weirdly enough, inspired a major movie blockbuster – everybody’s favourite gruff-talking Detective Pikachu is back. In this adventure, he’ll once again team up with human hero Tim Goodman on a quest to solve a variety of mysteries in Ryme City.
As you travel in this adventure, you’ll befriend an array of Pokemon and human allies, all of whom are working together to maintain peace in a complex world. As Tim, your job is to investigate crimes, gather clues, solve mysteries, and eventually, work towards solving your life-long conundrum: what really happened to your father? It’s a great hook, and one that makes Detective Pikachu Returns one of the more intriguing video game releases for October 2023.
Image: Turn 10 Studios / Xbox Game Studios
Release Date: 10 October 2023Platform(s): Xbox Series X/S, PC
See Forza Motorsport on Amazon.
Racing games are once again having their time in sun in October 2023, with the release of Forza Motorsport. This sim is all about the need for speed, and collecting as many cars as you possibly can, as you race through gorgeous environments and tricky tracks. In our early preview with the game, GamesHub editor Edmond Tran labelled Forza Motorsport a ‘training program’ – in all the best ways.
Read: The new Forza Motorsport feels like a training program (in a good way)
“After spending a handful of hours with a preview version of the game, which featured an introductory onboarding and the start of the Builder’s Cup career series, I was surprised by how no-frills and to-the-point it was,” Tran wrote. “It felt more like a training program than a piece of pure entertainment, where self-improvement is the main motivation. But the game seems to handle it all quite well, thanks to some small but meaningful ideas that help keep you more keenly invested in every moment of the race, and reward you for paying more attention to the details of the simulation.”
Image: Hexworks
Release Date: 13 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
See Lords of the Fallen on Amazon.
Those looking for a taste of Souls-like punishment in October 2023 should check out Lords of the Fallen, an upcoming reboot that reimagines the LotF series as a rewardingly difficult combat adventure charting magical realms. In this fantasy-action RPG, you are a fabled Dark Crusader, who is tasked with vanquishing evil in an epic quest taking placing in a dark and gruesome world.
You’ll need to keep your wits with you as you travel, as much like a Souls-like, your adventure will be extremely tough, and require you to make use of snappy, multi-modal combat skills to tackle towering, terrifying beats. With gods and monsters facing you down, you’ll face a hard journey – but at the very least, Lords of the Fallen looks wonderfully pretty. So if you find yourself dying over and over again, you can always take a nice break to look at some trees.
Screenshot: Sega / Sonic Team / Arzest
Release Date: 17 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch
See Sonic Superstars on Amazon.
Sonic Superstars is a reinvention of the classic Sonic formula, taking direct inspiration from the original trilogy of games. While going ‘back to basics’ would typically mean strong familiarity and a lack of surprises, Sonic Superstars also shakes up the formula in interesting new ways. In a recent preview, its ingenuity shone through, thanks to new mechanics, new abilities, and a focus on exploration.
Read: Sonic Superstars provides hope for the future – Preview
“Sonic Superstars is a revelation,” we wrote of our experiences with the game. “A fun, fresh reinvention of the classic 2D Sonic gameplay formula that really makes you wonder why the franchise has been treading water for so long. It’s confident and creative, and in a recent hands-on gameplay preview, it made a firm impression on GamesHub.”
Image: Upstream Arcade
Release Date: 18 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch
See Hellboy Web of Wyrd on Steam.
Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a unique, cel-shaded horror tale that takes direct inspiration from Mike Mignola’s Hellboy comics, in its art style and storytelling. It’s also a game that features the late Lance Reddick in one of his last voice roles – he plays Hellboy, gruff hero and protector of the innocent.
In this adventure, Hellboy is sent on a variety of quests, all of them inspired by elements of Mignola’s work. Rather than telling a whole, sweeping story, it sounds like the game sports vignettes, with each telling a tale in the Hellboy canon, and allowing players to work through strange, supernatural mysteries in rogue-like fashion. With such ample ground to play within, Web of Wyrd should be a neat journey into the wonders of Hellboy – a series which, frankly, hasn’t had enough time to shine in the mainstream.
Image: Insomniac Games
Release Date: 20 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 5
Check out Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on Amazon.
After a breathless wait, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is set to launch for PlayStation 5 in October 2023. This adventure is going bigger and bolder than its predecessor, with a massive new map, fresh abilities, and two Spider-Men to play around with. Both Miles and Peter will take starring roles in this adventure, as they grapple with a new crime wave, and the appearance of the Venom symbiote – which, as is traditional in Spider-Man stories, winds up attached to Peter, with dire consequences.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 looks like an absolute blast so far, with a focus on cinematic encounters, sweeping vistas, and plenty of sleek Spider-Man-assisted skirmishes. This might be the biggest game releasing in October 2023 – and it certainly demands your attention.
Screenshot: Nintendo
Release Date: 20 October 2023Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
See Super Mario Bros. Wonder on Amazon.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder seems like it’s going to be an absolute delight – which is why we’re so keen to see more of the game in October 2023. In this adventure, you once again embody Mario and his friends, all of whom are working together to save the Flower Kingdom from the machinations of the evil Bowser.
Read: Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a joyous journey – Preview
This go around, there’s some key twists to the Super Mario Bros. formula, with special ‘Wonder Flowers’ unlocking strange landscape transformations as you travel, providing new challenges and gorgeous new sights as you work to save the world. In our early preview with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, we called it a real delight – and a total joy to romp through.
“Super Mario Bros. Wonder does an expert dance between the familiar and bold, harnessing new creative energy for a Super Mario tale that immediately feels fresh and reinvigorating, even in its opening moments.”
Image: Colossal Order
Release Date: 24 October 2023Platform(s): PC
See Cities: Skylines 2 on Steam.
Cities: Skylines 2 launches for PC in October 2023, with console versions of the game set to follow in 2024. In this city management simulator, your task is to build and establish a thriving city, while being mindful of the wants and needs of your economy. That means keeping your citizens happy, providing jobs, building new establishments – and even working out what your prison system looks like, and your energy resources, and how to dampen crime.
While that all sounds like a whole bunch of work, the Cities: Skylines franchise has so far been a real blast, with the original game effectively gamifying the work of global governments with strongly rewarding activities. Cities: Skylines 2 is expected to expand on this formula with an array of new gameplay options.
Image: Ubisoft
Release Date: 24 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
See Just Dance 2024 Edition on Amazon.
If you’re in the mood for a bop and a beat, then Just Dance 2024 Edition is the video game you’ll want to keep on your radar for October 2023. The latest iteration of the long-running rhythm game series provides a bunch of fresh tracks from Miley Cyrus, Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Whitney Houston, alongside the library of past tracks available via a Just Dance+ subscription.
You can also expect new dancers, and new worlds to dance through in this release. While Just Dance tends to mostly stay the same between iterations, there is a good reason for that. The series has long perfected its high-energy formula, with each new title simply expanding on the array of dancing adventures you can go on. It’s a particularly good series for fitness, and should help get you off the couch in October 2023.
Image: Free Range Games
Release Date: 24 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 5, PC
See The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria on the Epic Games Store.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is an upcoming crafting adventure game set after the events of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, in a time when the dwarves begin to rebuild their homes, and reclaim the depths of Moria. Those familiar with the story of The Lord of the Rings will know that the caverns of Moria were overrun by goblins and other creatures during the reign of Sauron – but they were previously home to an entire kingdom of dwarves, who enjoyed riches and splendour.
In this game, which contains elements of survival gameplay, you’ll embody a dwarf wandering through Moria, looking to rebuild its glory by establishing new structures, defeating creatures, and eventually carving out a home.
Image: Konami
Release Date: 24 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch
The original Metal Gear Solid games are getting yet another re-release in October 2023, in the form of Metal Gear Solid Master Collection: Volume 1. This collection ports Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, with plenty of digital goodies and other inclusions. If you’re looking to re-experience the best of the Metal Gear series, this is the perfect opportunity to jump in with some all-time stealth classics.
Image: One More Level
Release Date: 26 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
The stylish parkour series Ghostrunner returns in October 2023, with this upcoming sequel designed to expand the combat puzzles of its predecessor, with greater scope and ambition. In Ghostrunner 2, you play a lethal warrior running through a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk future, looking to take down a tyrant and his minions.
To accomplish this goal, you’ll run and leap your way through neon landscapes, wielding swords and other weaponry in fast-paced, bloody action. If you’ve played the original Ghostrunner, you’ll know what to expect here. If you haven’t, prepare for an absolute rush.
Image: Remedy Entertainment
Release Date: 27 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
See Alan Wake 2 on the Epic Games Store.
After more than a decade, a sequel to the original Alan Wake from Remedy Entertainment is right around the corner. In this horror tale, you will once again embody author Alan Wake – as well as a new character, Saga Anderson – as he contends with a strange fact: that his writing is coming to life in terrifying ways.
This adventure seems to follow directly on from the events of Alan Wake (and Control), picking up where the original story ended. Alan is still seemingly trapped underneath a mysterious lake, and he’s fighting to get out. We’ll see where that journey takes him, and every character in his orbit, when Alan Wake 2 launches in October 2023.
Image: Don’t Nod
Release Date: 31 October 2023Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
See Jusant on Steam.
Jusant is a puzzle game all about climbing. You are a traveller, looking to cross a vast mountain range, with only a handful of tools by your side. With grips and other structures above, your only task is to find your way forward, figuring out where best to hold, where best to leap, and how to get to your next destination.
Read: Jusant is a beautifully tactile, meditative mountain climbing game – Preview
In an early preview of the game, GamesHub editor Edmond Tran called Jusant beautifully tactile in its approach to realistic, meditative climbing. “Jusant’s excellent climbing system, together with satisfying puzzles, a saturated aesthetic, wordless storytelling, and a minimalist score makes for a wonderful concoction,” Tran wrote. “It’s immediately compelling, and I’m very eager to discover what’s at the peak of its mountain.” Jusant is certainly a game you should keep an eye on in October 2023.
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October 2023 is a whopping month for video games, with plenty of major game releases on the way, like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Alan Wake 2. Read More