Before GTA 6, Try These Overlooked October Games

Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives in November and will take most of the oxygen out of the room, but October has been full of games worth a look. GameSpot's staff spent the month with a mix of recent releases that many players may have missed, from a Poppy Playtime spin-off to a quiet off-road driver.

Escape from Playtime is an eight-player co-op horror game set in the Poppy Playtime universe. It borrows the climbing from Peak and the quota-chasing loop from REPO, and places both in a liminal world inspired by the Playrooms. You don't need to follow the franchise's tangled story to enjoy it. One staffer's daughter was happy to dive in until a trailer hinted at an encounter with Miss Delight, and she has since started reconsidering her commitment to the horror genre.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight's new Mayhem Mode is a roguelike built around a three-minute clock. Joker and Harley Quinn run riot across Gotham, and players race to finish objectives like setting up the balloons from the 1989 Batman film. Collecting studs and completing optional tasks adds time. When the clock runs out, the player either escapes with the loot or gets caught by Batman and loses a chunk of it. Random run-ins with Task Force X, including Deadshot, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang, keep things lively. The mode is light, but it gives collectors another reason to revisit Lego Gotham City.

Gears of War: E-Day has not drawn the crowds its franchise history suggests, and early player numbers have been modest. That is a shame, since the prequel covers the first days of the Locust invasion, with Marcus and Dom's improvised squad fighting as Sera falls apart. Alongside the expected third-person shooting and large bosses, the quieter world-building moments stood out to one reviewer, who also wants to know what happens next to the characters introduced here.

Legion Was Here is the work of a solo developer and rewards careful attention. Players build a custom character, craft a disguise, memorize details about a target, and slip into a secret meeting where one mistake can be fatal. Its interrogations are nuanced and its art style is quirky, and fans of detective shows like Columbo will likely feel at home.

Over the Hill is a relaxing game that avoids feeling empty. You drive classic 4x4s across scenic terrain, take photos, and manage your winch and gears to stay on track. Speed is not the point here, and that deliberate pace keeps the experience engaging. Automatic or manual transmission lets you decide how much control you want.

For something darker, The Doll Shop is a short, lushly illustrated visual novel. You take over your father's doll shop and set out through a snowbound Japanese town to find a client's address. Everyone you meet appears shrouded in black static, and a missing girl's flyers cover every window. The story unfolds over four days and offers multiple endings, making it a good pick for a spooky-season playthrough.

Several other games earned spots in the staff's rotation: Boltgun 2 is a sharper sequel to an already strong boomer shooter, The Discarded DLC gives Forbidden Solitaire another reason to return, the My Arms Are Longer Now demo is an absurd comedy that somehow calms its players down, Dog in the Machine offers a robot-dog take on Into the Breach, and Queen's Domain looks promising as a dark fantasy RPG inspired by King's Field.