Four free games on Epic, the Steam Autumn Sale dates, a fresh Ace Combat and a pile of trailers. Here's the lot, each with a link back to where it came from.
Free games
Astrea: Six Sided Oracles is free on Epic, right now
A dice-deck-building roguelike. You play one of six Oracles, clearing waves of corrupted enemies with a deck of dice and enchanted Sentinels. It's free to keep until 1am on Friday 2 October, Sydney time.
Source: Epic Games Store
Mechabellum is free on Epic, right now
A mech auto-battler. You draft troops, tweak units and set your formations, then watch the fight play out. There's 1v1, 2v2, free-for-all and a Survival Mode. Free to keep until 1am on Friday 2 October, Sydney time.
Source: Epic Games Store
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is free from Friday
Next up on Epic. The remaster puts you back in the corridors of the Von Braun. It's free to keep from 1am on Friday 2 October until Friday 9 October, Sydney time.
Source: Epic Games Store
BURIED STARS is free from Friday
A mystery adventure set at the collapse of a live survival audition show. The trapped contestants talk to each other, and the outside world, through social media while they wait for rescue. Free to keep from Friday 2 October until Friday 9 October, Sydney time.
Source: Epic Games Store
Deals and sales
Steam Autumn Sale starts Friday
[Add image of: Steam Autumn Sale 2026]
Steam's Autumn Sale runs from 3am on Friday 2 October to 4am on Friday 9 October, Sydney time.
Source: Steam, from its upcoming events page
Trailers
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, the 101 overview
A run-through of what's new ahead of launch. It's out Friday 2 October. Pre-orders unlock the F-14A and access to Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.
Source: PlayStation on YouTube
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, the launch trailer
The launch trailer, ahead of its 2 October release.
Source: Xbox on YouTube
Tetris 99: the 57th Maximus Cup
The next Maximus Cup runs from 5pm Friday 2 October to 5:59pm Tuesday 6 October, Sydney time. You need Nintendo Switch Online, and you earn event points by playing Tetris 99 online during the event.
Source: Nintendo on YouTube
Suri: The Seventh Note gets a release date
It lands on PS5 on 30 October. It's backed by the PlayStation India Hero Project, and pre-orders are open.
Source: PlayStation on YouTube
Kalanoro is out on Switch
A colourful action-adventure built on Malagasy folklore. You recruit lemur musicians, grow your band's fame across Lemuria and take on the witch Raneny.
Source: Nintendo on YouTube
EA Sports FC 27 is out
The launch trailer shows off The Grounds, a football playground where the streets meet the stadium.
Source: PlayStation on YouTube, also on Nintendo's channel
Cave Crave adds the Tham Luang cave
The PS VR2 caving game's new update, out now, lets you explore Tham Luang, one of the world's best-known cave systems.
Source: PlayStation on YouTube
Lawn Mowing Simulator 2 is out
Mowers, leaf blowers and a lawn care business to build in the town of Grassington.
Source: Xbox on YouTube
Ariadne's Tale announced for PS5
A first-person puzzle adventure that retells the myth with some dark humour. Ariadne's magic thread guides you and fixes broken routes.
Source: PlayStation on YouTube
Sesame Street: Friends and Fun
Oscar's hunting for the mystery horns and The Count has a mansion to explore. It's out on 9 October on Xbox.
Source: Xbox on YouTube
News
Out this week in Australia
[Add image of: Out this week in Australia: Transport Fever 3, Minecraft Dungeons II, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve]
Three big ones land this week:
- Transport Fever 3, Tuesday 29 September: Windows, Mac, Linux, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
- Minecraft Dungeons II, Tuesday 29 September: Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows.
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, Friday 2 October: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows.
Source: Playtopia, from each game's Wikipedia page
Minecraft is getting its first new dimension in over 14 years
It's called the Sift. It was first shown at Gamescom and detailed at Minecraft LIVE. It arrives with Minecraft Dungeons II and is also coming to Minecraft Java and Bedrock.
Source: Xbox Wire
How Minecraft Dungeons II's world fits together
Xbox Wire has a look at the sequel's interconnected world ahead of launch. It's a bigger action-RPG than the original dungeon crawler.
Source: Xbox Wire
God of War Laufey pre-orders open today
It's coming to PS5 on 16 February 2027. Pre-orders open today at 10am local time, and the PlayStation Blog has the editions broken down.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Suri: The Seventh Note launches 30 October
It's the studio's debut game, four years in the making. Every environment, character and animation is hand-illustrated.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Forest of Deceit, and why localisation matters in a lying game
The social deduction party game from Ghost Camp and Thomas Mackinnon is about bluffing. The team explains why nobody should look suspicious just because a line got lost in translation.
Source: Xbox Wire
Gears of War: E-Day gets a pizza
Xbox and Prince St. Pizza have made the "Emergence Pie" for the launch of Gears of War: E-Day. It's only at Prince St. Pizza in the US and Toronto, until 1 November, so no luck for us here.
Source: Xbox Wire
New on GOG: FOUNTAINS
A soulslike action-RPG about the hidden Fountain of Youth, built around fighting through a maze-like world.
Source: GOG
New on GOG: Keep Driving
A management RPG. It's the early 2000s, you've just bought your first car, and there's a festival on the other side of the country.
Source: GOG
New on GOG: Marine Park Empire
A classic 3D management sim. You build a marine park, care for the sea life, design exhibits and hire staff.
Source: GOG
Kao the Kangaroo: Resurgence of the Volcano
A fan-made expansion mod for Kao: Mystery of the Volcano that aims to finish what the original started. It's now on GOG as a one-click mod.
Source: GOG