In a totally unpredictable turn of events (sarcasm), one of the many games that was set to arrive in September 2026 will now try to avoid what has quickly become the most stacked month of the year and launch in October 2026 instead. Valor Mortis, the first-person melee action game from Ghostrunner makers One More Level, has pushed the game's release date from September 24 to October 13, 2026.
The September date was revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase this past Sunday, though according to a report from Game File, by the time the trailer had aired, the developers already knew the date at the end of the trailer was incorrect.
"When we picked September 24th, it looked like a very, very clear date," said Blake Rochkind, the head of Valor Mortis' publisher, Lyrical Games. "Very quickly it became not such a clear date." Rochkind then added that the decision to move Valor Mortis out of September was made during the State of Play, when Control Resonant was revealed to be arriving on September 24th as well. "As soon as Control announced September 24th, we knew we were moving the date."
That showcase aired on June 2, days before the rest of Summer Game Fest 2026 kicked off. As the rest of the showcases aired and more games were revealed for September, One More Level and Lyrical Games were further vindicated in their decision to move the release date.
In a statement officially announcing the delay shared to the game's social channels, the studio writes, "September has become absolutely stacked with incredible looking games. We knew this was a possibility, but when you're in a partner showcase as we were, dates get locked weeks in advance. We want to give Valor Mortis (and your wallet) some room to breathe. Therefore, we've decided to move our release date to October 13th."
At the time of the State of Play, Wccftech's Alessio Palumbo wrote about how everyone trying to avoid GTA 6 is only trading one problem for another by trying to stack everything in September instead. While October isn't exactly lacking in releases, One More Level and Lyrical Games announcing this delay as soon as possible is inarguably the right choice, as they've now put the game in a much better position than before to succeed.
Just to give you an idea of how stacked it is, if Valor Mortis had stayed in September, these are some of the more notable titles that would've released in the seven days before and after the 24th:
- Trine 6 – September 17
- Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War IV – September 17
- Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter – September 17
- Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave – September 17
- Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Switch 2) – September 18
- Dune Awakening (console release) – September 22
- Valor Mortis – September 24
- Hot Wheels Infinite Rush – September 24
- Control Resonant – September 24
- Silent Hill: Townfall – September 24
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword – September 25
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve – September 29 (Early Access)/ Oct. 2
- Minecraft Dungeons 2 – September 29
- End of Abyss - October 1
- Rayman Legends Retold – October 1
- Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered - October 1
Keep in mind that the proposed seven-day before-and-after window doesn't include Marvel's Wolverine, which launches on September 15, and that the list above could still fill out with even more upcoming games that don't have a release date but still have a 2026 release window.
For comparison, looking at the same window of time for Valor Mortis' new release date, the list now looks like this:
- Gears of War: E-Day – October 6
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer – October 6
- Kingdom Hearts 1-3 Switch 2 ports – October 8
- Silver Pines - October 8
- Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen – October 9
- Planet Zoo 2 – October 13
- Valor Mortis - October 13
- Toy Story Retro Round Up / Toy Story 3 Remaster – October 13
- Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse – October 15
- Tales of Eternia Remastered – October 16
Are there still major games on the fringes of that seven-day window? Of course! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 arrives on October 23, three days outside of the proposed window, and Final Fantasy Resonance a day earlier on October 22.
The reality is that there's no such thing as a clear release date, though Valor Mortis has, at the very least, given itself a better chance to stand out amongst the crowd during its launch week than what it would've had to overcome if it stayed in September. Now, we'll see if any other games make the same choice, and if so, how close they're willing to get to GTA 6.
In the meantime, for more on Valor Mortis, you can check out a demo of the game, which is now live in time for Steam Next Fest this month.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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