The Video Games And More You Should Play This Weekend – October 9, 2026

Star Wars: Galactic Racer launched this week and it is worth your time, regardless of your thoughts on Star Wars these days. It is absolutely a Star Wars game, with familiar locations, music motifs, and characters throughout, but the IP is honestly the least interesting part. It is a truly fantastic racing game, with a sense of speed and tension that will bring you back to the days of Burnout (and it makes sense, because much of the team over at developer Fuse Games worked on the Burnout series). Don’t let the roguelite campaign scare you; it works really well and moves at a brisk pace that keeps the experience from feeling repetitive. And within that campaign is a great story, better than most in the racing genre. Once you finish the campaign, there’s still plenty of game left for you. With a standard Arcade mode, miniature campaigns in the Scenario mode, and an expansive suite of multiplayer races and tournaments, you’ll likely have Star Wars: Galactic Racer on your hard drive long after you pick it up. 

Read or watch our full review. 

If you’re like me, you’re always on the look for new gear- and ability-gated exploration games that recall the joy of early Metroid and Castlevania games. Echo Weaver offers a new twist on that idea, by keeping the exploration element, but making progression be tied to knowledge acquired over the course of play, rather than new equipment. It’s a clever twist that has me intrigued from the early hours I’ve played. 

Our reviewer, Kyle Hilliard, has already had a chance to experience the full game, and had this to say: “Echo Weaver’s unique approach to the Metroid structure is admirable, unique, and well executed. The sense of discovery is fantastic, and though I realistically probably won’t immediately play the game again, the idea that I could start with knowledge of basically all of the abilities to rip through the game at high speed is an enticing one.”

Check out his full review here. 

Gears of War: E-Day rewinds the clock to depict the events of Emergence Day, in which protagonists Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago first encounter the monstrous Locusts. The series has referenced E-Day since its first entry in 2006, so fans (including myself) are eager to witness its portrayal in The Coalition's new release. In his Gears of War: E-Day review, Game Informer executive editor Brian Shea praises the release for delivering "an astonishing collection of shootouts, supported by improved traversal and tactical abilities, masterfully arranged battlefields, stunning visuals, and a strong, diverse arsenal of weapons and equipment."

Read the full review here. 

Thekla’s new puzzle game is a massive project with hundreds of distinct puzzles that fit together into a larger narrative and puzzle framework. It’s an overwhelming, impressive collection of brainteasers created by integrating several distinct puzzle games into a larger, coherent whole. In my mind, I’ve come to think of it almost like the video game equivalent of a frame story. No matter how you look at it, Order of the Sinking Star is a puzzle game built for experienced, patient puzzle gamers, featuring complex logic challenges that will push any player to think outside the box.

We've once again got a great reason to dip back into Valve's unreleased-but-popular MOBA-shooter Deadlock. The Cursed Apple got a major makeover with its latest update, and a new slate of heroes is looking to join the roster, with playtime counting toward votes on which character joins each week. We've already seen the Rat King and the sweet old Baba win the vote, but four more are still on the way. The graphics overhaul is huge, though; not only do the streets and boulevards of this cursed New York look phenomenal, but small UI and indicator tweaks have made Deadlock even easier to read at a glance. Deadlock remains the most impressive game not officially released, and if you can get an invite, it's worth diving in this weekend to see what the team has been cooking up.

One of the most intriguing and tactically rich games of the last several years, The Old King’s Crown is a true triumph for integrating numerous mechanics into a thematically rich narrative framework. Each player takes on the role of a potential inheritor of the monarchy after the old king dies. Using bluffing, card management, and control of the game board, each player controls a faction that is subtly distinct from the others, leading to a fascinating emergent narrative, like a rebellious uprising seizing control from the old nobility. Unfortunately, the biggest challenge for your weekend enjoyment of the title might be tracking down a copy; Eerie Idol’s excellent game is so celebrated it can be hard to find a copy. But if you’re lucky enough to find a way to play, I think you’ll be happy to add it to your shelf. If you can’t, it was just one of the titles that won accolades in our list of the very best board games of 2025, and you could try to snag one of those instead.