July is a little light on the big new game releases, but your co-op horror Discord gang will be feastin'
Overview & Key Takeaways
If you've ever wanted to run a haunted business into the ground with your friends, I have good news.
I won't lie to you, I initially looked at July's game releases and drew a blank trying to name any bigish new games I'm looking forward to. It's definitely quiet this month, but take the lull as a chance to catch up. New game releases for 2026 ramp up again in the final stretch of the year—so much so that I'm already trying to carve out vacation days in my schedule.
And this month is far from a total bust. Two big remakes, Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Resynced and Halo: Campaign Evolved, are joined by a bunch of co-op indie horror games that are right up my alley.
It's good timing: We're trying something a little new with our monthly release date calendar in July, highlighting a handful of personal picks before getting to the general highlights—so you know where this is going. I hope you love terrorizing your friends with new co-op horror finds as much as I do.
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July 2026 games: PC Gamer staff picks
July belongs to co-op horror lovers
July belongs to co-op horror lovers
Andrea Shearon
I don't know who or what started the 'friend slop' trend, but I'm owning it as a term of endearment and kicking off PC Gamer's first round of monthly staff picks with games you can play with your Discord pals. Absurd co-op horror games make for some of my favorite digital campfires to gather around, giving me yet another outlet for uniting my faraway friends to laugh and scream together one more night. That's why my picks for July go to the genre, and why I've got Storebound, Happy's Humble Burgatory, Carnival Hunt, and Shift at Midnight all wishlisted. I'll be there on day one—reluctant, terrified friends in tow.
July 16Cursed Cooking Mama
Happy's Burgatory
Steam | 4-player co-op
There's definitely a recurring theme here of running a business into the ground with your friends. In Happy's Humble Burgatory, your crew will grind out burger orders as fast as you can make them before the restaurant's blood-thirsty mascot begins her hunt. I've heard Grimace does this at McDonald's.
July 16After hours puzzler
Storebound 1.0
Steam | 3-player co-op
I was the kid always turning the local Sears into a panicked search for a missing child, but it turns out I'd just gone to sleep in a clothing rack. Storebound looks kind of like that—except my mom isn't coming to save me, it's full of puzzles, and there's a demon in the shoe department.
July 23Asymmetric rabbit hunt
Carnival Hunt
Steam | 5 players
I may not play Tag much as an adult, but my fondness for asymmetrical chases fill the void recess left behind. In Carnival Hunt, one person is a monstrous puppeteer while the remaining players are a bunch of innocent bunny puppets. My advice? Put your friends between you and the threat.
July ??Killer customer service
Shift at Midnight
Steam | 3-player co-op
Shift at Midnight finally lets me live out my childhood dream of running a questionable-looking gas station with two of my closest friends. It's kind of like Quarantine Zone, but with customers: shoot the body-snatched guys, then it's business as usual with the normal ones.
July 2026 big game highlights
July 9Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Resynced
Steam | Singleplayer
Black Flag Resynced is the first big remake for the month, revisiting the pirate Assassin's Creed once again for Edward Kenway's story. It's "faithfully enhanced" with quality of life tweaks, new visuals, and bonus content.
July 9Steam | 4-player co-op
Yearly university football rivalries return with College Football 27. EA's next sporting event includes new customization options for your Road to Glory player, revamped Dynasty features, and cartoonish mascot matchups. Go Dawgs.
July 10Steam | 4-player co-op
Palworld enters 1.0 with a mountain of patch notes, so I'm assuming it's a beefy update. The survival crafting Pokemon-like will add new story beats, fancy wing packs, and (of course) new pals to catch.
July 28Steam | 4-player co-op
Master Chief's first clash with the Covenant and Flood gets its second makeover, but it's more than just a set of HD textures. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a complete remake that even comes with a few extra missions to boot.
July 2026 gaming events and sales
(Image credit: Digital Extremes / Square Enix)
- Tennoconcelebrates Warframe and its community online and in-person this July 10 – 11
- Final Fantasy 14 Fan Festcontinues its Evercold expansion tour in Germany on July 25 – 26
- Steam sales keep the month going with more summer deals and themed weeks:
- June 25 – July 9: Steam Summer Sale
- July 13 – July 16: Social Deduction Fest
- July 20 – July 27: Train Fest
July 2026 game updates and DLC
July 4U.S. National Parks update
Flight Simulator 2024
Flight Simulator 2024 (Steam) celebrates the holiday with its US National Parks world update.
July 7Revelations expansion
Doom: The Dark Ages
Doom: The Dark Ages (Steam) will freeze hell over with the Ripatorium 3.0 update and a new campaign in its Revelations expansion.
July 8Endless Ragnarok
Granblue Fantasy: Relink
Granblue Fantasy: Relink (Steam) adds new bosses, co-op quests, summons, and game modes with its Endless Ragnarok DLC.
July 8Return of the Thieves Guild
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls Online (Steam) kicks off its new seasonal format with its big Return of the Thieves Guild update.
July 13The Alters (Steam) keeps Jan Scientist grounded as he leads a new team of specialists to survive on the alien planet in the Last Variable DLC.
July 16Star Wars Pack
PowerWash Simulator 2
PowerWash Simulator 2 (Steam) hoses down iconic galactic fighters and towering AT-ATs with its new Star Wars Pack.
July 21Marathon (Steam) starts its mid-season update with the Vault Breaker PVE mode, Cradle Evolution system, and new quality of life changes.
July 21Willow Street rework
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia (Steam) remodels one of its most iconic haunted houses with the Willow Street rework.
July 25Patch 7.55
Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 14 (Site) continues its Trail to the Heavens updates with new Forked Tower raids, Hildibrand Adventures, and relic upgrades in Patch 7.55.
The July 2026 games calendar
The Life and Suffering of Prince Jerian (July 20) (Image credit: Schisma Games)
Everything happening in July 2026
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Date | Game | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| July 4 | Flight Simulator 2024 (Steam) National parks update | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 7 | Doom: The Dark Ages (Steam) Revelations expansion | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 7 | Moonlight Peaks (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 8 | Neverness to Everness (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 8 | Granblue Fantasy: Relink (Steam) Endless Ragnarok DLC | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 8 | The Elder Scrolls Online (Steam) Season 1 | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 9 | Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Resynced (Steam) | ⭐ HIGHLIGHT |
| July 9 | College Football 27 (Steam) | ⭐ HIGHLIGHT |
| July 9 | Steam Summer Sale ends | 💸 SALE |
| July 10 | Palworld 1.0 (Steam) | ⭐ HIGHLIGHT |
| July 10 | Echoes of Aincrad (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 10 | Tennocon begins | 📌 EVENT |
| July 13 | The Alters (Steam) Last Variable DLC | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 13 | Ascend to Zero (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 13 | Steam's Social Deduction Fest begins | 💸 SALE |
| July 14 | D-topia (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 15 | Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 15 | Denshattack! (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 15 | The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 16 | Heave Ho 2 (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 16 | Funnel Runners (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 16 | Moss: The Forgotten Relic (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 16 | PowerWash Simulator 2 (Steam) Star Wars Pack | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 16 | Storebound 1.0 (Steam) | 👻 STAFF PICK |
| July 16 | Happy's Humble Burgatory (Steam) | 👻 STAFF PICK |
| July 16 | Wreck Runners (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 16 | The Guild - Europa 1410 (Steam) | 🚧 EARLY ACCESS |
| July 17 | Desktop Explorer (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 20 | The Life and Suffering of Prince Jerian (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 20 | Steam's Train Fest begins | 💸 SALE |
| July 21 | Cobalt Miner (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 21 | Fading Echo (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 21 | Marathon (Steam) Mid-season begins | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 21 | Phasmophobia (Steam) Willow Street rework | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 22 | DragonSword: Awakening (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 22 | Tears of Metal (Steam) | 🚧 EARLY ACCESS |
| July 23 | Carnival Hunt (Steam) | 👻 STAFF PICK |
| July 23 | Avatar Legends (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 23 | Tormentum 2 (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 25 | Final Fantasy 14 (Site) Patch 7.55 | 💫 UPDATE |
| July 25 | Final Fantasy 14 Fan Festival begins | 📌 EVENT |
| July 27 | Security 51 (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 28 | EverQuest Legends (Site) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 28 | Halo: Campaign Evolved (Steam) | ⭐ HIGHLIGHT |
| July 29 | Below, Rusted Gods (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 29 | Blue Reflection Quartet (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 29 | Mistfall Hunter (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 31 | Corsair Cove (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July 31 | Lootbound (Steam) | 🆕 NEW RELEASE |
| July ?? | Shift at Midnight (Steam) | 👻 STAFF PICK |
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
