GTA 6 Goes to Netflix August 27, and Two New Horror Games Beat It to Launch
PressGrand Theft Auto VI official cover art. Courtesy of Rockstar Games, via rockstargames.com/VI/media, official public media gallery, used for editorial coverage.
The biggest gaming headline this week is not even out yet. Rockstar is putting the next Grand Theft Auto VI look on Netflix before its own channels get it, a first for the studio. While that clock counts down, two very different horror games actually shipped this week, and the reviews are in for both.
GTA 6's Extended Look Premieres on Netflix First
Rockstar confirmed an "extended look" at GTA 6 goes live August 27 at 3pm ET, exclusively on Netflix. If you would rather watch it on Rockstar's own channels, that version follows six hours later, at 9pm ET on YouTube and the official GTA 6 site. It is being described as more of an extended gameplay look than a traditional trailer, and it is Rockstar's first-ever partnership with Netflix for a reveal like this.
Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick reaffirmed in early August that the game remains on track for November 19, 2026, with no further delay. Pre-orders already sit around 4.38 million units despite the game being three months out, and pricing is confirmed at $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
→ Check current GTA 6 pre-order listings on Amazon ahead of the Netflix reveal.
The Sinking City 2 Landed August 18, and It's a Different Game Than You'd Expect
PressThe Sinking City 2 official box art. Courtesy of Frogwares, via Xbox Wire, used for editorial coverage.
Kyiv-based studio Frogwares dropped the action-adventure detective formula of the 2019 original entirely. The Sinking City 2 is now a tight, resource-lean survival horror game set in a flooded, Lovecraftian 1920s Arkham, with combat, exploration, and inventory management taking the lead over investigation. Reviews landed between 79 and 84 on Metacritic depending on platform, an 81 on OpenCritic, and a "Very Positive" Steam player rating with 95% of reviews positive early on. It's out now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, in Standard ($49.99), Deluxe ($54.99), and Premium ($59.99) editions.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope Is Outscoring Its Own Base Game
PressS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope official box art. Courtesy of GSC Game World, via Xbox Wire, used for editorial coverage.
GSC Game World's first story expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl launched August 20 alongside the free Update 2.0, and it's the rare expansion that reviews better than the game it's attached to. Cost of Hope sits at 85 on Metacritic, eight points above the base game's 77, with Steam user reviews opening Mixed around 60% positive on launch day. It adds two new explorable regions, including the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant itself, more than 20 hours of content built around the Duty and Freedom factions, and sells for $30 standalone.
| Game | Metacritic | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sinking City 2 | 79 to 84 | $49.99+ | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
| S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope | 85 | $30 (DLC) | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
What Else Is Worth Knowing This Week
- The PlayStation Store's "Ready, Set, Play" sale is live now through August 26, over 4,600 titles up to 75% off. See this week's full sales roundup in the Weekly Drop.
- Xbox Game Pass added a second wave of titles between August 18 and September 1, including Relooted, BlazBlue Entropy Effect X, and Aerial Knight's Dropshot, on top of Beast of Reincarnation and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy from earlier in the month.
- Elsewhere, Supermassive Games announced a redundancy process affecting up to 75 staff, and Pokémon Pokopia quietly crossed 5 million copies sold on Switch 2.
None of that beats the Netflix news for sheer novelty. Whatever the November 19 game turns out to be, Rockstar just proved it can put a trailer wherever it wants and people will show up.
→ Track live pricing on both new releases and pre-order GTA 6: The Sinking City 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and GTA 6 on Amazon.
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