From LISA’s new EP to fresh releases from NCT WISH, ILLIT, KickFlip and PLAVE, October is already shaping up to be another busy month for K-pop.
October is filling up fast.
With major releases spread across the month, K-pop fans will have plenty to follow—from rising groups returning with new chapters to established stars stepping back into the spotlight.
Here is KPOP MAGAZINE’s guide to the major K-pop releases currently scheduled for October 2026.
TIOT will open the month with their fifth mini album, Time for Us, scheduled for October 1.
The release puts the group at the front of a month that becomes considerably busier as it moves toward its second half.
KickFlip are scheduled to return on October 6 with their fifth mini album, KICK OFF THE WALL Pt. 1.
The project is currently listed with “Puzzle Piece” and “Kick Off The Wall,” the latter featuring American artist iann dior. For the JYP Entertainment boy group, it will be another opportunity to expand the identity they have been building through a rapidly growing catalog.
NCT WISH will return with their fourth mini album, I SPY, on October 12. Pre-orders for multiple physical editions of the album are already open through SM Entertainment’s official store.
With NCT WISH continuing to develop their own musical identity within the larger NCT universe, I SPY will be one of October’s notable major-label releases.
PLAVE are also set for an October 12 comeback with their fifth EP, HYPERDRIVE. The digital album is scheduled for October 12, followed by the physical release on October 13.
The comeback arrives as PLAVE continue their international expansion alongside their first world tour, giving HYPERDRIVE a particularly interesting position in the group’s rapidly developing story.
SHINee’s ONEW will release his first single album, 착각, on October 20.
Rather than unveiling the project all at once, ONEW is taking a gradual approach: the first title track is scheduled for September 29, followed by another on October 7 and the final title track alongside the full single album on October 20. It turns the comeback into a multi-week rollout rather than a single release-day moment.
One of the month’s biggest releases arrives on October 23. LISA will return with the six-track EP PRESS PLAY, the follow-up to her debut full-length solo album.
Her official site describes the project as a release that looks back toward her roots in Thailand while reflecting the global journey that followed. Following a period that has taken LISA across music, acting and major international stages, PRESS PLAY arrives with considerably more than a typical comeback behind it.
It is not simply another release date on October’s calendar—it marks the next chapter of LISA’s increasingly global solo career.
ILLIT will close out the month’s major announced releases with their fifth mini album, BREAK EVEN, arriving October 26 at 6 p.m. KST.
The album takes its concept from the idea of a “break-even point”—the moment when neither profit nor loss remains. BELIFT LAB describes the record as ILLIT deciding they will no longer continue investing their emotions in relationships that give nothing back.
It is a sharp concept for a group whose music has often transformed the language and emotions of young relationships into distinctive pop ideas.
October’s calendar is not finished yet. EVNNE is among the artists currently expected to release new music during the month, with an exact date still to be announced.
That means this calendar will continue to change as agencies reveal new comeback schedules, track lists and release details.
KPOP MAGAZINE will keep this page updated as new October releases are confirmed.
Release dates and details reflect announcements available as of September 22, 2026 and may change.