What to Play This Weekend, November 7-8: TOP 8 VGTimes Editors' Picks

November turned out to be less packed with new releases than September or October. The reason is simple: many publishers don't want to compete with GTA 6, so they're pushing their projects back to a later date. That said, there's still plenty to keep you busy while you wait for Rockstar's big hit — this week brought a remake of a classic, several online games, and expansions for popular strategy titles. Read on for these and other recent releases.

The original Ocarina of Time is considered the highest-rated game in history according to Metacritic. The remake improves the graphics and sound, adds full voice acting, reworks the controls to modern standards, expands some locations, and more. The result feels like a full-fledged new "Zelda" rather than a simple remaster. Note that it's available exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.

In this medieval strategy game, you don't manage just one city but an entire county. You'll decide where settlements are placed, set up trade routes between them, and build production chains. Along the way, you need to account for plenty of factors, like political tensions and the influence of different cultures on your population. The goal is to end up with a unified economic system rather than a set of disconnected regions. The game launched into Steam Early Access on November 5. You can find more games like it in our Best City-Building Simulators — 35 Picks.

This is a separate version of the game that recreates the original World of Warcraft before any expansions. Unlike Classic, Forever will keep receiving fresh content: it already has a new race and new zones, with dungeons, raids, and quests planned for the future. Characters can't be leveled past 60, so the focus shifts to skill combinations and getting your hands on especially powerful gear. Forever launched on November 4, and access to it is included in a regular WoW subscription.

The story follows a world consumed by some kind of blight, forcing people to build their lives on the branches of a giant tree. The protagonist, however, decides to defy orders and descend to the ground together with a special child whom everyone else considers a harbinger of doom. To pull this off, you'll need to leap across narrow ledges above the abyss and account for wind direction — otherwise you'll fall. Adventure fans should check out our 120 Best Adventure Games on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

If you're into online role-playing games, the new ArcheAge is worth a look. Compared to the 2013 original, the project has changed quite a bit — its combat system now resembles modern soulslikes, with parries and stamina management. It's also picked up elements in the spirit of New World, such as splitting locations into segments that each hold roughly a hundred players. Players who've already tried ArcheAge: Chronicles have criticized its technical state, though it's worth keeping in mind that this isn't the release version yet — the game is currently in Early Access.

This is a roguelite with tower-defense and base-building elements from Konfa Games, the studio behind Despot's Game. In Hull Rupture, humanity has been wiped out by aliens, and a massive starship is all that remains of our civilization. You play as the AI running the ship. You'll need to get production going on board, address the question of repopulating humanity, explore distant corners of the galaxy, secure top-tier weaponry, and ultimately take revenge on whoever attacked Earth. Along the way, you'll have to make tough calls, including sacrificing crew members for extra resources. If journeys to distant stars are your thing, check out our Best Space Games for PC: RPGs, Horror, Puzzles, and Strategy.

This project, with its meditative gameplay and relaxed atmosphere, is sure to appeal to fans of retro gaming. You'll be restoring the look of old cartridges for classic consoles — wiping away dust and grime, removing stray stickers, and getting rid of marker stains. Once a cartridge is good as new, you can display it on a shelf or a special stand and watch your collection grow over time.

The game draws inspiration from genre classics like the early Quake and Doom titles. It also borrows a mechanic reminiscent of the Splatoon series — covering surfaces in liquid. The difference is that in ALTEREDBLOOD+ [AB+], it's not colorful paint you're spraying around but the blood of fallen enemies. It lets you restore health and replenish ammo, and it grants your weapon unique properties that make it even more effective. The project launched into Early Access on November 5. For fans of shooting things up, we also have an article on the 68 Best FPS Games in 2026: First-Person Shooters on PC, PS5, Xbox and Switch.

Digital storefronts periodically run special promotions letting you try out a game that normally costs money, completely free. Keep in mind that these offers are often time-limited.

Payday 3 is a first-person co-op shooter built around heists. Your job is to plan the job, grab the cash or other valuables, and try to get away from the police and SWAT teams with your loot. The game has a free weekend from November 5 to 9 on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Age of Wonders 4 is a grand turn-based strategy game from Triumph Studios and Paradox Interactive, set in a fantasy world. You can expand your territory through brute force or diplomacy, but there's no avoiding war entirely — a large-scale confrontation awaits everyone near the end. The game is free to play from November 5 to 9 on Steam and Xbox.

Funtoon's World is an engaging platformer styled after classic cartoons. The gameplay is simple — collect coins, fight enemies with special abilities, and try to reach the end of each level. The game is being given away on the Epic Games Store from November 2 to 8.

Flotsam is a floating-city building simulator. In its story, the old world has sunk beneath the waves, but you managed to escape and scrape together a basic life from whatever materials you could find. Now you need to find survivors, gather valuable resources, recover forgotten technologies, and put up new buildings. It's also worth noting the game's unusual visuals, reminiscent of the Borderlands series. It's being given away on the Epic Games Store from November 5 to 12.

In this section, we've rounded up projects that didn't make the main list. Take a look at three big DLCs for popular games, an intriguing indie horror about a hitchhiker, and a platformer set in feudal Japan.

Tom Clancy's The Division 2: Echoes of Central Park is a story DLC set in New York's Central Park and the Upper West Side, where players face a new threat. The story unfolds through flashbacks, and once it wraps up, you'll have plenty of additional activities to dig into, like hunting down especially dangerous enemies and taking them out.

Hitchhiking to Hell is a horror game that looks and plays a lot like No, I'm Not a Human. You play as a hitchhiker who has to talk his way to his destination, and not everyone he meets is friendly. With news of a string of murders in the area, plenty of people are on edge around strangers. Be ready to make snap decisions and act fast.

Age of Wonders 4: The Silver Seas is a DLC focused on ocean-based activities. You'll be able to build floating bases, engage in maritime trade, and lead sharkmen — aggressive warriors resembling underwater predators — into battle.

Heart Abyss is an action platformer with pleasant pixel art and an advanced combat system. Alongside a katana and your own fists, you'll have access to various kinds of magic. The story takes place in an alternate Japan inspired by the 17th and 18th centuries, and over the course of the game you'll visit all sorts of locations, from the streets of the capital to temples hidden in the mountains.

Victoria 3: State and Revolution is an expansion for the third Victoria game, focused on the Russian Empire during the twilight of autocracy, revolution, and civil war. You'll be tasked with holding the state together or, alternatively, seizing power after the collapse of the Romanov dynasty and deciding which path the country takes from there.

And what are you playing this weekend? Let us know in the comments!