From June 22 to June 28, 2026, three very different games are set to take the spotlight: the desert extraction expeditions of SAND: Raiders of Sophie, the fast vertical firefights of multiplayer shooter EMPULSE, and the return of Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2. This is not a ranked list or a complete release calendar, but a focused weekly selection built around games with distinct ideas. One enters Early Access with modular walking machines and high-risk scavenging, one wants movement to define every competitive encounter, and one brings back the arcade space combat formula of one of Nintendo’s most recognizable series.
SAND: Raiders of Sophie
SAND: Raiders of Sophie opens the week on June 22 in Early Access for PC. The game takes players to Sophie, a desert world in an alternate setting shaped by abandoned cities, shipwrecks, storms, and valuable resources waiting to be recovered. Its structure is built around PvPvE expeditions: players can head out alone or with a squad, search the hostile landscape for loot, and attempt to reach extraction before losing everything they have collected. What separates it from more familiar extraction shooters is the Trampler, a massive walking machine that works as transportation, storage, shelter, and a combat platform all at once.
The Trampler is also where SAND builds most of its identity. Players can assemble it from modular components, deciding whether to create a heavily armed fortress, a faster vehicle designed to avoid danger, or a strange improvised machine made to confuse opponents. During each expedition, danger does not come only from rival groups. The desert is filled with hostile creatures, environmental hazards, and storms that make navigation harder and increase the pressure once valuable cargo is already on board. Different modes are meant to support calmer journeys or more dangerous dives, where better rewards come with a much higher chance of losing the entire run.
EMPULSE
EMPULSE follows on June 24 in Early Access for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The six-versus-six multiplayer FPS is built around mobility, treating it as the central skill of every fight rather than a simple way to cross the map. Its action takes place in the post-utopian city of Freehold, an environment shaped by vertical routes, wall-running surfaces, and spaces that reward players able to maintain momentum. The intended pace is closer to a shooter where trajectories, environmental awareness, and quick improvisation decide matches than one where players spend most of their time waiting behind cover.
Its movement system includes multi-directional wall-runs, grappling hooks, jetpacks, holographic jumps, slides, and P.A.I.N.T. Bombs, tools that modify surfaces with effects tied to speed, jumping, healing, explosions, or sticky material. This means the ground itself can change purpose during a firefight, creating new routes for attacks, escapes, and team plays. Mechs are another major part of the formula. They appear as contested objectives during matches and give the team that claims them access to heavy weapons, shields, rockets, melee attacks, and enough durability to shift the balance of a round. The Early Access period will be used to refine maps, modes, progression, balance, and the overall movement system through community feedback.
Star Fox
Star Fox closes the selection on June 25 for Nintendo Switch 2. The new release brings Fox McCloud and his team back to the Lylat System for another battle against Dr. Andross, while revisiting the rail shooter structure that made the series famous. The campaign focuses on aerial combat, enemy formations, planetary routes, and compact missions designed to be replayed for stronger scores and better outcomes. Fox can rely on the Arwing’s weapons, upgrades, bombs, and the choice between an external view and a first-person cockpit perspective.
The game updates that formula with fully voiced dialogue, an orchestral soundtrack, and a refreshed visual presentation, while keeping the branching routes that can lead to different missions depending on player performance. The result is designed as a compact but replayable adventure, where finishing a stage does not necessarily mean seeing everything it has to offer. Star Fox also includes an online team-based Battle Mode, with four-versus-four fights across different areas of the Lylat System. The story campaign can be played cooperatively as well, allowing a second player to take on the role of pilot or gunner.
