This week in games: a Final Fantasy you can try first, a co-op puzzler you need a friend for, and Call of Duty on a Switch

Two weeks ago I said I don't buy anything at full price in October unless I'm playing it that week. This week is the test, because there's a Final Fantasy, a Nintendo sports game, a Call of Duty and a co-op puzzle game I've been waiting on, all inside five days.

Out yesterday: We Were Here Tomorrow

Total Mayhem Games' co-op puzzle series came out yesterday on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with cross-play. If you've never played one, the idea is that two players are split up in different parts of a place and can only talk over a walkie-talkie. You describe what you see, your partner tells you what to press, and you both find out how bad you are at explaining things. This one is set in a mysterious facility, and I've seen it described as both the fifth and the sixth game, depending on how you count the free original, so I'll leave the numbering alone.

You need a second person. That's the whole game. If you have a friend who's free tonight, this is the best thing on the list for $20 or so. If you don't, skip it until you do. It isn't playable solo and it shouldn't be.

Thursday, October 22: Final Fantasy Resonance, and the demo trick

Square Enix and Lancarse release Final Fantasy Resonance on Thursday on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2 and PC. It's the first Final Fantasy in the HD-2D style, the pixel-art-with-depth look from Octopath Traveler, with classic turn-based battles rather than the ATB bar, and characters from across the series. It's $49.99, or $59.99 for the Digital Deluxe.

Here's the part that matters for your wallet. A free Chapter 1 demo has been out since early September, and your save carries over to the full game. So you can play the opening for nothing, decide if the combat and the writing land for you, and only then pay. I've done the demo on my original Switch, and it runs fine there, which is the version I care about. I'm not buying a Switch 2 for a 2D RPG. Lancarse also made Monark and The DioField Chronicle, which were both uneven, so a demo you can finish before paying is exactly the right amount of caution.

I'll say the same thing I said about Tales of Eternia. If you love this style, buy it Thursday. If you're curious, play the demo this week and let the holiday sales decide. The soundtrack ships separately on the 28th, if that's your thing.

Also Thursday: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort and a stack of ports

Thursday is busy. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort comes to Switch 2 only, back on Wuhu Island with about a dozen sports built for the Joy-Con 2. This is the game that's going to sell Switch 2s to families this holiday, and it's the first thing on this list that made me think about the upgrade. Not yet. But I thought about it.

Same day: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and Hitman: Absolution arrive on Switch 2, Peak gets a console edition on PS5, Xbox and Switch 2, Back to the Dawn comes to PS5, and the Cotton shooter gets a reboot on PlayStation and Switch. Monday had Frostpunk on Switch and BeamNG.drive on PS5, and today brings Escape from Playtime, from the Poppy Playtime team, in early access on PC.

Friday, October 23: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 4 lands Friday on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and, for the first time for a mainline Call of Duty, Switch 2. The campaign is a North Korea invasion story and DMZ is back as a mode. I'm less interested in the game than in the platform. A Call of Duty on a Nintendo handheld is the kind of thing that would have been a joke three years ago, and how it runs on Switch 2 will tell us more about that hardware than any Nintendo first-party game can. Watch for the Digital Foundry breakdown over the weekend before you buy the Switch 2 version.

Friday is also iPhone Duo day, which is where my attention honestly is. I expect to spend Saturday checking which of my own apps open properly on an unfolded screen rather than playing any of this.

My week

Tonight, We Were Here Tomorrow with a friend over Discord, if his evening holds. Thursday, the Resonance demo gets a second run on the Switch so I can decide by Sunday. Everything else goes on the list, and the list is already too long.

Verified October 19, 2026. The week's release list, dates and platforms from Instant Gaming. We Were Here Tomorrow from the Steam page and Gamestic. Final Fantasy Resonance platforms, price and demo from Gematsu and Notebookcheck. Prices can differ by store and region. Opinions are mine.