The biggest new game of November 2026 is Grand Theft Auto VI, out November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Before it come World of Warcraft: Forever on November 4, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 on November 5, and Football Manager 27 on November 10. PC players don't get GTA 6 at launch, so WoW: Forever and 9 Kings 1.0 are their big dates.
If you plan to play GTA 6 on launch day, you have 17 days and room for about one other game. The best pick depends on your platform and on whether a game has an ending. Dates and platforms are below, followed by how to choose. Almost nothing here has been reviewed yet, so this is a calendar, not a list of scores.
New games coming out in November 2026
These are the releases most people will care about, as of November 2. Publishers can still move dates, so check the store page before you plan around one.
| Game | Release date | Platforms | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered | November 3 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC | Monster arena brawler remaster |
| Zero Parades: Director's Cut | November 3 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 | Espionage RPG, console debut |
| World of Warcraft: Forever | November 4 | PC, Mac | New permanent version of the MMO |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | November 5 | Switch 2 | Ground-up remake of the 1998 game |
| Stellar Blade Complete Edition | November 5 (November 6 in Korea and Japan) | Switch 2 | Action game port with all DLC |
| Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Encore Edition | November 5 | Switch 2 | Story action port |
| Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School | November 5 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC | Co-op or solo escape room puzzler |
| Airframe Ultra | November 5 | PC | Online combat racing |
| Football Manager 27 | November 10 | PC, Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, Android | Football management sim |
| DreamWorks Shrek 2 Remastered | November 10 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, PC | Co-op action remaster |
| Warhammer Survivors | November 10 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, PC, iOS, Android | Survivors-style roguelite |
| Metaphor: ReFantazio | November 12 | Switch 2 | RPG port |
| Pikmin 4: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy | November 12 | Switch 2 | Upgraded version with a new mode |
| 9 Kings 1.0 | November 12 | PC | Roguelike kingdom builder leaves early access |
| Sonic Pico Park | November 12 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, PC | Co-op action puzzler |
| Grand Theft Auto VI | November 19 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Open-world crime game |
The calendar has a clear shape. Nearly everything is packed into November 3 to 12, and very little of note follows GTA 6. On Wikipedia's release list, the rest of the month is mostly smaller games and ports.
Why November 2026 is so quiet
GTA 6 is the reason. GamesRadar+'s Emma-Jane Betts wrote that in a busy year, "November is one of the quietest," as publishers avoid Rockstar's launch. IGN noted that Nintendo is one of the few publishers willing to release a big game in the same month.
Look at what's left and the logic shows. Much of the list is ports and remasters of games that have already had their main launch, such as Stellar Blade, Guardians of the Galaxy and Metaphor. Others serve an audience that was never going to be torn away, like Football Manager and WoW players. The games that did come early have a two-week head start. For the wider picture on why the calendar bunches up, see why so many big games release in the fall.
The big November releases, and what you actually pay
Grand Theft Auto VI (November 19). Rockstar's new game costs $80 for the Standard Edition and $100 for the Ultimate Edition, according to Engadget. It is PS5 and Xbox Series X/S only, with no PC version at launch. If you're on PC, we covered what to play instead. If you're on console, our GTA 6 pre-load and file size guide covers the download.
World of Warcraft: Forever (November 4). Blizzard's new version of WoW goes back to the original continents and a level cap of 60, with new zones, a new playable race and over 1,000 quests. It launches at 3 p.m. PST. Access is included with a WoW subscription or Game Time, and the upgrade packs are optional.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (November 5). The remake costs $59.99 digitally and $69.99 physically on Nintendo's US store. IGN reports manual jumping and dashing, motion aiming and fully voiced cutscenes, with the main structure largely unchanged. If it's your first Zelda, our guide to the Zelda games in order can help you decide where to begin.
Stellar Blade Complete Edition (November 5). The Switch 2 version costs $59.99 and includes the NieR: Automata and NIKKE DLC plus a new Bayonetta collaboration. The worldwide launch is 7 a.m. PST on November 5, which is why some calendars list November 6. Gematsu reports the physical edition has the full game on the card.
Football Manager 27 (November 10). It launches on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and on iOS and Android through Netflix, and it's also coming to Game Pass.
Metaphor: ReFantazio (November 12). Atlus's RPG comes to Switch 2 at $39.99 on Nintendo's US store. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, also $39.99, it's an older game at a lower price, so it's an easy one to leave for later.
Pikmin 4: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (November 12). It adds Dandori Academy, with 72 exam stages released over time, plus voice commands for Oatchi through the console's microphone.
Two cheaper picks are worth knowing about. Warhammer Survivors costs $7.99 and has a PC demo out now. Escape Academy 2 lists at $19.99 on Steam. Both are also coming to Game Pass.
How to choose what to play before GTA 6
The dates do most of the work here. A game released on November 5 gives you 14 days before GTA 6. A game released on November 12 gives you seven. So ask these in order:
- Are you playing GTA 6 on day one? If not, the deadline goes away. Buy what you want and take your time.
- Does the game have an ending? Ocarina of Time and Escape Academy 2 are games you can finish and put down. WoW: Forever and Football Manager have no natural end, so they compete with GTA 6 rather than sitting ahead of it.
- Is this the only time it's new? Ports don't expire. Metaphor and Guardians have been out for years on other platforms, and they will still be there in January.
- Can you wait for reviews? Most of these games have no scores yet. We'll collect reviews in our Ocarina of Time deep dive and Stellar Blade and Escape Academy 2 roundup.
For most people that points to one game plus GTA 6. Ocarina of Time and GTA 6 together cost about $140 at digital prices, which is a real reason to stop there.
If you already have games in progress, finish or park those first. Our plan for clearing your backlog before GTA 6 goes through how to sort them. A new release should only make the list if it's more appealing than what you've already started.
The best November game for each platform
| You play on | Pick this before GTA 6 | Why | If you have room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch 2 | Ocarina of Time | The biggest game of the month that isn't GTA 6, and it has an ending | Pikmin 4, Metaphor |
| PS5 | Escape Academy 2 | Puzzle rooms in solo or co-op, at a lower price | Zero Parades: Director's Cut |
| Xbox Series X/S | Escape Academy 2 | Same reason, and it's coming to Game Pass | Football Manager 27, also coming to Game Pass |
| PC | WoW: Forever or 9 Kings 1.0 | No GTA 6 deadline, so long games are fine | Airframe Ultra |
| Phone or tablet | Warhammer Survivors | $7.99 and made for short sessions | Football Manager 27 Mobile, with Netflix |
These are our suggestions based on what's been announced, not on reviews. If early reviews disappoint, drop the pick and move on.
What comes after GTA 6
If you skip something this month, you won't be short of games for long. Wikipedia's list has the next wave starting on December 3 with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for Switch 2, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World, Rayman Legends Retold and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV. Monster Hunter Wilds reaches Switch 2 on December 4, and Path of Exile 2 gets its full release on December 11.
That's another reason not to rush. Everything on this list will still be there after GTA 6, and many people won't look up from Vice City for a while anyway. Put the games you're skipping on a short list so you don't forget them. In Perthro you can keep them on your wishlist and move one to Playing when you're actually ready to start it.
Sources
- GamesRadar+: The 5 top games you need to play in November 2026
- PC Gamer: Upcoming 2026 games
- Wikipedia: List of video games released in 2026
- Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto VI
- Engadget: Rockstar finally reveals pricing for Grand Theft Auto 6
- Blizzard: Carve a New Path with World of Warcraft: Forever
- GamesRadar+: World of Warcraft: Forever announcement
- Nintendo: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- IGN: Ocarina of Time remake release date confirmed
- SHIFT UP press release: Stellar Blade Complete Edition on Switch 2
- Gematsu: Stellar Blade Complete Edition for Switch 2
- Nintendo: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Encore Edition
- Nintendo: Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Gematsu: Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy
- Gematsu: Football Manager 27 launches November 10
- Gematsu: Escape Academy 2 launches November 5
- Gematsu: Airframe Ultra launches November 5
- Gematsu: Zero Parades: Director's Cut coming to Xbox Series
- Gematsu: Warhammer Survivors launches November 10
- Gematsu: DreamWorks Shrek 2 Remastered announced
- Gematsu: Sonic Pico Park launches November 12
- Final Weapon: Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered announced
- Steam: Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School
