The games industry is heading into a busy end to 2026, with new releases, expansions and major updates landing across PC and consoles. Among the latest announcements, five titles stand out for their mix of established popularity, fresh content and intriguing new ideas.
From Elden Ring Tarnished Edition bringing FromSoftware’s acclaimed action RPG to Nintendo Switch 2, to a new chapter for Zenless Zone Zero, here are five games worth keeping an eye on.
1. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition Brings the Lands Between to Switch 2
One of the biggest announcements is Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, which brings FromSoftware’s award-winning open-world action RPG to Nintendo Switch 2.
The new edition includes the base game together with the substantial Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, giving Nintendo players access to the full Elden Ring experience in one package.
Tarnished Edition also introduces extra content, including the Idus Knight and Heavy Knight starting classes, additional weapons and new cosmetic options for Torrent, the player’s Spectral Steed.
The arrival is particularly significant given Elden Ring’s status as one of the defining action RPGs of recent years. Its demanding combat, huge interconnected world and freedom to build characters around different weapons, spells and play styles have helped turn the franchise into one of FromSoftware’s biggest successes.
For Nintendo Switch 2 owners who previously missed the Lands Between, Tarnished Edition offers a comprehensive way to finally join the adventure.
2. Zenless Zone Zero Version 3.2 Reveals ‘Their Secret Histories’
HoYoverse is continuing to expand Zenless Zone Zero with Version 3.2, titled Their Secret Histories.
The latest update turns its attention to Flint Workshop, introducing further story developments alongside new playable Agents and events.
Among the new characters are workshop director Claret and her assistant Roxy, with Claret particularly notable for introducing a new Speciality to the game’s expanding combat system.
The update will also bring new outfits, additional gameplay events and returning Agent Signal Searches, giving existing players another substantial batch of content to work through.
Regular updates have been central to Zenless Zone Zero since launch, steadily expanding both its cast and the mysteries surrounding its urban fantasy setting. Their Secret Histories looks set to continue that approach, combining new story material with more options for team building and combat.
3. Vampire Survivors Returns With Legacy of the Bloodmoon
The deceptively simple but enormously addictive Vampire Survivors is growing again with its latest expansion, Legacy of the Bloodmoon.
Developer Poncle continues to build on the survival roguelike’s familiar formula: start relatively powerless, battle increasingly ridiculous numbers of enemies, and gradually assemble combinations of weapons and upgrades capable of filling the screen with destruction.
The latest expansion provides another reason for longtime players to return, adding fresh content while keeping intact the straightforward gameplay loop that made Vampire Survivors such an unexpected hit.
Part of the game’s enduring appeal is how quickly a modest run can escalate into complete visual chaos. New expansions can significantly change those runs without making the underlying mechanics more complicated, making it remarkably easy to jump back in after time away.
4. What Goes Up Turns Junk Into a Co-op Building Challenge
For something completely different, What Goes Up is a new physics-based cooperative game from Bossa Games and Team17.
Its premise is wonderfully straightforward: players work together to build an increasingly tall tower using an assortment of objects and discarded materials.
Actually keeping that tower standing is another matter.
Physics plays a central role, meaning players will need to communicate, improvise and work around the unpredictable consequences of stacking unsuitable objects on top of one another.
The concept is particularly fitting for Bossa Games, a studio known for turning awkward physics and unconventional controls into a major part of the fun.
What Goes Up is being developed for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and looks particularly promising as a social multiplayer title where catastrophic failure may prove just as entertaining as successfully reaching the top.
5. Usual June Sets Its Release for October
Rounding out the selection is Usual June, a supernatural action-adventure from Finji that now has a confirmed October 28, 2026 launch date on PC.
The game follows college student June, whose relatively normal life becomes entangled with supernatural forces and increasingly strange events.
Usual June mixes exploration, character-driven storytelling and action combat, with its youthful cast and stylised presentation helping distinguish it from more traditionally dark supernatural adventures.
A new PC demo is also available, allowing players to sample the combat, characters and world ahead of the full release.
With its blend of college life, supernatural mystery and action, Usual June is shaping up as one of the more distinctive smaller releases arriving later this year.
Plenty to Play Heading Into the End of 2026
These five games highlight just how varied the current release calendar has become. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition gives one of gaming’s biggest modern RPGs a new home, while Zenless Zone Zero and Vampire Survivors continue to evolve through substantial new content.
Meanwhile, What Goes Up offers a fresh cooperative concept built around physics-driven chaos, and Usual June brings a promising new supernatural adventure to PC this October.
Whether the preference is punishing boss battles, character-driven action, survival chaos or cooperative experimentation, there is plenty on the way as 2026 moves into its final stretch.
