Now that the summer is over, the gaming industry is heating up once again as the holiday season approaches. Though most of the 2026 calendar has already been established, the industry continues to look ahead to 2027, as leaks, rumors, and other interesting announcements have us eager for the year ahead. In this edition of the Macho Nacho Gaming News Recap, we’re taking a look at Gamescom 2026, various announcements from major manufacturers, and some interesting developments in the home console market.
Big News from Gamescom 2026
Ever since the death of E3, Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, has continued to pick up steam, resulting in big announcements for many anticipated games. This year’s event was the biggest so far, with record-setting attendance from international fans, along with millions watching online during the Opening Night Live presentation hosted by Geoff Keighley. Though there weren’t many world premiere reveals this year, the show at large was abuzz with new trailers and gameplay demos for some of the biggest games of 2026 and 2027.
Several games stuck out at Gamescom 2026, evident by a surge of Steam wishlists and online discussion. Of them, Alien Isolation 2 wowed with its terrifying tension, Metro 2039 offered another trip through the apocalypse, and Stuntman: Hollywood revived the cult-classic franchise with awesome stunt driving. While the newest Dungeons and Dragons game, Warlock, was a big hit at the show, another particularly popular fantasy game stole most of the glory. CD Projekt Red showed up in a big way to highlight new additions to their masterpiece RPG, The Witcher 3, including an extended look at the long-awaited third expansion, Songs of the Past. Additionally, a new remaster of The Witcher 3 has just been released on September 29, 2026, offering dozens of gameplay improvements in addition to a major graphical overhaul. Best of all, The Witcher 3: Remastered will be a free upgrade for anyone who owns the original game.
Atari and Activision Team Up
While big, fancy modern games were all the rage at Gamescom, there have been a handful of retro game announcements that caught our eye lately. Firstly, Atari got the rumor mill buzzing in August when they hinted at a “major announcement”. That big reveal turned out to be a collaboration between Atari and Activision, as the manufacturer plans to re-release 39 classic Activision games on physical Atari cartridges. 12 of these titles will be available at $35 USD each, while four box sets will be available for $250 USD. If you’re eager to own every single cartridge, there will also be a pre-order for the entire set, available at $1,000 USD.
Another interesting, niche announcement in the retro space comes from publisher Strictly Limited (in partnership with Atari), who recently revealed that the rare platformers, Mr. Nutz and Mr. Nutz 2, will be receiving physical releases on both the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo in 2027. Once a fabled Blockbuster exclusive game, Mr. Nutz will finally grace the 16-bit generation in full, though whether or not you’ll vibe with the gameplay itself is a completely different story.
Xbox Boons Physical Media, Limits Cloud
For our last story, we look to the pinball industry, as one of the biggest manufacturers looks to adapt the Fallout franchise into a physical machine. In early September, Stern Pinball gave players a first look at their latest pinball machine, simply titled Fallout, which should be arriving in arcades this autumn. Similar to the previous Dungeons & Dragons machine, Fallout pinball will feature a lot of RPG elements, including quests, leveling up, multiple playable characters, and saved progress via the Stern Insider Connected system.
The machine is based on both the popular Amazon Video television series and Bethesda’s Fallout titles, featuring assets and scenes from each. According to the pinball website, Kineticist, Fallout pinball has been one of the most hyped machines of the year, and based on the gameplay and trailers, it looks like Stern Pinball has knocked this one out of the park.
