2026 Video Games: Upcoming Titles (So Far) & Why They Matter

In an industry with highly regimented timelines and carefully crafted hype cycles, 2025 proved to be the year of surprises. Indie darlings Blue Prince and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 came out of nowhere to take the gaming world by storm. Hollow Knight: Silksong, the mythically elusive game whose non-existent release date was a meme on par with Half-Life 3 (any day now)… actually came out. None of these games appeared on our list last year, and it was a happy reminder of how excitingly unpredictable the games industry can be.

As we look ahead to the upcoming video games of 2026, we’re still hoping for new surprises, but we’re also anticipating some heavy-hitting blockbusters to take center stage. Whatever the story of 2026 holds, these titles will play big roles this year. Let’s take a look and chat about why.

Resident Evil Requiem – Welcome Back, Leon

Releasing on February 22, Resident Evil Requiem is the much-anticipated newest entry in the storied Resident Evil franchise. We’ve given this franchise plenty of props, including in our list of top 5 spooky recommendations, and for good reason; it’s the cornerstone of the survival horror genre. Ever since the release of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in 2017, Capcom has been on an incredible roll, recapturing mainstream attention with fantastic remakes and new genre-defining villains with each new release.

The hype for the franchise is showing no signs of stopping. Requiem’s reveal trailer was the centerpiece of last year’s Summer Game Fest, and fans have speculated on the lore of the new chapter ever since. But the biggest haymaker came during The Game Awards last December when Capcom confirmed that Leon Kennedy would be one of the game’s playable characters.

Arguably the franchise’s biggest star, Leon interestingly represents both the height of Resident Evil as well as its inflection point. While Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 (and their remakes) featured Leon as the playable protagonist and went on to be among the best-received games of the series, Resident Evil 4 also marked a shift away from pure survival horror toward a more action-oriented game design. When Resident Evil 5 and 6 followed this trend, many fans felt that the franchise had lost its way.

The newest trailers confirmed that Leon’s gameplay portions will have a similar action-horror focus (as opposed to Grace’s more tense traditional survival-horror), which seems to put the game in a gameplay structure reminiscent of Resident Evil 6.  Will Capcom be able to cater to different audiences with differing tastes while staying true to their identity? What even is Resident Evil’s identity? And can the franchise’s resurgent success last forever?

Pragmata – A Strange and Unique Journey

On April 24, Capcom is releasing another highly anticipated game, one that’s very different from Resident Evil. In fact, it’s different from just about everything.

Pragmata is a… shooter? Wait, no… a hacking simulator? Or maybe it’s… a puzzle platformer? No one can really define what exactly this game is, which is exactly why people are excited — Pragmata is something new. For many gamers, it represents a bold trip back to a time when studios were more willing to take creative risks and pioneer new genres. It stands in stark contrast to modern game development, which tends to be significantly more expensive but also significantly more risk-averse.

And this game is a risk. The game’s strange mishmash of third-person shooting and mid-combat hacking is one of its most unique eye-catching qualities. Yet, just as its eccentric design eludes genre distinctions, it may also potentially elude audiences, with gamers on social media threads and forums continuing to wonder what the game is really about. It also hasn’t helped that the game was announced back in 2020, then delayed, then shrouded in silence for an extended period. For a long time, many doubted whether the game was actually coming out.

But now the game is very much real. And coming to us very soon. Just how will this science-fiction action-adventure turn out? Can Capcom’s dreams finally be turned into reality?

007 First Light – A Classic Character Reborn

Ever since Sean Connery stole the shpotlight as James Bond on the silver screen over 60 years ago, there have been a lot of 007 films. There have also been many 007 games, each trying to capture the cinematic magic of the British secret agent. However, none have quite made an attempt like the one coming on May 27.

007 First Light is a big-budget original James Bond origin story crafted by IO Interactive, makers of the famed Hitman franchise. Instead of borrowing the likeness of one of the series’ storied leading men, First Light is crafting a new Bond from the ground up, with a new face and charm, and fans everywhere couldn’t be more excited. Everything we’ve seen so far has made it clear that this is the biggest video game Bond yet.

Combining espionage, stealth mechanics, and slick gun and melee combat, this Bond adventure is more expansive and layered than ever. Close observers of recent gameplay footage will notice traces of IO’s decades of experience with Hitman in First Light’s design philosophy, as well as influences from other major video game franchises over the years. And it all seems to be coming together so far. It’s time for the new Bond to announce his name to the world, in a way that only video games can.

Marvel’s Wolverine – The Best There Is

Ever since Marvel’s Spider-Man introduced audiences to a new generation of superhero video games, the natural question was always, “Well, who else can they do this with?” Late last year, we got our amazing, hard-hitting answer.

Set to release in late 2026, Marvel’s Wolverine will bring the gritty, visceral tale of our favorite Canadian lumberjack to life. Expect hard-nosed staredowns and a lot of blood from this high-octane action-adventure. If this game is anything like Marvel’s Spider-Man, we can also expect rich storytelling, snappy combat, and incredible attention to detail. Developer Insomniac Games is riding into this project with plenty of goodwill, and it’s great to see them continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with superheroes in video games.

This game is also representative of the growing overlap between different storytelling mediums and their audiences. Moviegoers are becoming video game players, and vice versa. We’re eager to see if the same thing will happen with Marvel’s Wolverine. Mainstream audiences might be most familiar with Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of the iconic character, but Insomniac’s take is sure to win over new fans. When it does, it’ll be even more proof that video games are becoming bigger than ever.

Grand Theft Auto VI – (Still) The Most Anticipated Game of the Decade

Grand Theft Auto VI was the most important game on our list last year. Despite the delays, it’s still the most important game this year. And even if it were to get delayed again to 2027 (fingers crossed that it won’t), it would still be the most important game next year. Until it releases on November 19th, 2026, the entire video game industry (and maybe a few other industries) will be living in GTA VI’s expansive, billion-dollar budget world.

GTA VI is both a return to familiarity and a curveball. The game is set in the iconic Vice City, but also focuses on two romantically involved playable protagonists, one of whom is female — a major first for the franchise. While many gameplay features are sure to evolve from previous entries, it’ll be interesting to see where Rockstar takes their narrative and where they see the future of their franchise.

It’s hard to overstate just how important this game is, not only for gaming but for entertainment at large. With the increasing prevalence of live service games and subscription-based media viewing services (a phenomenon that GTA Online helped grow), singular release events just don’t control the zeitgeist the way they used to. As with most other things, GTA VI will be the exception. Gamers will call in sick for two weeks. Social media will go haywire. And rival developers will try their darndest to release absolutely nothing during that month. All eyes will be on Rockstar to see if they can deliver on literally a generation’s worth of hype. 

Why This All Matters

From Resident Evil to 007 (and with a certain GTA looming over everyone’s shoulder), 2026 is going to be a big year for video games. Established franchises are marching onward, long waits are coming to an end, and promises made for years are finally being kept. The storied history of the industry is about to mark major milestones that will shape all of entertainment for the foreseeable future. We can’t wait to see the hard work and brilliant creativity of video game creators come to fruition in bombastic ways.

What games are catching your eye this year? Let us know on LinkedIn so we can get 2026’s gaming conversations started!