This week's game releases are stacked in a way October usually is not. Between the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 campaign early access on October 16, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse landing on October 15, and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 launching today, there is something big dropping almost every day through the 23rd. Here is my rundown of the game releases this week that are actually worth your time and money.

The headliner: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (campaign early access October 16)

Modern Warfare 4 is the biggest game release this week by a mile. Anyone who pre-ordered gets campaign early access starting Friday, October 16, a full week before the global launch on October 23. The Standard Edition is $69.99 and the Vault Edition is $99.99, and it is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2 — there is no PS4 or Xbox One version this time.

The campaign follows Private Park, a young South Korean soldier, as North Korea launches a full-scale invasion, while the Task Force 141 storyline reaches what Activision calls the epic conclusion of the Modern Warfare saga. The villain is a character called The Archer, played by Mads Mikkelsen, which is the kind of casting that tells you Activision is taking this campaign seriously.

Two things stand out to me beyond the campaign. First, the new Collateral multiplayer mode: teams alternate attacking and defending two bomb sites, everyone starts with a pistol and earns cash between rounds to buy upgrades, and if you die you lose your loadout. No respawns, no killstreaks, no health regeneration. That is a bold design for Call of Duty, and I think competitive players will either love it or riot about it within a week. Second, it is not on Game Pass at launch — you have to buy it to play day one.

My take: if you care about the story, the early access week is genuinely the best way to play, because Call of Duty campaign spoilers are everywhere within 48 hours of launch. And I am quietly more excited about Collateral mode than the campaign itself, because Search-and-Destroy-style modes with an economy are the only part of CoD multiplayer I have ever stuck with.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (October 15, $29.99)

October 15 brings Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, set in Paris in 1499, 23 years after the events of Castlevania 3. Trevor Belmont returns, this time fighting alongside his daughter Rose, and the game is a 2D exploration action title built around whip combat and a Tarot Card system that changes up how you fight.

Here is why I am paying attention: the development involves Evil Empire and Motion Twin, the teams behind Dead Cells. Dead Cells is one of the best-playing action games of the last decade, so putting that combat DNA inside a proper Castlevania is a combination that makes complete sense on paper. At $29.99 it is also priced like a game that knows exactly what it is, not a $70 gamble.

My take: of all the game releases this week, this is the one I would actually pre-order. A Belmont in burning 1499 Paris with Dead Cells-adjacent combat and tarot-based build options is the strongest pitch in this entire lineup. If you grew up on the series, October 15 is circled on my calendar for you.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (out today, October 14)

The one you can play right now. Boltgun 2 is the sequel to the boomer shooter that turned the Warhammer 40K universe into a gloriously loud '90s-style FPS, and it launches today, October 14, on Xbox and PC.

My take: the first Boltgun understood the assignment completely — it was a love letter to classic shooters with a Space Marine skin, and it never pretended to be anything else. If you want your October to start with a shotgun and a chainsword, this is your game. It is the perfect palate cleanser before the bigger releases later in the week.

The rest of this week's game releases

The big three are not the whole story. The game releases this week also include Ratatan on October 15, the rhythm-action game that fans of a certain beloved PSP drum-based strategy series have been waiting years for. The Witch's Bakery also lands on October 14 — a 2D adventure RPG about a witch in Paris who heals people's hearts with magic-infused bread, which is about as far from Boltgun 2 as two games released on the same day can possibly be.

October 16 brings Tales of Eternia Remastered and the horror title Tenebris Somnia alongside the Modern Warfare 4 campaign early access. Then October 20 adds We Were Here Tomorrow, the next entry in the co-op puzzle series that has ended friendships, and Mycopunk. It is a genuinely crowded two weeks, and your backlog is about to get worse.

Also worth a look: Apple Indie Games Week

Apple kicked off Indie Games Week on October 12, spotlighting seven indie games on the App Store all week: Sifu, Vampire Crawlers, Little Kitty Big City, 9 Kings, Dome Keeper, Yes Your Grace 2: Snowfall, and No Man's Sky, which makes its iPhone and iPad debut on October 28 with every major expansion included. Indie Games Week runs all week with daily features and curated collections, so if you play on mobile there is a lot to browse.

Vampire Crawlers caught my eye in particular — a Vampire Survivors spin-off that trades bullet-dodging for tactical deck building. If that sounds like your thing and you want the same fix free in a browser right now, Dreamland Survivors on GameFunLife is a pixel-art arena survivor where your weapons fire automatically and victory comes down to positioning and smart upgrade picks.

Can't wait? Play something free right now

Waiting for October 23 for the full Modern Warfare 4 launch is going to feel long, and Castlevania is still a day away. While you wait, Age of Zombies is my pick for the shooter fix — a twin-stick zombie shooter with 24 levels, 7 bosses and horde modes that plays great on both desktop and phone. And if Castlevania has you in the mood for dark fantasy, Cursed Treasure 2 is the best tower defence on the site and will absolutely eat your evening.

My pick of the week

If I could only play one of this week's game releases, it would be Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. Modern Warfare 4 is the bigger event and Boltgun 2 is the better instant buy, but a $29.99 Castlevania with Dead Cells combat DNA is the kind of game I will still be thinking about in December. My second choice is easy: the Modern Warfare 4 campaign early access on October 16, played fast, before the spoilers find me.

Which one are you picking up? I will be in the Discord arguing about it.

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