Microsoft has published its weekly “Next Week on XBOX” round-up on Xbox Wire, and the week of October 12 to 16, 2026, is a busy one. The list spans Game Pass, PC and both current and last-generation Xbox consoles, and Microsoft points out that any of the dates can still move.

The biggest names

• Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse (October 15, Xbox Play Anywhere): the new Castlevania is set in Paris in 1499. Trevor Belmont, who has already beaten Dracula, and his daughter Rose take the Vampire Killer whip into a burning city overrun by monsters coming from a castle that has appeared nearby.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 campaign early access (October 16, Xbox Play Anywhere): Activision’s shooter opens its campaign early for people who pre-order. The full game launches worldwide on October 23.
• Planet Zoo 2 (October 13, Xbox Play Anywhere): the zoo-building sequel adds fully aquatic and flying animals for the first time, along with large Wildlife Reserves where players can release animals.
• Valor Mortis (October 13, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere): players control William, a soldier from Napoleon’s Grande Armée who returns from the dead with powers drawn from a plague spreading across Europe, in a combat game built on parries, dashes and finishing moves.
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (October 14): Devolver Digital and Big Fan Games follow up their retro-style shooter with a branching single-player campaign that continues directly from the first game.
• Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea (October 14): the farming series mixes crop and animal care with exploration of caves, islands and towns across the land of Teradea.
• Tales of Eternia Remastered (October 16): Bandai Namco’s remaster brings back the story of Reid, Farah and Meredy and the two worlds of Inferia and Celestia.

Coming to Game Pass

Besides Valor Mortis, the list marks four more games as Game Pass releases: the dungeon crawler Deep Dish Dungeon (October 13, co-op for up to three players), Bluey’s Happy Snaps (October 15, a photo adventure with two-player support), the 1–4 player co-op gladiator roguelike Chained Beasts (October 15) and the space-whale city builder Beyond These Stars (October 16).

Also on the list

• October 12: Alpha Nomos (rhythm-action roguelite) and Colorbound (colour-based platformer).
• October 13: Just Dance: Decades of Hits, which is organised by musical era and adds an Adventure Mode, and Survivor Cells.
• October 14: Cleaning Simulator, Creepy Tale: Snow Child, Love Beyond Differences: Riku & Lily, My Recycling Center 2, Prison Run and Gun, Shockwave Triggers, Ratatan (rhythm roguelike action), The Witch’s Bakery, Wolfsschanze – Operation Götterdämmerung and the open-world RPG YAR: Forgotten Throne.
• October 15: DESOLUS, The Jackbox Party Pack 12 (five new party games, only one copy needed per group), Toy Story 3 Complete Edition, the five-game Toy Story: Retro Roundup! collection, Floppy-Ear Chaos, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Holiday Play Edition, 1×1 Street Football: mini soccer PvP, the roguelike card game Cubic Cosmos, the top-down survival game Swarm Me, the idle game Tingus Goose, Troll Slayer and Weekend Solitaire: Voyage.
• October 16: Tenebris Somnia (2D survival horror with live-action cutscenes), Moto X, Sproutex and Supercar Collection Simulator.

What we don’t know yet

The round-up’s write-ups cover release dates and store features such as Xbox Play Anywhere and Smart Delivery; prices appear only in the embedded store listings and can change. Microsoft says dates are subject to change, so check each game’s store page before planning around a specific day.

Sources

• Xbox Wire (primary)

CritFrame Newsroom · Written with AI tools from official sources. How we work

Activision’s DMZ extraction mode for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 now has a clearer shape. A feature published on Xbox Wire on October 9, which draws on recent posts from the official Call of Duty Blog, walks through how crafting, missions, Operator progression, looting and extraction fit together on the mode’s new map, Hajin.

The story of DMZ picks up after the end of the main Modern Warfare 4 campaign, and Hajin borrows events and places from that campaign. Players are tasked with tracking down a new, unidentified threat that has moved into the vacuum left behind, while also scavenging, completing objectives, fighting AI enemies and rival squads, and getting out before they lose what they are carrying.

Release timing

Anyone who has digitally pre-ordered or pre-purchased Modern Warfare 4 can start the campaign early on Friday, October 16 and get into all of DMZ on Tuesday, October 20. The Xbox Wire piece does not list platforms or prices for the mode.

The main systems

• 3D Printer crafting: the printer sits at the Forward Operating Base (FOB), the hub players return to between runs. Progress unlocks new recipes plus upgrades for both the printer and the FOB, and recipes can also be picked up in the field and built once a player gets out alive. Finished items can go to the Stash or straight onto the current Operator, and players can choose to make several copies in one go.
• Two kinds of materials: basic Resources come in four types (Synthetics, Electronics, Chemicals and Metals) and are produced automatically when looted items are broken down. Rarer 3D Printer Ingredients, such as Binding Catalyst, Biomaterials, Detonators and Control Units, only turn up in certain parts of Hajin. The printer can also hint at where particular materials tend to spawn.
• Three ways to deploy: Story Missions, Dynamic Operations and Free Roam. Story Missions are narrative-driven and can be replayed, though some stay locked until earlier requirements are met; they come with briefing intel, set objectives and rewards that are usually strong gear and DMZ Cash. Dynamic Operations let a squad pick a task after dropping in and pay out DMZ XP, Cash and access to a Supply Drop with random loot.
• Persistent Operators: players start with two Operator slots and can open a third by raising their DMZ level. Each successful extraction raises an Operator’s Dog Tags level, which grants Trait Points to spend across three trees named Warfighter, Scout and Survivalist. An Operator can earn up to 18 points, with more than 60 Traits on offer. Named examples include Combat Resistance and Viper Sense (Warfighter), UAV Upgrade and Field Crafting (Scout), and faster, free revives (Survivalist).
• Losing an Operator: an Operator who does not make it out is marked MIA. Players then either pay DMZ Cash to bring them back or dismiss them, and the recovery price climbs the more Traits the Operator has. A recovered Operator keeps their Traits but not their equipment.
• Shared loot: everything collected, including the Bank and Stash, is available to all Active Duty Operators, so one character built for scavenging can gather supplies that another one later takes into a fight.

Context

DMZ first launched in November 2022 as a free extraction mode alongside Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0. The version described for Modern Warfare 4 leans harder on long-term progression: crafting recipes, base upgrades and Operators with their own Trait builds all carry over from one deployment to the next, which raises the cost of failing to extract.

What we don’t know yet

The Xbox Wire post does not say whether DMZ will be free to play separately from Modern Warfare 4, how many players a squad can hold, or how many Story Missions will be available when the mode opens. CritFrame will update this article if Activision confirms those details.

Sources

• Xbox Wire (primary)
• Infinity Ward – Modern Warfare II Season 01 patch notes and Warzone 2.0 launch (2022) (secondary)

CritFrame Newsroom · Written with AI tools from official sources. How we work