Industry News: November Edition
The holiday season is almost here, while in the world of gaming we’re in full award season. The Golden Joystick Awards held its ceremony in November and, as we’re getting closer to the Game Awards, voting is open for the public. For the upcoming Steam Awards, players can still nominate their favorite games in some truly creative categories. New hardware, interesting releases and a premiere State of Play – let’s look at what November had for us in its library of game news.
Sony Live from Japan
The first broadcast of State of Play Japan was live on November 11. It was hosted by Attack on Titan voice actor Yuki Kaji, and it featured exclusively games developed in Asia. All news are available on the PlayStation blog, here are some of the highlights from what was revealed:
🟦A new Dragon Quest 7 story trailer showing an encounter from the new episode added in the reimagined version of the game, along with a bit of gameplay action;
🟦The December 4 release date of Elden Ring Nightreign – The Forsaken Hollows DLC, and a trailer teasing character models extremely familiar to Dark Souls fans;
🟦Gran Turismo 7 – Power Pack DLC to be launched also on December 4, bringing multiple motorsport challenges;
🟦The next round of Closed Beta for MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls starting on December 5, welcoming new characters Spider-Man and Ghost Rider;
🟦An update for Monster Hunter Wilds on December 16, bringing more bosses, endgame content, and seasonal events;
🟦Two new Sonic DLCs, the Sonic Racing: Crossworlds – SpongeBob SquarePants Pack DLC, live since November 19 and the Pac-Man World 2: Re-Pac – Sonic the Hedgehog Collaboration Set DLC available since November 12;
🟦The PlayStation 27’’ gaming monitor planned for 2026, only be available in the US and Japan.
Exciting new hardware from Valve
It seems that surprise announcements (as shadow drops) are even more frequent than before on the gaming scene, and we’re all for it, especially when we get such interesting news! At the beginning of November, Valve announced not one, but three new pieces of hardware:
🎮Steam Controller: With motion control, immersive haptics, and cutting edge magnetic thumbsticks, the new wireless controller is compatible with Steam hardware and easy to connect on a PC.
🥽Steam Frame: The new VR headset from Valve is optimized for streaming, it’s lightweight and completely autonomous. The device supports playing both VR and non-VR games.
🖥️Steam Machine: Valve’s upcoming PC/console hybrid runs on SteamOS, although other operating systems can be installed as well. Steam Machine is optimized for gaming, it’s compact (roughly 6-ich, or about 160mm), and it’s intended to run almost the entire Steam library of games.
Valve is planning to launch the new devices early 2026, we’re still waiting for official dates.
Previewing the Xbox Partner Preview
We’ve also got some news from Xbox. In November the Xbox Partner Preview broadcast returned, revealing new titles, updates and upcoming DLCs from their third-party partners. The world premieres included:
🟩Armatus (2026): A roguelite shooter set in a crumbling Paris, invaded by demons;
🟩The Mound: Omen of Chtulu (summer 2026): Indiana Jones meets H.P. Lovecraft in a co-op for up to four players;
🟩Raji: Kali Yuga (no release details yet) A sequel to the mythological Raji: An Ancient Epic (2020), this time from a third-person perspective;
🟩Echo Generation 2 (2026): Another sequel to a turn-based game inspired by action movies from the 80’s and 90’s;
🟩Erosion (2026): An isometric western-themed roguelike with a unique respawn mechanic;
🟩Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors (2026): A deckbuilding roguelike from the developers of Vampire Survivors;
And that’s not all, the reveals included the shadow launch of Total Chaos, now available on Xbox and PC, a new gameplay trailers from Tides of Annihilation and the Kickstarter success Crowsworn, Eminem joining Hitman World of Assassination and the Aston Martin Valhalla confirmed for 007 First Light.
GTA 6’s second delay
A second delay for the highly anticipated title was made official in November. An in-depth Gamespot article explained the reason behind Rockstar moving again the release of their open world title. According to CEO Strauss Zelnick, changing the release date will allow them to polish the game further and deliver the level of quality they want for the product, instead of rushing to meet the initial timeframe.
The new release date for Grand Theft Auto 6 is set for November 19, 2026.
It’s awards season!
Golden Joystick Awards
The Golden Joystick ceremony was held in London, on November 20, with the winners decided as always, through public voting.
From, Sandfall Interactive, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won an impressive number of categories, taking home seven awards and equaling the record set by Baldur’s Gate in 2023, including Best Storytelling, Best Lead Performer (Jennifer English for the role of Maelle) and Ultimate Game of the Year.
The category Console Game of the Year was awarded to Ghost of Yōtei, while Hollow Knight: Silksong won PC Game of the Year and Blue Prince was voted Best Indie Game. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II received multiple nominations, including the big UGOTY award.
Steam Awards
Another major event entirely chosen through fan votes is the upcoming Steam Awards. In November, players were able to nominate their favorites. Unlike other events, there are no classic categories, instead players can choose from funny or realistic categories like Best Game You Suck At, Better with Friends or Sit Back and Relax.
The finalists will be voted during Steam’s Winter Sale, starting December 18, and the winners will be announced on January 3, 2026.
Game Awards
One of the most popular awards in the industry, the Game Awards include a public voting stage, while ultimately the winners are decided by a global panel of judges from various gaming organizations and publications. Categories include Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Debut Indie Game, Best Performance, Games for Impact, and many more.
After much speculation, hopes and theories, the nominees for the coveted Game of the Year category are official, and the list is:
⭐Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 [Sandfall Interactive]
⭐Death Stranding 2: On the Beach [Kojima Production/Sony Entertainment]
⭐Donkey Kong Bananza [Nintendo EDP/Nintendo]
⭐Hades II [Supergiant Games]
⭐Hollow Knight: Silksong [Team Cherry]
⭐Kingdom Come: Deliverance II [Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver]
In all categories, players can still vote for their favorite until December 10. The Game Awards ceremony can be watched on December 11 on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Twitch, and other gaming or media platforms.
November Game Releases
And finally, our round-up would not be complete without a recap of last month’s notable releases:
🟫November 4: Europa Universalis V
🟫November 6: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
🟫November 11: Rue Valley
🟫November 12: Winter Burrow
🟫November 13: Anno 117: Pax Romana
🟫November 14: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7; Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero; Where Winds Meet
🟫November 15: Escape from Tarkov
🟫November 18: SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide; Marvel’s Deadpool VR
🟫November 20: Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl; Total Chaos; Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster; Kirby Air Riders
🟫November 24: Constance
Whether you’re looking for a new title to play in your days off or maybe for a nice gift, there’s lots of choices for gamers, as always. December is a month to wrap up the year strongly, but also take some time off, to balance our gaming adventures with some quality time with family and friends. Who knows, perhaps even have watch parties and do both at the same time.
