The Witcher 3 Remaster and Gears of War: E-Day Lead Gamescom’s 2026 Showcase

Gamescom Opening Night Live delivered a busy round of announcements on Tuesday, August 25, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Gears of War: E-Day, ANANTA, EXODUS, and several other big projects taking the stage. The broadcast mixed new game reveals, extended gameplay, surprise appearances, and a whole parade of release dates. Basically, it turned the gaming calendar into a very crowded backpack.

The biggest announcements and release dates

CD Projekt Red closed the presentation by announcing a remaster of The Witcher 3. The remaster will be free for existing owners when it arrives in 2027, and the studio also announced the next expansion, Songs of the Past. A world premiere trailer brought the expansion back into the spotlight, although it did not include a release date.

Xbox presented a new look at the Gears of War: E-Day campaign, which will release on October 6, 2026. Set 14 years before the original Gears of War, the story follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during the first night of the Locust invasion as creatures rise from beneath Sera.

ANANTA confirmed its global release date as January 15, 2027. The trailer moved between Nova City and Chongxiao’s Lingyun City, showing players assembling a squad, exploring different urban settings, and uncovering the secrets connecting them. New city details and several mini-games joined the focus on everyday life and local customs.

CONTROL Resonant placed Dylan Faden at the center of a crisis in Manhattan, where humanity’s defenses have failed and altered forces have taken over the city. Remedy Entertainment’s next entry will launch on September 24, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store, and Mac through Steam and the App Store.

Square Enix showed the second trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Revelations, the planned conclusion to the three-part remake series. Cloud and his allies face the threat of Meteor, the awakening of the giant Weapons, and the final conflict with Sephiroth. The RPG will launch simultaneously in spring 2027 across PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.

Archetype Entertainment’s sci-fi RPG EXODUS received a release date trailer and will launch on April 7, 2027, for Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Epic Games Store. The cinematic single-player adventure follows Jun Aslan, a salvager who becomes a Traveler, and Salt, an intelligent and dangerous Awakened octopus. Their search for a way to save home leads through hostile worlds, rival human factions, and the dangerous effects of time.

New games take the spotlight

Hoyoverse announced Nodus Fall, an original co-op action game with a world premiere trailer.

ONTOS presented a strange experiment involving Crombie and a rodent-operated machine. Players can follow the instructions, look for another solution, or sabotage the experiment simply to discover what happens, with each approach carrying its own consequences.

Ubisoft revealed Rainbow Six Tactics, a new turn-based strategy game set within the Rainbow Six universe, with a world premiere trailer.

Lofsöng also received a world premiere trailer. Alessandro Durando, founder and creative director of Unrelated Games, appeared to introduce the project.

LEGO Skylines was announced as a customizable city builder from the creators of Cities: Skylines. Its trailer showed players building a metropolis piece by piece, from broad city planning down to tiny decorative details.

Airship Syndicate showed Dust Origins, while Wizards of the Coast presented an extended look at Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons. The latter is a third-person, single-player action adventure set in a dark fantasy open world. Kaatri forms a dangerous pact with Tasha while searching for someone who has been lost, using forbidden magic, rituals, spells, and otherworldly weapons. The game is in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox.

1001: Threads of Mizan received 10 minutes of gameplay footage, giving the project one of the longest presentations in the broadcast.

Another new project, Gravhounds, was presented as a co-op action game from Octopus Panic featuring talent formerly associated with Halo and Battlefield.

Mariachi Legends introduced Detective Pablo Cruz and the dangerous underworld of Santa Mascota. Its action RPG setup combines fast combat with mysteries rooted in Mexican folklore.

Afterworld is a post-apocalyptic survival grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studio. Players lead a tribe of survivors, rebuild settlements, recover old technology, and fight for control while trying to form an empire from the ruins of America.

Showa American Story returned with an in-game trailer for its retro-pop-culture RPG. The story imagines an America culturally colonized by Japan in the late 1980s, then follows the resurrected Chigusa Choko on a road trip filled with combat, travel, and character growth. It is in development for PlayStation 5 and PC.

HUMANKIND 2 was announced for PC in 2027. The reveal trailer offered the first look at Amplitude Studios’ next history-spanning strategy game.

Fresh footage for returning projects

Konami showed a new look at Silent Hill Townfall, while Eclipse Glow Games brought another trailer for Tides of Annihilation.

Metro 2039 received an extended gameplay look with its “Renegade” trailer. The footage follows the Stranger through combat above and below ground, showing weapons, survival systems, and the dangerous journey at the center of the single-player story. It also introduced Sevastopolskaya Station, where the Stranger will uncover information about his target and prepare for the road ahead.

NO LAW returned to the cyber-noir streets of Port Desire. Players take the role of Grey Harker, a former soldier pulled back into violence as he hunts the city’s corrupt “Mayors.” The single-player open-world FPS RPG gives Harker several ways to deal with its factions and characters, including combat, infiltration, intimidation, and choices with lasting consequences.

Capcom presented new gameplay for Mega Man: Dual Override and revealed Mega Man skins for Pragmata. Dual Override brings Proto Man into the action, adds Custom Chips for adjusting abilities, and introduces an Override system that grants temporary bursts of power. Mega Man and Proto Man will face new threats, including the Robot Master Twinkle Girl, when the game launches in 2027 for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.

Ubisoft also returned with a new look at Rayman Legends Untold.

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros received a gameplay reveal for its real-time strategy campaign. With the Iron Throne empty, players will wage war across Westeros when the PC game arrives on Steam in early 2027. PlaySide Studios is developing the project.

4A Games showed an extended look at Metro 2039, while Square Enix brought Final Fantasy 7 Revelations to the stage with an extended presentation led by Final Fantasy 7 Remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi.

Neon Giant, the studio behind The Ascent, premiered a new look at its sci-fi action game No Law. Sega also showed the first multiplayer footage for Crazy Taxi: World Tour, which will arrive in 2027. Its closed network test will accept signups through August 31, 2026, and the game is planned for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Steam.

Saber offered a fresh story trailer for Turok Origins ahead of its spring 2027 launch. The game will support solo play and online co-op across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, with dinosaurs, alien forces, bosses, futuristic weapons, and unlockable Turok abilities waiting across the Lost Lands.

Ubisoft revealed a remake of Heroes of Might and Magic III, the turn-based strategy game that first released in 1999. The remake shows Erathia in 3D and 4K and includes the original game plus its two expansions. Queen Catherine leads a campaign to restore order after her father’s assassination and the invasion of rival factions. It is planned for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Valor Mortis showed more of its supernatural take on the Napoleonic Wars. The first-person soulslike follows William Dowsett, whose plague-ravaged body grants him dangerous powers while the voice of Napoleon Bonaparte speaks inside his mind. The game is scheduled to launch October 13 for Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox, with a day-one release through Xbox Game Pass.

Release news and surprise appearances

The broadcast also included a release date trailer for Stage Tour.

Hitman will feature Snoop Dogg in an appearance tied to an Elusive Target called “The Herbalist.” NC premiered a new trailer for Aion 2 as well.

NVIDIA also teased a separate Gears of War: E-Day technical presentation. The Xbox at Gamescom broadcast will take place on August 26 at 4:00 p.m. CEST / 7:00 a.m. PT, with The Coalition discussing DLSS 4.5, RTX Mega Geometry, and ray tracing.

With the Witcher remaster, new strategy games, fresh co-op adventures, firm release dates, and several returning series in the mix, Opening Night Live gave viewers plenty to keep track of beyond the showcase itself.

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