July 2026 is a bit of an odd month, because a lot of its biggest releases aren’t really new games at all. Several are DLCs and expansions for games we’ve already sunk time into: DOOM: The Dark Ages gets its Revelations campaign, Granblue Fantasy: Relink adds Endless Ragnarok, and Grim Dawn wraps up nearly a decade of support with Fangs of Asterkarn. Add in remakes and remasters like Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and a Switch 2 edition of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and a good chunk of the month is spent revisiting old favorites. There’s still plenty that’s new, from Rhythm Heaven Groove to Splatoon Raiders, and one we’ve been waiting on, Denshattack!, finally arrives after slipping its June date.
Personally, I’m most excited to jump into DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations and Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok, as I really enjoyed my time with both base games. I’m hoping to finally experience Assassin’s Creed Black Flag through Resynced, and as a group, we’re definitely going back to Palworld 1.0. Grim Dawn: Fangs of Asterkarn is also on our group playlist, as we’ve sunk hundreds of hours into Grim Dawn over the years. Then there’s Splatoon Raiders and Halo: Campaign Evolved to close out the month. I’ll likely to a casual playthrough of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition.
Rhythm Heaven Groove
The first new Rhythm Heaven game in over a decade kicks off the month. Rhythm Heaven Groove is the fifth entry in Nintendo’s quirky rhythm series and the first since Rhythm Heaven Megamix on the 3DS back in 2015, with longtime producer and composer Tsunku returning. It packs in more than 80 minigames built around simple, music-timed inputs, plus unlockable modes and up to four-player co-op and competitive play.
Rhythm Heaven Groove releases on July 2, 2026 for Switch and Switch 2.
DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations
First up on the DLC front is Revelations, a full campaign expansion for DOOM: The Dark Ages that game director Hugo Martin has described as basically a sequel. It picks up with the Slayer wounded and betrayed in a purgatory, and introduces the mid-range Chain Spear weapon along with new demons and levels. The free Ripatorium 3.0 update lands the same day for all players, adding deeper customization to the game’s challenge arenas. If you didn’t grab the Premium Edition, the expansion runs $19.99.
DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations releases on July 7, 2026 for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok
Two days later, Cygames expands its 2024 action RPG with Endless Ragnarok. The $29.99 expansion adds a new stretch of story, more playable characters, summons, and a solo mode called the Conflux, where players descend through escalating challenges. Existing owners on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC can buy it directly, while a new combined edition packaging the base game and the expansion together arrives on Switch 2. There’s a demo out now.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok releases on July 9, 2026 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and PC.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
Ubisoft revisits one of the franchise’s most beloved entries with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a ground-up remake of 2013’s Black Flag built on the latest Anvil engine. Ubisoft Singapore is leading development, with Matt Ryan returning to voice pirate captain Edward Kenway. Beyond the visual overhaul, the remake reworks combat around parries, tightens up stealth and parkour, and deepens the naval systems that made the original stand out.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced releases on July 9, 2026 for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
Echoes of Aincrad
Bandai Namco returns to the Sword Art Online universe with Echoes of Aincrad, an action RPG that drops a custom character into the floating castle of Aincrad and its death-game premise. We checked out the demo, and while parts of it felt really empty and boring, the combat seems like it may have some depth to it. As SAO fans, we’re keeping an eye on this one.
Echoes of Aincrad releases on July 10, 2026 for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
Palworld 1.0
After two and a half years in Early Access, Palworld finally hits 1.0, and Pocketpair is calling it the biggest update the game has ever had. It opens up the World Tree region and a second island that roughly doubles the map, adds more new Pals than any previous update, and reworks breeding and progression. We spent time with Palworld back in its early access days, and we’re keen to jump back in for the full release.
Palworld 1.0 releases on July 10, 2026 for PlayStation 5, XBOX One, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
Denshattack!
We had Denshattack! on our June list before it slipped its June 17 date at the last minute, but the wait is nearly over. It’s a fast, stylish arcade trick game that’s essentially Tony Hawk with trains, sending you grinding and flipping across a dystopian Japan to take down a shady megacorp. The delay also added Japanese voice acting, so the extra month wasn’t only about polish.
Denshattack! releases on July 15, 2026 for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.
Grim Dawn: Fangs of Asterkarn
Grim Dawn is wrapping up with its third and final expansion, Fangs of Asterkarn, and it’s the biggest the game has gotten, growing the world by more than 30 percent. It adds a tenth mastery, the shapeshifting Berserker, a new Ascendant mode that cranks up the challenge, and a free v1.3 update that overhauls the stash and UI for everyone. At $18.99, it’s a lot of content for the price.
Grim Dawn: Fangs of Asterkarn releases on July 23, 2026 for PC.
Splatoon Raiders
Nintendo’s big first-party release for July is Splatoon Raiders, the series’ first spin-off and a single-player-focused one at that. You play as a mechanic teaming up with Deep Cut to explore the mysterious Spirhalite Islands, raiding for treasure with the usual ink-soaked arsenal. It’s primarily a solo adventure, though up to four players can join in co-op.
Splatoon Raiders releases on July 23, 2026 for Switch 2.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game
Originally set for earlier in the month before a short delay, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game brings the worlds of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra into a 2D fighter. It launches with a 12-character roster spanning both shows, hand-drawn animation, and modern fighting-game essentials like rollback netcode and crossplay. At $29.99, it’s pitched as an approachable entry point for fans who don’t usually play fighters.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game releases on July 23, 2026 for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, and PC.
Halo: Campaign Evolved
As someone who grew up staying up until midnight to play Halo games at release on Legendary with friends until we all passed out, this is the one I’m most excited about. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a ground-up remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 by Halo Studios with new cinematics and a brand-new three-mission prequel arc called Operation: METEORITE. It supports two-player splitscreen and four-player online co-op, and for the first time in the series, it’s launching on PlayStation alongside XBOX and PC. Premium and Collector’s Edition owners get in five days early on July 23.
Halo: Campaign Evolved releases on July 28, 2026 for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition
Closing out the month is the Switch 2 edition of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, running at 4K and 60 fps with sharper cutscenes, some new content, and the same treatment extended to the Torna ~ The Golden Country expansion. It took me numerous attempts and several years before I could really get into Xenoblade Chronicles 2, despite loving the first one. But once it finally clicked and I played through the story and the wonderful Torna expansion, I was hooked, and it’s ended up as one of the more memorable JRPGs I’ve ever played. The Switch 2 Edition digital version arrives July 30, with a physical release following on October 1.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition releases on July 30, 2026 for Switch 2.
