As we head into the weekend of October 24-25, 2026, the release calendar has quieted down, and three major outlets want to know what players are diving into. Game Informer shared its weekend recommendations on October 23, while both Pure Xbox and Nintendo Life kicked off their weekly “What Are You Playing?” discussions.
In its weekend talking point, Pure Xbox noted, “it’s a relatively quiet week for new releases if we consider how wild October has been.” This perspective is important. After a few intense weeks, players finally have a chance to catch up on their existing games.
This timing also brings in a seasonal vibe. Pure Xbox highlighted this as “the penultimate weekend before things get royally spooky,” and asked readers if they’re planning to play any horror games. With Halloween just a week away on Saturday, October 31, the question feels timely.
Nintendo Life also engaged its audience through its own October 24 weekend thread. These discussions cater to different gaming communities—Xbox and Nintendo—while Game Informer’s list covers a broader range of games and topics, allowing for a variety of choices across platforms.
This article doesn’t list specific games recommended by each outlet, so it won’t rank or endorse any titles. The headlines and summaries do confirm the schedule, the focus on different platforms, and the quieter release week. However, they don’t specify which games are capturing the most interest.
| Weekend covered | October 24-25, 2026 |
| Game Informer roundup date | October 23, 2026 |
| Outlets running weekend roundups in this report | 3 (Game Informer, Pure Xbox, Nintendo Life) |
| Days from start of weekend to Halloween | 7 |
Community Pulse
The reader replies weren’t included in the available material, so the best gauge of sentiment comes from the question Pure Xbox posed. They asked, “Starting anything new?” and followed up with, “Makes me wonder if any of you are planning on playing something scary…” Given the calm release week and Halloween approaching, horror games seem like a likely choice, but we don’t have data to confirm that.
What To Watch
- Halloween week releases: Watch for publishers to take advantage of the October 31 window for horror or seasonal launches following a quiet period.
- Next weekend’s roundups: Game Informer, Pure Xbox, and Nintendo Life will likely share their picks again, which will reveal if horror games take the lead.
- Reader responses: The comment threads on these posts will indicate which games players are revisiting when new releases are limited.
Sarah Chen
Sarah Chen is the Reviews and Guides Editor at Explosion.com. With a background in game design studies and 6 years of gaming journalism, Sarah brings technical insight to her reviews and creates comprehensive guides that help players get the most out of their games. She has reviewed over 200 titles across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. Her current obsessions include FromSoftware titles and indie roguelikes.
