Ace Combat 8 soars; Silent Hill stumbles; Resident Evil breaks records

Ace Combat 8 is drawing some of the strongest critical praise of the year, landing among the best-rated games of 2026 and sitting just behind the series' all-time high. Reviews describe sky-high drama that the franchise's fanbase has been waiting years for — a notable win for a flight combat series that occupies a niche but deeply loyal corner of the market. Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is also earning strong notices, with critics calling it a satisfying close to a beloved JRPG duology.

Silent Hill: Townfall opened to mixed reviews, a rough reception for a franchise Konami has been carefully reviving. That said, Resident Evil Requiem is reportedly outpacing every other entry in its franchise in sales, boosted partly by the Cregger film — a remarkable commercial position for Capcom heading into the end of the year. Konami is also generating cautious optimism on another front, with a teaser giving Castlevania fans reason to hope for a new 3D collection.

Rockstar's GTA 6 continues to generate conversation even before release: a former Rockstar developer has said a Nintendo Switch 2 version doesn't make sense, and the title can no longer sweep this year's GOTY awards after recent eligibility shifts. Ubisoft, meanwhile, is dealing with a report that the company was at one point developing an official Legend of Zelda game, while Beyond Good & Evil 2 — nearly 19 years in development — is somehow still showing signs of life. At Microsoft, the closure of Ninja Theory has drawn fresh criticism, with Rock Paper Shotgun arguing it voids the last tenuous upside of Senua's Summer Game Fest reveal.