Week in Gaming News: October 31 - November 6, 2026
Two deadlines top this week's news: 14 games leave Game Pass by November 15, and GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 leave PS Plus Extra on November 17. Meanwhile, Switch 2 and PS5 shipments both fell sharply, the Ocarina of Time remake launched to huge scores, and GTA VI pre-loads open next week.
Here's what happened.
The Big Stories
Game Pass November Wave 1: 23 Entries, 14 Departures, and Cloud Caps Due This Month
Xbox Wire posted November Wave 1 on November 3, with 23 entries across all tiers between November 3 and November 17. That doesn't mean 23 new games. Football Manager 27 counts twice (PC and console), and some entries look like tier expansions rather than new arrivals.
| Date | Game | Tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 3 | Football Manager 27 (PC, day one) | Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| Nov 3 | Pit of Goblin | Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Premium |
| Nov 4 | Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors ("Now with Game Pass Premium") | Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Premium |
| Nov 4 | Void/Breaker | Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Premium |
| Nov 5 | Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School (day one) | Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| Nov 5 | Firefighting Simulator: Ignite | Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Premium |
| Nov 5 | MySims Cozy Bundle | Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| Nov 10 | Football Manager 2027 Console (day one) | Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| Nov 10 | Warhammer Survivors (day one) | Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| Nov 10 | Tanuki: Pon's Summer (day one) | Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| Nov 11 | Hope in the City (day one) | Ultimate, PC Game Pass |
| Nov 11 | Thronefall | Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Premium |
| Nov 12 | John Carpenter's Toxic Commando | Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Premium |
| Nov 17 | Aphelion ("Now with Game Pass Premium") | Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Premium |
| Nov 17 | Paw Patrol: Dino World | Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Premium |
Coming to Game Pass Essential on November 15: Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Gears of War: Judgment, Halo: Spartan Assault, Perfect Dark, Viva Piñata, and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise.
Leaving November 15: 1000xResist, Barbie Horse Trails, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Firefighting Simulator - The Squad, GoldenEye 007, Great God Grove, Moonlighter, Pigeon Simulator, Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, Relic Hunters Legend, Total Chaos, Winter Burrow, and Wreckfest. Pure Xbox also reports Football Manager 26 leaves November 10, which makes 14.
Cloud limits are also due this month. Xbox announced on September 3 that cloud play will be capped at 15 hours a month on Ultimate, 10 on Premium, and 5 on Essential. That's about 30 minutes a day at the top tier. Microsoft says the limits start "in November" but hasn't named a day, and as of November 6 we found no confirmation they're live.
You'll be able to buy extra hours through the Xbox Store, and non-subscribers can buy hours to stream eligible games they own. Microsoft expects the caps to affect about 4% of subscribers. It promised official hour pricing before the change, so don't trust any price lists until then.
Why it matters: Finish GoldenEye 007 by November 15, then pick up Perfect Dark and the Banjo games on Essential the same day. If you stream everything and don't own a console, the cloud cap is the bigger change, so watch for the pricing.
GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 Leave PS Plus Extra on November 17
Eleven games leave PS Plus Extra on November 17, according to Push Square.
| Leaving PS Plus Extra | Platforms |
|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto V | PS5, PS4 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | PS4 |
| Football Manager 26 | PS5 |
| The Talos Principle 2 | PS5 |
| Cricket 24 | PS5, PS4 |
| Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom | PS5, PS4 |
| Hotshot Racing | PS4 |
| Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break | PS4 |
| Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair | PS4 |
| Rapala Fishing Pro Series | PS4 |
| Yet Another Zombie Defense HD | PS4 |
The Monthly Games went live November 3 and stay claimable through November 30: Dead Island 2 (PS5, PS4), Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (PS5, PS4), and Monster Train 2 (PS5). We haven't seen November's Game Catalog additions announced as of November 6.
The PlayStation Store Black Friday sale started November 4, with up to 75% off thousands of PS5, PS4, and PS VR2 games, expansions, and DLC. A refresh lands November 16, some discounts end November 20, and the sale ends November 30. Discounts vary by region, so check the listing before you buy.
Why it matters: GTA V and RDR2 leave two days before GTA VI launches. If you want a catch-up run, you have until November 17, or you can see whether the sale gets either one to a price you like.
Switch 2 and PS5 Shipments Fall Sharply as Nintendo and Sony Report Earnings
Both companies reported on November 5, and the hardware numbers look rough. Note the different time periods.
| Console | Period | Units | Year Earlier | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switch 2 | April-September 2026 | 6.49M | 10.36M | Down 37.4% |
| PS5 | July-September 2026 | 2.6M | 4M | Down 35% |
Nintendo kept its 16.5 million full-year forecast, and Engadget reports net profit rose 11%. By our math, that forecast needs about 10 million more units in the second half, and lifetime sales now sit at 26.35 million. The drop follows Nintendo's price increase announcement, but don't pin it all on price: the year-earlier period included the console's launch.
Sony did fine without the hardware. Gaming segment sales rose to ¥1,208.5 billion from ¥1,113.2 billion for the quarter, and Sony raised the segment's full-year operating income forecast to ¥700 billion from ¥660 billion. Android Headlines reports 88.2 million full-game units sold in the quarter, 8.2 million of them first-party (up 30%), and 2.4 million copies of Marvel's Wolverine in its first 50 days.
Android Headlines also notes Sony has said a PS5 price increase contributed to the drop.
Why it matters: Both companies are selling fewer consoles and still making money. Our read, not theirs: that's a weak signal for big hardware price cuts.
The Ocarina of Time Remake Launches on Switch 2 and Reviews in the Mid-90s
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launched on Switch 2 on November 5. It costs $59.99 on the eShop and $69.99 physical in the US.
Nintendo Life's roundup puts it at 96 on Metacritic from 81 critic reviews, and TheGamer had it at 95 on OpenCritic with 100% of critics recommending it as of November 4. Eurogamer, VGC, and GamesRadar all gave it 5/5, while IGN, GameSpot, and Nintendo Life gave it 9/10.
Why it matters: This is a first-party Nintendo release at $59.99 if you go digital, which saves you $10 over the physical copy.
GTA VI Pre-Loads Open Next Week, and You Need Up to 212GB
GTA VI launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar's page lists no PC version. Pre-load timing differs by platform:
| Platform | Pre-Load Opens | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 | November 10, local midnight | Pre-order required, clear at least 212GB |
| Xbox | November 10, 12am GMT (November 9 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET in the US) | Up to 212GB depending on device |
If you've seen November 12 listed as the pre-load date, that's the date boxed copies reach retailers, according to VGC. We found no sign of a delay as of November 6.
Why it matters: Check your storage before November 10. A 212GB install can force you to delete a lot of games or buy more storage, and that's an extra cost on top of the game itself.
Quick Hits
- Ubisoft and Arkane: Bloomberg reports Ubisoft is among multiple bidders for Arkane Lyon, with no deal close and a management buyout also possible, but the companies haven't confirmed any of it.
- More Switch 2 launches: Stellar Blade Complete Edition and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition also arrived November 5, per Nintendo UK's release list.
- Nintendo Switch Online: We found no November Nintendo Classics additions announced as of November 6.
What to Watch Next Week
- November 9: Take-Two reports Q2 FY2027 results after the market closes (call at 4:30pm ET), and US Xbox players can start pre-loading GTA VI at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
- November 10: GTA VI pre-load opens on PS5. Football Manager 2027 Console, Warhammer Survivors, and Tanuki: Pon's Summer join Game Pass, and Football Manager 26 leaves.
- November 11: Hope in the City and Thronefall join Game Pass.
- November 12: GTA VI boxed copies hit retailers, and John Carpenter's Toxic Commando joins Game Pass. Metaphor: ReFantazio, Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy, and Sonic Pico Park arrive on Switch 2.
- Any day in November: Xbox still owes us the Cloud Gaming start date, hour pricing, and eligible games list.
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News compiled November 6, 2026.