Week in Gaming News: June 20-26, 2026
GTA VI finally has a price tag and a pre-order button, and it lands right where everyone feared. Meanwhile Game Pass is shedding eight games at month's end, World of Warcraft just got more expensive in several countries, and Xbox's studio situation got messier. Here's what happened.
The Big Stories
GTA VI Pre-Orders Open at $79.99, Ultimate Edition at $99.99
Rockstar opened pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI on June 25 at midnight local time across digital storefronts and select retailers. The Standard Edition runs $79.99. The Ultimate Edition runs $99.99, a $20 premium. The game launches November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with pre-load starting November 12.
Pre-order either edition and you get the Vintage Vice City Pack: a '55 Vapid Stanier sedan with a garage on Ocean Beach, outfits and hairstyles for Jason and Lucia, and a weapon pattern.
| Edition | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $79.99 | Base game + Vintage Vice City Pack (pre-order bonus) |
| Ultimate | $99.99 | Standard contents + Ultimate extras |
Why it matters: This locks in the $80 price floor for the year's biggest AAA release and gives you a hard date to budget toward. If you're tempted by the $99.99 Ultimate Edition, ask yourself whether the extras are worth a 25% premium over a game that's already eight months out.
Eight Games Leave Xbox Game Pass on June 30
A second wave of departures hits Game Pass at the end of the month. The good news: members get at least 20% off these titles to buy and keep them before they go.
| Game Leaving June 30, 2026 |
|---|
| Payday 2 |
| Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider |
| Slay the Spire |
| Mecha BREAK |
| Ultimate Chicken Horse |
| Volcano Princess |
| Unpacking |
This is classic catalog churn, but a few of these are worth your attention. Slay the Spire is one of the best deckbuilders ever made, Unpacking is a cozy two-hour gem, and both Tomb Raider games are completionist favorites.
Why it matters: If any of these are sitting in your library half-finished, this is your weekend to wrap them up. And if you've fallen for one, that 20%+ "keep it" discount is the cheapest you'll see them for a while.
World of Warcraft Subscription Prices Rose in Several Regions
Blizzard raised World of Warcraft subscription prices on June 22 in the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Turkey, with reports also pointing to Brazil. The increase spans every band, from one-month plans up to twelve-month plans. To be clear up front: this is not a US price change.
How hard the hit lands depends on where you live:
| Region | Change |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Roughly +10% (lightest hit) |
| Kazakhstan | Up to ~40% more |
| Turkey | Lira no longer supported, now billed in Euros |
| Brazil (reported) | Monthly reportedly R$39.90 → R$54.90 |
Blizzard cited "a variety of factors, including global and regional market conditions." The one bit of good news: existing subscribers won't be charged the new rate until their next billing date after June 22.
Why it matters: If you're in an affected region, the move is simple. Check your next billing date, and if you're planning to keep playing, lock in a longer plan at the old rate before it renews. This also fits a bigger pattern in 2026: subscriptions across the board are getting pricier.
Xbox's Studio Situation Gets Messier
This one is still developing, so treat it as a moving story rather than settled fact. The Verge reported that Xbox is closing Ninja Theory, the studio behind Hellblade, with staff told on a Monday call and the studio hoping to find a buyer. Then Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported that at least three studios, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, and Double Fine, are in talks with Microsoft to avoid closure, potentially buying themselves back to go independent.
As of a June 26 update, claims that Ninja Theory had already been fully shut down were called premature by Schreier. The negotiations were still ongoing. Arkane has also been named as a studio potentially at risk. The situation is described as "in flux," with decisions expected by the end of June and possible layoffs after the June 30 fiscal year-end.
Why it matters: These studios made games people genuinely love, and what happens to them shapes what lands on and stays on Game Pass. Watch for confirmation before the month closes out.
Star Fox Returns on Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo brought Star Fox back on June 25 as a Switch 2 title. Reviews are solid without being spectacular, landing around 81 on Metacritic and 82 on OpenCritic, where roughly 92% of critics recommend it.
Critics praised the visuals and the faithful return to the series' rails-shooter roots. The main knock, raised by outlets like CNET, is that it plays it safe and doesn't add much new beyond a polished revival.
Why it matters: If you want a marquee first-party Switch 2 game and a hit of nostalgia, this is your weekend pick. Just know you're paying full price for a faithful revival rather than a reinvention, so let the score guide whether it's a day-one buy or a wishlist-and-wait.
Quick Hits
- PlayStation Plus monthly games (Grounded: Fully Yoked Edition, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide) are claimable through July 6, so grab them if you haven't.
- Game Pass June additions of note include Abyssus (June 25), RV There Yet? (June 30), Call of Duty: Vanguard (June 17), and EA Sports FC 26 (June 18).
- Nintendo Switch Online added limited-time Donkey Kong Bananza and Donkey Kong Classics challenges, with collectible digital Challenge Cards available until September 1.
- House Flipper Remastered Collection launched June 24 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- Citizen Sleeper arrived on Switch 2 on June 25 alongside Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector.
What to Watch Next Week
- June 30: Eight games leave Xbox Game Pass (see above), while RV There Yet? joins the service the same day.
- By June 30 (fiscal year-end): Expected resolution of the Xbox studio negotiations and possible layoffs. Watch for confirmation on Ninja Theory, Double Fine, and Compulsion Games.
- Early July: Sony typically reveals the next PlayStation Plus monthly games in the last week of the month. The current lineup expires July 6.
- GTA VI pre-load: November 12, ahead of the November 19 launch. It's far off, but the pre-order window is open now.
Track Subscription Changes Automatically
Subscription services change their catalogs and their prices constantly, and keeping up by hand is a losing game. Vaulted.Games tracks what's on Game Pass, PS Plus, and Nintendo Switch Online, alerts you when games are about to leave, and follows price changes across regions so you're never caught off guard at renewal time. Set it once and let it watch the catalogs for you.
[Track Your Subscriptions →]
News compiled June 26, 2026.