We had a good look ahead on the Switch and Switch 2 consoles recently as we gear up for fall gaming. Now, we’re seeing green as we turn to the Xbox ecosystem. While many are wondering how Xbox digs itself out of the hole it gleefully dug, I’m curious about playing these four games this fall. From old favorites to new iterations of great titles, let’s dive into the list.

Halloween: The Game – September 8th

While my most anticipated Switch releases for Fall 2026 list featured a lot of games that are fun for the whole family, my Xbox list starts with something very much the opposite. Unless your idea of family fun is stalking innocent residents of your town with relentless obsession. Players will get to choose to either be Michael Myers or save their neighbors as a Hero of Haddonfield in Halloween: The Game, the latest game from developer IllFonic.

The game is a dream for horror fans, and will run in next-gen glory powered by Unreal Engine 5. The developers are promising a lively neighborhood and life-like NPCs, including folks that will call the cops or fight back if they catch Michael on the prowl. I think for anyone still hopping into Dead by Daylight on the regular, this is going to be a great game to play through the fall. A pet peeve of mine is when horror games don’t launch around Halloween, so this September 8th release date is coming at the perfect time.

Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition – September 30th

When writing up this list, I realized something I hadn’t really thought about: I’ve maybe played only 2 or 3 games more than Dynasty Warriors 3. It kind of sounds crazy, until I remember the game was one of my first titles on PS2, and the introduction of couch co-op meant my friends and I playing the game’s iconic stages over and over again. To this day, I adore the series, and thankfully, it’s still going strong with the recent release of Dynasty Warriors: Origins.

While I love the direction the reboot is going, jumping back in to play as 40 different officers and reigning terror as Lu Bu is going to be a huge highlight for my Xbox fall gaming. The visuals from the announcement of this Complete Edition really look wonderful, and it makes me hope we might get Dynasty Warriors 4, another favorite of mine, in the future. Who knows, this might become my most-played game of all time when Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition rolls out on September 30th.

Gears of War: E-Day – October 1st

If Dynasty Warriors 3 laid the groundwork for my love of couch co-op, Gears of War skyrocketed it to my preferred way to play games. That’s not so much the case anymore, but similar to Halo: Campaign Evolved, I’m excited for an excuse to squad up with old friends in this new adventure featuring Dom, Marcus, and the crew.

We’re jumping back in time fourteen years before the original Gears of War in this prequel game, and an Xbox exclusive, if you remember from this summer’s Xbox Games Showcase 2026. Is the company sort of in a limbo freefall that leaves me a little weary of picking up another console from Microsoft in the future? For sure. Am I going to boot my Xbox Series X up on October 1st and play the heck out of Gears of War: E-Day? For sure, for sure.

Planet Zoo 2 – October 13th

While theme parks might be my favorite park sim, Planet Zoo: Console Edition was really well designed, and I look forward to trying its successor after a great first entry. Fully aquatic species and a diverse mix of bright & brilliant fully flying birds make this roster of animals bigger and better than the last. In a lot of ways, this is what I want to see from Frontier Developments, which I consider an extremely underrated developer. Give us more of what we love and fine-tune the things that need a refresh.

The Planet Zoo and Planet Coaster games are particularly great thanks to the community-run Frontier Workshop. This is where I, unashamedly, use creations I’m not creative enough to bring to life to boost my parks to new heights. I’m thrilled to see another game from this franchise make its way to Xbox, and after killing the Horde in Gears: E-Day, I’ll be happy to take a scenic break from the massacring on October 13th and do something a bit more wholesome.

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