August 27, 2026 is one of the busiest release days of the year, with three unrelated but notable games launching on the same date: Star Wars Zero Company, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy. Between a new Star Wars tactics game, a classic Metal Gear compilation, and an action-adventure prequel, the day covers three completely different genres, price points, and audiences.
Same-day launches usually mean at least one game gets overshadowed, so here’s what each one actually offers, what it costs, and who should prioritize which.
Star Wars Zero Company
Developed by Bit Reactor with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, Zero Company is a single-player turn-based tactics game set during the twilight of the Clone Wars. Players lead Hawks, a former Galactic Republic officer running Zero Company, a squad of hired professionals rather than Jedi or clone troopers. Combat gives each character three action points per turn to spend on movement, attacks, or abilities, and lead producer Caydence Funk has said a full playthrough runs 30 to 40 hours.
Pricing splits by platform: the Standard Edition is $49.99 on PC and $59.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, while the Deluxe Edition runs $59.99 on PC and $69.99 on console, adding the Grand Army of the Republic and Shadow Collective cosmetic packs plus five weapon set themes. A $299.99 Collector’s Edition is also available, though pre-orders for that tier close August 23. Every pre-order, regardless of edition, includes a Crystalline Astromech cosmetic pack covering the R3, R4, R5, and BR-1 droid variants. There’s no multiplayer, no microtransactions, and no announced DLC, which makes this a straightforward single-player campaign rather than a live-service play. It releases on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and EA App, plus PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2
Konami’s second collection bundles Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (using the HD Collection version), and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, priced at $49.99 across every platform. Each included game ships with a scenario book containing the full script and a master book covering story and character details, and the collection adds a Metal Gear Solid 4 Database covering series lore from the original Metal Gear through MGS4, plus the original screenplay.
Pre-ordering unlocks cosmetic bonuses: a Cardboard Camouflage uniform in MGS4 and a Love Box uniform in Peace Walker, both callbacks to the series’ recurring stealth gags. Anyone who owns Master Collection Vol. 1 and has save data on their console gets additional loyalty cosmetics as a returning-player bonus. MGS4 is the clear headliner here, since it was a PS3 exclusive for years and this is the first time it’s officially playable on PC, Xbox, or Switch. Ghost Babel, a Game Boy Color title most Western players never touched, rounds out the collection as the deep-cut pick for series completionists. It’s the widest-reaching launch of the three, landing on PC via Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Switch 2.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
Developed by Asobo Studio and published by Focus Entertainment, Resonance is a prequel to 2022’s A Plague Tale: Requiem, set 15 years before that game and following Sophia rather than series leads Amicia and Hugo. The story runs on a dual-timeline structure, alternating between Sophia’s journey to Minotaur’s Island and playable sections as Theseus, a mythological figure living more than 2,000 years earlier whose actions in ancient Minoan times directly shape what Sophia encounters. Sophia also gains a Minoan sphere that manipulates light, and the game leans into faster, more aggressive combat with parries and heavy strikes rather than the pure survival-stealth of the earlier Plague Tale games.
It launches on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and it’s confirmed for Xbox Game Pass on day one with Xbox Play Anywhere support. Preordering unlocks the Heritage Pack, a bonus DLC bundle with the Minoan Sword, Alec’s Pendant, and a digital artbook, and a Collector’s Box made with Neamedia Icons is available separately for fans who want physical memorabilia centered on Sophia and Theseus. Being a Game Pass day-one title gives it the widest accessible reach of the three despite being the smallest-scope game on the list.
Which one to play first
If you only have time for one, let genre and budget decide. Zero Company suits strategy fans who want a lengthy single-player campaign and don’t mind paying full price for it. Master Collection Vol. 2 is the easy pick for catching up on Metal Gear lore before newer entries, especially since MGS4 has been effectively unavailable outside PS3 for over a decade. Resonance is the lowest-commitment option of the three thanks to Game Pass, and it’s the one to start with if you’re unsure you’ll like the shift toward faster, more action-oriented combat.
Bottom line
Three genuinely different games competing for attention on the same day is unusual even in a crowded release calendar. None of them overlap in genre, price point, or audience, so the smart move is picking based on what you already play and how you access games, rather than treating it as a head-to-head competition.