The Best “Not-E3” Gaming Reveals of 2026

The absence of E3 over the past few years has revealed just how divided fans are on the event. Although some praised the events bringing multiple developers under the same roof, others criticized their often bloated runtime and lackluster reveals. This year’s lineup, however, proves that the industry doesn’t “need” E3 to thrive. In fact, many even dubbed this year’s week-long presentation lineup “Not-E3”. There was a little something for everything across these events, and today I’d like to highlight what I believe were the biggest announcements from each showcase.

SHOW 1: SONY’S STATE OF PLAY

Sony’s showing was reasonably impressive this summer, especially compared to previous State of Play shows. While the pacing wasn’t perfect, the show had a solid opening with an extended look at Wolverine. I remain cautiously optimistic about this game, mainly due to Spider-Man 2’s lackluster story. Regardless, Logan’s gameplay is expectedly brutal and unforgiving, with an interesting health/regeneration system to boot. As its September release date grows nearer, I become more confident that Wolverine will serve as a return to form for Insomniac.

Soon after the Wolverine showcase, we were introduced to another highlight of the show. Rayman Legends Retold appears to be a unique, yet faithful, adaptation of the popular side-scroller. Despite some criticizing the game’s abandonment of UbiArt, I find the new art style/presentation to be visually appealing in its own right.

Ubisoft Montpellier is also improving other aspects of Legends, such as new musical levels and 3D sections, as well as fleshing out the (admittedly) bare storyline of the original. For 40 dollars (with Rayman Origins Remastered included at no additional cost!), this will certainly be a game I pick up at launch.

More than halfway through the presentation, Firesprite Games surprisingly revealed Until Dawn 2, slated for a 2027 release. As a fan of horror and games like Until Dawn and The Quarry, this announcement was extremely exciting for me. Although we did not see much gameplay, one could assume that it would be similar to its predecessor, with some minor upgrades. Still, I cannot wait to finally experience this game in 2027, and I hope that it leads to more UD entries in the future.

Finally, the show ended with over TWENTY minutes of Santa Monica’s newest game, God of War Laufey. It was nice to see Deborah Ann Woll as Faye (like many, I enjoyed her portrayal of Karen Page in the MCU’s Daredevil). Additionally, the studio’s signature combat and graphical fidelity also made this a great closer.

On the topic of combat, Santa Monica immediately established the difference between how Faye and Kratos battle. While Kratos’ combat is slower and more impactful, Faye’s attacks are shown to be more fluid and agile. The trailer also showcases characters from multiple other mythologies, another unique element that I enjoyed. Laufey seems to be opening up many new possibilities for future entries. While I did enjoy my time with the Norse Duology, I am certainly ready to explore new Realms.

Overall, I definitely did enjoy my time with this SOP, with my rating being a solid 8.5/10.

SHOW 2: SUMMER GAMES FEST

Like the State of Play, this event also surprised me due to the track record of previous Summer Game Fests. It definitely felt like Geoff Keighley listened to criticism from viewers, with this serving as the best SGF I have watched to date.

The first reveal that stood out to me was the announcement of Cuphead 2. As a fan of run-and-guns (and rubber-hose animation), this series has always stood out to me. I certainly respect the time and effort that Studio MDHR spends hand-drawing each cel, even if it means waiting longer for new content.

Although we didn’t get a release date (or any gameplay), it was nonetheless exciting to finally hear confirmation that a new Cuphead game is in development. Plus, the surprise announcement of “Mighty Cuphead Adventure” serves as a nice way to hold fans over. I appreciate the dedication to promote the game as if it came straight from the 80’s (even including an official Sega Master System port!)

When THQ announced a Last Ronin game with “God of War levels of exploration and combat” in 2023, my interest was piqued. The reveal was relatively plain, with simple concept art being shown. Still, my mind raced to think of all the possibilities for a TMNT game of this scale. Although that specific version of the game was unfortunately cancelled, it is great to see the project survived in some shape or form.

The reveal that Paramount Games acquired the talents of Platinum Games for this project is great news (even if Platinum’s past attempt at a TMNT game was underwhelming at best). Like THQ’s version, this revival is in the early stages, with no gameplay or release date being shown. However, I remain hopeful that Platinum will deliver a great product, especially with their track record of games with great combat. I am also excited to see what other IPs Paramount Games will tackle in the future.

Finally, the show ended with the bombshell reveal of Final Fantasy VIII: Revelation. Many were expecting to see a short preview of this game at the event (especially after Geoff’s less-than-subtle teasers on Twitter). However, Square discussed Revelation for approximately ELEVEN minutes. Of course, the reveal was not light on details either.

For instance, we were able to see our first look at combat, which has been teased to be a further refined version of the systems from Rebirth. This came with the reveal of two new playable characters, Cid and Vincent. Personally, I was most impressed with Vincent’s gun-slinging and vampire-transforming gameplay.

It was also revealed that our characters will be able to freely explore the series’s “most expansive open world yet” with the new High Wind vehicle. Players can freely drop into any section of the world from the skies (along with the use of a parachute). This is a massive improvement over Rebirth’s sometimes painfully long walking sections, especially when backtracking.

Square’s final two major announcements were factors not entirely related to the game itself. FF7 Revelation will be launching in Spring 2027 on all platforms simultaneously. This is a massive win for gamers alike, since both Remake and Rebirth were exclusively on PS5 for many years. It is great to see Square finally give new players the chance to experience this great story, especially with the recent announcements of Switch ports for Remake and Rebirth.

Overall, although I personally enjoyed State of Play more, this year’s SGF was certainly an improvement over Geoff’s previous outings. My rating would be a strong 7.5/10. While there were some heavy hitters (especially early on in the show), the general pacing could still use some adjustment.

SHOW 3: XBOX SHOWCASE

It was honestly surprising to see just how much I, and many others, enjoyed this showcase. It is easy to be critical of the Xbox brand due to downright baffling decisions by management and general mishandling of certain IPs. While I am still not entirely sold on “the future of Xbox”, I remain more optimistic than I have previously due to some genuinely solid reveals.

The show began with an extended look at gameplay for Gears of War: E-Day. Although I have yet to play a game in the series, the reveal piqued my interest due to its graphical fidelity and brutal, yet refined gameplay. As E-Day serves as a prequel to the Gears series, it seems it may be a good starting point for new players. Plus, the campaign can host up to 4-player online co-op, with a robust multiplayer and horde survival mode also included. E-Day seems like a very good package, even if the announcement that it would be an Xbox Exclusive soured me on the reveal a bit. On the bright side, this certainly gives me an excuse to use my Series S again.

Much later in the show, Sega finally gave us our first look at Crazy Taxi: World Tour. This project is one of many old IPs Sega plans to revive, with the plan announced back in 2023. Upon first glance, World Tour certainly seems to capture the tone and style of the original Crazy Taxi series well. The frenetic, arcade-y style gameplay also seems to be intact. However, the developers have also taken efforts to modernize the Dreamcast classic.

World Tour will feature (for the first time in the series) a MASSIVE campaign mode, “which spans five locations in five different countries”. The game will also host online multiplayer, although further details on this feature are still unclear. World Tour seems to be mixing the series’s signature arcade gameplay with updates that modernize the experience. All things considered, I see this being a fun time-waster to pick up when it launches in 2027.

The Xbox Showcase was genuinely surprising, as I went in with practically no expectations. Thankfully, the show remained entertaining throughout, earning another solid 7.5/10.

SHOW 4: NINTENDO DIRECT

Unfortunately, this was the weakest showing of the four to me, especially due to my somewhat high expectations. It felt that Nintendo would be firing on all cylinders with this event, as it served as the first general direct of the year. However, what most fans received was a poorly paced, long-winded, and generally unexciting event. This does not mean that the event was devoid of any good reveals, however.

This direct began with our latest look at Rhythm Heaven Groove. As a fan of the series myself, I can understand how many felt let down by this reveal. Ultimately, Rhythm Heaven is a relatively niche series, and expectations for the first reveal are usually high. Honestly, this is an issue that plagues the entire Direct. While Nintendo showcased solid reveals for fans of less mainstream IPs, it generally felt underwhelming compared to the more announcement-packed showcases in the past. Still, I found Groove’s section to be great, especially after the reveal of the new RPG-like rhythm mode and local multiplayer.

The other main reveal that intrigued me was the Ocarina of Time Remake. Admittedly, the lack of gameplay was a bit of a letdown. However, it’s great to see the remake is launching this year (likely as Nintendo’s holiday season game). It will also take some time to get used to the Remake’s new art style. Hopefully, it will still maintain the cartoon-like charm of the original.

Despite some highlights, I left this Direct feeling considerably underwhelmed. I believe a 6/10 rating is fair.