Back in January, I counted down my 30 most anticipated games of 2026 before a single showcase had aired. Now that the summer’s State of Play, Summer Game Fest, Xbox Games Showcase, and Nintendo Direct have all come and gone, the picture is a lot clearer.
Release dates are locked, surprises have been announced, and a few of my early picks have slipped to 2027. So it’s time for a refresh. This is my updated top 20, narrowed to the games still on track for 2026 that I can’t wait to play. A lot has changed, so let’s count it down.
20. The Duskbloods
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: 2026
Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Nintendo
Kicking off the list is the one FromSoftware project I still can’t fully picture. The Duskbloods is Hidetaka Miyazaki’s PvPvE multiplayer experiment, a Switch 2 exclusive for up to eight players that trades traditional Soulsborne structure for faster movement and free-form, firearm-toting Bloodsworn. I’ll be honest: I wish we had more information, or at least some fresh gameplay, because what’s been shown still leaves a lot to the imagination.
But this is FromSoftware we’re talking about. The studio has earned enough trust that I’m willing to follow it into a lane it’s never tackled before, and the idea of a unique multiplayer game like this running natively on Switch 2 is too intriguing to ignore. It dropped a few spots from my January ranking as more concrete games leapfrogged it, but I still expect a great, unique experience whenever it lands this year.
19. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Release date: August 27, 2026
Developer: Asobo Studio
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Asobo Studio is shaking things up with the third A Plague Tale, and I’m here for it. Resonance trades the series’ stealth-survival roots for a more action-forward adventure, following a young Sophia fifteen years before Requiem as she explores the Minotaur’s Island and a fresh manifestation of the Macula. Sword fights, parries, and Minoan light puzzles replace the rats-and-hide formula, and from the previews it looks closer to Uncharted than to the games that came before.
That’s a bold pivot for a beloved series, but the sun-drenched Mediterranean setting and Asobo’s technical chops have me optimistic. It launches day one on Game Pass, which makes it an easy one to try.
18. Crimson Moon
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Release date: September 2026
Developer: ProbablyMonsters
Publisher: ProbablyMonsters
Crimson Moon is the rare Soulslike that seems built for someone like me: a person who bounces off its slower, more methodical rhythms. ProbablyMonsters’ gothic action-adventure RPG casts you as a Nephilim, a half-human, half-angel warrior reclaiming the fallen city of Gildenarch through fast, stylish, bloody combat across replayable runs.
What sells me is the pace. It’s quick, it’s expressive, and it leans away from the slow deliberation I tend to dislike, and more into brutal, fast-paced momentum instead. The two-player co-op is the cherry on top, with shared lives and combat synergies that should make a run with a friend a blast. I’m not usually first in line for soulslikes, but this one circumvents my biggest hangups with the genre, and that’s exactly why it cracked the list.
17. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)
Release date: July 23, 2026
Developer: Gameplay Group International
Publisher: PM Studios
As both an Avatar fan and a fighting game fan, this is the crossover I didn’t know I needed. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game looks far better than what I’d ever expect from a Nickelodeon license—a hand-drawn 2D fighter whose art style looks ripped straight out of the cartoon, with moves that are fluid, expressive, and stylish in motion.
My one reservation is the roster. The twelve-fighter launch lineup is a little small and leans heavily toward The Last Airbender over Korra, so I hope the Year 1 pass fills things out. Still, with crossplay, rollback netcode, and a $29.99 budget price, this has all the makings of a sleeper hit, and it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who grew up with the acclaimed series.
16. Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survivaton
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5
Release date: 2026
Developer: poncle
Publisher: Shueisha Games
poncle has quietly become one of the most innovative studios in the industry. Vampire Survivors spawned an entire genre, and Vampire Crawlers proved it wasn’t a fluke. So watching them bend that survivors-like formula into an eight-player PvP battle royale built on the Jujutsu Kaisen license is the kind of left-field swing I can’t resist.
Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survivaton drops eight players into pixel-art chaos, where you build up your sorcerer mid-match with techniques like Domain Expansion and Black Flash before clashing for the last-fighter-standing crown. Taking the auto-attacking, build-stacking rush of a survivors game and turning it competitive may show exactly how versatile both poncle and the genre can be. As a fan of both the manga and poncle’s previous work, this is looking like a shoe-in.
15. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Release date: September 17, 2026
Developer: King Art Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
The return of a legendary RTS franchise is always cause for celebration, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV brings the series back to its roots after more than a decade away. This time it’s not Relic at the helm but King Art Games, the studio behind Iron Harvest, and they’re aiming to honor the classic base-building, squad-based formula while innovating where it counts.
Set on Kronus with four launch factions—Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and the series-first Adeptus Mechanicus—it promises proper campaigns, the return of Last Stand, and co-op support. A new developer taking the reins always carries some risk, but everything shown suggests King Art understands what made the originals special. As a longtime strategy fan, a modernized Dawn of War done right is exactly the kind of release I’ll happily sink major time into.
14. Planet Zoo 2
Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: October 13, 2026
Developer: Frontier Developments
Publisher: Frontier Developments
A sequel to one of the best management sims of the last decade and a spiritual successor to one of my favorite childhood games? This one was always going to make my list. Planet Zoo 2 builds on Frontier’s beloved zoo builder with a generational leap in its Cobra engine, and the new visuals look absolutely gorgeous in motion.
The headline additions are huge for the genre: aquariums and aviaries bring fully aquatic and flying species into the fold for the first time, and wildlife reserves extend the conservation loop beyond the zoo gates, letting you release and even breed animals in the wild. After years of Zoo Tycoon nostalgia and far too many hours across Frontier’s catalog, this is a comfort-zone pick I’m thrilled about. A rare day-one multiplatform launch also means you won’t need to wait on a console port this time.
13. Orbitals
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: September 3, 2026
Developer: Shapefarm
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
A Hazelight-style two-player co-op adventure dripping with a gorgeous 80s anime aesthetic? Say less. Orbitals immediately caught my eye at the Nintendo Direct, pairing the kind of built-for-two cooperative design It Takes Two fans adore with a striking retro-future art style that looks like an obscure anime brought to life.
Deliberately crafted co-op games are rarer than they should be. Coming from Shapefarm and the consistently great Kepler Interactive, it has the pedigree to back up the presentation. There isn’t a ton of detail out there yet, but sometimes a vibe is enough to earn a spot, and Orbitals absolutely nailed its first impression. It’s also going to be on a true physical cartridge for the fans looking to support the medium.
12. Control Resonant
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), Mac
Release date: 2026
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Publisher: Remedy Entertainment
I’ll be upfront: I’m not the biggest fan of Remedy’s games. I respect the studio’s ambition, but I find most of their games, including the original Control, a little too slow-paced to fully click with me. Control Resonant looks like the game that finally directed to me, reworking the combat into a fast-paced, melee-focused action-RPG system that looks stellar in motion and trades methodical gunplay for something far more aggressive and stylish.
Just as important, the setting is a huge step up for me. Where the first game kept you boxed inside the muted halls of the FBC, Resonant sends you out into a reality-warped Manhattan that looks dramatically more varied and interesting to explore. Following Dylan Faden through that twisted city, the change of scenery alone has me more invested than I ever was in the Oldest House. If the faster, melee-driven combat lands the way it looks like it will, this could finally be the Remedy game that makes me a believer.
11. Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: September 25, 2026
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Capcom is on an absolute heater right now, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword looks like another hit to throw on the pile. The RE Engine does a beautiful job capturing the dark, demon-haunted world the series is known for, and seeing Onimusha get a proper modern revival warms my heart after such a long absence.
The combat is the real draw: precise and strategic, deliberate in the way the best Capcom action always is, while still staying flashy enough to feel cinematic. A demo is already live too, so you can give it a try for yourself and see why the hype is real.
10. Halo: Campaign Evolved
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam), PlayStation 5
Release date: July 28, 2026
Developer: Halo Studios
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Halo: Combat Evolved is still one of my favorite FPS campaigns ever made, so a ground-up remake this gorgeously rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 is all the reason I need to march through it again. Halo: Campaign Evolved isn’t just a fresh coat of paint, either—it folds in a set of new prequel missions, weapons that weren’t in the original game, and full four-player co-op.
What excites me most is the promise of reworking some of the campaign’s more controversial stretches. Yes, including The Library, the infamous mission that still haunts me to this day. Giving that slog a modern overhaul might finally let me love this campaign front to back without the dread. It does sting that there’s no multiplayer in the package, but honestly, the campaign is strong enough to stand entirely on its own. This is one nostalgia trip I’m more than happy to take.
9. Splatoon Raiders
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: July 23, 2026
Developer: Nintendo EPD
Publisher: Nintendo
I’ve been intrigued by Splatoon Raiders since its reveal, and everything I’ve seen since has only raised my interest. It’s a single-player-focused spin-off (with four-player co-op) that teams you up with Deep Cut to hunt treasure across the Spirahlite Islands, leaning into exploration and story rather than competitive turf war.
The Splatoon games have always had solid, but light campaigns buried beneath their multiplayer, but this spin-off promises a far more robust experience than anything the team has done before. Previews have seen the game garnering comparisons to the likes of Ratchet & Clank and Borderlands, which only excites me more. It’s a smart, fresh use of one of Nintendo’s most stylish franchises, and exactly the kind of experimental swing I’ve wanted from Splatoon for years. It arrives July 23 in a stacked summer window, but it sits high on my must-play list regardless. If it delivers on that premise, Raiders could be a huge Switch 2 exclusive.
8. Final Fantasy Resonance
Platforms: Nintendo Switch & Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5
Release date: October 22, 2026
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Final Fantasy Resonance is the first HD-2D Final Fantasy and, more importantly to me, a return to the pure turn-based combat the mainline series has avoided for decades. That gorgeous pixel-art-meets-3D style looks stunning, and a Vision system that calls legendary heroes into battle gives it a hook all its own.
As someone who’s been begging for a turn-based mainline Final Fantasy for years, this is a dream come true moment. October is going to be brutal on my wallet and my free time, but Resonance sits near the top of that pile.
7. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Xbox on PC); Nintendo Switch later in 2026
Release date: October 15, 2026
Developer: Evil Empire
Publisher: Konami
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse marks the franchise’s 40th anniversary with its first traditional 2D entry in the original timeline since Order of Ecclesia, and everything about it speaks directly to me. Developed by Evil Empire with Motion Twin advising (the Dead Cells duo) it stars Rose Belmont cracking the Vampire Killer whip through a monster-overrun 1499 Paris.
This is the exploration-driven, Symphony of the Night-style Castlevania I’ve wanted for years, complete with a new Arcana system that seals boss souls into tarot cards for spells and traversal. Konami’s recent revival streak starting with Silent Hill and Metal Gear has been a joy to watch. Belmont’s Curse looks to be following in those footsteps. Between the gothic Paris setting, the Dead Cells team’s pedigree, and the fact that it’s still unbelievable that Castlevania is back, this is comfortably one of my most anticipated games of the year.
6. Star Wars: Zero Company
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5
Release date: August 27, 2026
Developer: Bit Reactor, Respawn Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Star Wars meets XCOM is essentially the pitch and the more I see of Star Wars: Zero Company, the more I’m convinced it’s a match made in heaven. Developed by Bit Reactor—a studio of Firaxis tactics veterans—alongside Respawn, who’ve made some of the best Star Wars games in recent memory, it drops you into a customizable squad of operatives during a turbulent era of the galaxy.
Turn-based tactics and Star Wars don’t overlap nearly as often as they should, and a polished, story-driven XCOM-style campaign set in that universe is something I didn’t know I wanted. With an August release, it’s also one of the first big swings of the back half of the year. If Bit Reactor nails the strategic depth, this could be the surprise of 2026.
5. Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Release date: 2026
Developer: ArtPlay
Publisher: 505 Games
This might surprise people but as much as I love seeing Castlevania return, the Metroidvania I’m most excited for is Koji Igarashi’s next release. Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement is a prequel to Ritual of the Night (one of the best Metroidvanias ever made imo) and it’s shaping up to be a serious step up for the series.
This time the entire adventure can be played in co-op, letting you control both heroes, Leonard and Alexander, as they storm Demon Lord Elias’s Ethereal Castle in 16th-century England. The leap to lavish, massively improved 3D-rendered visuals and cinematics give it a presentation the original could only dream of. IGA basically wrote the modern template for this genre, so a bigger, co-op-driven, gorgeous follow-up is my pick for the Metroidvania of 2026.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: 2026
Developer: Nintendo (TBA)
Publisher: Nintendo
We don’t know much about this game, and it honestly doesn’t matter much. the mere idea of a full remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is enough to land it this high. This is one of the most influential games ever made, the title that taught a generation what 3D action-adventure should look and feel like, rebuilt from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo showed almost nothing concrete, no real gameplay and no firm date beyond 2026, and I’m still this excited, which should tell you everything. Hyrule Field, the Temple of Time, the ocarina melodies—the thought of experiencing all of it again with modern visuals and gameplay gets me hyped. It’s a leap of faith based purely on legacy and potential, but some games and developers have earned that benefit of the doubt. If Nintendo treats this with the reverence it deserves, it could be the remake of the generation.
3. Gears of War: E-Day
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam)
Release date: October 6, 2026
Developer: The Coalition
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Gears of War: E-Day‘s showing at the Xbox Games Showcase renewed my appreciation for Gears entirely. The new mechanics—the slide and the improved agility—add a welcome fluidity and verticality to that signature weighty combat, and returning to Emergence Day itself looks like it’ll carry real emotional weight. The UE5 upgrade is stunning, and the density and destructibility of the environments are unlike I’ve seen in this style of game.
A 12-player Horde mode sounds like exactly the kind of chaotic fun I can sink hours into, and the added player agency—approaching missions in different ways—is a smart evolution for the series. Best of all, it’s an Xbox console exclusive, and it feels like the start of Xbox getting its identity back. It’s shaping up to be the standout title the brand has been missing, a game that gives people a real reason to buy the console. It sat at #8 on my January list before seeing any gameplay, but E-Day has now rocketed into my top five.
2. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: September 17, 2026
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
My #1 pick back in January only falls to second because of the juggernaut above it—make no mistake, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is still the game my heart wants most this year. As a lifelong fan of the series, a brand-new mainline entry built for Switch 2 is exactly the kind of game I know I’ll sink hundreds of hours into.
Set in the Dagdan Empire, where warriors compete in the Heroic Games for a single wish, Fortune’s Weave borrows a page from Three Houses and gives you four character stories to choose from. You pick one of four protagonists: Cai, a boy fighting to free his imprisoned father; Dietrich, a swordsman chasing stronger foes; Theodora, a queen with a dream for her homeland; and Leda, a musician after revenge. Each character has their own route, motivations, and unique battle techniques.
Between matches you’ll train, recruit allies, and explore beyond the city walls, and although they didn’t confirm it yet, building relationships with your allies is a staple that I hope to see return. The September 17 date drops it into a brutal release window, but it’s still the game I’ll clear my calendar for. Losing the top spot hasn’t dimmed my excitement one bit.
1. Grand Theft Auto VI
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: November 19, 2026
Developer: Rockstar North (Rockstar Games)
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Here it is. The game that wasn’t even my #1 back in January has finally taken the crown. Grand Theft Auto VI sat at #3 on my New Year list due to my dampened hype from delay after delay and the doubt that I’d even be playing it in 2026. But now, with a deep-dive trailer reportedly around the corner and the November 19 date looking locked, the excitement has finally caught up to me.
There’s no doubt in my mind this will be a generational game: a hyper-detailed return to Vice City with dual protagonists Jason and Lucia, and the kind of scale only Rockstar attempts. Even the pricing surprised me: $79.99 for the standard edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate is lower than I’d braced for, which is crazy to think about. Delays be damned, I’ll be there day one and I don’t have a bone in my body that doubts that Rockstar will deliver.
Final Thoughts
And there’s the list. It’s awesome to see how much the showcases reshuffled everything that I’m looking forward to. Locked dates and gameplay reveals for games like Gears of War: E-Day and Control Resonant pushed them up the board, while a wave of delays, most notably Fable slipping to 2027, cleared others off entirely.
A few of my most-hyped reveals, from Kingdom Hearts IV to Xenoblade Genesis, didn’t make the cut simply because they aren’t landing in 2026. What’s left is a back half of the year absolutely stuffed with games I can’t wait to play, from revived classics to bold new moves, and my wallet is already bracing for September and October. As always, this is just my list, so let me know what I you’re l Until next time, this has been Don Otaku.
