The games of September 2026: which ones are worth playing?

Key figures

September at a glance

September 2026 was one of the busiest months of the year, with two big exclusives, a Capcom revival, two horror and supernatural games from respected studios and the usual autumn sports updates. The table below uses the OpenCritic average where we could read it, and the Metacritic score for the sports games and Minecraft Dungeons II. Scores were checked on 5 October 2026 and can still move a little.

The standouts

• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave: the Switch 2 exclusive has the strongest consensus of the month in our list. Critics on OpenCritic praise its mix of tactical battles and management, though a few find the very long campaign drags in places.
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword: Capcom's return to the series is widely seen as a successful revival. Reviewers single out heavy, physical sword combat and a good story; the semi-open structure and some pacing issues are the main reservations.
• Control Resonant: Remedy's sequel moves the action to New York with Dylan Faden, Jesse's brother, as the hero. GameSpot gives it 9/10, praising level design "unlike anything" its reviewer had seen and a deep combat system, but finds navigation frustrating. The main story runs 30 to 40 hours, according to GameSpot.
• The Blood of Dawnwalker: Rebel Wolves' vampire RPG, published by Bandai Namco, scores 84 on OpenCritic, with some critics noting that its ambition occasionally outpaces its execution.
• Silent Hill: Townfall: a first-person take on the series from Screen Burn, with an 81 average. Atmosphere and stealth are well received, though not everyone ranks it above recent Silent Hill games.

The disappointment: Marvel's Wolverine

Insomniac's $70 PS5 exclusive is not a bad game, but it is the month's letdown relative to expectations. Kotaku reports a 77 on Metacritic, below Sackboy: A Big Adventure (79), making it the lowest-rated PlayStation Studios game of the PS5 generation. Kotaku notes that several large outlets gave it 6/10 and found it dated as a linear third-person action game, while smaller sites were far more generous. On OpenCritic it sits at 78, with 66% of critics recommending it. Strong characterisation and satisfying combat are the positives most often cited; repetition is the main complaint.

The yearly sports games and Minecraft Dungeons II

• NBA 2K27: 78 on Metacritic for PS5. Critics like the on-court gameplay, but the user score is low, with players pointing to monetisation and inconsistent shooting.
• EA Sports FC 27: 76 on Metacritic for PS5. Some critics see real fixes over last year; others call it little more than an update. User reviews are very negative.
• NHL 27: 68 on Metacritic for PS5, the lowest of the three, with frequent criticism that it adds too little over NHL 26.
• Minecraft Dungeons II: a family-friendly action RPG released on every major platform, at 75 on Metacritic for Xbox Series X and 72 for PC.

Which game for which player?

• Strategy and RPG fans on Switch 2: Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is the clear pick.
• Action fans: Onimusha: Way of the Sword first; Control Resonant if you like stranger, more experimental games.
• Open-world RPG players: The Blood of Dawnwalker on PC, PS5 or Xbox.
• Horror fans: Silent Hill: Townfall on PS5 or PC.
• Marvel and Insomniac fans: Wolverine is worth playing for the character, but waiting for a price drop is reasonable.
• Families and co-op players: Minecraft Dungeons II.
• Sports fans: only upgrade if you play online modes every week; last year's edition is close enough otherwise.

If you are building or upgrading a setup for these games, see our gaming buying guide and our gaming display guide. October's releases are covered in our October 2026 calendar.

Verdict

September's best games are Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave for Switch 2 owners and Onimusha: Way of the Sword for everyone else, with Control Resonant, The Blood of Dawnwalker and Silent Hill: Townfall close behind. Marvel's Wolverine is the big name that reviewers liked least. The sports games are for regular players only.

This article analyses reviews published by other outlets, in our own words. RealDigitalTech did not test these games itself.