With the big success of the PowerWash Simulator games, we are starting to see our first indie games take cues from what makes a power-washing game fun and take it to new places. That is where Moldwasher comes in: a 2D game about cleaning up this incredibly nasty kitchen full of mold, disgusting goo, and more bad things in various parts of the room, due to whatever happened before this game begins. To make things a bit weirder, you’re a sentient piece of sushi that has somehow been tasked with cl...

River City Saga: Journey to the West is one more River City/Kunio-kun fans than roguelite fans in my opinion as the elements from that series really make this game worth playing. For raw action roguelite enjoyment, there are better games for sure.

The first thing to bear in mind when picking up R-Type Tactics I+II Cosmos is the fact that the game does absolutely no handholding. You will begin the game, be given mission objectives, and a list of units, and you have to figure it out. There is a comprehensive manual and an Archives section, which are indispensable for getting anywhere in this game. This is the type of game that asks a lot of a player up front, but rewards them for making the time investment with a very rich, very intricate t...

Pokémon Champions has an emphasis on battling. After an initial tutorial where players learn the core mechanics of the battling system and become the leader of their very own gym, they’re free to enter the Pokémon League and battle as they wish. The ultimate objective is for players to climb to the top of Pokémon League rankings. 

When IO Interactive announced it had the rights to the 007 IP, many people, including me, thought it was a match made in heaven. It does cause some pause, though. First of all, Bond isn't Agent 47, and while Hitman definitely has more than mainstream gamer appeal, it isn't really a blockbuster franchise in the way 007 is. Luckily, there shouldn't be any worry about any of that. 007 First Light is one of the best games of the year and might even be the best 007 game ever.

The game is exactly what its title says. It's Rayman Legends... Retold. The game isn't a remaster. It's a fully remade in 3D platformer from the ground up, and while its visuals were definitely a point of conversation online, the animation using Ubisoft's Snowdrop engine was as smooth as it gets.

When games are centered on their music, it becomes easier to tell whether you'll resonate with the experience. Recent hits like Mixtape and Wax Heads did an outstanding job scratching specific itches, and Mr. Records looks to be cut from the same cloth with a diverse soundtrack and simplistic, but more than functional, gameplay. In Mr. Records, you take on the role of an older-looking man who runs a record store on the bottom floor of the building he lives in. He loves music, especially older so...

One of the most anticipated but mysterious showings at Summer Game Fest was Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3. What we thought would be hands-on time turned out to be hands-off, which is strange, since the Xenoverse series is hardly anything new. We'll definitely give it credit for introducing new ideas, and for telling an untold story we've never seen in that universe before, but as someone that considers himself a Dragon Ball fan, I don't understand why Bandai Namco is being so cagey about this game.

We’ve known about Stranger Than Heaven for almost two years now. With every trailer and every announcement since its reveal at The Game Awards in 2024, we still don’t know much about the game itself. That is, up until last month, when Sega and XBOX released a barrage of trailers that told us more about the story, characters, and finally, combat, to let us know what changes to expect in this prequel saga. During my time at Summer Game Fest, I got to see how this RGG Studio entry differs from the...

One of the defining traits of a puzzle game is the depth of thought required of players to discover solutions with their own wit. Just like every convention of thought, there is always an example of one who dares to ask, "what if?" Indeed, what if there were a puzzle game whose solutions involved mindlessly slapping everything and everyone around them? The developers at Turbo Button aim to answer just that with Slap Out Of It!, and I got to slap my way through the first level at SGF.

I found I was struggling with getting into a groove and finding a cool playstyle that fit me and was fun to grind with in this brutal game. No longer am I lost in that regard - the Skitarii have shown me the way.

After getting to check out some of the new cards that are coming to the Super Heroes set, I am optimistic that Wizards of the Coast has course-corrected on the direction of the ongoing Marvel collaboration while also highlighting the biggest issue that Universes Beyond has presented over the past few years. 

Resident Evil: Veronica one of the biggest announcements at SGF the day prior. An interview with the producer during SGF before being shown Onimusha was definitely something I didn't expect.

Summer Game Fest Play Days is a wrap, and that's why Danreb is back with Chris reacting to the Nintendo Direct, which was literally announced the morning before. Unfortunately, NateTheHate spoiled a lot of the fun with his leaks, but that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty to be excited about for Switch 2 owners (and future owners). While this concludes SGF reaction coverage, stay tuned to SmashPad for more from SGF!

Join our Managing Editor, Chris Selogy, as he talks over the 2026 Summer Game Fest Showcase!