After a few years away I returned to Cologne, Germany for Gamescom, the largest gaming event in the world now that E3 is officially dead.
It’s an especially big year for platform holders as Nintendo also marks its return where visitors can get hands-on with lots of upcoming games on its record-selling Switch 2, and one of two places you can get your hands on Hollow Knight: Silksong – the other is the Xbox booth, where you can also get a first play of its upcoming handheld in partnership with Asus.
But there’s a lot more to the show, as I spent a few days on the show floor, which actually didn’t include braving the queues for Team Cherry’s highly anticipated game (having had the chance to play a very impressive demo back in 2019 probably helped stop me from getting FOMO).
Here’s then my ten highlights from Gamescom, which spans beloved franchises from revered Japanese publishers to some mighty indies.
1. Pragmata (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Astronaut Hugh Williams is on a mission to a lunar research station initially to investigate what’s become of its people, only to discover it’s overrun with murderous bots with impenetrable shields and he has to find a way off. But he’s got a peculiar ally in an android resembling a little girl called Diana who perches on his shoulder and is able to break down enemy defences. What follows is a hacking minigame that involves using the face buttons to move along a grid panel in realtime while also having your aim trained on the bot and dodging their attacks.
As bizarre as the combo sounds, I found it fascinatingly intuitive, and as you would expect from Capcom, the feedback when you pull off a successful hack and blast away a weakened bot is just so satisfying. But I think it’s the bond that gradually builds between the two like a surrogate parent-child relationship that gives this game heart. After years of radio silence, this long-delayed game could well be the Japanese publisher’s most original to date.
Release date: 2026
2. Onimusha: Way of the Sword (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
If you loved the look of Sekiro’s swordplay but lacked the skill to submit to its unforgiving tutelage, then this return of Capcom’s historical samurai hack-and-slasher might be more up your street.
There’s a similar kind of stagger mechanic where depleting the gauge gives you a prompt for a killing blow while you have a special gauntlet that can absorb enemy souls, some which power you up or heal. But the parry windows are far more generous as are the dodges, with more emphasis on just making you look extremely and effortlessly bad-ass. Let’s just say I didn’t have to bang my head against the wall multiples against the boss at the end of the demo.
Release date: 2026
3. Super Meat Boy 3D (PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5)
Platformers that make the jump (no pun intended) from 2D to 3D can be complicated. For every Mario there’s Sonic (and I say that as a Sega fanboy), but fortunately it seems that this iconic indie hero is veering more towards the former in his first 3D debut.
While it initially took a moment to get used to, within the first few very quick stages I was sprinting and wall-jumping through these 3D stages like it was second nature. It probably helps that the action retains a fixed camera a bit like Super Mario 3D World, but the little meaty fella also benefits from new abilities like wall-running and a ground pound that allows him to stop and drop vertically in the air. Alas, I wasn’t quite skilled enough to finish the demo within its 10-minute limit but I’m sure that won’t stop ardent speedrunners.
Release date: 2026
4. There Are No Ghosts At The Grand (Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Nothing is as it seems in the Grand Hotel, much in the same way nothing is at it seems with There Are No Ghosts At The Grand, a game that’s difficult to convey in a sentence because there’s just so many wild ideas.
Ostensibly, you play as an American who is expected to inherit a crumbling English hotel by the seaside and also may or may not be haunted. That’s perhaps why as part of its loop of renovating the hotel includes the ability to vacuum things up, which has a real Luigi’s Mansion vibe. But gameplay is not just limited to the hotel as you can also explore beyond its grounds to the wider world outside, while alongside a strong narrative focus, characters will even burst into song as this is also kind of a musical. Like I said, nothing is as it seems.
Release date: Late 2026
5. Resident Evil Requiem (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
What can I say, Capcom has really knocked it out of the park this Gamescom. While there has been a strong sense of horror at the show this year, there’s nothing more iconic than the series that popularised survival horror, which celebrates its 30th anniversary next year.
Requiem certainly is high on atmosphere rather than gameplay, which follows the more recent horror trends of sneaking quietly to solve puzzles while avoiding enemies, especially since you play as Grace Ashcroft, an FBI agent not trained for combat like many of the series’ characters have been. As you try to escape a hospital while being pursued by something horibbly monstrous, you can also switch between first-person and third-person perspectives, the former technically the more intense gameplay option. However, it’s the latter during cutscenes where you can really see the terror on your protagonist’s face.
Release date: 27 February 2026
6. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
While the cult filmmaker’s horror classic Halloween was also announced as a game during Gamescom, his name is also on the box for this co-op shooter that has the same kind of 80s buddy action movie vibe you’d expect from the director of Big Trouble in Little China.
Imagine Left 4 Dead but with huge hordes of zombies made possible by Saber Interactive’s Swarm Engine used in the excellent Space Marine 2, and that would be a good way to describe Toxic Commando. Throw in better gunplay, larger maps that let you explore different challenges and score more loot, and vehicular combat that feels as fun as having all your buddies riding a Warthog in Halo and it sounds like it could be Carpenter’s biggest post-movie hit.
Release date: 2026
7. Honor of Kings: World (PC, iOS, Android)
You might not have played the League of Legends mobile clone that was the biggest game in China but this MMO action RPG spin-off is hoping to introduce its brand of Eastern fantasy to more players, especially those who have clocked many hours on the likes of Final Fantasy XIV or Genshin Impact.
The dual combat system where you can seamlessly switch between two different classes on the fly, like a fast and flashy swordfighter coming from Devil May Cry or a ranged spell caster, without changing characters is one striking aspect, though exploration is just as compelling when you have a kind of magical grapple hook for climbing and a hoverboard to get around.
Release date: 2025
8. Silent Hill f (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Konami’s chilling survival horror series usually has Western settings, notably the town where it takes its name from. So it’s fascinating to have a new entry that decides to switch it up by setting it in 1960s Japan, albeit still retaining familiar elements from a melancholic atmosphere among the horror to another town shrouded in fog and other supernatural happenings.
Yet although the combat still has a deliberate clunkiness as high school student Hinako swings a pipe at creepily animated puppet-like enemies, the game also incorporates the kind of dodge and parry mechanics that you might expect from Dark Souls. Besides managing stamina, you also have to a sanity meter that also dictates your ability to focus, which makes the counters easier to execute. But not to worry, there’s still classic obtuse puzzles to drive you mad.
Release date: 25 September
9. Scott Pilgrim EX (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)
The arcade brawling adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic is still beloved, but this new adventure set in a near-future Toronto is the kind of sprawling RPG brawler that Tribute Games (made up of devs behind the Ubisoft game) had always wanted to make.
The big crunchy pixel art animations and drop-in/drop-out beat-em-up action for up to four players is expected, but there’s also a large non-linear and interconnected map of Toronto you can traverse back and forth with plenty of optional side quests, while you can also unlock new gear and moves in your mission to save Sex Bu-bomb from new arch enemy Metal Scott.
Release date: 2026
10. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch 2, Switch, PC)
When Mario Kart is the undisputed kart racer, it would be folly to try and compete in the same year. Unless of course you’re Sega, Nintendo’s original console rival.
Besides being available on platforms other than Switch 2, this feels like the kind of kart racer that fans pining for traditional lap races that’s taken a backseat in Mario Kart World are after, though you still have plenty of characters across Sega franchises, including virtual pop singer Hatsune Miku. But more than than the usual racing shenanigans or items and drift boosts, given the girl, you can also find yourself warping into other worlds in between races.
Release date: 25 September (Switch 2: 2025)
