loading . . . RPGamerās Personal 2026 Summer Announcement Highlights Although E3 is now very much in the past, others have stepped up to take its place and ensure that the start of June remains packed with an incredible amount of game reveals and announcements. We solicited the RPGamer staff to pick out their favourite three announcements (and potential honourable mentions) from the two-week rush that began at the end of May covering numerous showcases, Summer Game Fest, a flooded Nintendo Direct, and more. You can read about what theyāre looking forward to and why in this feature. We also invite all of our readers to share what games got you excited!
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Imani Jones
1. Final Fantasy Resonance
Final Fantasy Resonance was one of my biggest highlights from the recent announcements. I've loved watching Square Enix refine its HD-2D style over the years, starting with Octopath Traveler and continuing through projects like Triangle Strategy and the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Seeing that treatment finally applied to Final Fantasy is exciting enough on its own, but Resonance also marks a return to traditional turn-based combat while expanding the world and story of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius into a full-fledged console RPG. With Team Asano involved and a reworked HD-2D take on a mobile title, Resonance is easily one of my most anticipated games.
2. Stellar Blade: Blood Rain
I enjoyed just about everything about the original Stellar Blade, from its fast-paced combat and thrilling boss fights to its gorgeous world and incredible soundtrack, so a sequel was already going to be high on my list. Looking at the trailer, Iām surprised by how different Blood Rain looks. The shift to a dense, futuristic city gives it a completely different atmosphere, while the new protagonist and focus on hand-to-hand combat make it feel distinct from the original game. The trailer also hinted at a darker tone, with ordinary citizens suddenly transforming into monsters as chaos spreads throughout the city. It's still early, but Iām already excited for this game based on the reveal alone. I can't wait to see more of its world, combat, and story over the coming months.
3. Fable
Among the recent Xbox announcements, Fable stood out to me. The latest showcase presented a fantasy RPG bursting with personality, with a colorful take on Albion and dry humor. The focus on player choice and reputation also suggests a world that responds to your actions in different ways, which has always been one of the genreās best strengths. That said, western RPGs have come a long way over the past two decades, with players now expecting deeper worlds and stories. The footage shown so far certainly looks great, but the real test will come when we get to play it ourselves. Either way, itās always exciting to see a remake of a classic RPG series, and Iām looking forward to getting my hands on it.
Honorable Mention: Persona 6
Iām giving Persona 6 an honorable mention simply because thereās still so little to go on. The teaser was extremely brief, with no gameplay or story details shown and no release window. Even so, I was still excited just to see it announced. Persona 5 has been the face of the series for close to a decade now, through its original release, expanded editions, spin-offs, and adaptations, so it does feel like the right time to finally move on to something new.
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Jordan McClain
1. Final Fantasy VII Revelation
When the project began, I went into Final Fantasy VII Remake not really knowing what to expect, but I came out with an overall positive opinion about its potential, despite having a few misgivings. Rebirth, with its much larger scope, combat tweaks, and vastly improved sidequest writing absolutely blew me away and sold me much harder on the overall project, easily being my favorite game of 2024. Needless to say, Iāve been heavily anticipating part three, and it was the game I was, by far, most excited for going into Summer Game Fest. The explosion of exhilaration boomed in the theater upon its reveal, and the announcement trailer looks to provide some truly dizzying scope and even more gameplay options, with the pseudo-job system (black mage Tifa!) showing a lot of promise. Hereās hoping Square Enix and Revelation can stick the landing.
2. CONTROL Resonant
I quite liked the original CONTROL, with its distinct setting and atmosphere, so a sequel was always going to pique my interest, but switching genres into an action RPG more firmly pinged this game on my radar. Its various announcement trailers have taken it from noticed to craved, largely due to its incredibly bizarre visual direction and art style, as well as its remarkable shapeshifting weapon system. Itās not often I say this, but it doesnāt really look quite like anything else, and Iām extremely excited to see what itās all about. Attendees on campus at Summer Game Fest Play Days absolutely raved about the game, praising its combat for its fluidity and excitement. That, combined with the outlandish boss and world designs present in its trailers, easily makes this one of the premier highlights of the summer.
3. Phantom Blade Zero
I canāt express enough how much I love wuxia. I grew up adoring Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kung Fu Hustle, and I wanted so much to be a martial arts hero, striking down injustice with a forceful palm and righteous fury. While I havenāt yet become a Shaolin master, Phantom Blade Zero feels like a chance for some digital vicariousness. The gameplay demonstrations in trailers have looked phenomenal, but after getting the chance to try this game at Summer Game Fest Play Days, I have been firmly sold, and it actually feels even better than it looks. The combat is extraordinarily fast, fluid, beautifully choreographed, incredibly responsive, and more importantly, incredibly varied across weapon styles; for further thoughts, feel free to check out my impression of its preview at Play Days. Phantom Blade Zero looks and feels like it can be something truly special, and while trailers and the preview have been relatively tight-lipped about plot details, the gameplay seems compelling enough on its own.
Honorable Mentions: Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Crimson Moon
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Joe Tingle
1. Xenoblade Genesis
Over the last few years, it feels like the Xenoblade Chronicles series has truly become an important pillar of Nintendoās first-party lineup, and luckily, fans should not have to wait too much longer for the next installment of what has become a pre-eminent JRPG series. This time, Genesis appears to see the series turning away from the hard sci-fi settings of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and X, and instead opting for what appears to be a fantasy-centered military academy setting. While I personally prefer science fiction settings, Iām sure Genesis will put its own unique twist on what has become a fairly ubiquitous anime trope.
2. Fire Emblem: Fortuneās Weave
Speaking of fantasy military academies, Fortuneās Weave promises to see the Fire Emblem series return to its own military fantasy setting (and Persona-esque structure) that was made incredibly popular with Three Houses in 2015. Part of this feels like unfinished business: while Fire Emblem: Engage never looked quite as bad as it reviewed, it was disappointing to see the studio fail to capitalize on the momentum of the game that took the Nintendo world by storm. Hereās to hoping that not too much time has passed since then, and that Intelligent Systems manages to find that spark again.
3. Metaphor: ReFantazio (Nintendo Switch 2)
While Metaphor: ReFantazio was released to widespread acclaim in 2024, its moment was too short, and it never seemed to resonate as much as it could have in the larger JRPG conversation. And, in fairness, being released in the same year as heavy hitters like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, as well as having its own hype overshadowed in part by Atlusā long awaited remake of Persona 3, couldnāt have helped much. Now, with little else than Grand Theft Auto VI on Novemberās release calendar, RPG fans looking for something different will have the opportunity to finally give Metaphor: ReFantazio the attention it deserved. Metaphor should be a perfect game to play in both docked and portable modes, and hereās to hoping the title will find an audience among other Switch 2 player.
Honorable Mention: Stranger Than Heaven
Controversies around certain casting choices aside, Stranger Than Heaven is shaping up to be anything but another RGG studios game, especially as evidenced by those who have gotten to play the title on the showroom floor. Reports indicate a novel approach to combat this time, where each shoulder button controls a different limb (i.e, right bumper punches with the right arm; left trigger kicks with the left leg). Sounds like it could be terrible, but Iāve heard mostly good things from people whoāve experienced it directly, and luckily, we wonāt have to wait too much longer to try it for ourselves.
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Ryan Costa
1. Threads of Time
Shown off during the Day of the Devs event, all it needed to do was show a new trailer to burst to the top of my list of most exciting announcements. The devs at Riyo Games have shown the care and thoughtfulness put into Threads of Time, with every animation, character design, and dynamic camera angle during combat that this is one indie RPG with ties to nostalgia that has the chops to be at the forefront of a continued renaissance of powerful turn-based RPGs that I for one am here wholehearted for. As someone who likes to champion smaller titles as often as I can, this is one title that I feel will not need much convincing for every RPGamer to be intrigued and hopefully entertained when this game releases.
2. Exodus
What an odd journey it has been for Exodus. From its heightened beginnings as "that Matthew McConaughey game" to being relegated to the star of a "B" show in Future Games Show, it feels as though it dropped from loftier standards. However, with an extended gameplay look, I'd say that it had one of the best showings. It took the sci-fi action RPG feel and really ramped everything up to be a worthy looking successor to Mass Effect and BioWare games of that era as a whole. The characters, gameplay, and world design all look very intriguing and with some polish in the form of great voice acting and Exodus is looking to be a worthy homage to another more modern era of RPGs. There were a few dialogue choices and the all too heartwarmingly familiar dialogue wheel, and as a result excitement for it has reached an all-time high.
3. Signet City
It feels so easy to get excited over a title because it is a continuation of a long-running franchise or an homage to the best games of the past. But every year there's something that comes out that sticks in my mind at least as something different. Now this has just been a reveal trailer so there's not much to go on except pedigree and description. However, the writer behind the well regarded Citizen Sleeper games taking that interesting approach to storytelling and gameplay based mostly on dice enhanced dialogue and swapping it to a first person viewpoint, while having it drip artistic vision through the black-and-white manga aesthetic and creating a new term I had to think about and decipher with "fungalpunk" and it all melds together into the most intriguing thought of "what will this end up being" that came from the trailer showcases.
Honorable Mentions: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse and Indie Quest 2026
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is another homage, with Konami hitting on all cylinders so far as new studios get the opportunity to play with its old IPs. With this one I am a huge Dead Cells fan, so seeing what Motion Twin can do with an actual built-in map, instead of procedurally roguelike generation from its previous titles. The combat feels like it can't miss with this team behind it, and trying to figure out how it'll expand the Belmont story will be fascinating.
Indie Quest 2026 gets a mention for the entire showcase, which aired on May 28, 2026. There are so many underrated and exciting looking indie RPGs that were showcased at the event. As long as thereās even an inkling of nostalgia or interest in the indie realm, there will be something shown here for everyone.
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Alex Fuller
1. Xenoblade Genesis
My exceedingly positive thoughts on Monolith Softās Xenoblade Chronicles series are documented here on RPGamer, so itās only natural that a brand new title from the developer is my personal top highlight of the announcement season. Iām very excited to see what fresh ideas Monolith Soft brings to Xenoblade Genesis's setting, story, and gameplay; the setting appears unconnected to the previous Xenoblade titles (reflected by the dropping of the Chronicles moniker) and has a more fantasy style to it, though the studioās sci-fi elements are definitely still present in the shape of the world. With a consistently stellar output from its time under Nintendo, we should be in for another treat.
2. Final Fantasy VII Revelation
Thanks in part to Square Enixās realisation that actually keeping developers on board makes it much easier to, yāknow, develop games, weāre getting the final part of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy sooner than many might have anticipated. Both Remake and Rebirth were exciting titles that combined Square Enixās superb presentation with exciting gameplay and an expanded reworking of the Final Fantasy VII story that keep asking plenty of questions. I have absolutely no idea how the game is going to stick the landing with the narrative complexities it has introduced, but Iām excited to see it try.
3. Fire Emblem: Fortuneās Weave
The much vaunted series revival that began back with Fire Emblem: Awakening continues. While the setting and focus of the most recent title, Fire Emblem Engage, wasnāt one for me personally, Iām fascinated to see the series dive back into the setting of the very popular Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Thereās a lot of potential intriguing elements that the Roman-inspired Dagdan Empire looks set to bring to the table, and Iām interested to see how the four different story threads might work together in the game, as well as how the game expands on the elements inside and outside of combat.
Honorable Mentions: Persona 4 Revival, Tales of Eternia Remastered, Signet City, CONTROL Resonant, Exodus
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Sven Ferguson
1. Fire Emblem: Fortuneās Weave
To be totally honest, right around the end of May I was getting worried that Fortuneās Weave wasnāt going to make its 2026 projection. However, ask and ye shall receive, and boy did we receive way more than I had bargained for. Thereās more to unpack than I have time for. The most interesting thing in my view, though, is the massively expanded time-management elements. Fortuneās Weave expands out Three Housesā monastery segments by tracking all time in Turns and giving you a lot of it, which interests me as it allows activities to take more varied amounts of time and makes completing optional battles quickly more important. With most of the activities of Three Houses apparently present, plus the new ability to wander the whole Dagdan continent, there will be so many paths to take in making your units the best they can be. Exploring said continent is also incredibly exciting, since FĆ³dlan was an incredibly well-realized setting. It makes me wish I couldāve walked through FĆ³dlan as freely as we can in Dagda.
2. Final Fantasy VII Revelation
Perhaps itās a bit simplistic, but Iām excited most by simply being able to see this saga through to the end. Ever since it was announced that the Final Fantasy VII remake project would be a trilogy, Iāve been interested in how it would shake out as a singular product. I played both Remake and Rebirth, and I enjoyed each of them. However, Iāve also kept my final judgement reserved with the knowledge that there were a lot of maybes regarding future entries. Maybe itāll fix things I didnāt enjoy, maybe itāll mess up things I liked. Maybe all this build-up will be worth it, maybe it wonāt. With Revelation on the horizon, I feel a sense of closure is coming. All the uncertainty will dissipate with the full trilogy in hand, and it can be viewed holistically as a single mega-game that evolved over three releases. Revelation certainly is looking like quite the finale with massive fights against the Weapons, huge gameplay shakeups, and its remixed story coming to a head. Simply having the finale, though, helps put the entire series into perspective. With how great the prior entries were, I have faith that this whole trilogy will be seen as a classic in its own right.
3. Xenoblade Genesis
Xenobladeās rise to prominence still astounds and inspires me. From a first entry that was barely released outside of Japan, the series has become one of Nintendoās flagships. The momentum doesnāt seem to be stopping, either. Genesisā military academy concept isnāt new, calling to mind Nintendoās own Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Falcomās Trails of Cold Steel. Those are both games I love, and with Monolith Softās knack for creating unique worlds with unforgettable stories Iām excited to see what they bring to the concept. It's also intriguing due to seemingly being a whole new chapter for the series. The three mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games weaved their way into a connected story in a very unusual manner. It makes me wonder if Genesis will have any sneaky ties to the past, or will be a clean break.
Honorable Mention: Persona 6
I WISH it could be more than an honorable mention, but it is only a teaser. Itās creepy, foreboding vibes left such an impact that I have to mention it, though.
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The post RPGamerās Personal 2026 Summer Announcement Highlights appeared first on RPGamer. https://rpgamer.com/2026/06/rpgamers-personal-2026-summer-announcement-highlights/
