God of War: Laufey Just Changed Everything. Here Is Every Announcement From PlayStation State of Play and What Summer Game Fest Still Has Coming

Sony didn't do a long pre-show. They didn't open with indie games or housekeeping. They opened with Marvel's Wolverine.

And then, an hour into what will be remembered as one of the best PlayStation presentations in recent memory, they dropped something nobody was expecting: God of War: Laufey — a new entry in the franchise that replaces Kratos entirely with his late wife Faye, sending her into the afterlife of the Norse gods in a story that fundamentally reimagines the series' hero.

The gaming internet is still processing it.

Here is everything that was announced at PlayStation's State of Play on June 2, 2026 — ranked from most to least significant — plus the complete schedule for what's still coming at Summer Game Fest 2026, this Friday, June 5, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

#1 — God of War: Laufey (Santa Monica Studio / PlayStation 5)

This is the announcement. The one that will be discussed for months.

The State of Play opened the God of War segment at a Norse afterlife — a glowing, architecturally extraordinary realm clearly rendered in the Santa Monica Studio's evolved engine. The player character walked through it. And it was not Kratos.

It was Faye.

Laufey the Just — Kratos' wife, Atreus' mother, the Jotun warrior whose death before the events of God of War (2018) set the entire Norse saga in motion — is the protagonist of God of War: Laufey. The gameplay begins with Faye in the afterlife of the gods, navigating a story whose full arc has not been revealed. The trailer's closing line — referencing the significance of the name "Laufey" in Norse mythology — suggested layers of meaning that the franchise's most devoted fans immediately began unpacking.

Who is Laufey in Norse mythology? In the Prose Edda, Laufey is the mother of Loki. She is a minor figure in the original Norse sources — notably the only goddess in the pantheon identified by her mother's name rather than her father's. In the God of War franchise, the name "Laufey" was Faye's Jotun name — revealed in the 2018 game's story as a deliberate choice by the writers to embed Loki mythology into Atreus' identity. Faye, by choosing the name Laufey, was signaling something about her son's destiny that the games have explored across two entries.

God of War: Laufey appears to be the story of who Faye was before Kratos — the Jotun warrior, the woman who carried cosmic secrets, the mother who prepared everything for a son she knew would become legend. The afterlife setting suggests a narrative that lives outside linear time, allowing the story to explore Faye's full mythology without the constraint of the Norse saga's established chronology.

No release window has been confirmed. The trailer was a reveal, not a launch announcement. But Santa Monica Studio's track record — God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök (2022) were both among the most critically acclaimed games of their respective years — makes this announcement a statement that the franchise is not content to repeat itself.

Kratos will presumably return. But the God of War series, at least in this next chapter, is someone else's story. That is either bold or brilliant. Most of the internet is landing on both.

#2 — Marvel's Wolverine (Insomniac Games / PlayStation 5 — September 15, 2026)

After years of anticipation — and a devastating 2022 data breach that leaked early development footage — Marvel's Wolverine finally has a release date: September 15, 2026, on PlayStation 5.

Pre-orders opened immediately following the State of Play.

The gameplay trailer was more than a sizzle reel. It established the game's plot explicitly: Wolverine is in a race against time to save a group of mutants — including Leech and Callisto, minor X-Men characters — at the mercy of the villainous Trask Industries (the company that creates Sentinels in the comics). Logan is not the only one hunting for them.

Gameplay mechanics confirmed:

• The combat system is a direct evolution of Insomniac's Spider-Man formula — combo and counter-focused, faster, and significantly more violent than Peter Parker or Miles Morales' adventures

• Stealth mechanics are confirmed, adding a layer of tactical play that differentiates Wolverine from Spider-Man's web-swinging pace

• The adamantium claws are present in all their brutal, extended, fully rendered glory — this is a game that will push the PS5's haptic feedback to its limits

Insomniac Games has confirmed that Wolverine will be followed by a Venom game, continuing the Marvel's Spider-Man universe's expansion into a growing library of Marvel character-specific titles.

Why September 15 matters: The release date puts Wolverine approximately two months before GTA 6 (November 19). Both games will dominate fall 2026's gaming conversation, but they are different enough in genre and audience that they are unlikely to cannibalize each other. September 15 is the kind of release date that studios book when they believe a game can stand as the dominant title in its launch month — and Insomniac, with two critically acclaimed Spider-Man games under their belt, has earned the confidence that assertion requires.

#3 — Until Dawn 2 (Ballistic Moon / PlayStation 5)

Until Dawn 2 was announced — the long-awaited sequel to Supermassive Games' 2015 cult horror classic that launched an entire genre of cinematic choice-driven horror games. The sequel is being developed by Ballistic Moon — the same studio that developed the 2024 Until Dawn remake — suggesting Sony has transitioned the franchise to a new creative home while preserving the original's aesthetic and mechanics.

Until Dawn fans — who have been waiting a decade for any continuation of the anthology-style horror narrative — responded with immediate enthusiasm. The original game's reputation has only grown since 2015, with the 2024 PC remake introducing it to a new generation of players. A true sequel, with new characters in a new setting, is one of horror gaming's most anticipated announcements.

No release date has been confirmed.

#4 — Silent Hill: Townfall (Konami / PlayStation 5 — September 24, 2026)

Silent Hill: Townfall has a release date: September 24, 2026, on PS5.

The gameplay trailer established the story: Simon Ordell is called back to the island of St. Amelia to "put things right" — encountering a town lying quiet beneath a heavy fog, seemingly abandoned but not at rest. The atmospheric trailer leaned into the psychological horror that defines the Silent Hill franchise at its best.

The September 24 date positions Silent Hill: Townfall one week after Wolverine — and approximately eight weeks before GTA 6. Fall 2026 is shaping up to be the densest gaming release window in years.

#5 — Rayman Legends Retold (Ubisoft / PlayStation 5 — August 27, 2026)

Rayman Legends Retold is a reimagining of the beloved 2013 platformer — described as featuring "stunning 3D visuals, a brand-new world, Kung Foot [the in-game soccer minigame], and legendary co-op fun." It includes fully voiced cinematics, an expanded soundtrack, and the legendary musical stages that made the original a critical darling.

Release date: August 27, 2026. Ubisoft is positioning this as a family-friendly platformer revival ahead of the fall's heavier releases.

#6 — Stuntman: Hollywood (Publisher TBD / PlayStation 5)

Stuntman: Hollywood is a revival of the beloved early-2000s game series in which players control the stunt driver behind famous movie scenes — crashing through sets, executing precision maneuvers, and surviving increasingly outlandish action sequences. The original Stuntman (2002) and its sequel Stuntman: Ignition (2007) were beloved for their chaotic energy and replayability.

The revival appears to capture the original's spirit with modern production values. No release date confirmed.

#7 — Bancho the Chef (NHN / PS5 & PC — August 6, 2026)

Bancho the Chef is a prequel to the wildly successful Dave the Diver — the indie hit developed by Mintrocket that surprised the industry in 2023 by becoming one of the best-reviewed games of the year. Bancho the Chef follows the story of the mysterious chef whose restaurant supplies the ingredients Dave the Diver collects, expanding the universe of one of gaming's most charming recent franchises.

Release date: August 6, 2026 on PS5 and PC.

#8 — Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls (Publisher TBD)

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls was shown — a new Marvel fighting game with distinct visual aesthetics and a roster that appears to draw from across the MCU and comics. No release date or detailed platform information confirmed. Fighting game fans' immediate response: cautious optimism and rapid comparisons to Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Other Reveals Worth Noting

• The Lost Wild — a Jurassic Park-esque first-person game where players encounter and interact with dinosaurs in a realistic survival context. Tom's Guide editors called it one of the showcase's most intriguing titles for its tonal ambition.

• Kemuri — a third-person action game in which players grind wires like a skateboarder. High visual style, distinctive movement mechanics.

• Marathon Nightfall — Bungie's new Marathon game received an update. The long-awaited extraction shooter revival from the creators of Halo and Destiny continues to build toward its release.

What Was NOT Shown — And Why It Matters for Friday

Tom's Guide's live team made an astute observation after the State of Play concluded: a significant number of games that PlayStation fans had specifically hoped to see were absent from the showcase entirely.

No Bloodborne sequel or remaster. No Final Fantasy VII DLC or sequel update. No Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet (Naughty Dog's post-The Last of Us project). No new Horizon entry. No RE9 DLC.

This is where Summer Game Fest's main showcase — THIS FRIDAY, June 5 at 2 PM PT — becomes essential.

The State of Play was explicitly billed as a pre-SGF showcase. It cleared the decks for Sony's first-party and selected third-party titles. Summer Game Fest proper — hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, two hours long, with world premieres from publishers and developers across the industry — is where the remaining major announcements will land.

What to expect from SGF on Friday:

• World premieres from Capcom, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, and potentially FromSoftware

• Updates on Control Resonant (the sequel to Remedy's acclaimed Control)

• Potentially Destiny 3 updates from Bungie

• Possible Ace Combat 8 reveal (Bandai Namco)

• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis update

• Nintendo Direct possibility — rumors suggest a June Direct could reveal an Ocarina of Time remake and the next 3D Mario

• Potential GTA 6 presence — unlikely given Rockstar's track record, but never zero

The SGF Play Days on Saturday June 6 open hands-on gaming access to media and fans at the Convention Center. The Game Business conference follows June 8 — the same day as Apple's WWDC keynote.

Summer Game Fest 2026: Full Schedule

June 3 Shack news Indie Showcase 5:30 PM

June 4 Latin American Games Showcase 7 PM

June 4 Women-Led Games 10 PM June 5

Access-Ability Summer Showcase 11 AM

June 5 Summer Game Fest Main Showcase 5 PM (Dolby Theatre)

June 6–7SGF Play Days (hands-on) All day

June 8 The Game Business conference All day

How to watch SGF on June 5: Stream free on YouTube (Summer Game Fest official channel) and Twitch. The event will also be available to watch in person at Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide — an innovation from last year's SGF that proved enormously popular.

Sony walked onto that stage with one job: don't waste our time. They didn't waste our time.

God of War: Laufey is the announcement of the gaming year so far — a franchise that has been one of PlayStation's crown jewels for two decades, making a creative bet that it can tell its best story yet without its own protagonist. Faye's story, in the afterlife of the Norse gods, using whatever mechanics Santa Monica Studio has been quietly building since Ragnarök's 2022 release, is either the boldest move in the franchise's history or the next evolution of what God of War can be.

Wolverine has a date: September 15. Pre-orders are live. The claws are out.

Until Dawn 2 is real. Silent Hill is coming September 24. Rayman is back. Dave the Diver's universe is expanding. And the main event — Summer Game Fest on Friday — hasn't happened yet.

For gamers, the next 72 hours are the best time of the year. Everything is being announced. Everything is being revealed. The industry is showing its hand for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

Start with God of War: Laufey. Everything else is context.

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