The Video Games and More You Should Play This Weekend – October 23, 2026

In my first few hours with Final Fantasy Resonance, I kept wondering why I found it so impossible to put down. The answer eventually clicked: it speaks directly to a longing I’ve had for years, the wish to rediscover something like Final Fantasy IV or VI for the first time, only with a fresh cast and a brand-new story. That is precisely what Resonance delivers. It’s a deliberate homage to the pixel-art era of the series, enriched with modern conveniences, graphical polish, and added depth. Expect a sprawling, delightfully earnest adventure packed with charming party members, towering summoned beasts, an airship to pilot across the world, and turn-based battles full of outrageous spell animations. It’s one of my favorite games of the year and well worth the time investment. Read our full review for more.

You’ll likely hear plenty of people calling this “one of the good ones.” Modern Warfare arrived this week with a confident campaign, worthwhile additions to its competitive multiplayer, and a standout extraction-shooter mode in DMZ. The opening hours of the campaign have already won me over with a tense, harrowing, and at times disturbingly brutal story that shifts between multiple perspectives. The gunplay feels finely tuned, movement and melee are satisfying, and the story beats are anchored by superb acting. Our reviewer has put in even more time with the complete game and offers a full perspective to help you decide whether to jump into this year’s entry.

Nintendo’s sports series, which kicked off with Wii Sports in 2006, has never been built around solo play, and two decades later Nintendo Switch Sports Resort stays true to that spirit. Even so, Nintendo has expanded the amount of content well beyond what the franchise usually offers, catering to every player count without losing its signature accessibility. Whether you’re teaming up with three friends to compete across the 12 included sports or working your way up the Island Crown ladder against increasingly tough solo opponents, Switch Sports Resort is a terrific motion-controlled collection.

Halloween is nearly here. While you’re stocking up on overpriced candy, settling on which Joker to dress as, and weighing Obsession against Backrooms over a mug of cider, it’s an ideal moment to revisit classic horror games or try some new ones. 2026 has delivered a strong lineup on that front, with releases like Resident Evil Requiem, Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse, and Silent Hill: Townfall. Still, Tenebris Somnia deserves a look if you’re craving a clever indie throwback.

Blending a retro-style adventure with the feel of a live-action indie horror film, the game has you unraveling the mystery of an apartment building twisted by nightmares and fighting off horrors to save your trapped ex. The gameplay is survival horror 101, yet it’s executed with skill, and the consistently inventive puzzles are a highlight. It may not be a visual showpiece, but Tenebris Somnia sustains an unsettling mood, helped by effective scares and well-crafted live-action cutscenes. If you’re planning a horror movie marathon, you might as well play one too. You can read my full review here.

Full disclosure: I haven’t actually played One Piece: Grand Gourmet. I was trying to wrap up Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse when a review assignment landed on my desk and demanded all my attention. That said, I’ve watched a good chunk of the One Piece anime, and I have a cat named Nami and a dog named Luffy.

Pictured: Luffy, having a rough day after swallowing one of Nami’s toys he had no business eating.

I can’t say whether One Piece: Grand Gourmet is any good, but the premise and pixel art appeal to me. One Piece is wonderfully adaptable as a franchise (which is partly why its live-action series works so well), so running a restaurant as Sanji seems like a natural fit. I’m planning to set sail with all my hopes and dreams soon. And it’s out now, which is handy to know.

As with the entry above, I haven’t yet played Stupid Never Dies (there are simply too many games!), but this weekly column is also meant to spotlight the week’s new releases. I’m eager to try it, mostly for the pop-punk soundtrack and the early-2000s aesthetic. It has the makings of a fun, nostalgic trip back to my youth, when I was learning Blink-182’s “Dammit” on guitar and playing Devil May Cry.

The Blood of Dawnwalker has been available for just over seven weeks, and I wouldn’t fault you for not finishing it, or even starting it. It’s been a crowded stretch for releases! If you want a reason to return, this week’s 1.1 update is a good one. The developers have addressed hundreds of bugs and made a host of smaller refinements, so performance should be better than ever. There’s also an even gentler difficulty setting for those who’d rather breeze through without sweating the combat, plus a new potion that lets you respec all your skill points. I stalled about halfway through (right around when I picked up Wolverine), but I intend to jump back in this weekend.

Oh, and you can now pet dogs and cats. Maybe I should have led with that.

The multiplayer, physics-driven mountain-climbing game Peak became one of 2025’s biggest viral co-op hits (and I refuse to use the term “friendslop”), yet only PC players have been able to enjoy its chaos. That changed this week, with Peak now available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2. Whether solo or, ideally, with up to three friends, you’ll scale procedurally generated, wildly unrealistic mountains riddled with hazards. Cooperation is essential, though it’s tricky when proximity chat forces you to stay close, and sabotaging one another, intentionally or not, is just as entertaining. It can be maddening, but it’s entertaining all the same. The console versions include all post-launch content and, best of all, support crossplay across every platform.

The original Azul is still one of my all-time favorite games after many years, but its strategic depth falls just short of what I’d want when playing with my kids. That’s why I was so pleased to discover that Azul Kids is one of those rare “adapted for children” versions that turned out remarkably well.

Players step into the shoes of imaginative young artists assembling mosaic displays from colorful tiles. The concept is simple enough for children as young as five or six, yet the approachable strategy of choosing tiles and completing your masterpiece keeps the whole family engaged.