"And How the Heat Suddenly Rises" - The Big Games of July

Summer is here, it's hot outside, and after June was pleasant enough but not packed with games, July shifts into high gear and brings us back to the gaming madness of 2026. Here are all the games you need to know about coming our way during July 2026!

Rhythm Heaven Groove

No less than 11 years have passed since the last and fourth game in the Rhythm Heaven series launched, and now it returns with a storm alongside Rhythm Heaven Groove. The game, like its predecessors, will also be a charming rhythm game where we'll need to complete a different mini game each time that will require us to listen to the beat of the music playing in the background. The new game will include over 80 different rhythm mini games for single player, alongside over 30 rhythm mini games that will be available in the game's multiplayer mode. Additionally, the game will include several game modes we can unlock, including a dedicated battle mode where we can perform different moves against monsters.

Rhythm Heaven Groove will launch on July 2 for Switch 2.

Esports Manager 2026

Esports Manager 2026, as its name suggests, is a simulator for managing and operating a professional esports team. Similar to other games in the genre, in Esports Manager 2026 we can establish our own private esports team or alternatively manage an existing team, with the game supporting the management of over 325 official clubs worldwide, alongside full access to the arsenal of professional players that make up the industry in reality today. The game will include a full simulation mode where you'll need to manage the team and its players with everything that entails, from actually recruiting players through their professional development to participating in tournaments, alongside the ability to develop relationships with sponsors and more. It's important to note that even though it uses the color scheme of another popular management game, namely Football Manager, there's no connection between it and Esports Manager 2026, and this is actually a completely new game from a studio called Neurona Games, which promises to provide regular annual updates that will come in the form of a new annual game each passing year.

Esports Manager 2026 will launch on July 6 for PC.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

The wait is over: Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is here. For those living under a rock and not updated on what's happening, Black Flag Resynced is the long-awaited remake of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag from 2013, which is still considered by many to be one of the best games in the series, if not the best. The main changes we'll get in this version are quite extensive, starting with the fact that the game completely abandons all the Abstergo storylines and the Freedom Cry expansion pack in favor of focusing on the full story of the main character, Edward Kenway, which has also been expanded with new dialogues and new missions. Additionally, the game has been rebuilt on the latest version of the Anvil engine, which will allow it to bring to the forefront an upgraded parkour system (that will let us jump freely, thank God), alongside an improved combat system that will include dedicated boss fights that will be more reminiscent of the boss fights we know and love from later games in the series. All of these are just a really small part of what this remake is going to deliver, and honestly? I'm really excited to see if Ubisoft will manage to deliver the ultimate version of one of the best games it has ever developed.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced will launch on July 9 for PC, PlayStation 5, and XBOX Series X|S.

Echoes of Aincrad

Echoes of Aincrad is a new game in the Sword Art Online game series, but this time it's a game that's supposed to bring a new message to the brand. Unlike previous Sword Art Online games where we played the main hero of the brand, Kirito, in Echoes of Aincrad we'll play a character we create ourselves. In terms of gameplay, this is a classic JRPG from Bandai Namco, with the game allowing us to use 6 different weapon types, alongside the need to manage the various resources at our disposal during battle. The game will also incorporate systems mainly familiar to us from MMO games, but it's important to note that this is a dedicated single-player game, so it will be interesting to see how these systems will be expressed in the actual game. There's also a complete "Companions" system, where we can choose a dedicated helper (controlled by artificial intelligence) who will assist us on the journey.

Echoes of Aincrad will launch on July 10 for PC, PlayStation 5, and XBOX Series X|S.

!Denshattack

In !Denshattack we play a train. Yes, that's the best way to describe this game. But if I still need to elaborate, !Denshattack is an arcade-platformer game where we control a train car with which we'll pass challenging and particularly fast stages all wrapped in an especially colorful graphical style. Beyond its challenging platformer tracks, the game also includes bizarre and large boss fights, alongside a complete system of rankings between different gangs roaming the city. Overall, this is a game that looks super fun and super satisfying for those of us who invest the time in it.

!Denshattack will launch on July 15 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2.

Moss: The Forgotten Relic

The Moss series is considered one of the most charming virtual reality game series we've received in recent years, and now, after two main games in the series that required the use of dedicated virtual reality headsets, Moss: The Forgotten Relic will essentially be a combination of the first two games in the series into one connected game, which will also remove the need for headset use. For those unfamiliar with the game series, during our journey we'll step into the shoes of two main characters, one named "The Reader" who will essentially be a kind of magical entity capable of controlling various elements throughout the game world, and the second will be Quill, a small mouse who sets out on a mission to save her kingdom. The series' gameplay emphasizes puzzle-solving that combines The Reader's magical abilities with Quill's need to overcome various obstacles, and The Forgotten Relic will of course receive the necessary changes to allow the game to be controlled using a game controller/mouse and keyboard (so for example, the action of physically lifting objects in the game using the VR headset controllers that the game required will be replaced with full mapping of these actions on a game controller). Additionally, the game received a full graphical upgrade that will allow it to deliver performance at high resolution of up to 4K, alongside the addition of a range of accessibility options designed to provide an easier experience for players looking to experience the story rather than the battles accompanying it.

Moss: The Forgotten Relic will launch on July 16 for PC, PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and both generations of Nintendo Switch.

Splatoon Raiders

The excellent Splatoon series returns with Splatoon Raiders, a new game that emphasizes a dedicated single-player experience, unlike the rest of the series' games which were of course online multiplayer games (although Splatoon Raiders will also support the option to play with up to 4 players in Co-Op mode). The new game in the series will include, as mentioned, a dedicated single-player storyline, where we'll step into an Octoling character we create ourselves and embark on a journey across the game world. The game will take quite a few progression systems we've already seen before with the Salmon Run mode from the third game in the series, where we'll need to fight waves of enemies who will drop resources when defeated that we can invest to upgrade along the way. Overall, in my exclusive opinion, this seems like a quite blessed addition to this truly excellent brand, and I'm totally looking forward to trying it.

Splatoon Raiders will launch on July 23 for Switch 2.

 Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game

Another month, another fighting game (how fun that there are many of them, see you next month with Marvel Tokon), and this time we have a completely new game in the genre that brings to the forefront the content world of the Avatar: The Last Airbender brand. The brand's new fighting game will do what it's supposed to do best: provide us with a quality fighting experience together with our beloved characters from this very special brand. The game will of course provide us with a visual look very reminiscent of the brand's original animated series, alongside dedicated combat systems that will allow us to perform combined bending moves. The game will launch with 12 different characters as a base, and later about 5 more characters are expected to arrive in the game as part of the game's first annual content package, which will include characters such as Uncle Iroh, Ty Lee, and Bolin, while the game's 12 initial fighters will of course include main brand characters such as Aang, Korra, Katara, Toph, Zuko, and Sokka. Overall, this looks like a real celebration for fans of the brand, now we just have to hope it will also be an excellent fighting game.

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will launch on July 23 for PC, PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. A physical version of the game as well as a dedicated version for Switch 2 will launch later this year.

Halo: Campaign Evolved

This is probably one of the biggest launches of the year, and not just because it's a remake of one of the best games from the giant Halo brand, but mainly because this is a historic launch of XBOX's most recognizable and identified brand, arriving for the very first time ever on the PlayStation console. In terms of the game itself, this is, as mentioned, a remake of Halo Combat Evolved from 2001, with the game completely rebuilt from scratch on Unreal Engine 5. Content-wise, the game will include, in addition to its original story content, an addition of 10 more new missions that will expand the storyline, alongside completely new environments we can explore. Additionally, we've received a lot of improvements regarding movement and the arsenal of weapons and tools that will be available to us. In the multiplayer department, the game hasn't lagged behind either, offering players the option to play the game in Co-Op mode with up to four players, but at the same time will not offer any competitive game mode against other players online.

Halo: Campaign Evolved will launch on July 28 for PC, XBOX Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, and it will be available to play as part of the XBOX Game Pass service on its launch day.

As per tradition, here are a few more cool launches and events you should know about this month:

• The annual Steam Summer Sale that started on June 25 will continue until July 9.
• The Nintendo Switch 2 version of High on Life 2 will launch on July 1.
• DOOM: The Dark Ages Revelations - the game's new content package will launch on July 7.
• The full 1.0 version of Palworld will launch on July 10.
• The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will launch on July 30.