What to Play This Week: Dune: Awakening, EA Sports FC 27, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

This Week at a Glance

Dune: Awakening reaches consoles Tuesday, EA Sports FC 27 kicks off the season Friday, and Thursday brings three releases at once — Control Resonant, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Silent Hill: Townfall — none of which belong anywhere near a family evening. Tears of the Kingdom covers that gap from the backlog.

What We’d Play This Week

Top Tip of the Week: Dune: Awakening

Dune: Awakening — PS5, Xbox. Tuesday, and day one on Xbox Game Pass, which makes it the cheapest way to find out whether the Arrakis survival loop holds you before buying in on PS5. The single-player mode is what actually changes the proposition for a dad without four hours a night to spare.

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Dune: Awakening (PS5) (opens in a new tab)

The console edition of Funcom's open-world Arrakis survival MMO, day one on Game Pass on Xbox — the PS5 disc is the one to actually own it.

With the Family: EA Sports FC 27

EA Sports FC 27 — PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, Switch, PC. Friday, for everyone who did not pay for the early-access head start. You already know whether this is your household’s Friday night.

From the Backlog: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (5/5)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Switch, Switch 2. Thursday’s three big releases are all rated for adults, so this is what goes on instead when the room needs something everyone can watch or take a turn at.

Also Releasing This Week

Control Resonant

Control Resonant releases Thursday 24 September on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Remedy’s sequel to Control, worldwide on the 24th — Mac follows later in the year.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (Switch 2)

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (Switch 2) releases Thursday 24 September. Not a launch — the Switch 2 edition of the 2D revival, digital and physical.

Silent Hill: Townfall

Silent Hill: Townfall releases Thursday 24 September on PS5 and PC. A full-length, self-contained psychological horror set in Scotland, from Annapurna and Konami’s Screen Burn. Not a remake and not a side story.

Every other date this month is on our release calendar — the full list of what lands where, with the picks we would actually spend an evening on at the top.

What should we play this week (September 21-27, 2026)?

Our top tip is Dune: Awakening, out Tuesday on PS5 and Xbox and day one on Game Pass. With the family, EA Sports FC 27 drops Friday across every platform. And from the backlog, Tears of the Kingdom is the pick for the room — Thursday’s three big releases are all rated for adults.

Why isn't Control Resonant, Shinobi or Silent Hill: Townfall a pick this week?

All three release Thursday 24 September and none of them are for kids — Control Resonant and Silent Hill: Townfall are both mature horror/action, and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a violent 2D action revival. They are worth knowing about, just not a family pick.

Is Dune: Awakening worth buying, or should I use the Game Pass trial first?

Try Game Pass first if you’re on Xbox — the survival loop on Arrakis is not for everyone, and Day One access means you find out without committing. On PS5, where there is no Game Pass equivalent, the disc is the only way in.

What games are still running that are worth a family evening this week?

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a 5/5 from us, on Switch and Switch 2. With three mature-rated releases landing Thursday, it is the one to hand over instead.