Week in Gaming News: June 13-19, 2026
This week handed budget gamers a calendar full of deadlines. Rockstar finally pinned down when you can pre-order GTA 6, Microsoft snuck a Call of Duty onto Game Pass (which almost never happens anymore), and Valve locked in the Steam Summer Sale. Throw in free Epic games and three platforms' worth of subscription value, and there's plenty to act on. Here's what happened.
The Big Stories
GTA 6 Pre-Orders Open June 25, November Release Holds
Rockstar Games ended months of guessing on June 18. Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI open June 25, 2026 across digital storefronts and select retailers, and the studio reaffirmed the November 19, 2026 release date. New official cover art dropped alongside the announcement.
The headline here isn't just the date, it's the lack of a new delay. After earlier rumors that the game could slip again, locking in a pre-order window is Rockstar's way of saying November is real. The game launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S only. There's no PC version at launch.
Rockstar kept it simple: "Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI will officially begin on June 25 on digital storefronts and at other select retailers."
One thing nobody knows yet: the price. You'll see plenty of guesses floating around about a $79.99 base price or a pricier edition with GTA Online extras, but Rockstar hasn't confirmed any numbers. Treat all of it as speculation until the storefront listings go live.
Why it matters: This is the biggest buy-vs-save decision of late 2026. With a pre-order date and a locked launch, you now have a concrete timeline to budget for, whether you pre-order day one or wait to see how pricing shakes out.
Call of Duty: Vanguard Lands on Game Pass in June's Second Wave
Microsoft confirmed the back half of June's Game Pass additions, and the standout is a genuine surprise: Call of Duty: Vanguard joined on June 17. That matters because, under Game Pass's current pricing rules, new Call of Duty titles stay off the service for at least a year. Vanguard showing up is the exception, not the new normal.
It's not the only AAA name in the wave. EA Sports FC 26 joined the day after, giving subscribers two big-budget games at no extra cost.
Here's the second-half-of-June lineup:
| Game | Date | Tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Vanguard | June 17 | Ultimate, PC, Premium |
| EA Sports FC 26 | June 18 | Ultimate, PC |
| Abyssus | June 25 | Ultimate, PC, Premium |
| RV There Yet? | June 30 | Ultimate, PC, Premium |
That's on top of an already loaded Wave 1 earlier in the month, which brought Final Fantasy VI, Jurassic World Evolution 3, The Elder Scrolls Online (its PC Game Pass debut), and the return of Persona 5 Royal.
Why it matters: Two AAA additions in one wave is strong value for subscribers, and a Call of Duty on Game Pass is rare enough that it's worth jumping on while it's there.
PS Plus June Games Are Live, But EA Sports FC 26 Already Left
Sony's PS Plus Monthly Games for June are available to every member from June 2 through July 6. If you haven't claimed them yet, you've got until early July.
| Game | Platforms |
|---|---|
| Grounded: Fully Yoked Edition | PS5, PS4 |
| Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 | PS5, PS4 |
| Warhammer 40,000: Darktide | PS5 |
There's a catch worth knowing about this week. EA Sports FC 26, which carried over from the May lineup, left the Monthly Games slot on June 16. If you claimed it in time, you also got an EA Sports FC 26 PlayStation Plus Icons Pack add-on. If you missed it, that window is closed.
Higher tiers got more: Destiny 2: Legacy Collection 2025, which includes The Final Shape, was added to PS Plus Extra and Premium/Deluxe starting June 9.
Why it matters: Free monthly claims are the easiest value a PS Plus subscription delivers. Grab the three current games before July 6, and let the EA Sports FC 26 deadline be a reminder to check these dates so you don't leave value on the table.
Steam Summer Sale 2026 Confirmed for June 25 to July 9
Mark it down: the Steam Summer Sale 2026 runs June 25 (10 AM PT) through July 9. That's 1 PM ET, 6 PM UK, and 7 PM CET on opening day.
As with recent Valve sales, expect flat discounts that stay live for the full two weeks. No daily deals, no flash timers, no reason to refresh the page every six hours. Whatever price you see on day one is the price you'll see on day thirteen.
Why it matters: This is the single biggest PC discount window of the summer, and it opens the exact same day as GTA 6 pre-orders. If your gaming budget has to stretch across both, the two-week sale gives you time to decide where the money goes.
Epic Is Giving Away Citizen Sleeper and Robobeat
The Epic Games Store's free games for June 18 to June 25 are Citizen Sleeper, a narrative cyberpunk RPG, and Robobeat, a rhythm-driven FPS roguelite. Both normally run $19.99, so that's roughly $40 of games for nothing if you claim them this week.
Claiming them is permanent. Add them to your library before June 25 and they're yours to keep, whether or not you play them right away.
Why it matters: Free is the best price there is. Two solid indies at no cost is exactly the kind of value worth a 30-second claim, even if they go straight to the backlog.
Quick Hits
- DK Challenge is live on Nintendo Switch Online: complete special objectives across classic Donkey Kong games in the NSO library to earn digital Challenge Cards (running through September 1).
- Persona 5 Royal returned to Xbox Game Pass earlier in June, nearly three years after it left the service.
- Destiny 2: Legacy Collection 2025 (including The Final Shape) hit PS Plus Extra and Premium/Deluxe on June 9.
- The Elder Scrolls Online made its official debut on PC Game Pass this month.
- Early-June showcase season wrapped up, with Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase (and a Series X25 Limited Edition for Xbox's 25th anniversary), PlayStation State of Play, and a Nintendo Direct all airing in the first week of the month.
What to Watch Next Week
- June 25 — GTA 6 pre-orders open across digital storefronts and select retailers.
- June 25, 10 AM PT — Steam Summer Sale 2026 begins (runs through July 9).
- June 25 — Abyssus joins Xbox Game Pass (Ultimate, PC, Premium).
- June 25 — New Epic free games go live: RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition and Voidwrought.
- June 30 — RV There Yet? joins Xbox Game Pass (Ultimate, PC, Premium).
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News compiled June 19, 2026.