Every new year brings a fresh lineup of games, but 2026 is on a different level. This year is stacked with blockbuster franchises, long-awaited sequels, and bold new experiments in storytelling and horror. As someone who straddles the worlds of film, gaming, and pop culture, these upcoming titles sit right at the center of everything I love—cinematic worlds, great characters, and games that feel like full experiences. Here are the releases I’m anticipating most as we head into 2026.
We have also added a retro game you can be playing in the meantime to whet your appetite until release.
007: First Light
It’s been far too long since the Bond series had a true “event” game, and 007: First Light looks poised to bring the franchise back in style. Sleek espionage, high-stakes stealth missions, and globe-trotting action make this feel like a playable blockbuster. If IO Interactive nails the tone, this could redefine modern spy games.
A retro choice: GoldenEye 007 (1997, Nintendo 64)
Rarely does a licensed game redefine its genre. GoldenEye blended stealth, gadgets, and cinematic missions into a revolutionary console shooter. Objective-based levels, split-screen multiplayer, and Bond atmosphere still make it the definitive spy game benchmark.
Grand Theft Auto VI
Let’s not pretend—GTA VI is the king of 2026. A modern Vice City, dual protagonists with real emotional depth, and a living world that evolves around the player: everything points to this being one of the biggest game launches in history. Rockstar’s technical leap is massive, and the cultural impact will be even bigger.
A retro choice: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002, PlayStation 2)
Vice City crystallised Rockstar’s open-world formula with neon excess, radio culture, and criminal ambition. Its 1980s aesthetic, strong narrative identity, and player freedom laid the groundwork for everything modern GTA represents today.
Resident Evil: Requiem
Capcom hasn’t missed in years, and Resident Evil: Requiem could be their darkest, most atmospheric entry yet. With an emphasis on psychological horror and new creature designs, this game aims to push the franchise into even creepier territory. If you’ve been craving a fresh, truly next-gen RE experience, this is the one.
A retro choice: Resident Evil (1996, PlayStation)
The original Resident Evil established survival horror’s DNA: fixed cameras, oppressive atmosphere, limited resources, and slow-burn terror. Its mansion setting and pacing remain unmatched, proving fear comes from restraint, not spectacle.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
Marvel games have had ups and downs, but this one feels different. Set during World War II, 1943: Rise of Hydra brings Captain America and Black Panther together in a grounded, narrative-driven adventure. With prestige-level visuals and character drama, this might be Marvel’s most cinematic game to date.
A retro choice: Captain America and The Avengers (1991, Arcade)
A classic side-scrolling brawler where Marvel heroes punch through waves of enemies with comic-book flair. Simple, bold, and patriotic, it reflects an era when superhero games focused on immediate action and arcade spectacle.
Marvel’s Wolverine
Easily one of the most exciting titles of the year, Wolverine is shaping up to be a brutal, character-driven masterpiece. Insomniac is leaning into Logan’s raw, violent combat style while also exploring the emotional weight behind the character. If it captures even half of what made the studio’s Spider-Man games special, this could become the definitive Wolverine experience.
A retro choice: X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995, Sega Mega Drive)
Fast, punishing, and aggressive, Clone Wars captured Wolverine’s ferocity better than most modern attempts. Tight controls, brutal difficulty, and momentum-driven combat make it one of the strongest 16-bit superhero action games.
Jurassic Park: Survival
A true survival-horror game set on Isla Nublar? This is the Jurassic experience fans have begged for. Jurassic Park: Survival drops players into the chaos of the park’s collapse, with dinosaurs acting as intelligent, unpredictable predators. It feels like the closest we’ve ever come to living inside the original 1993 film.
A retro choice: Jurassic Park (1993, Super Nintendo)
This ambitious adaptation mixed exploration, tension, and surprise dinosaur encounters. Switching perspectives and an eerie soundtrack created genuine unease, making it one of the earliest games to treat Jurassic Park as survival, not spectacle.
Hellraiser
A Hellraiser game finally exists, and horror fans are ready. With puzzle-box mechanics, disturbing Cenobite encounters, and nightmare imagery straight from Clive Barker’s universe, this could become one of the most unique horror titles of the decade.
A retro choice: Clive Barker’s Undying (2001, PC)
A cult horror classic blending occult mythology, psychological terror, and first-person combat. Written by Clive Barker himself, Undying delivers grotesque imagery, unsettling sound design, and narrative ambition that still outclasses many modern horror games.
Reanimal
This indie horror gem is gaining traction thanks to its surreal imagery and unsettling atmosphere. Reanimal looks like a dreamlike nightmare—perfect for players craving something experimental and bold.
A retro choice: Another World (Out of This World) (1991, Amiga / SNES)
A landmark cinematic platformer that relies on atmosphere, animation, and silence rather than dialogue. Another World delivers alien landscapes, vulnerability, and constant unease, proving minimalist storytelling can feel deeply emotional and unsettling decades later.
Directive 8020
Supermassive Games is diving headfirst into sci-fi horror with Directive 8020. Set aboard a doomed starship, it delivers paranoia, branching choices, and terrifying alien threats. Think Dead Space meets interactive drama. 2026 is stacked from top to bottom, and if these games deliver on their potential, we’re in for one of the best gaming years ever.
A retro choice: System Shock 2 (1999, PC)
Sci-fi horror perfection. System Shock 2 combines RPG systems, environmental storytelling, and existential dread aboard a doomed spacecraft. Its influence on Dead Space, BioShock, and narrative-driven horror games cannot be overstated.
Written by StoneyThaGreat
