RTX Spark laptops are now up for pre-order, priced from $2,600 to $7,000, with a release date of October 16, 2026. The entry-level Microsoft Surface Ultra config pairs an 18-core N1X chip with 24 GB of unified memory and a 512 GB SSD for about $2,600, while a fully loaded Asus ProArt P16 with 128 GB of unified memory and a 2 TB SSD costs $7,000. These Arm-based machines target local AI workloads and have soldered, non-upgradeable memory.
Microsoft announced it has reached an agreement with Rockstar to obtain cloud streaming rights for GTA 6. Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball said Microsoft will not make GTA 6 streaming exclusive and will not use the deal to bring the game to PC, and Rockstar has not announced PC plans for GTA 6 as of publication. Microsoft had earlier adjusted its cloud gaming limits, capping Game Pass Ultimate users at 15 hours of streaming per month from November, Premium at 10 hours and Essential at 5 hours, with extra time purchasable in the Xbox store and the option also open to non-Game Pass users for streaming compatible games they own.
BBC: Xbox bets big on Gears of War, The Coalition says E-Day sets the foundation for Gears future, next game won't take "nearly as long" to make
Metro Saga Bundle is $2.99 on Xbox https://buff.ly/2LyZNR5
Beast of Reincarnation is $44.99 on Xbox https://buff.ly/nRWsfWi
LEGO Party! is $25.99 on Xbox https://buff.ly/bhHNNuQ
Truxton Extreme is $19.99 on Xbox https://buff.ly/jiVc36O
Hyper Light Drifter is $4.99 on Xbox https://buff.ly/B7APrIF
HOT WHEELS Infinite Rush is $39.99 on Xbox https://buff.ly/C1lXmRB
CULTIC is $14.99 on Xbox https://buff.ly/xfeC6Iz
Blue Dragon is $4.99 on Xbox https://buff.ly/RMF2bpv
Lost Odyssey is $6.24 on Xbox https://buff.ly/NkwA5EW
At its first live event in two years, Microsoft announced the new Surface Laptop Ultra, its first device to use the Nvidia RTX Spark SoC, starting at $2,599 and shipping October 16 with preorders open now. The laptop offers either a 5120-core or 6144-core Blackwell GPU and up to 128GB of LPDDR5x unified memory, with Gears of War: E-Day shown running on it. Microsoft also outlined a host of changes coming to Windows 11 and shared a vision of how local-AI and agentic workflows could reshape personal computing.
A video report from Rebs Gaming on October 6 claims about 30 developers not included in recent Xbox layoffs are still at Halo Studios under boss Pierre Hintze, working on one last free content update for Halo: Campaign Evolved that would add Firefight and Theater Mode, plus help with December's Halo Fest. The report says this team has no connection to Activision, which now runs the Halo franchise, and that no one is moving to the new team being built there, with the studio possibly shutting down after the event and update. Halo Studios also shared concept art this week, reportedly including ideas for a Halo Infinite sequel such as giant trees in a swamp on Zeta Halo, some of it from former Halo lead Joseph Staten before he left in 2023.
Sony has sold dozens of XR patents to Meta, in what appears to be a pullback from AR/VR hardware.
Xbox Game Pass announced its first batch of October 2026 additions, with Battlefield 6 joining the subscription for the first time on October 13, a year after launch and just as its Las Vegas-themed season 5 begins. The same wave brings indies including Echo Weaver, Neon Abyss 2, and Chained Beasts between October 8 and 16. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, out this month, will not come to Game Pass at launch because of Xbox's ongoing reset.
8BitDo Charging Dock for Xbox Controllers, Forza Horizon 6 Limited Edition is $10.50 on Amazon https://amzn.to/4dT6VaX #ad
The next Halo game will be handled by a completely new team under Activision, while Halo Studios, formerly 343 Industries, keeps a small team for released titles and lays off 268 people. In the final issue of the Canon Fodder blog, Halo Studios community writer Alex Wakeford shared the first full look at the Endless, called the Xalanyn, children of Abaddon, after the faction was teased in Halo Infinite through the Harbinger. The blog also includes Zeta Halo environments that may have once been planned for Halo Infinite DLC.
Gears of War: E-Day launched this week, and The Coalition studio head Mike Crump told the BBC that keeping it Xbox-exclusive was a natural choice because the series has been tied to the Xbox brand for 20 years. He said the team measures success beyond sales and retention, including whether it showcases the platform and pushes the hardware to its limits. IGN notes the game runs well on Xbox Series X and Series S and scored a 9 in review, while Microsoft is in the middle of a months-long restructuring and The Coalition developers told Eurogamer they expected layoffs.
Thunder Lotus has pushed its action-adventure game At Fate's End from 2026 to 2027, saying the game needs more love and care. The studio said on Steam that a more precise date will come later, and the game is still headed to Xbox Game Pass. A new demo is now available on Steam for players to try for the first time.
Xbox Game Pass is adding Neon Abyss 2, Valor Mortis, and Battlefield 6 this month, but the bigger story may be the games leaving the service. Polygon says one of the departing titles is the best RPG on Xbox Game Pass.
You wanna see some real speed? 👀
On the final day of Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has dropped to $20 for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X, the lowest price for each version at Amazon and exclusive to Prime members. The Switch 2 version is also on sale at $29.99. IGN's 9/10 review praised its roster, courses, and customization options.
Xbox Game Pass has revealed its first wave of October 2026 additions, which includes eight Day One titles. The games arrive in early October for members.
The Coalition studio head Mike Crump declined to say whether the studio faces layoffs after shipping Gears of War: E-Day, telling the BBC the team is focused on what it "can control." He said E-Day is a "great foundation" for future Gears titles and that the next game "will not take nearly as long" to make. The studio's story director and others were laid off last month, as Kotaku reported.
Add these to your "need to play" list
A Reddit r/Games post says Battlefield 6, Valor Mortis, Forever Ago and more are coming to Xbox Game Pass. No specific dates or full lineup were given.
Canceled Hideo Kojima horror game P.T. has made a comeback 12 years later. The playable teaser launched in 2014 and was pulled from the PlayStation Store in 2015, leaving no official way to play it.
SNØ: Ultimate Freeriding coming to PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 on October 28 https://www.gematsu.com/2026/10/sno-ultimate-freeriding-coming-to-ps5-xbox-series-and-switch-2-on-october-28
Game Pass will add Battlefield 6, Valor Mortis, Forever Ago and more in mid October. The report comes from Gematsu, with the full list and dates in the linked article.
Microsoft announced the games coming to Game Pass in mid October, including Battlefield 6 on October 13, Forever Ago and Neon Abyss 2 on October 8, Valor Mortis and Deep Dish Dungeon on October 13, Bluey's Happy Snaps and Chained Beasts on October 15, and Beyond These Stars on October 16, several of them day-one additions. A Plague Tale: Requiem, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and other titles will leave the Game Pass library on October 15.
Microsoft revealed the first batch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in October 2026, with Battlefield 6 joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on 13th October. Echo Weaver, Forever Ago and Neon Abyss 2 arrive on 8th October, Deep Dish Dungeon and Valor Mortis on 13th, Bluey's Happy Snaps and Chained Beasts on 15th, and Beyond These Stars on 16th, with seven titles launching into the service on day one. Games leaving on 15th October include Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Donut County and Pacific Drive.
Xbox announced the first October wave of Game Pass additions, with Battlefield 6 joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on October 13. Echo Weaver, Forever Ago, Deep Dish Dungeon, Valor Mortis, Bluey's Happy Snaps, Chained Beasts and Beyond These Stars arrive on day one. Nine titles including A Plague Tale: Requiem, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Pacific Drive leave the library on October 15.
Why this: Xbox's official list of October Game Pass wave one includes Battlefield 6 and several day-one titles, useful for planning downloads.
A roughly two-minute video of gameplay from the cancelled Perfect Dark reboot is circulating on social media, first reported by Mp1st, showing snippets from various stages of development including fleshed-out levels, early grey-box gunplay testing, abilities and destructible fruit. The Initiative's game was announced at The Game Awards in 2020 as an episodic, Westworld-inspired reimagining, got a gameplay reveal at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase, and was cancelled months later when Xbox stopped funding and development and The Initiative shut down. Joanna Dark's voice actor Alix Wilton Regan said she was blindsided by the cancellation after recording entire chapters of the universe.
Microsoft revealed the second October 2026 Xbox Game Pass lineup, with nine games joining various tiers from October 8 to 16, including Battlefield 6 on October 13. The list also includes Echo Weaver, Forever Ago and Neon Abyss 2 on October 8, Deep Dish Dungeon and Valor Mortis on October 13, Bluey's Happy Snaps and Chained Beasts on October 15, and Beyond These Stars on October 16. Eight games leave the service in early October, among them Pacific Drive, A Plague Tale: Requiem and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball said on X that Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on Xbox on November 19, but it "will not be streaming exclusively or to PC." The statement followed a Verge report on October 6 that Xbox had secured the exclusive right to deliver GTA 6 via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
The Coalition studio head Mike Crump said the next Gears of War game "will not take nearly as long" to make, crediting Gears of War: E-Day with providing a "great foundation" for future entries. The previous game, Gears 5, launched in 2019, seven years before E-Day arrived this week on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Crump added that his leadership team has worked together for upwards of 20 years.
Forza Horizon 6 for PS5 has been delayed to January 26, 2027, after Microsoft said the version was still on track for 2026. The PS5 edition is developed by Panic Button and offers a 4K 30FPS Quality mode and a 60FPS Performance mode, with cross-play and cross-saves with the Xbox and Steam versions, plus a pre-tuned Ferrari J50 for preorders. The first paid expansion launches January 21, 2027, included in the Premium Edition, Premium Upgrade, and Expansions Bundle or sold separately at an unconfirmed price.
Xbox Game Pass announced its first October wave of 12 games, led by Gears of War: E-Day and also including Battlefield 6 and Valor Mortis. Echo Weaver, Forever Ago, Bluey's Happy Snaps, Chained Beasts, and Beyond These Stars arrive day one, while Battlefield 6 joins on October 13. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Evil West are among the titles leaving on October 15.
According to Windows Central's Jez Corden, Microsoft plans to invest more heavily in Battle.net as a PC platform, with Asha Sharma saying its user retention is nearly as good as Steam's. Microsoft wants to support Battle.net's existing community while bringing more first-party and select third-party games to it, with The Witcher 3 as the first major third-party addition. Microsoft also plans to simplify Xbox's publishing tools and APIs, and Sharma said Xbox will keep investing in other PC storefronts including Steam as long as they reach distinct audiences.