Put together this month's Top 10 + Bonus 5 for July 2026 — new releases across PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch 2. Halo Campaign Evolved takes the top spot this month, but there's a solid spread underneath it worth checking if you're deciding what to pick up.
Hi all,
As the title says, I'm booked off work this week so got some spare time on my hands whilst the wife is at work and child in nursery.
What should I aim to complete.
Just to explain the log a bit, because a game is red doesn't mean I've never played it. It can mean I played it years ago and never finished or I just played it to mess around in that world
What is everyone's stance on piracy now that Playstation has announced that they're going to be releasing digital-only games?
In my opinion, it's one of the only, if not the only way that consumers have any sort of leverage against soulless corporations trying to make everything a subscription or trying to make everyone, "[feel] comfortable with not owning [their] games" as that goofy, out-of-touch Ubisoft executive said.
Let me be clear, I'm not by any means advocating for nor am I vilifying piracy one way or the other. I'm simply asking for everyone's opinion, seeing as greedy board members, who are so far removed from the creative process that I'd be surprised if they've ever even played a game, have been chipping away at consumers' rights for years. It's now come to a breaking point and I think it's worth a discussion.
Most Fridays I’m torn between continuing something I already started or finally trying something from the backlog.
What is everyone else doing after a long workweek? Continue the comfort game or start something new?
I feel like gaming has been going downhill since the PS4 and the Xbox One came out in 2013, and it's mostly thanks to capitalism and monetization practices like first of all, paid online multiplayer on consoles. I know Xbox did it first decades ago, but Sony and even Nintendo joined them in this terrible trend and because of that, free online MP on consoles is gone for good.
I want you add in features that would normally be in free-to-play games or mobile games like microtransactions, loot boxes, and battle passes which, a lot of the times, are present in freakin' premium games, and, hell, some single-player games like Shadow Of War even had that kinda crap. Let's not forget that Activision even added microtransactions a month after Crash: Nitro Fueled came out. Let that sink in. Need I also mention that these practices also lock gameplay-effecting content in games like Star Wars: Battlefront 2, the EA version?
When the PS5 and Xbox Series X were announced, I had some cautious optimism that the 9th gen would be an improvement over the 8th, but no, somehow it's been even worse than last gen. How? Well, it's all because of layoffs, price increases, AI, greedy monetization, as well as doubling down on live service slop. And the last nail in the coffin so far would be that GTA6 would be digital only with a code in a box and it being $80. That, as well as Sony announcing that they'd be shutting down the PS3 and Vita stores and worst of all, phasing out physical media for their games by 2028. We can thank Xbox for killing of physical formats on consoles. I would say Valve, but that's more of a PC thing.
This honestly makes me genuinely upset, because gaming, at least from the AAA side, has been collapsing to the point that I can't even be a gamer anymore, and the death of physical is the straw that broke the camel's back for me. All I have left now are indie games as well as Nintendo consoles. I know game key cards are a thing and Nintendo isn't guaranteed to continue physical forever, but the point still stands. Let's just hope that smaller indie studios will be able to get the Switch 2 dev kits sooner or later.
Now, I've been into gaming since I was a little kid in the 90s, starting with the Sega Genesis, and when I played the SNES and N64, I became more of a Nintendo guy, which made me become the gamer that I am today. I did play other other brands like Xbox and PlayStation, but I've still been primarily a Nintendo gamer through-and-through. Gaming has been one of my favorite things in life other than art (which I haven't done in, like forever), and it helped me get through tough times in my life when I was feeling down. It also introduced me to what are arguably some of the best-written characters and stories I've seen in just about any form of media with franchises like Mario, Sonic, Banjo-Kazooie, Street Fighter, Metal Gear, Mortal Kombat, Bayonetta, and of course Zelda, which taught me many things in gaming and helped me accomplish so much as I played each Zelda games.
I also love physical media, because not only am I able to hold it in my hands, but it also helps me collect things, preserve games I actually own, and be able to sell or trade them,. Plus, I have a myriad of physical games I've owned since childhood and I'm very happy I still have them. If I can't even own physical games anymore in the future, then there's no point in me being a gamer ever again. I might as well do other hobbies like watching movies, watch shows, read comic books and manga, or maybe get back into drawing art. Maybe I'll just stick to retro gaming and avoid anything related to 9th gen (besides the Switch 2), but one thing's for sure is that I'm genuinely hurt and angry over seeing something I truly love in life crash and burn the way it is right now.
Maybe all of this will change if console manufacturers backtrack on their anti-physical decisions or if a new company enters the console market and actually supports physical media? That'd be wishful thinking, but it's highly unlikely to happen anytime soon.
What about the rest of you guys? Do you also feel hurt and betrayed by modern gaming like I do, especially with physical media dying? Can anybody else actually relate to me right now?
I play 3 D&D campaigns with different groups. One group we have four players and one five players. The third group we started out with six players and now, ten months into the campaign, have eleven players. The DM simply keeps adding new players. We now have 11 players. Imo this is too many. Has anyone else played in a group this large?
It’s mildly infuriating how many people are completely fine with someone sitting on the couch staring at a television for hours while watching movies or shows.
But the second someone spends that same amount of time interacting with what’s on the screen, making decisions, solving problems, reacting, coordinating, exploring, or competing, suddenly it’s “wasting your life” because it’s video games.
So passively watching a screen for four hours is normal entertainment, but actively engaging with one for four hours is somehow a moral failure?
Makes sense. Absolutely flawless logic. /s
I am a working individual (22M). I love playing story based games and old Nintendo classic games. But lately I feel like I am getting addicted to it and my screen time seems to increase me. And also I slowly feeling gaming fatigue by playing games and I am constantly switching the games I play. Even though it sounds contradictory, could you suggest me how to handle both my fatigue and addiction based on you experience?
I was back and forth on writing this post or not but eventually just said screw it. This community seems like a solid one. I'm 35 going through a divorce. I'm back with my parents until I can get back on my feet. I've pretty much lost everything. Family, friends, my 2 cats. Life can get lonely but I'm doing my best to stay positive. I've gone through mental health struggles and battles with addictions. I'm 9 months sober as of yesterday and accomplishments like that keeps me going but the tough part about it is I have no one to share that with. I see all of these posts on social media how gamers meet other gamers online and they become gaming boys or girls for life. I've always been the shy guy online to talk on the mic because I don't want to sound or say anything dumb. Chronic overthinker btw. I have friends that I go out with and have a good time but nothing like shared interests or not minding to just kick back and talk about life. That real friendship connection. I feel like the gaming community are full of passionate people. We game for a reason and although many people have different reasons it's still a passionate one. Idk what to get out of this post tbh I'm just hitting a brick wall and been sitting at my desk for the last 2-3 hours doom scrolling, installing and uninstalling games because idk what to play or do. I just want to game a have a good time. I'm not asking for like best friends here or anything. I guess I'm just using this a platform to vent out to fellow gamers and who knows? Maybe someone here is going through the same thing or similar and maybe this will help them out. Life is good when you really think about it. That's what I try to keep telling myself. I just know life can get better with a group of gaming friends. I'm a big online comp gamer. Marvel Rivals I've been obsessed with again, Fortnite but Zero Build because I'm trash at build. Even Arc Raiders but PvE. I was thinking about trying new co-op games like Dead by Daylight, Phasmophobia and Escape the Backrooms. Games like that. I'd really like to try just to have a good time with gamers at this point. Except WoW or any games like that. Absolutely no patience for those games. I've been a gamer my whole life and also have a huge passion for cinema and wrestling WWE. Alright. I'm going to stop yapping. At this point I'm just mindlessly typing. I'll probably regret posting this 5 minutes from now but thank yall for even reading this if you made it this far. I hope your gaming weekend was a damn good one!
Comfort game?
Something new?
Multiplayer with friends?
Solo unwind?
Drop your plan for tonight.
II've I've been reading a lot about women saying that men who play video games are childish and women who play video games as weird/childish or whatever. Being a woman who always played video games I I had to prove my abilities to guys who don't even play, people saying that it's a waste of money or that it's for boys, etc.
How has life been treating you as a lover of this amazing and welcoming (but expensive) industry?
Just went through a conversation where I got into a sort of fight because I work and earn my money to buy my games. Apparently, that's insulting to some people.