After a long, very hot weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend my second Summer Game Fest, and once again, it was an absolute blast. I got to go hands-on with games I had only hoped would ever be real, discovered a few new titles that are now firmly on my radar, and got some deeper looks at upcoming games that should have plenty of people excited.
There was a lot to take in across the show floor, from massive returning franchises to smaller surprises that completely caught me off guard. Here are the games and showcases that stood out the most.
Best In Show
Let’s jump right into the part everyone wants to know: what had the best showing at Summer Game Fest?
I didn’t give myself any hard restrictions here. A hands-on demo naturally has an advantage over a theater presentation because I’m actually getting to feel how the game plays, but a great hands-off showcase can still leave a major impression. With that in mind, here are my Best in Show picks.
Honorable Mention: Onimusha: Way of the Sword
This was my third preview for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and at this point, I am more than ready for the full game.
My first time playing it was at PAX West last year, and even then, I walked away feeling like the game was close to being ready to ship. CAPCOM is clearly taking its time smoothing out the rough edges, and honestly, that is exactly what more studios should be doing. In a time when unfinished or rough launches have become far too common, it is refreshing to see a game that already feels strong continue to get that extra level of polish.
Every time I see Onimusha, I walk away more confident in it. The combat feels sharp, the presentation is excellent, and it continues to feel like a strong return for a franchise that deserves the spotlight again.
Runner Up: Alien: Isolation 2
Alien: Isolation is still one of the best horror games of all time, and after years of waiting, the sequel is finally starting to feel real.
The demo for Alien: Isolation 2 was fairly short, but it gave us more than enough to understand what the team is going for. There were jumpscares, tense stealth moments, and plenty of time spent trying to sneak away from the Xenomorph. The first game was terrifying because it made you feel like you were being hunted by something that could learn from how you played. That same philosophy seems to be back, only this time it feels even faster and more aggressive.
The sequel also appears to be operating on a much larger scale than the first game. The demo began in an outdoor section, which immediately made the world feel more open and expansive than the tight corridors and confined spaces most players associate with Alien: Isolation. It is still too early to know how much of the game will take place in environments like this, but it suggests the team is looking to push the formula beyond what we experienced before.
During my demo, I tried to stay hidden by using the crawlspaces. After only a short amount of time, the Xenomorph started checking those crawlspaces too. That one moment immediately brought back the dread that made the first game so effective.
Alien: Isolation 2 already feels polished and intense, but this is also the kind of game I am more than happy to wait for. A sequel to one of the scariest horror games ever made deserves all the time it needs.
Stranger Than Heaven
As much as I like to claim the horror guy title, the game I had the most pure fun with at Summer Game Fest was Stranger Than Heaven.
Yes, I like RGG games. Yes, I like fighting games. But even with that in mind, Stranger Than Heaven completely caught me off guard. It had some of the most fun, fluid, and satisfying hand-to-hand combat I have played in a game like this.
We got to play through three different levels, and each one had its own set of enemies and challenges. What really stood out was how intuitive the combat felt. You have direct control over each side of your body, so if an opponent is blocking left, you attack right. If they are blocking right, you attack left. If they grab your right arm, you can still use your left to defend yourself. It feels immersive, stylish, and incredibly responsive all at once.
I was grinning from ear to ear during the entire session, and I wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the room seemed to be having the same reaction. People were rooting for each other during the boss fight because he was genuinely tough, and the whole demo had this exciting, energetic atmosphere around it.
Snoop Dogg may not have fully sold me. Tupac had me intrigued. But after actually playing Stranger Than Heaven, I am fully ready for RGG to deliver what could be an absolute banger.
Best Hands-Off Presentation
Naturally, hands-on demos tend to be the show favorites because I actually get to experience them firsthand. But that does not mean the hands-off presentations were any less exciting.
Some of the games I saw behind closed doors left a huge impression, whether it was because of their atmosphere, mechanics, or the potential they showed. These were the hands-off presentations that stood out the most
Honorable Mention: Saw: Genesis
A departure from your typical Bloober game, Saw: Genesis is a 3v1 asymmetrical horror survival game. Now I know that genre has been getting flooded lately, however I have hopes that Saw Genesis will be different. Rather than it being straight up killer chasing survivors, Saw: Genesis has a different gameplay loop. The Judge is tasked with setting traps and thinking one step ahead, as the Judge you are fairly weak and can actually be killed by the so called accused. To me that makes it interesting, I’ll admit some of the gameplay looked a little rough around the edges but I’m assuming that footage was still in early development. I like the idea of the “killer” in this scenario having to actually plan and predict to be able to stop the accused from reaching redemption.
Plus as an Accused or as a survivor it has a huge focus on team work which is good. These asymmetrical horror games become impossible to play survivor solo as they’ve been, because you load in if you go down your team doesn’t care about you. In Saw: Genesis, those extra health bars will matter in the long run. We’ll see how this goes, Saw: Genesis is planning a closed beta soonish so I’ll save my definite reactions for that.
Runner Up: The Lost Wild
One thing I’ve wanted for a long time is another dinosaur horror game, and I thought we were sort of getting that with Jurassic Park: Survival but we still haven’t seen more of that. Lucky for me, Annapurna Interactive took my request personally (kidding of course) and they’re giving us The Lost Wild.
Great Ape games did a great job of showing us how The Lost Wilds compares to other dinosaur games and even specifically horror games with dinosaurs. They made it very clear that they aren’t designing a game with Monsters that look like Dinosaurs, they’ve created Dinosaurs that live and react like they truly would in the wild making them Predatory animals while they stalk their prey, that’s you. This game looks beautiful and it looks terrifying. Unlike many other horror games in this genre you’ll be spending most of your time outside in the open so you’ll surely always be looking over your shoulder.
Silent Hill Townfall
After Silent Hill f I want more Silent Hill and I want it now, luckily we don’t have to wait much longer for Silent Hill Townfall with a release date of September 24th! This game looks beautiful! In a terrifyingly spooky way that Silent Hill can, but I can’t wait to explore this small Scottish island. We got to see some gameplay showcasing a puzzle, some combat, but most importantly the radio mechanic of this game. You’ll have a radio where you tune to frequencies that are targeted to you, these frequencies will help guide you to where you need to go AND it will help you track enemies. This isn’t quite a cat and mouse horror game, you CAN fight. But you do have to evade until you have the equipment to fight. I’m excited for Silent Hill Townfall, and this gameplay showcase didn’t help. The enemies look like they’ll be terrifying and gross exactly how they should be, from this to Alien Isolation 2, horror fans will be eating good soon.
Biggest Surprises
It is difficult to attend a show like Summer Game Fest without bringing some expectations with you, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, having those expectations makes it even more exciting when a game comes out of nowhere and completely surpasses them.
These were the games that surprised me the most.
Best Surprise: SEED
I almost missed my appointment for SEED because of some scheduling issues, but I was thankfully able to find room in my day without sacrificing lunch. I am very glad I made it over to the booth.
First, the team behind SEED was fantastic. Klang Games CEO Mundi Vondi was there, and he was an absolute delight to speak with. You could immediately see how passionate he is about the game. Whenever someone asked a question, he visibly lit up because it gave him another opportunity to showcase a system or feature. That same enthusiasm carried through the entire team, making the presentation even more enjoyable.
The game itself was also nothing like I expected, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Going into the appointment without knowing too much about SEED, I assumed it would essentially be a server-based version of The Sims. I could not have been more wrong. In SEED, you help create a living, breathing society of Seedlings that continue to live, work, and survive 24/7, whether you are logged in or not.
What impressed me most was the level of interaction you can have with your Seedlings. Rather than only clicking on a character and assigning them an action, you can communicate with them by sending text messages. You might send a Seedling a message saying, “Hey, you should eat something,” and they will respond based on their individual personality.
That is already an interesting feature, but the depth appears to go much further. Seedlings can recognize patterns and, with some assistance from players, develop solutions to problems created by the community.
The team told me about one player who managed to purchase all the bread in existence, leaving the Seedlings without access to an important food supply. With help from other players, the Seedlings were eventually able to bankrupt the person monopolizing the bread and restore access to their food.
Even with how far games have come, that kind of interactivity still feels ahead of its time. I cannot wait to jump back in and see what kind of hijinks players will be able to create within SEED’s constantly evolving society.
Runner-Up: Sea of Remnants
I had not seen much from Sea of Remnants before Summer Game Fest, but after spending some time with it between appointments, I walked away seeing plenty of potential.
The naval combat was fun, the character designs immediately stood out, and the standard combat system was fairly simple but still enjoyable. The game also has an absolute banger of a soundtrack that helped give the entire experience its own personality.
I believe there are some gacha mechanics involved, which gives me a little hesitation. However, I enjoyed enough of what I played that I am still curious to see how everything comes together in the final game.
Magic: The Gathering — Marvel Super Heroes
Of course, I could not attend Summer Game Fest without stopping by the Magic: The Gathering booth. I am the TCG guy, after all.
During my visit, I played a game of Magic: The Gathering — Marvel Super Heroes with Principal Game Designer Jadine Klomparens and lost but it was a good chat about the Magic and the current state of the game). I spoke with Daniel Holt about the set’s Commander decks. And I also had the opportunity to conduct a much larger interview with Mark Rosewater about the overall creation of Marvel Super Heroes and the challenges of building a set like this compared to a traditional Magic release.
Unfortunately, through a truly awful series of events, my phone failed to record most of that interview. I was left with only about three minutes of what was otherwise a long and fascinating conversation. It was incredibly disappointing, especially because Rosewater shared so much valuable insight into the thought process behind the set.
Even with that unfortunate setback, I learned a lot about Marvel Super Heroes during my time at the booth. After playing with the cards and speaking to the people who helped create them, I can safely say that I am excited for this set—and I think Magic players should be too.
There are plenty of unique mechanics, but what stood out is how naturally they fit within Magic’s existing systems. One of the strongest points Rosewater made was that the team focused on creating mechanically sound Magic cards before layering the Marvel identities onto them.
I will admit that I was nervous about this set going in. Marvel characters can be larger than life, and it would have been easy for the cards to feel like references first and Magic cards second. That does not appear to be the case here.
These are not cards that rely entirely on recognizable characters and artwork. They were built from the ground up to function as Magic cards and then given the Marvel flavor needed to bring those heroes and villains to life.
Speaking with Rosewater was also an incredible experience for me as both a fan and a writer. The way he discussed his love for Marvel alongside his understanding of Magic helped clarify exactly what this set is trying to accomplish. Yes, these are powerful and recognizable Marvel characters, but the cards are not simply Marvel collectibles placed inside a Magic frame. They were designed to belong in the game.
My conversation with Daniel Holt was equally enjoyable. As someone who primarily plays Commander, getting to learn more about how the four Commander decks came together gave me a much better understanding of what each one is trying to accomplish. You can check out our full interview for a deeper look at their development.
The main takeaway is simple: do not write this set off before giving it a chance. Marvel Super Heroes looks like it will be a lot of fun.
Will we eventually get four more Marvel sets? I have no idea. But please stop treating Marvel Super Heroes like it is simply another version of Marvel’s Spider-Man. It is not the same set, and it deserves the opportunity to stand on its own.
The Rest of Summer Game Fest
Just because these games were not among my absolute highest points of Summer Game Fest does not mean they were bad. In fact, I was impressed by the overall quality of nearly everything I experienced throughout the weekend.
From interviews with longtime developers to unexpected indie discoveries, there was plenty more worth talking about. Here is everything else I saw, played, and experienced during Summer Game Fest.
Fallout 76 Interview
I had the opportunity to sit down with Fallout 76 Creative Director Jon Rush and Production Director Bill LaCoste, and they were both fantastic to speak with.
If you have not returned to Fallout 76 because you are still judging it by the state it launched in, it may be time to buckle up and give it another chance. The game has changed significantly over the years and is now in a much better place.
It feels far more like the Fallout experience players originally wanted, while still finding ways to bring some light and personality to such a dark, dreary post-apocalyptic setting. My conversation with Rush and LaCoste gave me a much better understanding of how the team balances the familiar Fallout identity with the demands of a constantly evolving online game.
Check out our full interview with Jon Rush and Bill LaCoste for more on the past, present, and future of Fallout 76.
007 First Light Interview
I also had the opportunity to speak with the developers behind 007 First Light, and their passion for both the property and the genre was immediately clear.
The team spoke about James Bond with a genuine understanding of what makes the character and his world so iconic, while also showing plenty of excitement about building a game around stealth, action, and cinematic set pieces. You can tell they are not simply using the 007 name—they truly love the franchise and want to deliver an experience that feels worthy of it.
That enthusiasm made the conversation even more exciting and left me feeling much more confident about what the team is creating. Be sure to check out our full interview for more insight into the development of 007 First Light.
Alien: Fireteam Elite 2
Anyone who played the first Aliens: Fireteam Elite should have a pretty good idea of what to expect from its sequel. It is still a fun, third-person, team-based horde shooter set within one of the best science-fiction universes possible.
I played quite a bit of the original game, and after spending time with Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, I think I may need to reinstall it while I wait for the sequel.
There are a few notable changes this time around. The biggest is the addition of a fourth party member, which should make groups of four very happy. There are also new enemy types, while the class customization and upgrade systems appear to have much more depth.
The core action still feels familiar, but the additional systems could give players more freedom to shape their characters and team compositions. I am excited to spend more time exploring those options when the game releases.
Stuntman Hollywood
Stuntman Hollywood was one of the most popular games at the show. Appointments were difficult to secure, but I managed to get lucky and grab a last-minute session near the end of my Saturday.
Players who grew up with Stuntman: Ignition should feel right at home. Stuntman Hollywood captures that beautifully retro style of gameplay while giving it a modern finish. If you occasionally get the urge to revisit games from the early PlayStation era like I do—I am currently replaying Jak and Daxter—this should immediately appeal to you.
The levels were incredibly fun and extremely challenging, but they were difficult in exactly the way a Stuntman game should be. Completing a sequence requires precision, timing, and a willingness to repeat the same section until you finally get it right.
There was one particular J-turn that I attempted over and over again. I refused to leave the demo until I landed it, and with a little advice from the team, I eventually pulled it off.
Stuntman Hollywood was a very welcome surprise at Summer Game Fest, and I am excited to see what the full game has in store.
Turok: Origins
One thing you should know about me is that I love dinosaurs almost as much as I love Magic: The Gathering. Turok also taps directly into my nostalgia for that earlier era of PlayStation gaming, so I was naturally excited to play Turok: Origins.
I had a good time with the demo, but it was not the game’s strongest possible showing.
That may have been more of an issue with the level we played than the game itself. Aside from the boss, there were hardly any dinosaurs, and I rarely felt like the squad was in any real danger. For a game carrying the Turok name, I was hoping for more of that distinct Turok identity.
Turok: Origins is a three-player, PvE cooperative mission shooter set within the Turok universe. The foundation is there, but the demo left me wanting more dinosaurs, a stronger sense of danger, and more of the personality associated with the franchise.
This could have simply been a quieter mission selected for the preview, so I am willing to wait and see how the complete experience comes together.
Sonic x Pico Park
If you have played Pico Park, you already have a good idea of what Sonic x Pico Park offers. It takes the cooperative platforming and puzzle-solving of the original game and adds some colorful Sonic flair.
The crossover introduces faster and flashier challenges, but it still maintains the simple cooperative fun that makes Pico Park work. The team at the booth clearly loved the game, and playing alongside them made the session even more enjoyable.
It is cute, chaotic, and another good excuse to play more Pico Park.
Recur
Recur was not originally part of my Summer Game Fest schedule, and I had not seen anything from it before arriving at the show. While I was walking past the booth during a break, one of the team members pulled me in with a strong pitch, so I decided to give it a try.
I am glad that I did.
There is something special about a well-designed puzzle game with an interesting central mechanic that you can sit down and potentially finish in one focused session. Recur is a 3D side-scrolling puzzle game built around a clever form of time manipulation: walking to the left moves time backward, while walking to the right pushes time forward.
Time-bending mechanics are nothing new for puzzle games, but Recur uses the idea incredibly well. Each puzzle requires you to experiment with positioning and timing, gradually moving back and forth until everything falls into place.
The puzzles made me stop, think, and fiddle with the environment without ever feeling needlessly frustrating. If the full game can be completed in one or two sittings, it could become the perfect weekend purchase for anyone looking for something clever and different to play.
This time-bending indie game is absolutely worth your time.
Grave Seasons
Oh, Grave Seasons.
I technically did not have an appointment scheduled for this one, but I managed to sneak in early, play for a little while, and chat with one of the game’s lovely designers.
I have enjoyed everything Blumhouse Games has released or shown so far, but Grave Seasons feels like it was specifically designed to target me. I have hundreds of hours in Stardew Valley, and horror is my favorite video game genre. Combining a cozy farming and relationship simulator with a murder mystery almost feels unfair.
Getting another opportunity to play it also showed me that Grave Seasons is much larger than I initially expected. There appears to be far more happening beneath its familiar farming-sim surface, and I am excited to see how its relationships, town life, investigation, and horror elements all connect.
The full release cannot come soon enough.
Final Thoughts
My second Summer Game Fest was exhausting, incredibly hot, and absolutely worth it. Between massive returns like Alien: Isolation 2, unexpected standouts like SEED and Recur, and getting a closer look at Magic: The Gathering — Marvel Super Heroes, there was rarely a dull moment throughout the weekend.
Stranger Than Heaven may have taken my personal Best in Show, but the biggest takeaway was just how strong and varied the entire lineup felt. Horror fans, co-op players, puzzle lovers, TCG fans, and really anyone has something worth watching.
There are still plenty of questions surrounding many of these games, but I left Summer Game Fest with a much longer wishlist than I arrived with. Now comes the hardest part: waiting for all of them to release.
For more upcoming games, reviews, previews, and tech coverage throughout the year, be sure to check out our 2026 Video Game and Tech Calendar.
