The Most Anticipated Games of 2026

Illustration by Joanne Baranga

With the beginning of the new year, gamers will be patiently waiting for the arrival of our favourite games; but which top titles should you be watching your calendar for? Here are some of the most anticipated games that fans will be awaiting through 2026.

Grand Theft Auto VI

With its formal reveal in 2023, Grand Theft Auto VI (more commonly known by its abbreviation GTA6 or GTA VI) may be the most anticipated game of the year, due to the long wait for fans. After much talk and many, many jokes about the delay, GTA VI will be coming to PS5 and XBox X/S,13 years after GTA V was released in 2013. GTA is a highly acclaimed action-adventure series which sees players traversing an open-world, with the typical main quest and offering of many other side quests. What fans say sets it apart from other open-world games is its truth to life. The GTA maps and landscapes are modern and realistic, offering fans a chance to experience a setting which is closer to real life. By avoiding the fantasy tropes, the direction many other open-world games adopt, the GTA series simulates a sense of realism and seamlessly immerses players into its gameplay.

As well as improved graphics and smoother movement, particularly in fighting sequences, players are expecting GTA VI to differ from its preceding games with a more expansive map, providing fresh adventuring options, as well as potentially reimagining older maps, such as Vice City. A more natural integration of single player and multiplayer modes is something many players desire, given that they were separate systems in GTA V. Furthermore, the introduction of Lucia, the new female main character, has also sparked interest, particularly for female gamers, as she is the first female main character in the GTA series, which will have a beneficial impact on female representation within video games more generally. Most importantly, players expect the game to retain the realistically styled setting of its predecessors, but giving more of it: more for players to interact with and enjoy. The possibilities for this are seemingly endless.

The much anticipated GTA VI is set to release on 19th November 2026, according to Rockstar Games. Wishlist is now available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream has been one of Nintendo’s most anticipated titles since the release of the Nintendo Switch. The original game Tomodachi Life was released in April 2013 on the Nintendo 3DS; it is a social-simulation game where the player creates Mii characters who can develop relationships and partake in silly social activities. One of the game’s unique selling points is that you can create anyone - many have taken a much more comedic approach than Nintendo likely expected, creating a variety of celebrities and characters to see how the system randomly sets them up to interact. The player can only control so much: feeding them, giving them fun outfits and advising them in their relationships, but most of the social aspects are simulated by the game.

Many players have speculated about potential additions to the new game, such as more complex social interactions, more events which can occur in-game and more personalities for different Mii characters. Some specific desires from fans include options to assign familial relationships and multiplayer games for friends from different consoles to connect with. The trailer released during March’s Nintendo Direct reworks the classic into something closer to a holiday-themed endeavour, ditching the original apartment block and seeming to have small holiday homes instead. The game looks much more open, closer to the map of a game such as Animal Crossing compared to the original Tomodachi Life. Mii personalisation is also much more diverse in the trailers, with queer Miis finally being introduced in the game. Players can also make characters develop friendships without them having to ask first, giving players a more active role in the development of Mii’s relationships. While also innovating, the game retains aspects of its preceding game, such as player-Mii interactions.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will be released on April 16th, 2026 on the Switch 2.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

One of Nintendo’s most popular franchises is Fire Emblem, a series of tactical fantasy RPGs. Dating back to 1990 on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was the first entry into the Fire Emblem series. The series has since developed a loyal fanbase, with one of their most narratively complex games Fire Emblem: Three Houses achieving the highest sales of any Fire Emblem game. The series will continue with Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, a game theorised to be the prequel to the much loved Three Houses series of the franchise.

The gameplay of Fortune’s Weave retains a similar style to Three Houses, with the trailer highlighting the open exploration and chess-style tactical battles. However, Three Houses is especially known for its rich storyline and in-depth characterisation, with the trailer introducing a variety of characters who will be further explored in-game. The appearance of the goddess Sothis at the end of the Nintendo Direct trailer implies its ties to Three Houses, however it boasts completely different styles of architecture and landscaping, which are akin to ancient Greco-Roman architecture, differing from the more notably medieval aesthetic of Three Houses. This has led fans to believe that this is likely a prequel to the events of Three Houses, an exploration of Fodlan before Byleth and/or Shez from Three Hopes, which is something that lore enjoyers will be especially intrigued by. Aside from its story, the character designs have developed to become much more diverse, with Cai, Theodora and Leda particularly catching my eye. Leda’s gameplay also looks unique compared to that of Three Houses, perhaps meaning that new and unique classes will be introduced in Fortune’s Weave.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave has not got an exact release date yet, but Nintendo have confirmed its release for 2026.

Resident Evil: Requiem

Resident Evil is a household name - all gamers at least know of the series. The Resident Evil franchise is a Japanese horror series, which tests its players ability to survive in a monster-ridden environment. It has combined horror with third- and first-person combat to become one of the highest earning horror franchises in gaming history. With the most recent instalment to the series being a remake of Resident Evil 4, Capcom’s release of Resident Evil: Requiem this year will continue the series with new original content.

Resident Evil: Requiem features a brand-new protagonist, FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, who will join the recurring character Leon S.Kennedy, and the two are tasked with investigating the remains of a city. Excitement is circulating surrounding the dual-protagonist direction due to its success in previous games, such as Resident Evil 7 and Village. Fans are hopeful that the game will return to the original roots of the storyline in the Resident Evil franchise, pulling in lore around the tragedy of Raccoon City and Umbrella back into the narrative. Grace’s section seems to primarily involve stealth modes in order to traverse the eerie terrains, while Leon’s gameplay is cohesive with previous games, featuring combat-heavy modes. Loyal players of the franchise have also been anticipating some new and unusual monsters in the new game, given the game’s established account of the ‘ungodly monsters’ left after the spread of a deadly virus. Fans have also noted that despite the franchise's vast number of installments, Resident Evil: Requiem, like other games, likely can be played as a standalone game, meaning curious newcomers can make a start on the series with its newest installment.

Resident Evil: Requiem will be released on February 27th 2026, making it the earliest release in this article.

Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact, despite not being a paid game, is a popular open-world RPG which will receive a new instalment in 2026. The fantasy game takes inspiration from a variety of different cultures, creating regions which develop the overarching story of the main character, a traveler named Aether or Lumine (depending on who the player chooses), searching for their sibling. Genshin Impact focuses on a combination of detailed storylines, immersive open-world exploration and a gacha system whereby players can obtain new characters. Now, the game boasts the release of one of their most exciting regions yet: Snezhnaya, perhaps its most anticipated region yet.

Taking inspiration from Russian culture, Snezhnaya is the home to one of the most powerful, yet mysterious forces in the game’s world of Teyvat - the Fatui. Many of the game’s overarching themes and lore, as well as player theories and questions, are tied to Snezhnaya, with players expecting them to be addressed with the new region’s arrival. Fans are also anticipating the official introduction of several teased characters to the playable roster, including members of the infamous Fatui Harbingers. Some players also desire the re-release of older characters with new designs, in the same way that HoyoVerse’s other continuous projects Honkai Third Impact and Honkai: Star Rail have released multiple versions of the same character. The exploration of Snezhnaya is also being debated by players: given the snippets of lore which players have had access to, as well as looking to its real-life inspiration, Snezhnaya is expected to be a mix of traditional buildings and more technologically advanced skyscrapers. However, we are yet to see any in-game visual representation of this elusive nation. Since Genshin Impact is a continuously-releasing game, gamers who are interested might be enticed to start playing soon, to experience the entire main storyline in time for Snezhnaya’s release.

The region of Snezhnaya is expected to be released in roughly September of 2026.

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Edited by Joanne Baranga