The top altcoins to watch in late October 2026 are Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Zcash, Hyperliquid, NEAR Protocol, Chainlink and Canton Coin, because each has a scheduled or targeted event before the end of the year that could move its price, such as a network upgrade, a token unlock, a governance vote or a major institutional launch. This is a watchlist, not a buy list. Several of these coins have fallen sharply this month, and the events below can disappoint as easily as they can deliver.