Nintendo added three Game Boy Advance games to Nintendo Switch Online on the evening of October 13, 2026: Monster Rancher Advance, Metal Slug Advance and Kururin Paradise, a Nintendo-published puzzle game that had never been released outside Japan. Also in this roundup: GamesBeat reports, and Rockstar has not confirmed, that GTA 6 reaches PC in the first quarter of 2027; Helldivers 2 gets a sniper Warbond on October 20; the ID@Xbox Showcase airs the same day; and Bandai Namco is turning Ace Combat Zero into a standalone game for PC owners of the pre-order bonus.
Three Game Boy Advance games join Nintendo Switch Online, including Kururin Paradise
Nintendo of America announced on October 13, at 9:01 p.m. ET, that three more games are playable in the Game Boy Advance - Nintendo Classics app:
- Monster Rancher Advance: Tecmo's 2001 monster-raising game.
- Metal Slug Advance: SNK's 2004 run-and-gun shooter.
- Kururin Paradise: Eighting's 2002 puzzle game about steering a spinning helicopter through mazes. It came out only in Japan, and a planned North American release was canceled, so this is its first release outside Japan.
What it means for you on Switch and Switch 2:
- Membership: the GBA library needs Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which costs $49.99 a year for one account or $79.99 a year for a family of up to eight. The basic $19.99 tier doesn't include it.
- How to get them: open the Game Boy Advance - Nintendo Classics app and let it update.
Our take: Metal Slug Advance is the easy pick for a quick session, but Kururin Paradise is the real news: a Nintendo-published game that never had a US release until now.
Unconfirmed report: GTA 6 is coming to PC in early 2027
Unconfirmed report: GamesBeat says that Rockstar plans to release the PC version of GTA 6 "within the first three months of 2027." It cites four unnamed industry sources familiar with the studio's plans, and Rockstar did not answer its request for comment. Many outlets picked up the report on October 13, but neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has announced a PC version.
What it means for you:
- What is official: Rockstar's GTA 6 page still lists November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S only.
- Why it would be fast: GTA 5 reached PC in April 2015, about a year and seven months after its September 2013 console launch, as GamesBeat points out.
- Not a promise: GamesBeat adds that the PC version must meet the same quality bar as the console version first, so the window could move.
- Related, on PS Plus: PlayStation LifeStyle reports that Sony is notifying PS Plus members on PS5 that GTA 5 stays in the PS Plus Extra and Premium catalog only until November 17, two days before GTA 6 arrives.
Our take: Four sources make this more than a forum rumor, but Rockstar has not set a PC date. If you only play on PC, wait for Rockstar before buying a console just for GTA 6.
Helldivers 2's Scope of Authority Warbond arrives October 20
Arrowhead Game Studios revealed the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond on the PlayStation Blog on October 13. It launches October 20 and is built around long-range and stealthy play.
What's in it:
- Weapons and stratagems: the R-40 Sightliner bolt-action sniper rifle, the P-44 Mist machine pistol, the AMW-20 Apex (a backpack-fed anti-materiel rifle with assisted reload), the LAS-44 Nova laser rifle, which fires after a short charge, and G-11 Caltrops, a throwable that scatters proximity-triggered submunitions to slow and stun enemies.
- Armor: SS-33 Mimetic Marshal (light, ghillie-suit style) and SS-15 Focal Point (medium). Both carry the new Stationary Shroud passive, which cuts weapon sway and how easily enemies spot you while you crouch or lie prone.
- Extras: two capes, two player cards, an emote and the "Longshot" title.
- How to get it: you need the base game, Super Credits and enough in-game progress. The post doesn't give the Super Credit cost. Helldivers 2 itself costs $39.99 on Steam and the Xbox Store, and it is also on PS5.
Our take: A primary sniper rifle with armor-piercing rounds and long range gives solo and stealth players a new way to build a loadout. Check the Super Credit price in the game on October 20 before you spend.
The ID@Xbox Showcase airs October 20 with 18 games
Xbox and IGN announced on October 13 that the next ID@Xbox Showcase, the indie games stream, airs on October 20 at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.
What to expect:
- Games: trailers and gameplay from 18 games headed to Xbox and PC, with world premieres. Only two appearances are confirmed so far: The Wolf Among Us Remastered and gameplay from Critical Reflex Games.
- Where to watch: IGN.com and IGN's YouTube, Twitch, X and Facebook channels.
Our take: With only two of the 18 games named, this is a stream to watch for surprises rather than for one big game.
Ace Combat Zero becomes a standalone game on Steam for pre-order owners
Bandai Namco said in an October 13 Steam announcement that Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, the PC pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, will become a standalone Steam application. Until now, PC players could only launch it from inside Ace Combat 8, while console players got it as a separate game. Kotaku reports that the change follows complaints from PC fans.
What it means for you on PC:
- Who gets it: only players who already got Ace Combat Zero as a pre-order bonus. Bandai Namco says this change won't let anyone else obtain it.
- Both versions stay: you can play it through Ace Combat 8 or as its own app, and Bandai Namco expects saves to sync through Steam Cloud.
- Date: none yet. The standalone version is in final quality assurance and compatibility testing, and Bandai Namco will share the schedule once that is done.
Our take: This is the right fix for a bonus that felt like part of Ace Combat 8 rather than a game of its own. Until a date is set, keep playing it through Ace Combat 8, since your save is expected to carry over.