In this week's Inven Weekly TOP Game Rankings, 'Onimusha: Way of the Sword' held onto the No. 1 spot. 'The War of Genesis Side Story: The Rhapsody of Zephyr Remaster' also maintained 2nd place, while 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4' entered the chart anew in 3rd place. Notably, 'Hearthstone - Dominion of the Black Empire' climbed five spots from the previous week to land at No. 4, bringing significant shifts to the upper ranks.
In the middle ranks, 'EA Sports FC 27' moved up one spot to sit at No. 5. Conversely, 'Dynasty Warriors 2: Complete Edition Remaster', which was 3rd last week, fell three spots to rank 6th. 'Final Fantasy Resonance', which was absent from last week's chart, debuted at No. 7, naming itself among this week's highly anticipated titles.
Changes continued in the lower ranks as well. 'Ace Combat 8: Wings of Thebes' debuted at No. 8, while 'Princess Maker: Children of Prophecy' fell two spots to 9th. 'Trails in the Sky The 2nd' also dropped five spots to land at No. 10. Overall, while 1st and 2nd place held firm, the week saw a major reshuffling across the TOP 10 as new entries settled into top spots and existing popular titles dropped in rank.
Last Week's Issues, New Releases, Events, and News
Last week, as the esports events at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games came to a close, Team Korea earned 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 2 bronze medals. In particular, the 'League of Legends' national team defeated Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the finals to secure back-to-back gold medals following the Hangzhou Asian Games. Combined with the earlier gold medal won by the fighting games team, who beat Japan 5-2, Korea finished the tournament with a total of five medals. The silver medal was taken by Dong-shin Kang in 'Puyo Puyo Champions', while the bronze medals were secured by Young-chan Kim in 'Gran Turismo 7' and the national team in 'Pokémon UNITE'.
Information on new MMORPGs continued to be unveiled. Kakao Games released a development documentary for 'ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom', revealing actual gameplay footage for the first time. The game features a structure connecting gear-based skill combinations, life content such as gathering, production, and trading, as well as large-scale inter-server PvP, aiming for a global release in Q2 2027. Nexon also released a video introducing key systems for its upcoming title 'Overgeared'. It showcased gear-centric progression systems, including gear acquisition via elite monsters, the 'Royal Armory' for exchanging unused gear into currency, and 'Signature Equipment' that imprints the gear maker's name.
News from major game companies was also reported. KRAFTON announced the termination of development for 'PUBG: Black Budget', an extraction shooter utilizing the 'PUBG' IP. Developed as a PvPvE game supporting up to 45 players, it underwent two closed alpha tests, but after evaluating current development status and future directions, the company decided to cancel the project. On the other hand, NCSoft's MMORPG 'Aion 2' launched global Early Access on September 30, reaching a peak concurrent player count of 171,530 on Steam. It also reached No. 1 on Steam's global 'Top Sellers' chart, with NCSoft announcing the official global launch for October 5.
The floor plan and key content for 'G-STAR 2026', set to take place this November, were also revealed. This year's G-STAR will be held from November 19 to 22 at BEXCO in Busan, with major companies like KRAFTON, HoYoverse, and Webzen participating with large booths. Exhibition Hall 2 will feature a Global Game Showcase with participants including Koei Tecmo, SEGA, NetEase Games, and CD PROJEKT RED. In addition to indie game exhibitions and the G-CON conference, the 'Overwatch' esports tournament 'OWCS ASIA Stage 3 Grand Finals 2026' will be held.
In the console sector, Sony announced that it is expanding its AI upscaling technology, previously applied to the PS5 Pro, to the standard PS5. The newly unveiled 'QSSR' simplifies the neural network structure of the existing PSSR and optimizes it for the standard PS5, focusing on improving image clarity and stability. It was applied first to 'Marvel's Wolverine' and 'Ghost of Yōtei', with Sony planning to provide the technology to other developers in the future.
What Notable New Releases, Events, and Updates Are Coming This Week?
Releases of major games will continue starting on the 6th of this week. First, on the 6th, 'Star Wars: Galactic Racer' and 'Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed' will launch. 'Star Wars: Galactic Racer' is a racing game set in the Star Wars universe, while 'Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed' is a reimagining of the classic action-adventure title with modern graphics and controls, launching this time on new platforms.
On the 7th, 'Gears of War: E-Day' will be released. Set during Emergence Day, a pivotal event in the series, it follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as they confront the Locust invasion. Taking place before previous entries in the series, the title shines a light on the events when the war between humanity and the Locust first began.
On the 8th, 'Hell is Us', a third-person action-adventure combining sci-fi and supernatural elements, releases on new platforms. Exploring a region plunged into chaos by war and supernatural calamities, the game features gameplay where players rely on surrounding environments and clues to navigate exploration routes and objectives themselves, rather than depending on quest markers or explicit guidance.
Domestically in Korea, Kakao Games will release the mobile MMORPG 'World of Dokkaebi', developed by Supercat. Based on the web novel 'Myeol-Gwi Su-Do-Jeon', it features a universe combining Korean folklore and Oriental fantasy, alongside 2.5D graphics utilizing 2D pixel characters and 3D backgrounds. On the 9th, 'Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen' is on the launch schedule. An expanded version of Capcom's open-world action RPG 'Dragon's Dogma', it features real-time combat utilizing various vocations and the 'Pawn' system where players develop companion characters. Notably, it adds 'Bitterblack Isle' as a new exploration area to the original game, delivering additional content including formidable monsters, dungeons, and equipment.
In esports, '2026 VCT Champions Shanghai' continues. Having kicked off on September 24, the tournament runs until October 18, and this week teams emerging from the group stage will enter the playoffs starting on the 7th. The event will conclude with the grand finals on the 18th. Offline, the gaming event 'PAX AUS 2026' will take place in Melbourne, Australia, from the 9th to the 11th. A variety of programs will be hosted, centered around game exhibitions, demos, developer talks, and community activities.
What Were Last Week's Metacritic Scores?
Metacritic scores for the newly revealed releases were generally distributed in the 70s to 80s range. While 'Star Wars: Galactic Racer' and 'Gears of War: E-Day' earned high scores, 'Transport Fever 3' also drew positive reactions. On the other hand, some titles left room for improvement in repetitive gameplay and system polish.
First, 'Transport Fever 3' earned a Metacritic score of 84 based on the PC version. Its logistics system connecting various modes of transport and improved management features were praised, though drawbacks included somewhat clunky interfaces, pathfinding issues, and performance drops on large maps. 'Minecraft Dungeons 2' recorded a score of 75 from 31 reviews for the Xbox version. Intuitive hack-and-slash combat, an expanded gear system, and co-op play received positive marks, but its short campaign, repetitive end-game content, and online connectivity issues were noted as shortcomings.
'Dynasty Warriors 2: Complete Edition Remaster' recorded a 79 from 8 reviews based on the Nintendo Switch 2 version. Graphical enhancements utilizing Unreal Engine 5 and faithful reproduction of the original content were praised, though simple and repetitive combat mechanics along with certain technical issues were cited as drawbacks. 'End of Abyss' registered a 76 based on the PS5 version. Its dark atmosphere, grotesque monster designs, and Metroidvania-style exploration were well-received, but a complicated map, cumbersome traversal mechanics, and various bugs proved disappointing.
'Gears of War: E-Day' received high acclaim with an 87 based on the Xbox version. Set during Emergence Day when the Locust invasion began, it covers the story of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago and received high praise for reviving the dark, brutal atmosphere signature to early entries in the series. Heavy cover-based gunplay, improved traversal systems, large-scale combat staging, and Unreal Engine 5-based graphics were also highlighted as key strengths. On the other hand, reviews noted that some open areas disrupted the campaign's pacing, alongside criticism for repetitive boss encounters and narrative development.
'Star Wars: Galactic Racer' earned an 88 from 58 reviews based on the PS5 version, marking the highest rating on this list. Its core strengths included a high sense of speed across various racing modes including podracing, precise controls, and crash and destruction effects. In particular, its roguelite-style campaign—where players upgrade vehicle performance and abilities over repeated races—was praised for setting itself apart from conventional arcade racers. Planetary environments leveraging the Star Wars universe, craft designs, music, and sound effects were also lauded. Conversely, monotony arising from repeated play, difficulty identifying obstacles due to high speeds, and aggressive behavior from certain AI racers were pointed out as drawbacks.
Popularity Poll for New Releases
This week's poll invites votes on games newly released or scheduled for launch between September 4 and November 5. Accordingly, games past this timeframe have been removed from the poll, and new titles have been added.
