Every year comes with its share of new games; some turn out to be hits while others end up buried in the abyss of failure. While 2026 wasn’t an exceptional year, in terms of the sheer number of releases or their success, it saw the launch of some great titles, including a couple with the potential to start new franchises.
Considering the number of cancelled titles, particularly from Ubisoft, and the countless layoffs the gaming industry has suffered this year, 2026 hasn’t turned out too bad. Plus we still have one of the busiest parts of the year ahead of us, which is expected to witness the long-awaited release of GTA VI. I’m also awaiting Crazy Taxi World Tour and Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4, both of which mark returns for their relative franchises after years of absence.
In this piece, I’ll cover some of the greatest releases so far, covering multiple game genres so everyone can find something of interest. Note that this list won’t include any early-access games, such as Subnautica 2, and will instead focus on titles that already offer the entire package, rather than future promises. As always, feel free to share your favourite picks with us on our social media channels.
Crimson Desert
Release date: March 19, 2026 | Developer: Pearl Abyss | Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S.
Crimson Desert is one of the biggest releases of 2026 and a potential GOTY (Game Of The Year). Pearl Abyss took everything it learned from Black Desert to build this epic journey, which resulted in an engaging open world that straddles single-player action and live service, taking the best of both worlds.
One of this game’s strengths is its plethora of RPG elements, including the ability to interact with nearly every object in a scene. For example, you can ride random animals, build a camp/base, and even use a tree to slingshot yourself, like that ridiculous scene from Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.
While Crimson Desert had a rough start, Pearl Abyss managed to fix most, if not all, of the aspects players complained about. The steady stream of updates also brought pets, unique mounts, new armour sets, plus many replayability enhancements. The result has taken Crimson Desert from a bit of a mess to a genuinely fantastic game, especially if you like to uncover masteries through your own initiative, rather than being fed everything on a platter.
You can easily get lost exploring this game’s floating islands and medieval settlements. If you plan on giving this one a shot, make sure you have plenty of free time; there is a lot to do.
007 First Light
Release date: May 27, 2026 | Developer: IO Interactive | Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S.
007 First Light is a big and bombastic experience throughout, filled with action and neatly designed levels. This reimagined James Bond story follows a young Bond who has yet to reach the famous 007 status, offering a tale that hasn’t been told before. From start to finish, this game keeps the 007 atmosphere alive, thanks to its open-level design and explosion-filled combat. There’s also a great cast of characters, not to mention the ability to with plenty of gadgets and spy hardware.
The game takes advantage of IO Interactive’s experience with stealth games, offering plenty of missions that are better conducted incognito. That said, when you get caught up sneaking where you shouldn’t, the combat system doesn’t disappoint, with solid movement and physics, although these mechanics fall short of titles such as Uncharted. Aside from some minor quirks, IO Interactive has pulled it off.
Despite sharing a lot with Hitman, this return to the James Bond adventure ended up being largely its own thing, with a laser focus on story construction and Hollywood-worthy action sequences. FirstLight also offers plenty of replayability, allowing you to test how different choices could have impacted your mission. It’s a successful and worthy reinvention of Bond for the modern era. If you like action-packed games, you won’t be disappointed.
Resident Evil Requiem
Release date: February 27, 2026 | Developer: Capcom | Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2.
Resident Evil Requiem, or RE 9, is a bit like a celebration of the franchise’s long history. It combines the heart-pounding horror and action that defined the series for 30 years, but with modern refinements and polish to gameplay and mechanics. The result is a gruesome and engaging experience that balances survival horror with action sequences better than ever.
In this latest instalment, you return to Raccoon City, playing as Leon Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft – the latter being a new protagonist – as you try to identify an illness affecting survivors from the original outbreak. Capcom uses this switch between characters to deliver vastly different experiences, jumping from bone-chilling stealth with Grace to blockbuster action with Leon. Imagine Resident Evil’s greatest hits bundled into one package; that’s Requiem. Plus, as with RE 8, you can play either in first or third-person view, creating noticeably different experiences. The game also features multiple endings, depending on your choices.
Beyond gameplay, Resident Evil Requiem is visually stunning, and runs smoothly on many configurations, going from handheld play on Switch 2 to full path-traced glory on a high-end PC. It’s a fine representation of the Resident Evil series that will please both old and new fans, taking you for a hell of a ride over its 11-14 hours of packed gameplay.
Pragmata
Release date: April 17, 2026 | Developer: Capcom | Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2.
Capcom is having a successful year already, dropping two bangers one after the other. Released shortly after RE 9, Pragmata is a refreshing new IP (intellectual property), offering solid gunplay, fantastic visuals, and an enjoyable story, all blended together to create what could become a new franchise. Dubbed a “father simulator” by its fans, the game revolves around Diana, a childlike android accompanying you as you fight waves of robots in a race to escape a lunar research station and return to Earth.
The gameplay revolves around both hacking and shooting robots, combining these two approaches in an interesting and unique way. To deal optimal damage to enemies, you need to first hack them with the help of Diana, all while dodging their attacks. Thankfully, the enemies tend to be quite slow, which leaves you just enough time to hack their shields.
The multitasking involved to balance puzzle-solving with the chaos of combat makes Pragmata a one-of-a-kind experience. While this may sound overwhelming, Capcom has managed to make the experience fluid and enjoyable.
It’s a great single-player game with an interesting twist on gameplay, a solid story, and no padding to artificially claim longer playtime. As a fresh IP, Pragmata has great potential for future releases.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred
Release date: April 27, 2026 | Developer: Blizzard Entertainment | Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
While Lord of Hatred is technically a DLC, rather than a separate release, the level of content it adds to Diablo IV surpasses many full game releases. It adds hours of campaign story, new character classes, and plenty of items for end-game players to collect. It serves as a conclusion to the Age of Hatred storyline, giving several characters and plot threads a proper resolution. This expansion brings new locations to explore and loot, and, as usual, it’s filled with gothic landscapes and monsters wanting you dead.
Lord of Hatred substantially expands Diablo IV’s package, adding different ways to approach combat while expanding the skill trees of new and existing classes. It also brings many quality-of-life improvements, giving you more flexibility and customisability when creating new builds – character setups that combine armour, weapons, skills, and so on, in case you’re not up on your gaming lingo. You can create some devastating synergies here, as the parts of your build work together to deliver more damage than each part would separately, especially in the end-game.
Lord of Hatred also expands the game’s higher difficulty levels up to Torment 12, giving those who like a challenge a test of their skills. Between its new campaign, classes, and extensive end-game improvements, Lord of Hatred is definitely one of the greatest releases of this year.
Forza Horizon 6
Release date: May 19, 2026 | Developer: Playground Games | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, later on PlayStation 5.
Finally taking place in Japan after years of players’ demand, Forza Horizon 6 keeps this franchise fresh and fun for old and new players. The game takes you to Tokyo and its surroundings via its story and festival playlists, offering a variety of race types and activities to try, on the largest and densest map of the franchise.
Its mix of a massive controllable car roster, fully explorable open-world sandbox, and arcade-sim controls creates a highly addictive combo. It’s great to be able to seamlessly switch between racing or cruising with friends to jumping out of a cliff to catch a collectable or take a picture.
The usual mission types are also present, from street racing and drifting, to off-road rally and stunt challenges. Add in the passing seasons, which change how each car behaves on asphalt and off-road, and you get a constantly evolving game that keeps you engaged for weeks.
Forza Horizon 6 doesn’t stray from the series’ formula. It takes what made the franchise successful, transplants it into a new location, and adds new cars, while slightly tuning the gameplay. It’s not the greatest Forza Horizon title ever, but it’s still one of the best racing games you can play, especially if you love to freely cruise around a massive open world.
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Release date: September 2, 2026 | Developer: Rebel Wolves | Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is a highly ambitious dark fantasy action-RPG from a studio founded by some of the veterans who brought us The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It offers rich world building, flexible storytelling, and innovative mechanics, which blend together into a fantastic experience. You play as a titular Dawnwalker, a hybrid being caught between human and vampire form.
One of the game’s main features is its dynamic day/night cycles, which drastically shift the gameplay loop. During the day, this game focuses on human-style combat using swords and various witchcraft spells. At night, you transform into a vampire with supernatural abilities such as wall-walking and biting enemies – draining their blood to restore your health. Each form has its own set of skills to unlock.
The part I like most of this game is also one of its divisive features – how in-game time acts as a currency. You start with 30 days on the counter, which you must use to become stronger and gain allies to save your family before they get sacrificed. Each mission you accomplish takes some of the available time, forcing you to think twice before helping a random person or accepting a side quest.
That said, missing this deadline doesn’t trigger a Game Over; instead, the sacrificial ritual happens, the story permanently branches, and the gameplay environment drastically changes.
The game gives you complete openness in how you want to proceed. Whether you want to build an army of allies, focus on increasing your strength, or simply go in day one to fight the final boss, it’s up to you. Beyond the main story, many side quests also offer interesting tales, some of which indirectly impact the outcome of the main narrative.
Combat-wise, The Blood of Dawnwalker uses a directional attack and block system similar to the one used by Kingdom Come II: Deliverance. This system can feel finicky sometimes, so if you don’t like it, you can automate it by enabling a setting. This makes the game handle attack and block directions automatically, at the cost of a stamina penalty.
That brings us to the end of our rundown of 2026’s best games so far. For more gaming insight, check out our features on the best zombie games, as well as the best game trailers of all time.
