This has been another really exciting week with nearly 50 new announcements and releases from across the globe. You’ll see some of the usual heavy hitters, but also there’s a surprising number of books that have totally slipped under the radar. Hoping this newsletter does a good job shining the spotlight on them.

In “Behind the Shelves” the cataloguing continues as breakneck speeds. Around 150 books have been added to The Video Game Library since last week alone, wit HUGE pushes across Sonic comics. WAY past cool!

There’s also been a few very kind donations that’ve arrived recently from publishers, friends and followers, so the review queue has been filling up. The problem is…games keep getting in my way.

Pokopia’s Bubbly Basin DLC released this past week, and has eaten up an irresponsible amount of free time. Also have been playing Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning with the Cartridge Club, which has turned out to be much beefier than I expected.

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Still, the books keep coming, so let’s dive in to another wonderfully eclectic week of video game books from around the globe.

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After the whirlwind of San Diego Comic-Con, this week was noticeably quieter, and honestly, that is probably a good thing. There were still a ton of fun and unexpected announcements and releases that I’ve uncovered for this issue from around the globe.

And while the news cycle slowed down, the volunteers absolutely did not. More than 200 books have been catalogued since last week! It’s been one of the strongest weeks of behind-the-scenes work we’ve ever had, and I continue to be amazed by how much this team contributes to making The Video Game Library the definitive source for gaming literature. Really excited to share the additions with you in this newsletter.

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And for this week’s Book Spotlight, I’m diving into Pokécology: An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology; a VERY charming field guide that treats Pokémon like real wildlife and brought back some very specific childhood memories of colourful insect encyclopedias.

Lots of exciting stuff happening in the world of Video Game Books, so let’s jump in!

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San Diego Comic-Con 2026 gave us plenty to talk about this week, especially on the comic side of the video game book world. Marvel, UDON, Titan, IDW, Dark Horse, Oni Press and more all had something cooking.

And SDCC was only part of it. This has been another big summer week of releases and announcements, with new art books, academic works, strategy guides, magazines, manga, crowdfunding campaigns and some unexpected international finds. The 2026 shelves are getting crowded, and we love it!

Once we hit the Behind the Shelves section, we’ll recap all the amazing work the volunteers are doing to help build The Video Game Library into something far bigger than I could ever manage alone. João has catalogued all 55 issues of Archie’s Mega Man seemingly overnight. Alex added more Persona books to the mix. Halfi continued expanding the Square Enix collection. Nathanial kept digging through Futabasha’s endless strategy-guide catalogue. Stephen added another batch of colourful Prima and BradyGames guides. Every week, their work makes the archive stronger, and I couldn’t be more thankful.

Then I’ll take some time in the Book Spotlight to showcase a gorgeous love-letter to the indie gaming space from author Nathan P. Gibson.

I’ll also be honest with a small frustration: getting broader coverage for this project has been slow. Very slow. I’ve sent emails, pitched the site, tried to explain the free resource we’re building, and so far, major gaming outlets have mostly stayed quiet. That can be discouraging, especially when so much unpaid work is going into documenting a corner of game history that genuinely deserves attention.

But we’re going to keep trying. For any readers with connections, anything you can do to spread the word would be amazing.

The Video Game Library exists because these books matter. The people who write, illustrate, publish, translate, preserve and collect them matter. Whether or not the larger gaming press notices right away, we’ll keep building the archive, spotlighting human-created work, and celebrating this strange, wonderful, global world of video game books.

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Now, let’s jump into another packed summer roundup of video game books from around the world!

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Back-to-back newsletters kicking things off with Final Fantasy VII? A new Spanish games magazine with a preservation section? A Dragon Quest picture book for toddlers? A video game history book so big it needs 2 volumes!? We’ve been spoiled this week, and I’ve got the full roundup ready for you for every Video Game Book release from across the globe.

Then heading into Behind the Shelves, I’ve been playing Lunar with the Cartridge Club, which naturally sent me down a rabbit hole trying to figure out just how many Lunar books are out there. Hint: There’s a LOT!

The volunteers have also been busy with Futabasha strategy guides, BradyGames guides, MegaMan NT Warrior manga, and the long-requested start of cataloguing the UK’s Sonic the Comic. As usual, there’s always more hiding in the backlog.

And this week’s Book Spotlight is a fun one: Super Rare Games: #01–#150 - A Collector’s Artbook. Sent over by Super Rare Games, it’s a beautiful celebration of their first 150 physical Switch releases.

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Remember, if this newsletter has become part of your weekly routine, please consider supporting it with a paid subscription. Every issue takes hours of research, cataloguing, and digging through releases from around the world. Your support helps keep The Video Game Library free, ad-free, independent, and focused on what matters most: preserving and celebrating human-created books about video games.

So without further ado, let’s dive in!

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First off, a huge THANK YOU. We’ve officially passed 5,000 subscribers to the newsletter, which is honestly wild to think about. What started as a very niche little attempt to track video game books has grown into a weekly resource for thousands of readers, collectors, researchers, publishers, authors and fans. I’m incredibly grateful that so many of you are here for it.

And thanks to the influx of paid subscribers and Ko-Fi contributors who’ve joined the community! It’s been a lot of fun to get to know you guys!

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And this week, you are getting another MASSIVE newsletter.

After a packed fortnight of announcements and releases, we have a huge lineup of 60 books to cover across art books, comics, manga, magazines, academic books, strategy guides, activity books, collector’s-edition extras and plenty of regional surprises. Final Fantasy, Stardew Valley, SNK, Capcom, Sonic, Tomb Raider, Minecraft, God of War, Dragon Quest, Animal Crossing and many, many more all make appearances this time around.

Behind the scenes, it’s also been a huge week of cataloguing for The Video Game Library itself. More than 200 books have been catalogued since the last newsletter, including major work on Dragon Quest, Mario manga, obscure strategy guides, Thai Pokémon activity books, Command & Conquer guides, Zelda material, wrestling guides and more. As always, the volunteer team has been doing amazing work helping expand the archive in directions I never could’ve tackled alone.

This week’s Spotlight is a great literary homage to the Video Game Advertisements of yesteryear.

My gaming time, meanwhile, has mostly been spent playing Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete alongside the Cartridge Club this month. This is only slightly interfering with my website/newsletter commitments. What an awesome game though!

On the less fun side, I’m still seeing more and more AI-generated video game books flood into online stores. Had a new trilogy of Italian books that looked really cool, but alas, AI slop.

Lots to get through this week, and I hope you’re able to support and come along for the ride! It helps keep the project independent, ad-free, and free to focus on celebrating the HUMANS behind these books.

Now, let’s dive into another enormous roundup of releases around the world!

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First things first: Substack now lets me add colour to text, so please enjoy this new era of extremely responsible colour usage!

Issue #54 is, by far, the biggest newsletter yet. I have more than 100 new video game books, magazines, manga, comics, art books, guides, collector’s-edition extras and other print oddities to cover in this absolutely ridiculous roundup. Every time I thought the list was done, another title appeared.

Behind the scenes, it’s also been a huge week for The Video Game Library itself thanks to the volunteers. More than 100 books have been catalogued on the site since the last newsletter, with big pushes across Dragon Quest, Mario manga, obscure strategy guides and plenty more.

I’ve also been working through a few really fun books lately, so expect more spotlights in the coming weeks. One would’ve been ready this week, but 007: First Light has been interfering with my reading time…

On a more serious note, I’m continuing to see a growing flood of AI-generated books entering the video game book space. I’ve seen it for a few year’s but NEVER like this. That makes this project feel even more important. The goal here has always been to document and celebrate human-authored work: the books shaped by writers, artists, researchers, translators, designers, publishers, fans and communities who genuinely care about games and their history.

That takes time. A lot of time.

So, if you enjoy this newsletter, use the archive, or believe this kind of preservation work matters, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription.

Now, with that said, here are over 100 video game books that have been announced or released around the world this week!

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We’re coming off one of the busiest weeks of the gaming calendar. And in case you missed it, in Volume 52, I went through all 59 games featured during the main Summer Game Fest showcase and recommended a book for every single one of them.

Of course, all those new game announcements also brought plenty of new books with them. Collector’s Editions were revealed for Halo: Campaign Evolved, Fable, Final Fantasy Resonance, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, American Arcadia, Persona 4 Revival and more; each including some form of printed extra that we catalogue all in this issue!

Beyond the collector’s bundles, this was an especially good week for art-book fans and comic/manga readers. Nearly 50 books were announced or released in all, and we’ll break down every one!

In Behind the Shelves, we look at the volunteer work going into cataloguing every strategy-guide onto our site, and I also talk about what I’m reading now.

And this week’s Book Spotlight turns to another very kind donation from Retro Game Books: Nate Drake’s I Am Not Good: The History of Cheating in Video Games. It’s a fascinating journey from Game Genie codes to online exploits and the changing question of who gets to decide how a game should be played.

So, if you’re ready for an insane amount of book news for the week, grab your beverage of choice and let’s dive in!

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It’s Summer Game Fest week, and Volume 52 is joining the celebration in a big way.

Really excited to share that, for this issue’s special feature, I’ve taken ALL 59 games from the showcase and paired EVERY ONE of them with a book recommendation. Some connect directly to the game or series, while others explore its genre, developer, influences, or wider place in gaming history. The result is one of our biggest Book Spotlights yet, and hopefully a reading list that makes the wait for all those upcoming releases a little easier.

There’s plenty more inside, too.

For just $5/month, you can explore the full weekly roundup of EVERY new video game art book, official guide, manga, magazine, collector’s edition, academic release, and unexpected discovery from publishers around the world.

Behind the Shelves, our volunteers have been making serious progress on the strategy-guide backlog, expanding our Square Enix coverage, and helping the library reach an exciting new milestone: more than 30 languages are now represented on the site!

We’ve also received two wonderful donations exploring some lesser-known corners of Nintendo’s handheld history.

It’s a huge week for games and there’s a lot to explore in Volume 52. So let’s jump in.

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After last week’s milestone 50th issue, I first want to say THANK YOU.

The response to that Newsletter meant a lot. I wrote about why this project exists, why human-created books still matter, and why documenting this space with care feels more important than ever.

And Volume 51 is a pretty perfect reminder of why this work is so fun.

We’ve got a genuinely exciting lineup this week, with nearly 50 new releases, announcements, collector’s editions, magazine issues, GameStudies and GameDev resource, manga, comics, and plenty of surprises from around the world.

Dragon Quest is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and Japan marked the occasion with a few especially interesting books on the horizon. Elsewhere, we’ve got a closer look at Terraria: Design Works, a new Halo fiction collection, a French deep dive into Grand Theft Auto’s building architecture, a wave of new Korean comics, a Farsi book for young aspiring GameDevs, a trio of Polish translations, some exciting exclusives on the horizon for Russian readers, a bit of Sega Dreamcast love, and a whole lot more.

In Behind the Shelves, we’re digging into dozens of newly catalogued books added to The Video Game Library this week. Volunteers have been helping expand coverage for Ace Combat, Dragon Quest, Super Famicom strategy guides, old computer gaming BASIC books, and more. I’ll also show off a few very kind donations that arrived for the personal shelves, and for fellow Canadian readers, there’s now another place where you can find us.

And for this week’s Book Spotlight, I decided to crack into something close to my own childhood: Let’s Go Dizzy! The Story of the Oliver Twins. I grew up loving The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy on NES, so this was a really fun chance to revisit those memories while learning more about the Oliver Twins, Codemasters, and the British home computer scene that helped shape the series.

So, with all that said, let’s jump into Volume 51.

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Fifty newsletters ago, I started an experiment.

I wanted to see if it was possible to seriously document the world of video game books. Not just the obvious releases. Not just the big publishers. Not just English-language titles. I wanted to build something that treated this space with the same care and importance that other media preservation communities have received for decades.

Since then, this newsletter has highlighted nearly 2,000 video game book releases and announcements from across the globe. Art books. Strategy guides. Academic works. Cookbooks. Manga. Comics. Memoirs. Novels. Game development resources. Obscure indie publications. Forgotten regional releases. Limited print runs. Hidden gems.

Over the past year, this project has grown into something much bigger than I ever expected. More than 5,000 readers now use these newsletters every week to keep track of what’s happening in the world of video game literature. Authors, publishers, collectors, researchers, journalists, preservationists, and fans have all contributed to making this the most comprehensive ongoing archives of video game book releases anywhere online.

And importantly, the works spotlighted have always been human.

These books matter because the people behind them matter. Now more than ever with the surge of generative AI. They represent years of scholarship, creativity, artistry, and passion dedicated to expanding universes, preserving histories, and exploring the culture of games.

For the past year, I’ve spent roughly five to six hours every single weekend building these newsletters entirely for free. I’ve happily done that because I genuinely love this space and believe this work is important. But as the scope of the project continues to grow, so does the amount of time required to maintain it properly.

Going forward, I want to do even more.

I want to dedicate more time to reviews, interviews, and publisher spotlights. I want to continue building the definitive weekly resource for video game books anywhere in the world. I want to keep spotlighting human authors and publishers regardless of how small, independent, or niche they might be.

To make that sustainable, the newsletter is moving to a paid subscription model.

For $5 per month, less than the price of a single coffee, subscribers will receive the full newsletter every single week featuring comprehensive worldwide tracking of video game book releases and announcements across every category and genre imaginable.

The website itself will remain completely free and ad-free. The archive, cataloging work, and preservation mission are not going away. Anyone interested in video game history, research, and literary preservation will always be able to access the core project freely.

But if you believe this work has value, if you believe video game history deserves to be documented properly, if you believe human-authored books still matter, and if you want to help support thoughtful coverage in a space increasingly dominated by automation, your support genuinely helps keep this project alive and growing.

Fifty newsletters in, I’m more committed to this than ever.

And I’m incredibly grateful you’re here for it.

Now, without further ado, here’s 50 awesome Video Game Books that have been announced or released in the past week!!

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Halfway through May and we’re seeing more than double the announcements of this time last year! Things are getting crazy, you guys.

Over the past few months, I’ve gotten into a good rhythm uncovering some of the Eastern European releases, so expect those to become a staple as we move forward with the Newsletter. We’ve also got the usual suspects like Lost In Cult, Dark Horse, and even a double-whammy from Bloomsbury on the GameStudies front this week.

We’ve also added a new volunteer to the team all the way from Indonesia. Welcome Halfi!! For all you Square Enix fans out there, expect to see A LOT more books grace the site.

Lots to cover, so let’s dive in!

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📰 News & Highlights

• Lost In Cult announced Terraria: Design Works this week, timed neatly with Terraria’s 15th anniversary. The book is being produced in partnership with Re-Logic and will chart the design and development of the 2D sandbox from its 2011 beginnings through its much larger modern form, with behind-the-scenes material and a Deluxe Edition planned. It goes up for preorder on May 28 at 6 PM BST, which gives us a little time to pretend we are not already tempted.

• The Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide Limited Edition Box Set was announced this week through Pokémon Center and participating retailers. The set includes a hardcover collector’s edition guide with more than 336 glossy pages, a foreword by The Pokémon Company president and CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara, bonus items tied to the video games, TCG, and animation, plus a Certificate of Authenticity.

• Dark Horse released The Witcher: Blood Stone #4 this week, closing out the four-issue miniseries. Written by Daniel Freedman with art by Pius Bak, colours by Roman Titov, and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the finale sends Geralt back into the dwarven caves after human greed has already made a mess of things.

• After a few delays, Future Press’ Elden Ring Nightreign Official Companion Guide has release this week. Readers will find in-depth system explainers, expert guidance for all eight Nightfarer classes, expedition route breakdowns, illustrated maps, a complete bestiary, and detailed item, weapon, spell, skill, and Relic data. The guide also doubles as an art and lore collection, featuring enemy artwork, Nightfarer Remembrance dialogue, and bonus letter-format art prints.

• 5 months into the year, and it’s finally here! Persona 5 Vol. 15 got its English translation release this week thanks to VIZ Media. The Phantom Thieves finally send their calling card to Sae and make a break for the depths of the casino for their final battle. Sae’s warped obsession with victory and her rigged roulette will be the ultimate test of the Phantom Thieves’ teamwork, as well as their ability to trust each other…

• Limited Run Games noted this week that Gradius Origins has started arriving for preorder customers, and the physical package includes the Gradius Origins Development Document & Art Book.

• And earlier this week, Tesura Games announced The Axis Unseen physical edition for the PS5. And while the inclusions of creature cards and soundtrack are great, we’re really here for The Axis Unseen Hunting Journal Replica that comes alongside the bundle.

• Bloomsbury Academic released Characters and Characterization in Mythological Video Games this week. Written by Alexander Vandewalle, the 288-page hardback appears in the IMAGINES series and examines mythological characterization through case studies including Smite, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Immortals Fenyx Rising, God of War, Theseus, and Asgard’s Wrath 2.

• Bloomsbury’s Hart Publishing imprint released Amy Thomas’ Copyright, Contract, and Video Games: Terms of Play this week. This book looks at how copyright law and contract terms shape the player’s position, with chapters on players in copyright, players in contract, authority, access, and artifice.

• Pix’n Love Editions released the French edition of Indie Game Works: La révolution qui bouleverse notre façon de jouer this week. Written by Nathan P. Gibson, the book presents 50 independent games from the last 15 years, including A Short Hike, Dredge, GRIS, Gone Home, Hyper Light Drifter, Sable, Tunic, Valheim, Nine Sols, and The Banner Saga.

• Also in France, French Touch Vision released this week from Points. It’s not a video game book in the narrow sense, but it is worth noting here because it looks at France’s wider creative industries, with the gaming sector appearing as part of that broader “French Touch” cultural conversation.

• Profundezas Silenciosas: A Garota Que Via Além launched this week as a literary expansion of A Tale of Silent Depths, the turn-based tactical RPG from Brazilian indie studio Crit42 Studio. Published by Pyxis and written by Eduardo A. Santos, the novel follows Wilhelminne Brooks, a young acolyte raised inside the colossal underwater Ark Assombro de Eva, where religious doctrine, rigid hierarchy, and survival all press tightly against one another. The book debuted alongside the game’s official launch at Brasília Game Festival.

• Héroes de Papel released La gran enciclopedia de las videoconsolas: Edición Especial RetroBarcelona 2026 this week, giving Florent Gorges’ console-history encyclopedia an event-exclusive treatment. This special edition features an original cover illustration by J. Giner, ties into RetroBarcelona 2026, and keeps the same hefty contents as the standard edition: 320 full-colour pages, more than 4,000 images, and coverage running from the Magnavox Odyssey through PlayStation 5. Gorges is already well known to Spanish readers through La historia de Nintendo, so seeing this tackle more than 50 years of console hardware feels like a very natural next shelf-breaker.

• Game Press announced Ecos de Hyrule this week, a Spanish hardcover story collection inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Written by Anna-Victòria Teixidó “Kurusonna,” with a prologue by Carlos Martínez “Seijurou,” interior illustrations by María Lozano “Maiku,” and cover art by Víctor Polonio, the 332-page book tells chronological stories around characters who stood near the Hero of Time rather than making Link the protagonist. It is available for preorder now, with general release listed for May 28 and early availability from May 21 through Game Press.

• Moztros released Assassin’s Creed: Dynasty Vol. 2 in Spanish this week. The original manhua by Xu Xianzhe and Zhang Xiao follows Li E, an Assassin trained by the Hidden Ones, as the Tang dynasty begins to collapse into civil war. After the first Spanish volume introduced Li E and the Chang’an setting, this second release keeps Moztros’ edition moving through one of the strongest non-Western Assassin’s Creed comic projects.

• GTM continues its tradition of multiple covers per monthly issue, and the 3 for June are The Adventure of Elliot, 007 First Light, and Lego Batman. Which cover are you choosing?

• Haven’t seen Watch Dogs pop up in a while, but just this week, German readers got a treat from TokyoPop who released Watch Dogs Tokyo #3. This is the thrilling final volume of the sci-fi manga series inspired by hit Ubisoft franchise.

• Released this week in Sweden, Den megastora guiden till Pokémonvärlden is an expanded and updated guide to the Pokémon world, bringing together more than 20 years of Pokémon history. Readers will find material on Ash and Pikachu, their friends and rivals, memorable journeys and battles, and facts about legendary and mythical Pokémon from every region. With images from the animated TV series, character profiles, region guides from Kanto to Galar, and stories featuring iconic heroes, villains, and Pokémon, it’s a comprehensive gift-ready book for fans of all ages.

  

• Also released this Sweden this week, En månad med Minecraftbyggen: skapa 31 byggen på 31 dagar is a creative Minecraft building guide packed with daily inspiration. Readers will find 31 build ideas, one for each day of the month, along with practical tips and tricks for designing, building, and customizing their worlds.

• Time to continue the usual Minecraft trek through Eastern Europe starting with Croatia. Egmont Croatia released Minecraft: Redstone knjiga s naljepnicama, a sticker/activity translation built around redstone creations. The 24-page softcover includes more than 300 stickers and invites readers to build automatic railways, clever traps, underground contraptions, and a final fireworks display.

• Croatian readers also received Minecraft: Dnevnik potrage this week. This is the Croatian edition of Minecraft Quest Journal, the activity-journal format that lets players track goals, prompts, challenges, and their own in-game progress.

• Hungary joins the Minecraft pile with Minecraft Akadémia: Zombijárvány!, released this week from Kolibri Kiadó. Translated by Fekete-Kovács Kristóf, the 96-page hardcover launches a new STEM-style Minecraft book series in Hungarian, using a zombie outbreak minigame to bring together mathematics, physics, biology, and coding.

• Revija Jazbina št. 31 released this week, marking the next release of Slovenia’s hit gaming, retro and pop-culture magazine. This issue features a Bond-inspired cover and articles on James Bond, classic film blockbusters, and retro gaming topics such as Carmageddon, Another World, No One Lives Forever, and Laser Squad. The gaming section also includes previews or reviews of titles such as Crimson Desert, Pragmata, Baby Steps, GreedFall 2, Screamer, Timberborn, Indika, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

• Slovak Sonic readers received Ježko Sonic 8: Bez varovania this week from Albatros Media Slovakia. This is the Slovak edition of Ian Flynn’s IDW Sonic comics, translated by Zuzana Močková Lorková, and the 112-page paperback picks up after the Metal Virus crisis with Sonic missing and Dr. Eggman launching a new attack. Eight volumes in, Slovakia’s Sonic shelf is moving at a healthy clip.

• Molfar opened preorders this week for the Ukrainian edition of Christie Golden’s World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms, published as World of Warcraft – Путівник Азеротом. Східні королівства. The book follows spymaster Mathias Shaw and Captain Flynn Fairwind through the Eastern Kingdoms, from Silvermoon to Blackrock Mountain and Stormwind, cataloguing history, equipment, secrets, and landmarks. Molfar lists it as a hardcover preorder, with shipping expected in the second half of August.

• Bombora released Portal. Куб, торт и искусственный интеллект: История культовой головоломки this week in Russia. Written by Eva Sid Martinez and translated by Anna Klyuster, the book looks at the creation and meaning of Valve’s Portal series. I do really love these Bombora covers.

• In Korea, Seoul Media Comics released 탁주쪼꼬 로블록스 가이드툰 3 this week. Based on the popular Ttakju Jjokko YouTube channel, the 152-page book introduces nine Roblox games selected by the creators, with comics, gameplay tips, and game-making/programming content supervised by Oh Gyu-hwan and Sandbox Network.

• Square Enix released Final Fantasy Lost Stranger #14 in Japan this week. Written by Hazuki Minase with art by Itsuki Kameya, the manga follows Square Enix employee Shogo Sasaki after he is reborn into a Final Fantasy world, and this Japanese volume keeps the original run moving ahead of the various translated editions.

• Released this week, WAR OF THE VISIONS Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Phantom War Memorial Archives is a commemorative collection celebrating the history of War of the Visions from its 2019 launch to the present. Fans will find around 700 illustrations, including key visuals, character art, and Vision Cards, along with unreleased scenarios, story archives, and setting materials.

• Released this week, Weekly Famitsu #1947 celebrates NieR:Automata surpassing 10 million worldwide shipments and digital sales with a 20-page special feature. Readers will find behind-the-scenes insights from people involved in the stage play, ads, anime, music, books, merchandise, and promotion, plus interviews with Yosuke Saito, Yoko Taro, Keiichi Okabe, and Takahisa Taura. The issue also includes a pre-release deep dive into Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, featuring gameplay impressions and creature details, along with a launch feature on Forza Horizon 6, highlighting its Japan setting, seasonal scenery, and 550-plus cars.

• After a short delay, Continue Vol. 89 released this week from Ohta Publishing. The magazine’s original April 28 date was moved to May 13, and this issue leads with a 36-page Needy Girl Overdose feature tied to the game’s anime adaptation, including interviews and a new Super Tō-chan cover illustration.

• More Minecraft news, this time from Japan: Takarajimasha released Nintendo Switchで遊ぶ！ マイ・ファースト・マインクラフト どうぶつとすごすかわいい村 this week. The 256-page guide is part of the popular “My First Minecraft” Switch guidebook line, which the publisher says has passed 800,000 copies, and this volume focuses on animals, gardens, seasonal villages, cute interiors, and outfit customization.

• The Pokémon Company announced ポケモン公式ぜんこく図鑑 1996-2026 this week, with release planned for August 7. Published by Overlap and edited by Hidesuke Motomiya & One-Up, the 448-page full-colour official National Pokédex will cover all 1,025 Pokémon appearing in the games from 1996 through 2026, with indexes by Japanese syllabary order and Pokédex number. Now admittedly I’m still not sure if this is indeed the Japanese counterpart to the earlier “Deluxe Character Guide” announcement, but the research on this one will continue!

Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community.

Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!

📚 Behind the Shelves

Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloguing challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.

Let’s kick things off with a huge congratulations (and THANK YOU) to Stephen who has finished cataloguing every last Sonic IDW comic (and cover variant)!! Admittedly there are a few spin-offs and compilations still to get up on the site, but having all 80+ issue detailed out feels so good! Do we dare start tackling the…*gulp….Archie run now??

Now I know we have some die-hard Square Enix fans who regularly grace the community Discord, so you’ll be happy to know that our newest volunteer, Halfi, has been hard at work getting through the backlog. In short order we’re already seeing some missing Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts books getting added, and even some love for franchises like Live A Live and Babylon’s Fall. RPGs FTW!

And let’s not forget all the work that João has been doing with comics and manga lately. Starting to really dive into the Dragon Quest collections.

This, as usual, is only a small sample of all the things that have been happening behind the scenes, so take a peek at the site to see everything that’s been added since last week! And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.

💡 Book Spotlights

Every week I like to zoom in on a few standout books from the collection. Sometimes it’s brand new releases, other times it’s older gems that deserve more love.

If you’re looking for deeper dives and not just quick headlines, check out some of these past spotlights:

🙏 THANK YOU for Reading

That’s a wrap for this week’s Newsletter. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.

As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.

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And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.

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Until next time — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)

Got some family visiting, so my output has been a bit slower than usual, and that’ll continue for another week. But that hasn’t stopped publishers across the globe from presenting us with more than 30 new announcements and releases this week.

You can expect the usual suspects with Minecraft, Pokémon, Dragon Quest and Sonic, but there’s also a few surprises along the way.

The volunteers were also hard at work this week, whittling away at the backlog and getting ever closer to cataloguing EVERY VIDEO GAME BOOK!

Lots to cover, so let’s dive in!

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📰 News & Highlights

• Square Enix released The Art of Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Rising Tide in English this week, giving the DLC side of Final Fantasy XVI its own dedicated art book. The volume focuses on Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide, with character designs, enemy art, environments, concept sketches, and new artwork connected to Clive’s later adventures. For anyone already stocking their shelves with Final Fantasy art books, this fills in the visual material from XVI’s final chapters.

  

• Also out this week, Video Game Amigurumi brings game fandom into the craft-book aisle. Published by Insight Editions, the book features crochet patterns inspired by gaming characters, creatures, and items from series like Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, Mario Kart, and Poppy Playtime. A very different kind of video game book, but that’s half the fun.

  

• For our first bit of Minecraft news this week, Random House Books for Young Readers released Attack of the Chicken Jockey!, part of the Mobs of Minecraft line. Written by Christy Webster and illustrated by Alan Batson, the full-colour storybook introduces younger readers to one of Minecraft’s stranger mob combinations through new player Sam’s first encounter with a chicken jockey.

  

• And for our second Minecraft item, Minecraft Quest Journal also released this week from Random House Books for Young Readers. This one is built more like a play companion than a traditional guide, with checklists, prompts, dares, fun facts, pro tips, and space for players to record their own in-game achievements. Between this and Attack of the Chicken Jockey!, Minecraft’s younger-reader shelf had a busy week.

  

• Dark Horse released Plants vs. Zombies: The Garden Warfare Trilogy Boxed Set this week, collecting the three graphic novels tied to PopCap’s Garden Warfare era. Written by Paul Tobin with art by Jacob Chabot and Tim Lattie, the set brings together the comics connected to Garden Warfare, Garden Warfare 2, and Battle for Neighborville. It also includes a double-sided poster and slipcase packaging.

  

• The Sonic shelf has been creaking under the weight of new releases lately, with the newest DC x Sonic the Hedgehog: The Metal Legion #1 released this week. Written by longtime Sonic comic writer Ian Flynn, mysterious mechanical rings have appeared on both worlds, linking them together and leading to all things wonderful, worrisome, and weird! The heroes are happily reunited, but little do they suspect there’s a sinister origin to their reunions. Sonic running alongside the Justice League is not something I ever had on my bingo card, but here we are.

  

• Pokémon manga readers had a major announcement this week: Pokémon Adventures: Red and Blue is returning this Fall in a deluxe rerelease. The original manga by Hidenori Kusaka and Mato remains one of the most important print adaptations of the Game Boy era, following Red, Blue, Green, and the early Kanto storyline in a more adventure-driven form than the anime.

  

• For physical-edition collectors, R-Type Dimensions 3 was announced this week with Special and Collector’s Editions. The game itself brings R-Type Dimensions forward with a new entry, but the printed art book is what makes it relevant for the library. …And that statue is pretty amazing too.

  

• Reset Magazine Issue 1 launched this week from Kepler Interactive with a very clear cultural mission: treating video games as part of the wider creative landscape. The 200-page large-format first issue connects games with architecture, fashion, music, art, and design, with features tied to names like Yoko Taro, Thomas Grip, Darren Wall, Gregorios Kythreotis, and Ville Kallio.

  

• Retro Gamer marked May the 4th properly this week with a new Star Wars-focused issue. The issue spotlights Lego Star Wars II and Star Wars: Rogue Leader, while also covering Marathon, Final Fight One, Batman, Skyfox, Brain Bug, Psyvariar, and more.

  

• The May issue of Patch Indie Gaming Magazine released this week with a horror-heavy cover feature on Tarsier Studios’ Reanimal. Issue #55 also includes some coverage of Birds Watching, a Project Songbird review, an indie-game monster personality quiz, and a list of cute-yet-creepy indie games. .

  

• GameOn Magazine Issue 199 also released this week, bringing its May 2026 mix of retrospectives, previews, and reviews. This issue is packed with 20 reviews, 5 previews and 12 articles covering Mega Man StarForce Legacy Collection (I’m loving these Mega Man Legacy Collections by the way), Anthem #9, Monster Hunter Stories: Twister Reflection, Demon Tides and more!

  

• On the academic side, Routledge released The Geopolitical Economy of Esports this week. Edited by Simon Chadwick, Yue Meng-Lewis, Donna Wong, and Paul Widdop, the book examines esports through economics, politics, soft power, diplomacy, regional development, and regulation. It is a 296-page academic volume, so as usual with Routledge, this is one for the research shelves rather than the coffee table.

  

• Planeta Cómic released Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai nº 07/25 in Spanish this week. This volume continues the Spanish edition of Riku Sanjo and Koji Inada’s classic manga, moving further into Dai’s identity and the fallout from Baran’s revelations. The Spanish run is publishing at a steady pace, which is good news for anyone following Dai beyond the anime.

  

• Mana Books released Warcraft: La trilogie du Puits de Soleil T02 in France this week as part of its new edition of the Warcraft manga trilogy. Originally written by Richard Knaak with art by Kim Jae-hwan, the series follows Kalecgos, Anveena, and their companions through a story tied to the Sunwell and the wider lore of Azeroth.

  

• Mana Books also released Elden Ring: Le chemin vers l’Arbre-Monde T10 this week. The French edition is now deep into one of the stranger game-to-manga adaptations on shelves, and only one volume away from being fully up-to-date with the original Japanese releases.

  

• Pix’n Love Editions announced Indie Game Works: La révolution qui bouleverse notre façon de jouer this week. The 288-page illustrated hardcover is described as a visual celebration of major independent games of the 21st century, presented in a large 28 x 21.5 cm format. Pix’n Love has covered plenty of indie studio history over the years, so this is definitely an exciting announcement.

  

• Appropriately coming off of the Pix’n Love news, in Italy, Panini opened preorders this week for The Art of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Alicia Edition, with orders running through May 31. The game’s art direction has been a huge part of the conversation around Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and it’s been so awesome to see this one make the rounds all across the globe in all sorts of languages.

  

• Also in Italy, Sprea released Il grande libro del Nintendo this week. This is the Italian translation of 2023’s Big Book of Nintendo from Future Publishing, and explores Nintendo's journey from an obscure Kyoto-based company to global videogaming powerhouse through some of their most iconic games and consoles.

  

• Germany got a gamer joke book for the bathroom shelf this week with Emily Keller’s Das ultimative Klobuch für Gamer: Respawn nach jeder Spülung. Now while this popped up on a few reputable sites and other books on the series have human reviews, the cover leans a little harder into the AI camp… Hard to say these days but PLEASE do your research and check out some reviews before purchasing this one. Time will tell if it’s more AI-gen nonsense. In the meantime, I’m going to keep it off the site until I’m more confident.

  

• The Dutch edition Sonic: Sonic the Hedgehog tegen het robotleger released this week through WPG Kindermedia’s Condor imprint. This is a Dutch translation of Ian Flynn’s IDW-era Sonic comics, opening with Sonic facing a robot army while Dr. Eggman is missing.

  

• Released this week, Minecraft: Stavebné chuťovky 3 continues the Slovak-language edition of Minecraft’s Bite-Size Builds line, offering compact building projects for younger players and creative-mode builders.

  

• Polish readers also received Mortal Kombat: Flawless Victory from Gamebook this week. The Polish edition presents the book as a large-format, collector-facing history of the franchise, with heavy visual material and premium production details.

  

• And another Minecraft entry for the week: Egmont released the Polish translation of Josh Hicks’ Minecraft: Out of Order Vol. 1 as Minecraft: Wbrew porządkowi. Tom 1. The 88-page softcover is translated by Anna Hikiert-Bereza and published under Egmont’s comics line, with the original English edition coming from Dark Horse. It follows Riley, who lives quietly in the green Hamlet until the Province disrupts that order, sending the story into a heist-style Minecraft adventure about building your own way forward.

  

• Continuing this week’s Minecraft headlines, Cobolt released Minecraft 1 in Danish. This is the Danish translation of the first official Minecraft graphic novel, written by Sfé R. Monster, illustrated by Sarah Graley, and translated by Brian Iskov. The 88-page colour hardcover follows Tyler and his friends as they take on the ultimate mission: reaching the End and facing the Ender Dragon.

  

• Norwegian Pokémon readers also had a new release this week with Pokémon-eventyrene: Del 2: FireRed & LeafGreen. Published by Outland, this Bokmål paperback is volume 23 of Pokémon-eventyrene, the Norwegian edition of Pokémon Adventures, with Hidenori Kusaka credited as author and Satoshi Yamamoto as illustrator. Red and Blue return to Pallet Town looking for Professor Oak, while Green’s long-awaited reunion with her parents goes sideways almost immediately.

  

• Finland’s Pelit released its May 2026 issue this week, with a cover built around “games for the long journey.” The issue highlights Finnish expertise through Road to Vostok, The Last Caretaker, and Armored Brigade II: Scandinavia, then moves through major features on Crimson Desert, Slay the Spire II, Marathon, and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. The retro-flavoured section also calls out Pokémon FireRed Version and God of War: Sons of Sparta, which gives the issue a nice mix of local development, big previews, and familiar comfort food.

  

• Serbian magazine PLAY!zine #201 also released this week, continuing its long-running free digital-magazine format. The May issue focuses heavily on spring 2026 releases, with Saros, Pragmata, and Replaced singled out, plus hardware coverage, a retro piece tied to the first female fighter in the fighting-game genre, and an interview with Radoš Nikolić about the soulslike project Horns. PLAY! has been doing this for more than 14 years, which is a pretty great run for a free Serbian gaming magazine.

  

• Romanian readers received Max Brooks’ Minecraft: Muntele this week from Bookzone. This is the Romanian translation of Minecraft: The Mountain, the sequel to Brooks’ Minecraft: The Island, with Laura Nureldin credited as translator. The 296-page paperback follows the lone explorer into a frozen tundra, where survival depends on teaming up with Summer, another survivor who knows the mountain far better than he does.

  

• And for the next bit of Minecraft news, Bookzone also released Minecraft: Alex vs. Creeper: Cutie cu activități in Romanian this week. Translated by Anca Marisac, this 40-page activity-box release localizes LEGO Minecraft: Alex vs. Creeper with comics, creative exercises, and a building-focused play format. Great to see all the Romanian Minecraft love from Bookzone this week.

  

• In Russian news, Bombora announced this week that Star Wars: История игровой вселенной has moved into a new production stage. The manuscript by journalist Ilya Glazkov has been submitted, with the publisher now proofreading the text and Alexander Ammosov serving as editor. The book is planned as a guide to the long history of Star Wars games, from early Atari-era releases to VR projects, LucasArts, Battlefront, Knights of the Old Republic, and even cancelled projects like Star Wars 1313.

  

• Korean Elden Ring readers had a major preorder campaign launch this week on Wadiz for the Korean edition of Elden Ring Official Art Book Vol. III. The project is being handled by noengoods and focuses on the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, with a 320-page A4-format art book and two oversized B2 posters included in the campaign package. It’s scheduled as a preorder project first, with delivery planned later this summer.

  

• Chinese readers also got new Minecraft material this week with 勇闖100關！Minecraft解謎大冒險！The book is a Minecraft puzzle-adventure title built around 100 challenges, covering logic, spatial observation, math, codes, survival knowledge, and game-themed missions.

  

• Japan had a very fun Sonic announcement this week with Find Sonic! ソニックをさがせ！, scheduled for release on June 17. Supervised by Sega, illustrated by maribou, and published by Seitosha, the 24-page search-and-find book celebrates Sonic’s 35-year history with 11 “Dream Zone” scenes, including Green Hill, Metal Harbor, Chao Garden, City Escape, Metropolis, and Starlight Carnival.

  

• Kodansha released Fate/Grand Order: Turas Réalta 22 in Japan this week. The manga adapts the mobile RPG’s main story route through Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight’s journey, and by volume 22 it is deep into the long-running Fate/Grand Order adaptation project.

• Finally, Steins;Gate Re:Boot Visual Collection went up for preorder this week as part of the upcoming Steins;Gate Re:Boot Limited Edition. The remake is scheduled for August 20, and the visual collection compiles graphics created for the new version of the science-adventure visual novel.

Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community.

Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!

📚 Behind the Shelves

Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloguing challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.

The adventures of Super Mario-kun continue thanks to Jamie, who is now all the way up to Volume #45! Every new volume added helps preserve another piece of Mario’s long-running print history, and I love seeing this delightfully weird, expressive series take shape in the archive. Your steady work on this run is genuinely awesome, Jamie. Thank you!

Stephen kept up with the Sonic the Hedgehog IDW countdown this week, getting all the way down to Issue #5. Only 5 more to go before having the whole series catalogued!

Last week, Fran started on Magekiller, a Dark Horse Dragon Age comic run. This week, she wrapped it up! Magekiller is a five-issue series published between December 2015 and April 2016, written by Greg Rucka, following Marius and Tessa in a story set around the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Thanks to Fran; another little corner of Thedas has been immortalized into the archive!

Nathanial has been hard at work on the Futabasha Winning Guidebook collection. Still a bit of polish we’ll need to eventually put into the covers, but for now, I’m absolutely loving watching this collection get catalogued online. SO many amazing games represented.

We also realized we were a little farther behind than expected on the Verlag Werner Hülsbusch collection, so we spent a few afternoons researching and assembling details for the missing volumes. Check them out here.

While maybe not immediately apparent on the site, João has been working incredibly hard behind the scenes cataloguing ALL of the translations for some major Dragon Quest, Minecraft, Elden Ring and Twisted Wonderland manga. This is a hell of a job, but really speaks to our mission of representing books from around the globe in any language. A crazy amount of work, so thank you João!

This, as usual, is only a small sample of all the things that have been happening behind the scenes, so take a peek at the site to see everything that’s been added since last week! And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.

💡 Book Spotlights

Every week I like to zoom in on a few standout books from the collection. Sometimes it’s brand new releases, other times it’s older gems that deserve more love.

If you’re looking for deeper dives and not just quick headlines, check out some of these past spotlights:

🙏 THANK YOU for Reading

That’s a wrap for this week’s Newsletter. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.

As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.

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And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.

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Until next time — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)

Still reeling over last week’s behemoth of an issue; covering every release and announcement in April. But we’re back into a weekly cadence now, and the news isn’t slowing down! With a little help from Free Comic Book Day on May 2, we have 50 major new announcements and releases to cover from across the globe!

We also shine some spotlights on what our amazing volunteer team has been focused on behind the scenes, as well as some of the new additions to the physical shelves.

Hope you all enjoy!

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📰 News & Highlights

• Ninty Media is back on Kickstarter, this time turning its unofficial companion-book treatment toward the very first generation of Pokémon. Pokébook: The Unofficial Companion Gen 1 is being pitched as a coffee-table history book dedicated to the debut Pocket Monsters era, with bespoke artwork and photography. After the publisher’s previous Game Boy and NES companion projects, I’ve very excited to see this next evolution!

  

• Lost In Cult announced Faith: Design Works just after the last newsletter, and honestly, it feels like perfect timing given the publisher’s 5th anniversary. Written by Steven Nguyen Scaife, the book digs into Airdorf’s lo-fi horror trilogy through interviews, notebook material, design history, and the strange mix of influences behind Faith: The Unholy Trinity.

  

• Worth noting that the Deluxe Edition also includes a separate Rotoscope Guide with tracing-paper overlays, letting readers compare filmed movement with the final in-game animations frame by frame.

  

• The Tomb Raider shelf keeps growing, with Tomb Raider Colossal Collection, Vol. 3 released this past week from Dark Horse. After all the Lara Croft news we’ve been tracking lately, it’s nice to see both archival comic collections and new single issues moving at the same time.

  

• And for the newer side of Lara’s comic life, Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts #4 also arrived this week. Dark Horse’s four-issue series is written by Casey Gilly with art by Antonio Di Caprio, and the final issue brings Lara and Anna into the last confrontation with the Postulant.

  

• Archie is getting in on game culture too with Archie Comics 85th Anniversary Presents: Archie Game Galaxy #1. The one-shot sends Archie and friends into a video-game universe after Jughead powers up an old console, with Salem acting as their guide through strange planets and challenges.

  

• The lone Street Fighter entry in this year’s Free Comic Book Day was Street Fighter Forever #0 from Udon. Ryu faces off against martial artists of the past, present… and future! Will these battles bring him closer to finding the true path of the warrior? PLUS – a bonus story starring lethal ladies Juri and C.Viper!

  

• Free Comic Book Day brought us Mega Man Showdown Special #1, and this one has a little extra spark for Battle Network readers. UDON’s special pits Proto Man against Bass, then adds a bonus short set in the digital world of Mega Man Battle Network.

  

• Another Free Comic Book Day 2026 release was the FCBD 2026: DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #1: Special Edition, a reprint from DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #1.

  

• For CGD 2026, we got Comics Giveaway Day 2026: Sonic the Hedgehog #1. This is actually the first Sonic the Hedgehog comic title we’ve seen released for CGD, and with that gorgeous Tracy Yardley cover, it’s a good one!

  

• I missed it in the flurry of recent Sonic news, but more covers have started surfacing for Sonic the Hedgehog x Godzilla #2. IDW’s crossover is already notable as the first comic-book meeting between Sega’s blue blur and Toho’s King of the Monsters, with Sonic and friends pulled into kaiju-sized trouble. The second issue is still upcoming, but the cover rollout has been fun to watch.

  

• It is always worth pausing when a new specialist game-book publisher appears, so here is a shoutout to Rocket Books. Its debut is a reprint of Andy Kelly’s One More Win, an affectionate fanzine dedicated entirely to Ridge Racer Type 4. Looking forward to seeing what’s ahead in the pipeline for these guys!

  

• The Photographer’s Guide to Los Santos is exactly the kind of oddity that makes assembling these newsletters so fun. Written by Marco De Mutiis and Matteo Bittanti, the 320-page paperback treats Grand Theft Auto V as a tourist destination, photography studio, classroom, and critical art object all at once. It brings together practical in-game photography advice, modding techniques, teaching experience, exhibitions, and reflections on what happens when a virtual city becomes a creative medium.

  

• Future Press has opened a limited reprint of The Art and Making of Control, which is very good news for anyone who missed the original run. The book is almost 400 pages of concept art, sketches, renders, interviews, and behind-the-scenes development material for Remedy’s supernatural action game. Given how quickly the first edition became difficult to find, this feels like one of those reprints that many collectors won’t want to sleep on.

  

• Retro Game Books has announced that both From Pixels to Prose and I Am Not Good: The History of Cheating in Video Games are now off to the printer! Not much more to announce than that, but so so excited to check these out!

  

• A quick congratulations is due to Éditions64K, whose Amstrad CPC book In the Shadow of the CPC: The Legacy of Amstrad Games successfully crowdfunded. The book is built as a tribute to Amstrad CPC games, combining screenshots, anecdotes, analysis, and interviews to preserve the history of a machine that mattered deeply in European gaming, especially in France.

  

• For the academic and practical side of the shelf, Research Methods and Project Management in Games by Pooya Soltani was released by CRC Press. The book is designed for game design, art, programming, creative technology, and project-management students, but also aims at professionals working in games and related creative fields. It is nice to see more books treating game development as both a research practice and a production discipline.

  

• Routledge also released The Psychology of Esports Performance, edited by Benjamin T. Sharpe and Dylan R. Poulus. The publisher describes it as the first book focused specifically on the psychology of esports and competitive gaming, with sections on foundations, mental optimization, strategic excellence, mental health, and practical applications. With more than 25 international contributors, this looks like a useful marker of esports moving further into serious sport-psychology research.

  

• Brian J. Wardyga’s The Video Games Textbook: History • Business • Technology has reached its third edition. This newly revised version expands coverage with adaptive gaming technology, cloud gaming, new hardware, industry milestones, and platforms up to PlayStation 5 Pro, Nintendo Switch 2, and recent Xbox systems. For students, it remains a structured textbook, but for game-history readers it also works as a broad platform-by-platform handbook.

• Excited to see CGMagazine Issue #67 release this week. This one spotlights SAROS with Housemarque interviews and a glowing review, plus PlayStation Portal Update 6, previews, and reviews of Pragmata, Diablo IV, Crimson Desert and more. Love seeing this Canadian magazine continue to do well in print!

  

• Wrapping up the English releases for this week, Insight Editions released The Art of Gaming: Color Your Way Through Video Game History, illustrated by Elmer Damasco. The 64-page colouring book covers more than 50 games across more than 50 years of gaming, from Atari and arcade-era memories to more modern genres.

  

• Canard PC #478 has arrived. The cover feature is a review of Pragmata, while the main dossier looks at hacking as one of video games’ most unloved minigames. Elsewhere, the issue covers Going Medieval, Replaced, Creature Kitchen, The Ratline, upcoming titles like Solasta II and Road to Vostok, plus a hardware piece on the AMD and Intel CPU fight.

  

• Pix’n Love has announced Cyberpunk 2077: Vivre et mourir à Night City: Le making-of, with release listings pointing to June 12, 2026. The 350-page French book is positioned as a documented look at one of the biggest game launches of the 21st century, including its technology, internal compromises, and post-launch redemption arc. Given how much the Cyberpunk 2077 story changed between 2020 and Phantom Liberty, this one should be good!

  

• Norma Editorial released Elden Ring 07: La senda del Árbol Áureo, the Spanish edition of Nikiichi Tobita’s official Elden Ring manga. This volume follows Luzio’s search for the cursed mark of Death, leading him back to Ranni and toward Nokron, the Eternal City.

  

• Moztros Manga released the Spanish edition of Assassin’s Creed: Dynasty Vol. 1, by Xu Xianzhe and Zhang Xiao. The 224-page volume takes the franchise to Chang’an during the Tang dynasty, following the young Assassin Li E as the empire moves toward civil war. Great to see this one continuing to expand globally to new readers.

  

• The Dragon Quest news continues in Spanish with Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai Vol. 6: Los discípulos de Aván I. Planeta Cómic’s edition picks up as Dai visits Bengana in search of new weapons, only for the city to come under attack and Dai’s own power to frighten the people he saves.

  

• And speaking of Dai, Portuguese readers are now getting in at the beginning with Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai Vol. 01. This volume introduces Dermline Island, Dai’s dream of becoming a hero, and Avan’s arrival as the mentor who changes everything. Special shoutout to volunteer João who’s been hard at work cataloguing all the language variants of this run.

  

• For our first bit of Minecraft news this week, Panini Brasil released Minecraft: Viagem ao Fim do Mundo 02. This second Portuguese volume sends the manga’s characters beyond forests and volcanoes and even underwater, with a very familiar explosive mob joining the adventure. The Brazilian release is moving quickly, with volume 1 arriving in March and later volumes already mapped out monthly through the year.

  

• Editora Europa’s Dossiê Old!Gamer Volume 36: Odyssey 2 gives Portuguese readers a new hardware-focused entry in the Old!Gamer Consoles line. The 228-page volume covers the Odyssey 2, known in Brazil simply as Odyssey, with attention to its development, distribution, catalogue, technology, and the relationship between hardware and games.

  

• Tora Edizioni released Street Fighter Legends: Chun-Li in Italian at Naples Comic-Con this past week. The book focuses on Chun-Li before she becomes the Interpol agent everyone knows, following her early encounters with Shadaloo alongside Po-Lin and her father, Dorai. For Street Fighter readers, it is a useful character-origin piece from one of UDON’s most recognizable Legends miniseries.

  

• Also in Italy, Kingdom Come: Stories Untold: La Graphic Novel arrived in a variant-cover edition from Tora Edizioni. This one-shot anthology expands the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance beyond Henry’s main story, using multiple short stories set within Warhorse Studios’ medieval RPG universe. With Kingdom Come: Deliverance II now driving renewed attention, it is good timing for these side stories to travel into more languages.

  

• The Bite-Size Builds books continue to expand over to the German market with the latest: Minecraft Tolle Mini-Projekt. The perfect gift for any Minecraft fan, a boxed set of four books featuring over 80 epic builds, with step-by-step instructions that will turn anyone into a pro builder.

  

• CD-Action Retro #10 released in print this past week, giving Polish readers 132 pages of retro-focused coverage. The contents include features on Tomb Raider, Portal 2, Knight Lore, Alone in the Dark 3, Devil May Cry 4, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Final Fight, and more, plus new retro-adjacent projects like Terminator 2D: No Fate and Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition.

  

• Polish magazine PSX Extreme #344 also went on sale this week. Early coverage confirms the May 2026 issue at 116 pages, with Saros appearing on the cover and the magazine continuing its long-running role in Polish console-gaming culture.

  

• World of Warcraft: Shadow Wing, Vol. 2: Nexus Point released way back in 2011. Recently, it’s been getting some translation love, and just his week received a Czech localization from CREW titled World of Warcraft: Dědictví stínů – Druhý Díl:Nexus. Now Czech readers can enjoy the thrilling continuation of the Warcraft saga in the land of The Burning Crusade.

  

• What do a shooting cactus, a voodoo doll maker, and a boxing botanist have in common? They all appear in the latest Swedish Brawl Stars book from publisher Tukan Förlag. Written by Daniel Eyre, in Brawl Stars Alla Stjärnor you’ll meet ALL BRAWLERS and discover their abilities, personalities, and strengths. Whether you’re a beginner, a pro, or just love the game’s colorful world, this is your ultimate guide to every hero who has ever stepped into the arena.

  

• My research could be off…but surprisingly, the upcoming Minecraft Quest Journal (due out in the next week in English), has actually received an early Hungarian translation ahead of Czech and Slovak. Far too many Minecraft books to keep track of these days, but I’m liking this addition to the newsletter. We don’t talk about Hungary nearly enough.

  

• Mal’Opus released the Ukrainian edition of The Art of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II as Артбук Світ гри Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. The 382-page hardcover covers medieval landscapes, the historically grounded city of Kutná Hora, surrounding villages, character development, sketches, concepts, and behind-the-scenes material from Warhorse Studios.

  

• Russian publisher Bombora has announced Атака гигантов: Борьба Nintendo, Sony и Microsoft за внимание игрока, the Russian translation of Steven L. Kent’s The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2. Kent’s second volume covers the industry’s explosion into the 21st century and the battle among Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft for players’ attention. For Russian readers, this brings one of the major English-language business histories of modern gaming into translation.

  

• Bombora also released Vasily Ovchinnikov’s Невиноватая игра? Антология мифов о вреде и пользе видеоигр. The 288-page hardcover looks at common stereotypes around video games, using scientific research and industry examples to discuss games’ role in society, education, and culture. It is always good to see more locally written game criticism that moves beyond the usual “are games good or bad?” framing.

  

• The Korean translation of Pokécology, released as 포켓몬 생태도감, is a lovely one for Pokémon readers. My English version is still on pre-order and I can’t wait to get it. Published by Daewon C.I., the book analyzes more than 1,000 Pokémon through an ecological lens, including body features, food, movement, group life, and relationships. The Korean listing also notes that the Japanese edition passed 800,000 copies sold, which helps explain why this book has been travelling so well.

  

• Weekly Famitsu No. 1946 leads with an 18-page feature on NTE: Neverness to Everness. The issue looks at life in Hethereau, covering urban activities like arcades, mahjong, shop management, racing, and the game’s combat and gacha systems, while also including a developer interview and a B3 poster using new cover art. There’s also a 10-page feature celebrating Goddess of Victory: Nikke’s 3.5 anniversary, making this a particularly packed issue for live-service readers.

  

• Inazuma Eleven: Heroes’ Victory Road 1 kicked off its official manga adaptation in Japan through Shogakukan’s Tentōmushi Comics line. The story follows Unmei Sasanami, a boy who says he hates soccer, only to meet the powerful Haru Endō and begin forming a club at Nagumohara Junior High. Better still, the manga is drawn by Tenya Yabuno, who worked on the original Inazuma Eleven and Inazuma Eleven GO manga.

  

• Kadokawa announced Uma Musume Pretty Derby 5th Anniversary Book, and this is a big one for readers who track the franchise’s multimedia sprawl. The 96-page A4 mook is supervised by Cygames and is scheduled for June 30, 2026, with a Kadostore-exclusive Twinkle Memory special edition shipping later in July. Inside are a new cover illustration, a five-year timeline, introductions to newly added Uma Musume, reviews of all 48 Live Theater songs, creator interviews, more than 35 pages of cast conversations, celebration comments, posters, stickers, and an applicant-purchase service for apparel.

  

• Shueisha released Fire Emblem Engage 7 as part of the Jump Comics line on May 1. This manga, produced with cooperation from Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, follows Alear’s journey to collect the 12 Emblem Rings as the conflict with the Fell Dragon side escalates.

  

• Kadokawa also released Cyanotype Daydream: The Girl Who’s Called the World 2, the second official novelization of Laplacian’s science-fiction visual novel. Written by Wasabi Ono with illustrations by Shimofuri, this 328-page Bunko volume moves into an Elizabethan London dream in which the narrator becomes Shakespeare and encounters the noblewoman Olivia Berry. After the first volume was quickly reprinted, it is nice to see this adaptation continuing so soon.

  

• Finally, Shueisha released Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade Official Visual Book, the first official visual book for the mobile game. The 176-page B5 volume collects around 290 character illustrations and Recollection Bits, along with Live2D images, special-skill cut-ins, background art, scenario material, staff interviews, and a physical-edition serial code.

Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community.

Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!

📚 Behind the Shelves

Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloguing challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.

In no particular order, I want to start by shouting out project supporter KBABZ who reminded me that there were still some Ratchet & Clank literature missing from the site. Took an afternoon to remedy that; including all the coverage of the animated movie, and the 6-issue comics series.

Our volunteer, Stephen, continued down the list of Sonic the Hedgehog IDW comics this week, reaching #12. Hard to believe less than a dozen of these to go before every issue has been catalogued. What an awesome addition this has been to the site.

Speaking of comics, volunteer Fran has taken a short hiatus from the Prima guide logging, and has shifted to getting our backlog of Dragon Age comic books onto the site. For all you Dark Horse fans out there - this one’s for you!

The Mario-kun series has been running for decades, but thanks to volunteer Jamie, we’re halfway through the cataloguing!

Of course we can’t forget the amazing work being done by volunteer Justin, who continues to discover and catalogue treasure trove after treasure trove of old point-and-click adventure literature. I’m feeling so good about how much representation we have on the site for this genre now!

A few cool new Megami Tensei / Persona books graced the library this week thanks to volunteer and fan, Alex! Every time I see one of these books, I want to play the games.

And in personal collection news, here are a few new additions to our shelves thanks to amazingly kind donations from friends, followers, authors and publishers.

This, as usual, is only a small sample of all the things that have been happening behind the scenes, so take a peek at the site to see everything that’s been added since last week! And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.

💡 Book Spotlights

Every week I like to zoom in on a few standout books from the collection. Sometimes it’s brand new releases, other times it’s older gems that deserve more love.

If you’re looking for deeper dives and not just quick headlines, check out some of these past spotlights:

🙏 THANK YOU for Reading

That’s a wrap for this week’s Newsletter. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.

As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.

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And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.

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Until next time — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)

Back from the beach, and feeling rested, refreshed, and ready for another year of Newsletters bringing you the latest in the world of Video Game Literature!

In celebration of this new season, (and because I’ve been on a 3 week hiatus), I’m recapping ALL of the releases and announcements I missed in this one massive volume. That means more than 100 books either released or revealed in April…. Absolute insanity!

No matter what languages you speak, or what genres you’re interested in, there’s at least a few news stories here for each of you. So be sure to share your most anticipated reads in the comments below or over in our Discord.

Now, let’s get started on our 2nd year!

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📰 News & Highlights

• We’ve been seeing a lot of Tomb Raider love this past year. Lots of comics and lots of retrospectives. So this is a nice one for readers keeping an eye on Lara Croft’s next wave of print releases. Chronicles of the Tomb Raider has been announced by Dark Horse Books in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, with Alex Forbes-Calvin writing the 184-page hardcover. The book is set to organize Lara’s adventures chronologically, with coverage of artifacts, characters, and series lore.

  

• Dark Horse is also publishing The Art of The Forever Winter, an oversized hardcover dedicated to Fun Dog Studios’ tactical shooter. This one looks to be a proper production-art deep dive, collecting concept art, renders, artist commentary, faction lore, level maps, gear schematics, and storyboards across 208 pages.

  

• After months of Resynced rumors (reported back in Vol. 39 of the newsletter), we’ve finally got a cover reveal for the official art book. The Art of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced is slated for a July release thanks to the team at Titan Books. Say what you will about the games, but the art/design is consistently incredible!

• Followers! Gather round! Hear our sermon! That’s right, the latest in Lost In Cult’s “Design Works” lineup has been announced! Cult of the Lamb: Design Works sets out to shine a light on the journey of Massive Monster, cleansing the non-believers through the written word.

  

• [lock-on] is back for 2026 in two ways! First, Lost In Cult’s premium gaming journal has been updated for [lock-on] - VOL. 007 with a fresh new look and an annual format, but still packed with all the insightful features and spectacular art you know and love.

  

• And second, a reflective anthology. In [lock-on]: Selected Works – Vol. 001-006 you’ll find a cross-section of essays from the previous 6 volumes, so you can follow Lost In Cult’s journey from the very beginning and see how their flagship gaming journal grew into its current evolution.

  

• Earlier this month, Boss Fight Books announced its 41st entry. Boss Fight Books 41 - Age of Empires from the talented documentarian Richard Moss! Based on interviews with 29 former Ensemble and Microsoft executives and staff, this book tells the story of how a scrappy team of first-time developers partnered with the biggest tech company in the world on a game that would test the brothers’ relationship like nothing before.

  

• Ys IX: Monstrum Nox - The Official Novelization arrived in English on April 21, 2026. Published by Dragonwell Publishing and written by Anna Kashina, the hardcover turns Falcom’s action RPG into prose, giving Adol’s Balduq adventure a new format for English readers.

  

• And that same day, celebrating the world of fiction, Diablo IV: The Lost Horadrim hit store shelves. In this dark fantasy adventure, readers (or even audiobook listeners) will journey to the Skovos Isles and uncover their mysteries: a lost expedition of mages, a dangerous monster, and a boiling political conflict. Written by Matthew J. Kirby, it’s the official prequel to Lord of Hatred.

  

• For regular newsletter readers, Titan Books’ ongoing reprint of Halo’s Forerunner Saga should already be on the radar. The latest stop is Halo: Primordium, the second book in Greg Bear’s trilogy, newly reissued in paperback as part of the publisher’s renewed Halo program.

  

• Life is Strange: Welcome to Caledon University is now available from Titan Books. Written by Chris Farnell, the hardcover is an official in-universe guide to Caledon University, with commentary tied to Max Caulfield, Chloe Price, Safi, and Moses.

  

• Enter the creative worlds of LEGO and Minecraft with this Seek & Find activity book released this past week. It features stickers and a LEGO minifigure with accessory! This one was released this month in both English and Bulgarian. Cool!

  

• Ontos graces the cover of Edge 423 this month. This issue previews Masters of Albion, Huntdown: Overtime, Slay the Spire 2, Time Takers, Silver Pines, and Prime Monster, alongside reviews of Crimson Desert, Marathon, Life Is Strange: Reunion, Greedfall: The Dying World, and more. Features explore Frictional’s Moon-set Ontos, the value of custom engines with studios like IO and Remedy, the realities of early access, the making of Ball X Pit, Swiss studio Okomotive’s thoughtful rise, and a Time Extend look back at Metroid Prime.

  

• The latest issue of Retro Gamer hit shelves while I was out, celebrating 40 years of The Legend of Zelda. You'll also find articles on Superior Software, Match Day II, Spider-Man 2, Screamer, Project Zero II, Lemmings, Indiana Jones & The Fate Of Atlantis and much more.

  

• Absolutely loving all the Sonic the Hedgehog love the site has been getting thanks to volunteers like Stephen, and it’s equally great to see more and more readers get to enjoy the IDW lineup with releases like this one last week. Sonic the Hedgehog, Vol. 21: Reprise follows Sonic and the Chaotix in their quest to make sure Clean Sweep Inc. is totally shut down!

  

• And of course that’s followed by IDW’s Sonic The Hedgehog #86. With Sage captured by a corrupted Metal Sonic, the favorite daughter of Dr. Eggman is about to be deleted. The only way to survive? Combine forces with her "sister," Belle. As the two overcome their pain and fight to survive, they find themselves caught with Sonic under the whim of a mysterious ghostly figure.

  

• Not done with the blue blur quite yet! Also released earlier this month, this time by Farshore, was Sonic The Hedgehog: Meet Team Sonic and Sonic The Hedgehog: Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman, the next two entries in the Young Readers Level 2 series.Meet Sonic’s teammates, Tails and Knuckles, his enemy, Dr. Eggman, and explore Green Hill and beyond! Learn all about Team Sonic's amazing friends and foes!

  

• Far Cry: Cull the Herd, Issue #5 from Tokyopop hit comic book shelves earlier this month. The 5th entry in the mini-series, with the talents of Ryan Nichols, Caterina Bacchelli and Elisa Bartolucci. While Antón slips deeper into a feverish battle with the Black Flame, Valeria’s desperate attempt to save him leads her into a volatile confrontation with Pagan.

  

• Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Vol. 6: Dragon Knights has been released in English by VIZ Media. The paperback continues Riku Sanjo and Koji Inada’s manga adaptation, keeping the English edition moving through Dai’s fantasy adventure.

  

• The sillier side of Animal Crossing continues with Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Deserted Island Diary, Vol. 10. This English volume brings in the cold-loving Sprinkle, whose vacation-home request somehow involves setting the temperature to minus 30 degrees Celsius.

  

• And for Splatoon fans, Splatoon 3: Splatlands - Vol. 6 released to English readers in the middle of the month thanks to VIZ Media. Team Blue reunites with some old friends just in time for the Splatsville Hodgepodge King Cup! Only 10 more volumes to go before the run is done!

  

• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Tales from the Pizzaplex Graphic Novel Collection, Vol. 2 was published by Scholastic/Graphix on April 7. The 192-page paperback adapts three stories from the Tales from the Pizzaplex line into graphic novel form.

  

• Sonic Prime, Vol. 3 also joined this month’s Sonic print releases, adapting the Netflix animated series into graphic novel form. This time with swashbuckling pirates and a race for the Prism Shard!

  

• TOKYOPOP released Honkai Impact 3rd: Second Eruption, Volume 1 on April 7. Created by MiHoYo Comics, the 320-page paperback adapts the Honkai Impact 3rd storyline around the Tower of Babylon, Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and Sirin.

  

• Yen Press has announced an English release for Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver. The title joins the publisher’s latest licensing slate, bringing more Type-Moon material to English readers later this year.

  

• Scholastic’s Pokémon: Hero of the Seas was released earlier in April as part of the Picture This! Storybook line. Based on Pokémon Horizons, the interactive storybook follows Liko, Roy, and Palafin, and includes a toy camera with eight images.

  

• Moving into resources for aspiring GameDevs out there, Routledge’s Focal Press imprint, in collaboration with the Audio Engineering Society, released Virtual Reality Audio this past week. With a blend of theory and applied practice from Jason Corey and Anıl Çamcı, this book offers a comprehensive and foundational roadmap for anyone interested in the future of sound in virtual worlds.

  

• Jason Gregory’s Game Engine Architecture received a major fourth-edition update from CRC Press. The new edition is split into Volume I: Foundations and Core Engine Systems and Volume II: Graphics, Motion, and Sound, turning the long-running technical reference into a two-volume set.

  

• Exploring the intersect between gaming and literature (*cough…*cough*), comes this brand new GameStudies book from Routledge written by Tison Pugh and Lynn Ramey. Engagements with Literary Gaming sets out to examine the cultural significance of these two converging forms, defining the concept of literary gaming for a new narrative, ludic, and media landscape.

  

• Heading across the pond to France, our friends at Third Editions announced their next cool project coming from Nicolas Deneschau. L'Odyssée God of War - L'ère Grecque: Fureur et Blockbuster offers a deep dive into God of War’s Greek era, exploring Kratos’s brutal journey, mythological themes, violence, and the saga’s evolution. Plus, there’s 3 awesome editions to choose from - Standard, First Print or Prestige.

  

• Mana Books has a few headlines too earlier this month, starting with the release of the long-awaited Genshin Impact Artbook Officiel Vol.3. Finally, the return to the world of Genshin Impact in this beautiful this volume showcasing hundreds of original illustrations and dedicated to French readers.

  

• And hot on the heels of that one was ARC and TABII’s Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple Vol. 7. This French series has been running since 2024, and it’s great to see the treasure hunt continues for Captain Edward James Kenway.

  

• Let’s not forget about the long running Final Fantasy Lost Stranger, which had its 13th volume in French released back on April 16th. This officially marks all of the original Japanese releases getting translated (thanks to Mana Books), so barring any new additions, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger is fully available to French readers!

  

• Mana Books has announced Metaphor: Refantazio manga is getting a French release in July. I absolutely loved this game, but still have not checked out this manga quiet yet.

  

• Global translation efforts have been helping bring a galaxy far far away much closer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Vol. 1. French (Nobi Nobi) and Polish (Egmont) joined other languages this week like English, Czech and Japanese. This manga adapts the game as former Jedi Padawan, Cal Kestis, sets out to unlock the secrets of the past before the Empire catches up with him.

  

• Soleil released Animal Crossing: New Horizons: L’île Fluffy T01 in French. This full-colour volume follows Moka’s island life, with butterfly catching, gardening, familiar Animal Crossing characters, and illustrated activities built into the book.

  

• Pokémon: N° 7: À la recherche de Lokhlass brings Pokémon: The Search for Lapras: 2 Graphic Adventures to French readers. The April release adds another translated Pokémon graphic adventure to the French-language children’s and comics market.

  

• Geeks-Line Publishing has launched their latest anthology with Sega Saturn Anthologie. The Ultimate Edition bundle actually comes with 2 massive books, totaling 600 pages of Saturn retrospective, including a book entirely dedicated to the console library’s box art.

  

• The crowdfunding campaign for JV #117: Espace et Jeu Vidéo has begun. This issue of JV focuses on space and video games, continuing the magazine’s themed, long-form approach to game culture.

  

• In other French magazine news, Canard PC 477 dives into the next wave of PC gaming, led by a major cover feature on Slay the Spire 2 and a dossier on standout deckbuilders. Inside, readers will find previews, reviews, and sharp commentary on games including Crimson Desert, Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon, Esoteric Ebb, and Pokémon Pokopia, plus features on Animal Crossing, Diablo II, Steam Neo Fest demos, Transport Fever 3, and the closure of Leikir Studio. The issue also tackles hardware news, including Nvidia’s DLSS 5 and AI-driven concerns.

  

• This month, Jeux Vidéo Magazine #304 puts racing games in the spotlight with a major feature on Forza Horizon 6, alongside coverage of Gran Turismo 7, Assetto Corsa Evo, Le Mans Ultimate, Indycar, and Wreckfest 2. This issue also revisits gaming legends, exploring why The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time deserves a remake and how Xbox is modernizing classics like Gears of War, Fable, and Halo. Readers will also find a behind-the-scenes look at spy RPG Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, a brutal fighting-game focus on Invincible VS, plus a free Star Wars: Unlimited – Legends of the Force booster.

  

• Top Jeux Vidéo magazine counts for 2 headlines, today, first with Le Guide Ultime Minecraft 2026. This one is packed with tips, tricks, and updates to help readers become better Minecraft players. Inside, fans will find guides to new features, top advice, and the 15 coolest maps, plus extra coverage of Pokémon Gen 10, the latest Fortnite season, Forza Horizon 6 heading to Japan, and the return of Yoshi. This issue also includes 4 giant posters for fans to collect.

  

• And next up for Top Jeux Vidéo magazine is 110% Switch! In this special Switch 2 issue, readers will find a complete guide to the 50 must-have games. Inside, there are features on Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, early hints about Pokémon Winds & Waves and the 10th generation, plus an action-packed showdown between Pragmata and 007 First Light.

  

• And finally, wrapping up the French news for this issue, Total Jeux Vidéo Hors-Série – Spécial Fortnite n°13 hit shelves.

  

• Dolmen Editorial has announced MOVIES EN 8-BIT: El cine de los ochenta que se convirtió en videojuego, a celebration of 80’s films that got a video game adaptation. This one is slated for a release next month and joins a whole sub-genre of books that we’ve catalogued that explores the intersect between video games and cinema.

  

• Rosalina’s Storybook continues to make the rounds in other languages. These ones from Norma Editorial (Spanish) and TokyoPop (German) were early April releases. Titled El Cuento De Estela in Spanish and simply Rosalina’s Storybook in German, the storybook should have a whole new meaning now that fans have seen the film.

  

• Resident Evil: Death Island is a manga adaptation of the titular animated film, with Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine investigating a possible outbreak in San Francisco. Well thanks to Norma Editorial and Panini, Spanish and Portuguese readers are able to enjoy it this month with their very own translations. Interesting that the Spanish localization kept the English title.

  

• And finally from Norma Editorial, Minecraft Viaje al fin del mundo 7 released this month. This Spanish translation run started all the way back in 2024, so we can expect these to continue releasing well into next year.

  

• Hitting shelves earlier this year in English, DK Children has now released a Spanish version of Minecraft: Atlas of the World. Minecraft: Atlas Del Mundo sets out to teach children about the world through the lens of a guided tour with some amazing build ideas along the way.

  

• Looks like the Spanish translations of the Disney Twisted-Wonderland manga series continues! Released this month was Disney Twisted-Wonderland El Episodio de Savanclaw 1 from Planeta Cómic. I played quite a bit of this game, and opted for “House Savanaclaw” myself. Expect the next volume to hit shelves later in June.

  

• Also from Planeta Cómic this month, Spanish readers were treated to the next installment in the Books of Clash series. The Books of Clash: Cuentos de Clash Vol. 6 is the sixth book in the series, where skeleton twins Rylie and Wylie team with Maestro and friends to find missing Skulgar on Mystery Island in a funny, action-packed Clash adventure.

  

• Moving on to Moztros, they’ve just released Super Street Fighter Volumen Dos Hyper Fighting.

  

• Good news for LATAM readers tracking Zelda manga: Ivrea has announced an 11-volume Spanish-language edition of Akira Himekawa’s The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The release is planned for August and will bring the complete manga adaptation to the region.

  

• Also from Ivrea comes a news series of 3 volumes based on the Japanese arcade card game, Super Dragon Ball Heroes originally released in Japan by Yoshitaka Nagayama and JUMP Magazine. This arc follows the Dark Demon Realm Mission.

• GTM Games Tribune has 3 gorgeous covers for their latest issue. Start with the new 5v5 shooter, Last Flag from Night Street Games. Next up is of course Pragmata from Capcom, showcasing Hugh and Diana on the cover. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (which would be my pick).

  

• Editora Europa’s latest addition to their OLD!GAMER lineup celebrates the PS Vita. 100 Capas Fantásticas – PS Vita: Os Jogos Mais Inesquecíveis highlights 100 gorgeous PlayStation Vita game covers across a 200 page hardcover coffee-table book for Portuguese readers.

  

• Assassin’s Creed: A Lâmina de Shao Jun, Volume 3 was released in Portuguese on April 13. The manga continues the print adaptation of Shao Jun’s story for Brazilian readers.

  

• Looks like Portuguese and Polish readers are next in line to get in on the Minecraft manga phenomenon thanks to Panini and Studio JG. Titled Minecraft - Viagem Ao Fim Do Mundo and Minecraft: Podróż na kraniec świata respectively, this first volume released in both languages earlier in the month. We’re gonna be seeing this series for many…many newsletters to come.

  

• Alright, let’s head over to Italy, where we’ll first find Pokémon Il Magazine Ufficiale #55 from Panini. This issue includes features on Quaxly’s evolution, exciting Mega Evolutions, and incredible battle combos. Readers can also meet Team HZ, explore the new Perfect Order (Equilibrio Perfetto) expansion, and enjoy 6 free Pokémon TCG cards inside.

  

• Next up on the magazine rack is RetroplayMania #7. This issue explores the legacy of Resident Evil, from its survival-horror roots to the anticipation around Resident Evil Requiem. This issue also features retro-inspired rankings, arcade nostalgia, and coverage of titles including Mario Tennis Fever, Metal Slug 6, The Legend of Zelda, Lemmings, and Pocket Monsters Akai e Midori.

  

• Next up is Yukio Sawada’s Yoshi’s New Island. Translated into Italian, this is a manga adaptation of the game where one day, on Yoshi's Egg Island, Baby Mario falls from the sky! Yoshi and Baby Mario embark on a hilarious adventure to rescue Baby Luigi, who has been kidnapped by Baby Bowser!

  

• And then, of course, we have the ongoing translations of the Inazuma Eleven manga series. In Inazuma Eleven #8 Japan finds itself with its back to the wall in the FFI match against Qatar! And then there’s the final against South Korea to decide the strongest team... It’s the decisive moment of the Asian qualifiers!

  

• Now let’s hop over to Germany to check out the magazines and manga that April had in store for us. Starting with PC Games #405. This May issue highlights Star Wars: Zero Company with an exclusive hands-on look at its gameplay, setting, and story, positioning it as a tactical “Star Wars-XCOM” experience. The issue also features coverage of Masters of Albion, Crimson Desert, Solasta 2, Windrose, Starfield, Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon, and Duke Nukem 3D.

  

• PC Games MMORE #219 focuses on World of Warcraft, with a detailed look ahead at Patch 12.0.5 and what Blizzard’s next content update brings. The issue covers Midnight treasures and quests, WoW’s new neighborhood features, housing highlights from the MMORE team, and a playful take on loot hunting. It also includes renewed impressions of Crimson Desert.

  

• N-ZONE Ausgabe 349 puts Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch 2 Edition front and center, testing how the game runs on Nintendo’s new hardware and what fresh features players can expect. The issue also previews Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and includes a retro horror special on Resident Evil: Code Veronica.

  

• And wrapping up the German mags, GameStar XL Heft 05/2026 centers on Dawn of War 4, diving into hard-hitting real-time strategy action in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The issue also covers Crimson Desert, Marathon, Slay the Spire 2, Control Resonant, The Expanse, Timberborn, and Blight: Survival.

  

• Minecraft 10: Eine Reise zum Ende der Welt continued the German edition of the Minecraft manga. This volume keeps the German translation moving through the series’ journey-to-the-End storyline.

• Minecraft continues its global domination with 2 more language representations in this issue. A translation of last year’s Minecraft Survival Challenges The Heroic Edition, both Korean and Czech got localizations. Released earlier this month as 마인크래프트 서바이벌 챌린지 영웅편 and Minecraft - Výzvy k přežití - Hrdinská edice respectively, this book offers 30+ new Minecraft challenges, from heroic rescues to evil trials, with tips and missions for readers to sharpen their Overworld skills.

  

• Fire up the engines, it’s a street takeover! Hard to believe a Polish IP like Cyberpunk 2077 still took a year longer than the North American readership to get Cyberpunk 2077: Kickdown on shelves. Cyberpunk 2077 - Nakopávač reached Polish fans earlier this month, collecting the 4-issue mini-series.

  

• Heading up to Finland, we have, of course, Pelit’s April 2026 edition. This issue spotlights Resident Evil Requiem, pairing survival-horror coverage with previews and features from one of Finland’s long-running gaming magazines. This issue also covers Commodore 64 Ultimate, Control Resonant, Saros, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, sci-fi strategy titles, and Diablo II: Resurrected – Reign of the Warlock.

  

• In Chinese news, miHoYo’s Honk코지마 히데오의 게임론 <메탈기어>부터 <데스 스트랜딩>까지, 게임의 혁신성으로 세계를 열광시킨 크리에이터ai: Star Rail is celebrating its third anniversary by giving away 2.4 million commemorative art books. Announced on April 10th, and produced with Shanghai Music Publishing House, Honkai Impact 3rd Commemorative Book II features character designs, animation drafts, storyboards, promotional art, and collectible bookmarks. This event runs through May 10th.

  

• Bryan Hikari Hartzheim’s “Hideo Kojima: Progressive Game Design From Metal Gear to Death Stranding” has just received a Korean release. 코지마 히데오의 게임론 <메탈기어>부터 <데스 스트랜딩>까지, 게임의 혁신성으로 세계를 열광시킨 크리에이터 joins the Japanese translation, continuing to broaden the reach of Bloomsbury’s Influential Video Game Designers series and dive into the influential work of this industry icon.

  

• Last year, we saw the 2nd Edition of Xu Weihong’s Game Design: Deep Design Thinking and Techniques original release in China. Well, thanks to the team at JPUB, that 2nd edition has now received a Korean translation. 몰입을 설계하는 게임 기획 감정에서 과금까지, 플레이어 경험을 만드는 게임 디자인의 원리 sets out to cover design challenges, emotion, player journeys, rewards, progression, and monetization, with practical methods for building engaging experiences.

  

• Next we got the release of Minecraft: The Manga Vol. 4. A little farther behind than most other languages, but still getting the love thanks to publisher DWCI. In 마인크래프트 세계의 끝으로 떠나는 여행 4 Nico’s journey, following his father to the end of the world, has reached a new level of intensity! He’s gathered friends who adventure alongside him, explored a whole lot of the world, and helped a ton of people. What’s next? What in the world is Enderman?!

  

• Another big game for the Korean market is the real-time strategy RPG from MX STudio, Blue Archive, so it only makes sense for them to continue getting translations for the manga. Blue Archive: The Game Development Department’s Big Adventure Vol. 4 just hit shelves last week, getting translated from the original Japanese release.

  

• Dragon Quest love continues to be celebrated around the globe, and earlier this month, Vietnamese readers could finally dive into Volume 12 of The Adventure of Dai manga thanks to NXB Kim Đồng. In Dragon Quest - Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Của Dũng Sĩ Dai - Tập 12, Dai and his allies train for a final assault on the Deadlands, but the Demon King’s army strikes first, attacking the Kingdom of Karl, humanity’s counterattack base.

  

• Heading over to Japan, we’ve got another memorial art book celebrating the 10th anniversary of “Ensemble Stars!!”. For those who remember “ENSEMBLE” from last month which featured interviews with over 100 creators and cast members, あんさんぶるスターズ!! 10th Anniversary Book STARS looks back on the idols through event features, song lists, and more.

  

• To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy X, a new site has been spun up, and on it is the announcement of 2 new books! First, we have FINAL FANTASY X 25th Anniversary Visual Art Book -Eternal Spira-. A Visual ar book compiling all the artwork released to date as well as newly drawn illustrations by Tetsuya Nomura for the FFX Kabuki production. The second book is the Final Fantasy X 25th Anniversary Memorial Album, a remaster of the original 2002 DigiCube release. Even 25 years after its release, the story of Final Fantasy X remains timeless, reconstructed with scenario text and HD remastered images. The entire story, including the ending, is completely recreated.

  

• The twists continue, with the release of Disney Twisted-Wonderland - Episode of Savanaclaw #3 this week. I had (incorrectly) assumed that we’d moved on from the Savanaclaw arc, but great to see that this Japanese release will follow us for the next (few) years while it gets the usual global translations.

  

• For Uma Musume fans (which I know there are a lot of, having just gone to the Calgary Comic Expo this past weekend, and saw how many showed up to the meetup), Uma Musume Pretty Derby Star Blossom 6 released earlier in April. This is part of Shueisha’s “Young Jump Comics” lineup and continues the saga.

  

• Kadokawa’s been hitting us with a few new entries to the Touhou Project Fan Fiction series, and the latest installment just landed this week. Hungry Marisa’s Happy Meals is a food comic that is sure to “fill you up”! Marisa's magic experiment fails, blowing away all of her stored food supplies.At this rate, she won't be able to survive the harsh winter of Gensokyo. Can Marisa overcome this crisis...?

  

  

• Also from Kadokawa, albeit a little more children-oriented, are the new Minecraft Maze Drills and Minecraft Calculation Drills books. Each offer 48 pages of educational activities set in the Minecraft universe. These are follow-ups to 2024’s “Numbers and Clocks” and “Hiragana and Katakana” entries.

  

• I’m constantly in awe at how Famitsu can continue pumping out 150+ page magazines every single week. Over our short hiatus, we’ve got 4 issues to catch up on; which spotlight Paranormasight, Kazuma Kaneko’s Tsukuyomi, Capcom’s Pragmata, and Honkai: Star Rail’s 3rd anniversary. This takes us from Issue #1942 through to #1945. Wild!!

  

• Seriously, how happy does this cover make you? I love it! This latest June issue of Nintendo DREAM (released last week) celebrates game music with a special soundtrack CD featuring 33 tracks from 13 titles. Inside, readers can find features on Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Tomodachi Collection, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Pokémon Champions, and more Nintendo news and previews.

  

• Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2 graces the cover of this latest Dengeki Nintendo, complete with a double-sided poster. Japanese readers can also find features on Monster Hunter Stories 3, Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Tomodachi Collection, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, PRAGMATA, and more.

  

• Heading over to B’s LOG - June 2026, this issue leads with by CRAZY CHA!N -エルピスの鎖-, including story highlights, character Q&A, a short story, and staff comments. It also features coverage of Disney Twisted-Wonderland, MANKAI STAGE『A3!』, 18TRIP, Break My Case, Paradox Live, and other otome/anime-style game updates.

  

• Comptiq May 2026 puts VTuber Utai Meika on the cover for an eighth-anniversary feature. The issue includes a one-page career overview, an Osaka “sacred sites” map, music reviews, a February event recap, a conversation with Shirayuki Reid and Senba Kurono, a B2 poster, and a Meika-themed booklet.

  

• Mario Kart World Perfect Guide from Kadokawa released on April 2 reminding me that after a no-life week of playing Mario Kart World when it first came out, I have not picked it up since…

  

• Kadokawa also released にゃんこ大戦争ドリル 歴史人物とできごと on April 6. This The Battle Cats history workbook covers 51 important historical figures and events, includes reward stickers, is fully furigana-supported, and is supervised by University of Tokyo historian Kazuto Hongo.

  

• Kadokawa’s プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ！ feat. 初音ミク 公式ビジュアルファンブック Vol. 5 arrived earlier this month. The fifth official visual fan book collects about a year of event illustrations from October 2024 onward, along with character updates, relationship charts, 3D stage visuals, live costumes, CD jacket art, and key visuals.

Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community.

Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!

📚 Behind the Shelves

Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloguing challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.

Kicking this section off with another THANKS to the incredible volunteer team! I came back to more than 200 new books catalogued thanks to them; and traffic on the site was up! What the heck am I even here for? Haha! Thank you all for being such rockstars while I was away, and for keeping this project snowballing!

Since we’ve been focused on non-English books lately, I thought it’d be interesting to pull some metrics to see how they compared. The below chart is by no means an accurate representation of true publication counts; but with a data set of ~15,000 books, you can start to draw some early conclusions on how those are weighted across the globe.

Interested to hear what from the below stands out to you.

I did get quite a few new donations added to the physical collection while I was away, but still parsing through those, so I’ll add that feature to next week’s newsletter. I’ll also be giving the volunteer team more shoutouts in the next one once I digest everything they’ve worked on.

In the meantime, I’ve kept you long enough. I highly encourage everyone to go check out the website to see the amazing work the volunteers have done this month. And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.

💡 Book Spotlights

Every week I like to zoom in on a few standout books from the collection. Sometimes it’s brand new releases, other times it’s older gems that deserve more love.

If you’re looking for deeper dives and not just quick headlines, check out some of these past spotlights:

🙏 THANK YOU for Reading

That’s a wrap for this week’s Newsletter. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.

As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.

Share

And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.

Subscribe now

Until next time — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)

Well folks, we’ve done it. Today marks 1 year since starting this crazy newsletter project. Since then, I’ve covered over 1,000 Video Game Book announcements and releases, I’ve interviewed dozens of authors, and I’ve been humbled by the over 3,000 amazing subscribers (and 5,000 followers). But that’s just the start! This past year, I also brought on many new volunteers, growing our team to 10, who’ve helped add thousands more books to the website. I’ve had to add another bookshelf to hold all the amazing contributions and donations. And we’ve seen triple the traffic coming in from outside North America.

Needless to say, this past year was a huge success to the Video Game Library. And, as if planned, this week makes up the biggest news week since starting the project. Nearly 40 announcements and releases to share with you all.

Reminder that, over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking a short break from the newsletter, and Social Media in general, leaving the site in the capable hands of the volunteer team.

Be sure to share your most anticipated reads in the comments below or over in our Discord. Now, let’s get started!

Subscribe now

📰 News & Highlights

• To kick thing’s off Lost in Cult’s A Communal History of Metroidvania Video Games has been announced as the first entry in its new writer-led genre-history series. The book promises a 50-year survey that ranges from pre-Metroid roots like Below the Root and Xanadu to modern landmarks and lesser-discussed Japanese indies. Loving all the Metroidvania we’ve been getting this year!

  

• Also from Lost In Cult, Itchy, Tasty is returning in a revised edition. This one treats Alex Aniel’s Resident Evil history as more than a straight reprint, adding updated content, a new cover, and ten interior illustrations by Jean deMers, with a signed special-edition hardcover limited to 500 copies.

  

• Ys IX: Monstrum Nox has now been novelized in English thanks to Anna Kashina and is the second volume in Dragonwell Publishing’s Books of Ys line. It is officially licensed through Nihon Falcom, and the setup follows Adol Christin’s arrest in Balduq and his transformation into a Monstrum after an encounter with the mysterious White Cat.

  

• In some of the most exciting news (for me) the newly announced Indie Game Works looks like another of this year’s love letters to indie games. Nathan P. Gibson’s book runs 288 pages with 350 color illustrations and spotlights 50 games, including titles such as Tunic, Gris, Dredge, Planet of Lana, and 1000xResist. Read-Only Memory has the limited editions on sale now, with the general Thames & Hudson launch happening next month.

  

• Dark Horse’s The Witcher Omnibus Volume 3 is now out in paperback, collecting the comics Witch’s Lament, The Ballad of Two Wolves, Wild Animals, and Corvo Bianco. The Witcher is always a weird one; is it based on the games or the books? Either way, this third omnibus is a particularly useful catch-up volume for readers who have missed the recent miniseries.

  

• Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts #3 reached shelves this week, again from Dark Horse, continuing the current Lara Croft miniseries by Casey Gilly and Antonio di Caprio. This chapter sends Lara deeper into the hunt for the titular relic which may hold world-altering power. It’s up to Lara to reclaim it before a secretive and familiar cult unleashes its true potential!

  

• Street Fighter Masters: Karin, written by David Lumsdon with art by Tovio Rogers, puts Karin Kanzuki at the center of the Udon Entertainment’s long-running character-focused spinoff line. Karin has always sat at the top of high society... but now punk rock Silat fighter and fellow heiress Olive Ong threatens to take her down a peg! It’s a rich girl showdown in the Swiss Alps!

  

• Thanks to Square Enix Books, this week we saw the English release of Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick, Vol. 3. Join Prince Arus across over 250 pages in his fight against Lord Imagine one hundred years after the events of the iconic Dragon Quest III video game. Volume 4 is coming up in June, so get ready for another awesome year for Dragon Quest fans!

  

• Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree, Vol. 8 has now joined Yen Press’s English line, continuing Nikiichi Tobita’s gag-manga take on FromSoftware’s bleak fantasy. This entry follows close behind the recent Italian and Portuguese translations that I spotlighted in

  

• Pro Gamer Presents: Best Ever Guide to Roblox is one of the week’s more overtly kid-facing game books. Continuing the long-running Pro Gamer Present… series from Pillar Box Red, this one is positioned as a tips-and-tricks guide built around popular Roblox experiences, complete with quizzes and fun-facts throughout.

  

• A practical new addition to the gamedev shelf this week came in the form of Michał Mycka’s Games User Research Cookbook: Tools and Techniques for Better Player Experience. Rather than arguing for user research in the abstract, it’s framed as a methods book, collecting techniques and workflows aimed at improving player experience through testing and observation.

• Generative AI for Game Development: Crafting Narrative Worlds with Machines is also out now from Apress. The book focuses on dynamic narrative design, procedural worldbuilding, and integrating generative AI into game development workflows with tools such as C# and Unity. This is definitely a hot topic these days, so I expect a lot more of these types of books to be rolling out this week.

  

• PC Gamer Magazine #421 (UK) / #409 (US) has released this week. It leads with a cover feature on Star Wars Zero Company. The issue also folds in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, Resident Evil Requiem, 1348 Ex Voto, Darkhhaven, Mixtape, a feature on the best “Pubs” in PC games, and hardware coverage that includes AMD’s Ryzen 7 9850X3D and a group test of PC cases.

  

• Heading over to France, Third Editions has announced their latest book Les Choix de Life Is Strange: L’empathie Par le Jeu from Léon Cattan. This book, scheduled to release in August, sets out to frame the series through empathy since the games’ identity has always rested as much on emotional and ethical perspective as on branching choice design.

  

• Third Editions has also announced that they’ll be publishing the catalogue for the Philharmonie de Paris Musée de la Musique exhibition Video Games & Music. The exhibition runs from April 2 to November 1, 2026, and this illustrated catalogue brings together France’s leading specialists on the subject: Aurélien Simon, Fanny Rebillard, Jérémie Kermarrec, Pierre-Alexandre Rouillon, 440 Hz, and Valentin Chauvin.

  

• Originally published as a 30th Anniversary one-shot by IDW, Sonic the Hedgehog: Amy Rose released in French by Vespa this week. Written by Ian Flynn, accompanies by the talents of Aaron Hammerstrom and Reggie Graham, this issue as Metal Sonic interrupting Amy’s picnic, and Amy using her fortune cards to rescue her friends and foil Dr. Robotnik before teatime slips away completely.

  

• Total Jeux Vidéo #33 is loaded with spring preview goodness, anchoring the issue with a Saros cover and a feature on 40 upcoming games. It also folds in articles on Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Castlevania, Tomb Raider, and Echo Aviation, alongside review coverage that includes Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon, Pokémon Pokopia, and Monster Hunter.

  

• And wrapping up our French news this week, Jeux Vidéo Magazine’s April 2026 issue released, putting Assassin’s Creed up front, using the cover story to look at the series’ future and Ubisoft’s direction. Also inlcuded is a feature on 40 years of Zelda, current Pokémon coverage, Starfield’s prospects on PS5 through updates and DLC, and previews and reviews of Pragmata, Crimson Desert, Resident Evil Requiem, and Marathon.

  

• While Cinco Duros: La historia del videojuego en España para todos Vol. 3 officially releases in April, people are alreadys starting to get their hands on this one, so figured I’d cover it before heading off on vacation. Diego Vargas Pardo’s latest volume covers the years 1990 to 1993, continuing Dolmen’s detailed reconstruction of Spanish video game history in an accessible, year-by-year format.

  

• Heading across to Spain, Panini Books has now released Christie Golden’s World of Warcraft: Midnight – Lazos de Sangre in Spanish. Great to see this Warcraft novel continue to reach more readers across the globe!

  

• And over in Italy, Star Comics keeps its Italian Minecraft manga line moving with Minecraft: Viaggio ai Confini del Mondo Vol. 8. In this volume, Nico and his friends finally reach the fearsome Ender Dragon. Will they be able to claim victory!?

  

• Speaking of Minecraft in Italy, LEGO Minecraft: L’Avventura Nell’End is the Italian translation to the Seek & Find Sticker book, and the next in a line of translations. We even got a Bulgarian translation coming in the next 2 weeks.

  

• Pokémon Universe #16 from Panini Press in Italy released this past week, marking the 2nd release of the year. Umbreon and Pikachu grace the cover, and in addition to 32 pages of Pokémon goodness, readers can also look forward to a Squishy Diary gift, shiny Pokémon cards from the Scarletto e Violetto: Corona Astrale set, and 2 posters.

  

• And rounding out the Italian news, this week’s Retro Gamer Italia April-May 2026 issue goes heavy on Capcom’s fighting-game legacy, tracing the company’s impact from Street Fighter II to Capcom vs. SNK. Other features include Shadow of the Colossus, Diddy Kong Racing, Final Fight, Half-Life, Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, Mastertronic, classic PC gaming, and Stuart Whyte’s journey from X-COM to Fable.

  

• The new play5 #229 for May has arrived as the latest installment of Computec’s PlayStation-focused monthly. As usual for the magazine, the emphasis is on the PS5 ecosystem, with the focus on the new Crimson Desert, as well as Resident Evil Requiem and Star Trek: Voyager.

  

• PC Games Hardware 05/2026 is also out now from Computec for German readers, continuing the publisher’s long-running focus on enthusiast PC components. I’d attempt to provide some helpful context, but this is an area of gaming I know NOTHING about, and that cover looks pretty self-explanatory.

  

• Polish gaming magazine CD-Action has opened pre-orders for a new special issue devoted entirely to RPGs. The standalone edition runs 144 pages and promises all-new material on series including Baldur’s Gate, The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Cyberpunk, Fallout, and Mass Effect.

  

• And while we’re in Poland, worth noting the Boss Fight Books love. 3 new entries in the “Game Story” series from publisher Open Beta have been released, covering Mike Drucker’s “Silent Hill 2”, Darius Kazemi’s “Jagged Alliance 2” and (one of my favourites) Reyan Ali’s “NBA Jam”.

  

• Minecraft – Rudit – Kniha samolepek is the latest Czech Minecraft children’s title from Albatros Media. As the subtitle makes clear (to all the Czech speakers out there), this one is a sticker book, complete with over 100 items, mobs and characters from the game.

  

• Sweden’s Robot No. 2/2026 is another bright, all-ages gaming magazine with a broad Nintendo-and-beyond spread. This issue includes Mario sports coverage, tips for building a Pokémon paradise in Pokopia, 25 Fortnite tips, Minecraft’s cute new animals, features on Animal Crossing and Mega Man, a Virtual Boy piece, and posters for Mega Man, Minecraft, Pokopia, and Mario.

  

• Pokémon: Virallinen Pelilehti 2026-02 is the latest Finnish installment of the official Pokémon magazine line. Like its sibling editions elsewhere in Europe, it sits in the child-friendly licensed-magazine space, combining short features, activities, and collectible-style extras around current Pokémon branding.

  

• Bunny Garden & Hebereke Bunny Garden Official Visual Fan Book is an illustration collection from Kadokawa built around the two Bunny Garden games. Alongside key visuals and new cover art by Kazune Inui, the book includes character-setting drawings, casual outfits, swimsuit and Golden Bunny costume material, and stills from notable scenes.

• Also from Kadokawa, Guardian Tales Official Character Collection has finally arrived this week after slipping from its earlier schedule. Framed as a fourth-anniversary book, it gathers character visuals from the game’s first four years, packed with visuals of 170 characters. This is a must-have book for fans of Guardian Tales.

• The Kadokawa train continues with Heaven Burns Red Official Artworks Vol. 3, a substantial new art book for the mobile game, covering style illustrations and setting art from August 2023 through December 2025. It also adds more than 50 extra pieces, including exhibition and collaboration artwork, and the print edition comes with an in-game serial-code bonus.

  

• takt op. 運命は真紅き旋律の街を Official Artworks preserves the visual side of a game that has already gone offline. The book collects artwork from the smartphone title, including character illustrations by LAM and previously unreleased material featuring additional Musicarts.

  

• PSO2 ニュージェネシス せんとらるっ! 4 from publisher MUGENUP continues the official comic spinoff for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. This volume keeps its focus on the lighter daily-life antics of the Central girls and NPC cast, and the print edition includes item-code bonuses such as lobby actions and stamps.

  

• はる! ガーテンオブバンバン: はってはがせるシールブック is being billed as Garten of Banban’s first sticker book in Japan. It includes more than 200 reusable stickers and activity pages built around locations and motifs such as restaurants, the sea, car racing, and dress-up play.

  

• And finishing off with a Japanese mainstay that’s appeared in all of the newsletters - Famitsu #1941 (Apr. 9, 2026). This issue is led by a big cover feature on Hyperdimension Neptunia ∞ (Unlimited), introducing its new goddesses, world, and gameplay details. It also includes release features for Etrange Overlord and Okayu Nyumu! R, plus additional coverage of Life is Strange: Reunion, Winning Post 10 2026, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion, Shadow Labyrinth, Elden Ring: Nightreign, Super Robot Wars Y, Curse Warrior, Screamer, and Until Then.

Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community.

Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!

📚 Behind the Shelves

Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloguing challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.

First thing’s first! I mentioned above that our volunteer team has grown, and I want to make sure all of you fellow readers head on over to the About Page on our site to learn more about these amazing folks who keep the site growing. What a team!

The Discord community was busy this week with recommendations, and one in particular (from community member, “MPX”) took up the better part of my week. A flurry of Slavic-language books; from Slovak to Slovene and Croatian to Serbian. Loved getting these catalogued.

While working on those, I realized that I missed out on cataloguing the Sonic the Hedgehog IDW graphic novels in Bulgarian. So those got added as well!

Speaking of Sonic…Stephen on our volunteer team continued down the IDW single issues, making it all the way down to #47. I don’t know the entire roster of Sonic characters, but I do get excited every time I see The Chaotix on the covers!

Alex is our resident Megaten guru, and has been hard at work cataloguing some guidebooks and art books from the series. I still haven’t played Persona 2, but I’m VERY interested!

Just when you think we’ve catalogued every single EverQuest Prima Guide, Fran finds more. Another wave added just this week!

The Portuguese train continued this week, of course thanks to João, who did an amazing job with the Old!Gamer books! Dozens of books added to the site yet again! João is an absolute machine.

Nathanial was all about the Pokémon manga this week, cataloguing the “Sun / Moon” and “Alpha / Sapphire” runs. These colorful covers make for gorgeous additions to the site.

And a big thanks to Justin for his continued push on the Sierra front, discovering even more point-and-click guidebooks from yesteryear to catalogue.

This, as usual, is only a small sample of all the things that have been happening behind the scenes, so take a peek at the site to see everything that’s been added since last week! And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.

💡 Book Spotlights

Every week I like to zoom in on a few standout books from the collection. Sometimes it’s brand new releases, other times it’s older gems that deserve more love.

If you’re looking for deeper dives and not just quick headlines, check out some of these past spotlights:

🙏 THANK YOU for Reading

That’s a wrap for this week’s Newsletter. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.

As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.

Share

And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.

Subscribe now

Until next time — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)

I’ll be honest, my reading has taken a bit of a hit lately thanks to a stack of games and a very busy few weeks. The good news is that I’ve got a vacation coming up, and I’m very much looking forward to using that time to catch up on some reading. So, with that said, a little housekeeping before we dive in:

Next week marks one year of these newsletters and four years of TheVideoGameLibrary.org. That’s a milestone worth celebrating. After that, I’ll be away for a few weeks, leaving the site in the capable hands of my incredible group of volunteers, who will be keeping things running while I’m gone. Once I’m back in late April, look out for Season 2 of the newsletter, and I’ll do my best to round up any books that appeared during the break.

As for this week, there’s still plenty to be excited about. M.J. Gallagher’s upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics books lead the way, but that’s just the start. Between some fantastic French releases, Japanese magazines, and a double hit from Udon Entertainment, it’s another packed week of reveals, announcements, and exciting additions to the library.

Be sure to share your most anticipated reads in the comments below or over in our Discord. Now, let’s get started!

Subscribe now

📰 News & Highlights

• Don’t often start with a “Book Cover” reveal as headline news, but if you’ve been reading these newsletters, you’ll know how much of a fan I am of M. J. Gallagher’s work. Myths & Traditions That Inspired Final Fantasy Tactics is scheduled to launch on Kickstarter on April 5th, and this week, we got the cover design by Cael Lyons.

  

• A double-whammy of Udon Entertainment news this week, starting with Mega Man X #2, the next comic issue in their newest Mega Man run. X's hunt for Mavericks has lead him to the Weapons Factory, and right into the clutches of Flame Mammoth! Will X's new armor parts be enough to take down the pyromaniac pachyderm?

  

• And some great news that a (very expected) English version of The Art of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be heading our way thanks to Udon in partnership with Pix’n Love. I still haven’t stopped thinking about this game since finishing it last year, and am very keen to add this one to our shelves.

  

• From the folks over at Dark Horse Books, we saw the release of Cyberpunk 2077 Library Edition Volume 2. A compilation of previously released comics like the first installment, Volume 2 collects Cyberpunk 2077: XOXO #1–#4, Cyberpunk 2077: Kickdown #1–#4, and Cyberpunk 2077: Psycho Squad #1–#4, and features a cover gallery and expanded sketchbook section!

  

• Marvel Rivals continues to get the literary treatment, with the latest release, Marvel Rivals: Timestream Adventure. Serving as a prologue to the game, reader’s can join Psylocke, Mantis, Jeff the Land Shark and many other characters as they escape from the Collector’s Museum.

  

• Titan Comics makes an appearance this week with the release of their Dark Souls: Mother of Mourning #3. For some reason I have such a hard time finding reliable information on the release dates for this run, so I’ll be glad once these are all out and I don’t have to worry about it anymore. In the meantime, more Dark Souls comics is always a good thing.

  

• The legacy of Plants vs. Zombies continues this week with the latest Zomnibus! At nearly 250 pages, Plants vs. Zombies: Zomnibus Vol. 4 collects some other graphic novel compilations including Plants vs Zombies: Rumble at Lake Gumbo, Plants vs Zombies: War and Peas and Plants vs Zombies: Dino-Might.

  

• EDGE #422 released this week, with a deep dive into Remedy’s new Control: Resonant and 2 gorgeous covers. Also inside, an interview with Bennett Foddy talking through his journey from philosophy to the challenging slopes of Baby Steps, how IO Interactive deviated from the stealth of Hitman for the squad-based shooting of Freedom Fighters, and how can videogame developers get closer to delivering decent proposals for virtual romance?

  

• Also from EDGE Magazine, a brand new book called Playmakers: The Inside Stories of 30 Iconic Videogames, From Pong to Baldur’s Gate 3 has released. This 200+ page hardcover lifts the lid on some of the world's most revered studios and speaks with many of the industry's most celebrated designers, offering unrivalled insight into 30 influential, acclaimed and bestselling games that helped shape the medium.

  

  

• Shenmue III is getting a few collector’s bundles in the form of Shenmue III Enhanced Special Edition and Shenmue III Enhanced Collector’s Edition. While both come with a bunch of really cool collectibles, the books of note are the Shenmue III Enhanced Art Book and the The Making of Shenmue III Enhanced. Bummer that you need to grab both editions to round out your bookshelves, but they do look really cool.

  

• Heading over to France, Pierre Lovati’s long awaited La Saga Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was released. Following up to his 2023 “Remake” book, invites readers to explore this second chapter of the trilogy, from verdant grasslands to iconic cities, tracing the narrative choices and character development. A journey into the heart of the unexpected, between legacy and rebirth, to understand how the game reinvents a legend without ever betraying it.

  

• And for Nintendo fans, Le livre d’histoires d’Harmonie (the French translation of Rosalina’s Storybook) launched thanks to Soleil Manga. This one will no doubt be getting translations in all sorts of languages over the next year.

  

• Dragon Quest also made a few appearances for French readers this week, with both Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai - The Hero Avan and the Dark Lord of Hellfire #6 and Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai #14. Both continue to get translations all across Europe, with these French editions thanks to DELCOURT.

  

• Heading to Spain, Gamepress has released their latest tome. Memories de Game Boy is a 200+ page love-letter to Nintendo’s iconic handheld. Through anecdotes, reflections, and a deep love for the 8-bit, monochrome classic, the authors reconstruct in these pages what Game Boy meant to an entire generation.

  

• The first issue of Revista LOOP is now out (digitally), with physical copies on pre-order. Titled LOOP#Religión: Del caos al credo. Ritos y leyendas it’s a 236-page issue that explores how religion, myth, folklore, superstition, and faith shape video games, with contributions from more than fifty writers and illustrators.

  

• The hit Italian coloring magazine, Pokémon Colora has released its 6th volume this week. These have been coming out every 2 months thanks to Panini’s magazine imprint Panini Magazines. They suggest for ages 6 and up, so they’re great for kids!

  

• Polish gaming magazine, CD-Action has released its latest issue this week with CD-Action 02/2026. Its a celebration of the Top 30 FPS games ever released, with a really cool cover. All of these deserve to be on the list. But which ones should be the Top 5? Comment below!

  

• CD-Action has also announced CD-Action Retro #10, slated to release on Apr. 29. This issue reflects on 30 years of Tomb Raider, the legacy of Vooodoo cards, and a dive into the Polish RPGs of yesteryear.

  

• Nearly 10 years after its original Japanese publication, Russian readers can now finally enjoy the NieR: Automata World Guide Vol. 1 which released as Путеводитель по миру NieR: Automata. Результаты исследования руин города this week. Explore the world of NieR: Automata through maps, character biographies, short stories, concept art, commentary, and more!

  

• Pokémon Scarlet & Violet is back in the headlines - this time with Volume 2 of the Chinese translation, 寶可夢SPECIAL 朱‧紫(02). Like others that we’ve seen, this volume actually collects both Volume 3 and Volume 4 that we saw here in North America.

  

• Heading over to Japan, we have a really cool box set from Namco’s Valkyrie series. This 40th Anniversary Official Complete Works is a four-book boxed set collecting rare development documents, artwork, interviews, and historical materials from the Valkyrie game series, including previously unpublished content.

  

• You can’t look at this cover without humming the theme in your head… We’ve known about Katamari Damacy: Find the Prince for a while, and this week, the TV Game Magazine special hit shelves. Played a lot of Katamari with my sister when it first came out, and have a soft spot for it. Definitely gonna try to get my hands on this one.

  

• The hit Japanese franchise Ride Kamens got the Ride Kamens Official Memorial Book this week, filled with illustrations, short stories and settings materials. Admittedly I thought this was an old Kamen Rider anime reboot, but apparently it’s a mobile game. For all the fans of the series, sounds like this is a must-have for the collection.

  

• And in other Japanese news, Urban Myth Dissolution Center - The Novelization Vol. 2 released this week from Shueisha and Matsuzawa Kureha. This is the final chapter, with the first being released just last month.

  

• As usual, we’ll kick off the Japanese magazine section with the latest Famitsu Weekly, because I am consistently in love with the covers. 週刊ファミ通 2026年4月2日号 No.1940 features a 39-page special on Pokémon feat. Hatsune Miku Project VOLTAGE (PokéMiku). It also marks the 30th anniversary of Resident Evil with a retrospective on the series’ major incidents and the history of Raccoon City, offering added context for Resident Evil Requiem. Also included is a launch feature on Crimson Desert, covering its open world, cinematic story, battle system, developer interview, and writer impressions, along with a special poster.

  

• Japan’s Minecraft craze continues on with Switchマイクラ都市計画シリーズVol.02. This is the second volume of Socym’s Minecraft City Planning series, with the first being released way back in September 2024. This volume focuses on building a working theme park (called “Microland”) win the game.

  

• Another month, another issue of Nintendo Dream. The May 2026 issue (Vol. 384) features Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves, but also looks at Mario Tennis Fever, Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch 2 Edition), Pokémon Z-A, Kirby’s Air Rider, and a few other hit titles.

  

• B’s-LOG May 2026 issue hit Japanese shelves this week. This issue leads with an extensive Ensemble Stars!! special on ‘MELLOW DEAR US,’ featuring character and cast content plus behind-the-scenes staff coverage. Additional pages highlight other otome, character, and multimedia game titles, including Paradox Live, FOURe Project, Handsome Laundering, Sins of Kameido, ZERO RISE, Re:cord Noah, Le Mirage Mystique, and more.

  

• And here’s a new one for the Newsletter. Weekly Japanese woman’s lifestyle magazine, An An, has released a Pac-Man special. In celebration of the character’s 45th anniversary, An An #2488’s overall special theme ties into health and wellness, positioning PAC‑MAN’s energy as a fun motif for feeling well and energetic.