Summer Game Fest 2026 review: Impressive reveals, lots of hype

With the weather getting hotter, the classes winding down, and everyone changing their schedules, it is the time of year when summer has begun once more. And that means the start of the biggest events in gaming for the year: Summer Game Fest. This is the time of year when the biggest companies in gaming gather to showcase what's coming next. And this year is no different. 

 

I will be going through the biggest names of the event to save time on editing and make it as readable as possible, so not every reveal will be showcased in this review. 

 

Starting things off is a very strong reveal of the highly speculative Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake, titled Resident Evil: Veronica. Taking place sometime after Resident Evil 2, we see Claire Redfield trying to investigate Umbrella in Paris after their massive hit on Raccoon City, but everything goes wrong as Claire fights to escape the horrors. This has been a major request of the Resident Evil fandom, and it’s pretty cool to see this getting remade before Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil: Veronica launches next year on all major systems.

 

Up next, Studio MDHR has revealed that we are getting a Cuphead sequel, possibly very early in development. Until that comes out, they have just revealed a new retro game version, called Mighty Cuphead Adventure. Combining both the original game and the legends that came before, Mighty Cuphead Adventure looks to be a great game to play with friends, but with no release window, we’ll be waiting for this for a long while.

 

Later in the showcase, we have a brand new look at RGG’s upcoming game, Stranger than Heaven. Spanning 50 years in universe, witness how Makoto Daito became the founder of the Tojo Clan while traversing through Japan’s underworld to make it happen. Featuring an impressive co-ed cast of West and East voices, Stranger than Heaven explores the line between justice and personal. Also, the late Tupac is here, so that was a surprise on its own. Stranger than Heaven finally has a release date of January 15th, 2027, for most modern systems. 

 

Later on, we have a brand new look at the upcoming TMNT game: The Last Ronin, now in the works by Platinum Games. This dark future story features the last Turtle after his brothers and most of the friends he had were slaughtered, so now he must use all of their skills and weapons to bring his family to justice. No release date was given, but I would love to experience this game as I'm a fan of the franchise and a fan of Platinum Games as a whole. 

 

After that, we have a brand new reveal at Gundam Rogue Orbit, based on the legendary mecha anime franchise. Not a lot is shown off here, but we do have exciting gameplay of a new Gundam battling alien forces from beyond the stars, which hasn't been used since Gundam OO. It comes out in 2027, and I can't wait to give this a shot.

 

Later on, we have a brand new trailer for Star Wars: Galactic Racer, an upcoming racing game set in the Star Wars universe. Take control of speeders and podracers as you try to take back a once exciting circut from an underworld figure. Also, you may see some familiar faces from other Star Wars media appear in this game. As a fan of the N64 game, this is very exciting to see in the modern light with a more prominent story. Star Wars: Galactic Racer launches on most systems on October 6th. 

 

Some time after, we have a brand new look at the upcoming Virtua Fighter game, Virtua Fighter Crossroads, a brand new addition to the long-standing SEGA franchise and made by RGG Studios. Blending the combat from the Yakuza games with traditional fighting games is showing off one of the more unique takes of the genre that I've ever seen. Blend that with an interactive story mode that showcases betrayal, honesty, and the fights this franchise is known for. Virtua Fighter Crossroads launches next year. 

 

Later, we have a brand new reveal of an Among Us spinoff, titled Among Us Story: On Guard. This quirky single-player story showcases the iconic betrayals, venting, and talk of who's more sus when your crewmates get killed one by one, and you, a security guard, need to prove your innocence. This game is coming at a later date, but there's a free Demo on Steam that helps show what this game is worth. 

 

Speaking of Among Us, we finally, after years of waiting, have finally released the Among Us show. Featuring the mind of Owen Dennis (Infinity Train) and an all-star cast of voices such as Elijah Wood, Kimiko Glenn, Paton Oswald, Wayne Knight, and many others, all of them blend together to showcase a short yet exciting whodunit story featuring everyone's favorite bean people. The show is out now on Paramount +. 

 

Later in the show, we have the reveal for Monster Hunter Wilds’ big DLC update: Ascendance. Like all modern Monster Hunter games, there comes a gigantic DLC that adds more areas to see, more monsters to hunt, and even more missions to go on with you and your pals. This time, you take to the skies in the new Skybound Eyrie region to see what they have added to the experience. Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027 as an add-on DLC for the base game. 

 

We also get to see a short trailer featuring Sonic’s 35th anniversary, featuring upcoming content for Sonic Racing Crossworlds. Content includes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (based on the Mutant Mayhem design), Avatar: The Last Airbender with Aang and Katara, a City Escape-inspired track with Godzilla, and Evangelion thrown in the mix as well. There's also a new indie game with Sonic and friends called Sonic Pico Park, where you and 3 other friends must work together to solve crazy levels while tethered to one another. While none of these have release dates, we can all expect some new content that Sonic fans will love. 

 

Later in the show, we finally get a brand new trailer for The Wolf Among Us 2, a sequel to one of Telltale’s best games. This game follows Bigby, aka the big bad wolf, as he tries to solve a series of mysteries tied to the Wizard of Oz characters, all while trying to keep his cool and not become what the people of Fabletown have feared. Not much has been revealed, but we have a new release window for the game in 2027. Until then, the original Wolf Among Us game is getting a remaster later this year, near the holiday season. 

 

As in the past few years at Summer Game Fest, Capcom has revealed the next season pass for Street Fighter 6 to the world, and it looks to be a fun addition to the game. This pass features brand new characters in the form of Yasmine, Bosch, and Arjun, and even a surprise guest character, Tifa Lockheart from Final Fantasy VII. These next four characters will be joining the game at different points in the next 12 months, so be ready for them to strike. 

 

Last but not least, Square Enix took the stage to reveal part 3 of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, titled Final Fantasy VII Revelation. This long-awaited title covers the last third of the legendary game, from where we left off in Rebirth, all the way to the final battle against Sephiroth. Featuring a playable Cid and Vincent, new vehicles like the Highwind to make exploring even more possible, the party is together and ready to save their world from the meteor and from Sephiroth himself. With new locations like Wutai, new battles from the Weapons, new classes for your party to invest in, and further character development from the world around, this game’s shaping up to be an amazing finale to this legendary game and its remake trilogy. Final Fantasy VII Revelation launches in spring 2027 on all systems at launch, just in time for the original game’s 30th anniversary.

 

All in all, this year’s Summer Game Fest has some amazing trailers, and a lot of good feedback from the fans of these games. From games people wanted, to new surprises that people would want to check in on, and add-ons that people will come back to some games well after launch. They started off hard with Resident Evil: Veronica, had an interesting middle, but the last game announcements showed that really woke the fans up to get excited for, like Street Fighter 6’s Year 4 characters and Final Fantasy VII: Revelations, showing that gaming has a lot to show for the next year or so. This was an amazing presentation, and I’m glad I get to play these games soon.

​

9/10