RECAP2026-W3416 AUG TO 23 AUG 2026
Week of 16 Aug 2026The week in game journalism.
A snapshot of what writers were chasing this week. We sort by how much coverage jumped against the previous four weeks, so a story breaking now rises above games that already get steady writeups every week.
PIECES INDEXED
1.2k
+2% on last week
ACTIVE WRITERS
192
across 22 outlets
GAMES COVERED
490
total games covered this week
NEW VOICES
4
first article indexed
01 · TRENDING
Games that picked up coverage this week
The games whose coverage spiked this week against their own four-week baseline. Worth a look if you missed them.
TRENDING▲ +173%
Grand Theft Auto VI
19 NOV 2026 · UPCOMING
136
PIECES
67 writers · 17 outlets
ZZ
WY
AC
TRENDING▲ +2900%
The Duskbloods
31 DEC 2026 · UPCOMING
42
PIECES
30 writers · 10 outlets
OR
DB
CM
TRENDING▲ +627%
Mortal Shell II
OUT NOW
26
PIECES
20 writers · 16 outlets
DR
GC
JL
ALSO PICKING UP · 5 GAMES
Kingdom Hearts IV
31 DEC 2027 · UPCOMING
15 writers · 9 outlets
▲ +253%
Marvel's Wolverine
OUT NOW
13 writers · 5 outlets
▲ +44%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
OUT NOW
12 writers · 7 outlets
▲ +182%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
23 OCT 2026 · UPCOMING
11 writers · 8 outlets
▲ +110%
2XKO
OUT NOW
11 writers · 9 outlets
02 · IN THE BYLINE THIS WEEK
Writers we kept seeing across the index
Worth checking in on. The cadence chart shows which days they published, which often says more about a beat than a tally does.
SB
Sammy BarkerPush Square
Writing about Tides of Annihilation, Marvel's Wolverine, Grand Theft Auto VI
FILED
36 pieces
M T W T F S S
Publishing activity: Monday (3), Tuesday (4), Wednesday (9), Thursday (10), Friday (3), Saturday (4), Sunday (3).
JL
James LynchScreen Rant
Writing about Grand Theft Auto VI, Fallout 4, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
FILED
34 pieces
M T W T F S S
Publishing activity: Monday (6), Tuesday (3), Wednesday (6), Thursday (6), Friday (6), Saturday (7).
FG
Fraser GilbertPure Xbox
Writing about Grand Theft Auto VI, Blood Dungeon, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
FILED
33 pieces
M T W T F S S
Publishing activity: Monday (6), Tuesday (5), Wednesday (6), Thursday (5), Friday (5), Saturday (3), Sunday (3).
NB
Nicholas BecherScreen Rant
Writing about Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming, Game of Thrones: Conquest, Game of Thrones: Legends
FILED
32 pieces
M T W T F S S
Publishing activity: Monday (4), Tuesday (7), Wednesday (3), Thursday (7), Friday (5), Saturday (3), Sunday (3).
TW
Tom WilsonScreen Rant
Writing about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ananta, Animal Crossing: New Horizons
FILED
28 pieces
M T W T F S S
Publishing activity: Monday (1), Tuesday (5), Wednesday (4), Thursday (5), Friday (3), Saturday (6), Sunday (4).
DEEPER IN THE INDEX
Another 187 writers filed this week.
Browse them by outlet, beat or the games they cover →
03 · READER ATTENTION
What's drawing readers in
No reader signal recorded for this week.
04 · NEW VOICES
First piece indexed this week
A writer becomes a "new voice" the first time their byline enters the CritIndex graph.