Gaming news roundup: October 2026

October is always busy for games, and this year there is plenty for families: two new Nintendo releases, a big Minecraft launch date, a cheerful co-op climbing game arriving on consoles and a Halloween event on Roblox. Every item below comes from an official publisher or platform page that we read on 23 October 2026, with the date of the original announcement. No rumours, no leaks.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is out on Switch 2

Announced by Nintendo on 16 October 2026; released 22 October 2026.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort launched on 22 October, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. It is set on Wuhu Island and includes 12 sports. Nintendo lists two new ones, Thumb Wrestling and Skateboarding, alongside returning sports including Bowling, Tennis, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, Golf, Archery, Boxing, Power Cruising and Prop Plane.

It can be played solo or with others, in the same room or online. A few details worth knowing before you buy:

• Nintendo says Joy-Con 2 controllers (and in most cases any Joy-Con) work as rackets, bows and more, but Skateboarding needs a Joy-Con 2 controller.
• Multiplayer may need extra controllers, sold separately.
• Online features need a Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately) and a Nintendo Account.

Active games like this are a great way to get the whole family moving on a rainy evening. Just clear some space first.

Bluey’s Happy Snaps arrives on Switch and Switch 2

Announced by Nintendo on 15 October 2026.

Bluey’s Happy Snaps is a photo adventure starring Bluey and Bingo, set in familiar places from the show. Players explore, take photos that go into a scrapbook, unlock stickers, colour pages and dress the characters in costumes. Nintendo says it also includes mini-games from the show such as Shadowlands and Magic Cauldron, plus I-Spy and Barky Boat racing.

For parents, the key details from Nintendo’s page:

• It is on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.
• A second player can join side by side on the same console.
• Nintendo lists no in-game purchases and no online play.

Minecraft for Nintendo Switch 2 launches on 27 October

Announced on Minecraft.net on 7 October 2026.

Mojang has confirmed that Minecraft for Nintendo Switch 2 launches on 27 October, with pre-orders open now. All versions include the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack with Vibrant Visuals (Mojang notes Vibrant Visuals is not available in some gameplay, including split-screen).

The most useful news for existing players is the upgrade path. If you already own a digital copy of Minecraft for Nintendo Switch, Minecraft.net says you can get the digital Standard Edition for Switch 2 free in most territories until the end of January 2027, through the Nintendo eShop. A small fee applies in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Larger Deluxe and Ultimate Collections are also available.

New to the game? Our Minecraft beginner’s guide will get you through your first night.

Minecraft’s frosty final drop of 2026 is in testing

Published on Minecraft.net on 28 September 2026, with new test features added through 20 October.

Mojang calls this “the final game drop of 2026”, and it is all about ice. Features being tested in the Bedrock beta and preview and the Java snapshots include:

• Ice caves decorated with ice crystals and icicles.
• The frostbite, a frozen zombie variant that throws ice balls.
• Jukebox playlists: put a chest over a jukebox, fill it with music discs and it keeps playing.
• Brittle ice blocks that break when you stand on them, and crevasses in the ice caves.
• New ambient sounds and decorative blocks, added in the 20 October test builds.

Test builds can change before release, and Mojang asks testers to share feedback at feedback.minecraft.net and report bugs at bugs.mojang.com. If you try a beta or snapshot, use a copy of your world rather than your main one.

PEAK climbs onto Xbox and PlayStation 5

Xbox Wire, 22 October 2026; PlayStation Blog, 15 October 2026.

PEAK, from developers Aggro Crab and Landfall, is a co-op climbing game in which a group of lost nature scouts tries to climb a mountain on a mysterious island to get rescued. Its in-game motto is “Never abandon a friend in need”, which sums up the teamwork.

It launched on 22 October on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and PlayStation 5:

• Up to four players can climb together, and you can also play solo offline.
• Crossplay lets friends on different platforms team up.
• Xbox Wire says online multiplayer is friends only, and that the game supports Xbox Play Anywhere at no extra cost.
• The PlayStation Blog says the PS5 version includes all the content updates released since the game first launched.

The friends-only design means no random strangers in your climbing team, which many parents will appreciate.

Roblox opens The Hollow for Halloween

Roblox Newsroom, 21 October 2026.

The Hollow is a platform-wide Halloween survival event that runs from 22 October to 2 November. Each day, players enter the hub, solve a new maze, look for clues and avoid that day’s monster, with monsters drawn from nine popular horror experiences on Roblox. A live finale takes place on 31 October.

Points for families, according to Roblox:

• It is open to players with Roblox Select or Roblox accounts and aimed at ages 9 and older, with access varying by region.
• It is horror themed, so younger or easily scared players may prefer the Halloween events Roblox mentions in Adopt Me! and Welcome to Bloxburg.
• Roblox suggests parents visit its Family Zone experience to learn about safety features and parental controls together with their children.
• Quest rewards are earned by playing. Some Halloween avatar items are sold separately for a limited time, so it is a good moment to check spending limits.

Our Roblox starter guide explains age checks, chat rules and parental controls in detail.

Xbox tests paid cloud play without Game Pass

Xbox Wire, 21 October 2026.

Xbox has started testing Cloud Playtime with Xbox Insiders who do not have a Game Pass subscription. It lets players buy blocks of cloud streaming time instead of subscribing. Introductory test prices are 10 hours for $3.99, 25 hours for $7.99 and 50 hours for $11.99, with unused time staying available until it is used. Xbox says the packs are ad-free, and that a free, ad-supported way to try cloud gaming was announced earlier.

Xbox plans a broader rollout in November, though availability may vary by market and device. For families, it could be a simple way to try cloud gaming without a monthly plan. As with any paid extra, agree a budget first.

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Looking for something new to play without spending? See our best free-to-play games of 2026. Spotted official news you think we should cover? Get in touch.