For AAA games, the 2026 top is very similar to the 2025 top. Xbox reboots Fable. Bungie is rebooting Marathon. Captain America and Black Panther will headline the Marvel game. And everything under the sun must break through Grand Craft Auto 6-dimensional shadow.
But the lesson of 2025, if there was one, was that indie games are more than ready to fill the void—and the current video game release calendar suggests that trend will continue into 2026. Expect to see long-awaited sequels from the developers this year Shovel Knight, Surviving VampiresAnd The Binding of Isaac. Kill Spire is finally getting a sequel (RIP, free time). Annapurna Interactive has no less than five visually striking games with innovative systems in its pipeline 2026.
Even big-budget projects are moving forward into uncharted territory: a new James Bond game, a fresh RPG from former Witcher developers, a take on Wolverine. Capcom is poised to dominate this year with entries in some of its biggest (and smallest) franchises, and what little Nintendo has shared about its plans so far teases a sequel non-standard energy what determined Switch 2 launch year.
The year 2026 has arrived, and we are already tired and inspired! Below are the 50 most anticipated games of 2026, as chosen by Polygon writers and editors. How many of them will reach the market? Fine. Let's check in a year.
1
007 First Light
Release date: May 27
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
Golden Eye Besides, James Bond games are rarely good, but there are several reasons to suspect that IO Interactive's success will be head and shoulders above historical precedent. Firstly, the randomness of the timing – with Daniel Craig's Bond years in the past and Denis Villeneuve's years in the future – gives the game an enviable amount of room to think. establish your individuality. Secondly, IO has the pedigree, freedom of self-publishing, and highly relevant experience as kings of luxury making their way through Hitman games. Best case? This Batman: Arkham Asylum Bond games. —Was Welsh
2
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Release date: to be announced later
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
If you've never considered Bandai Namco's flight simulator series before, you'll probably consider it this year. After an exciting will be presented at the Game Awards 2025, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve looks poised to elevate the niche series to mainstream status in 2026. The heavy emphasis on melodramatic story in the debut trailer makes it seem like it was made for a post-series.Top Shot: Maverick world. Flight simulators don't sell well outside of the genre's most dedicated fans, but I have a feeling today's Tom Cruise-worshipping gamers might just be craving some high-octane aerial combat. — Giovanni Colantonio
3
Blood of the Dawnwalker
Release date: to be announced later
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
Dark fantasy fans, this open world RPG is for you. Blood of the DawnwalkerDeveloped by former CD Projekt Red employees, the game is set in a medieval world inhabited by both humans and vampires, and you'll find yourself in both camps. This is an interesting layout for quests, but be aware that they are a bit… another from what you're used to, since there's no such thing as a “main quest” in this game. Total vampire freedom sounds like something you'd want to sink your teeth into, doesn't it? —Marlos Valentina Stella
4
Bradley Badger
Release date: to be announced later
Where to play: Windows PC
There are many games that can be called “love letters” to other games. Bradley Badger strives to take one step further: this love letter to art manufacturing games. Possibly a spiritual successor Conker's Bad Wool Day Some levels in the upcoming platformer star a wise mammal that not only jumps around the world, but also programs its way through it. There's a mysterious meta-narrative to it all, seemingly telling the story of an artist trying to create the very game you're playing. As icing on the cake, there are plenty of video game references, e.g. Bloody And The Last of Us. — Giovanni Colantonio
5
Cairn
Release date: January 29
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC
Rock climbing is one of the great, underdeveloped places for video games. Sometimes this has been done before: in a smooth fantasy exploration Jusantor turn-based climbing tactics Irresistible. Cairn is a hardcore, realistic approach to survival: you'll need to carefully manage your strength, rest time, and resources like food and pitons, and hand-pick every foothold and foothold as you make your arbitrary climb to a daunting peak. Like other games—and like the sport itself— Cairn promises a rhythmic, meditative solo challenge. —Was Welsh
6
Code core 2
Release date: January 30
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
At first we were a little surprised that this anime Soulslike managed to get a sequel. However, Bandai Namco has clearly made a big effort, promising improved combat, a richer open world to explore, and time travel jokes. It's not directly related to the first game, so think of it as a soft reboot. —Jen Glennon
7
Coffee talk in Tokyo
Release date: March 5
Where to play: Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
Coffee talk in Tokyo follows the same premise as his predecessor. You run a coffee shop and get to know your customers, preparing their favorite drink with professional precision and listening to their problems. But the story is, of course, set in Tokyo, and that opens up a whole new range of potential personalities and problems to solve, such as burnt-out office workers and people trying to figure out how to start a new life after their old one fell apart (in literally one case, with a recently deceased patron who is just starting his afterlife). — Josh Broadwell
8
Resonance control
Release date: to be announced later
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
After his disappointing FBK: Fiery BreakthroughRemedy Entertainment hopes to return to what they do best in 2026. Well, maybe? Resonance control will finally give us a worthy sequel to the excellent 2019 film. Controlgiving players the unique single-player experience they have come to expect from Remedy. But the most interesting thing about it isn't that it's a solid sequel to a great game; it's that he apparently throws his predecessor into a blender. Instead of making another telekinetic third-person shooter starring Jesse Faden, Resonant overall similar to Devil May Cry, which takes place in New York. We have no idea how well it will work, but Remedy's best quality is its willingness to try new things. — Giovanni Colantonio
9
Crimson Desert
Release date: March 19
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
Crimson Desert looks like the last hurray of the “let's make a game so big that only 10 people will finish it” era of design. It looks absolutely gigantic, more like an MMO from Pearl Abyss. Black Desert onlineand this looks too strange. Clockwork dragons, small fire creatures that look like spaceships, deer-headed warriors and shadow demons all exist together, because why not? And it is precisely this internal logic that I hope will make Crimson Desert no matter how exciting this promise may sound. —Josh Broadwell
10
Denshattuck!
Release date: to be announced later
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
IN Denshattuck!you can overturn the train. That phrase alone should be enough to sell this 3D train-control platformer as you navigate your way through railroads criss-crossing Japan, giving new meaning (and envy to American players) to the term “high-speed rail.” Radio Jet SetInspired visuals and a narrative of overthrowing a corrupt megacorporation propelled the game to greatness. I'm all on board. —Ari Notis
