Wccftech’s Most Anticipated Games of 2026

Gaming’s 2025 was largely marked by great indie or double-A releases, but our list of most anticipated games of 2026 is filled with triple-A games. That’s not to say there won’t be great indie launches, or that all of these AAA releases will succeed, but the calendar suggests a resurgence for big-budget titles coming from well-known studios. From Rockstar’s long-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6 to the return of highly popular characters long missing from the gaming scene (James Bond, Wolverine), this year could belong to blockbusters, although we did add a couple of wild cards.

All of Wccftech’s Most Anticipated 2026 Games per genre: Role-Playing Games, Indie Games, Platformers, DLC/Expansion, Action, Shooters, Horror, Sports/Racing, Fighting, Adventure Games, Strategy/Simulation, Multiplayer

Nioh 3 (February 6, 2026 – PC, PlayStation 5)

2026’s calendar kicks off with Team Ninja‘s third installment in its masocore action RPG series. This entry features protagonist Tokugawa Takechiyo, a historical figure from the Tokugawa dynasty, battling his envious brother and his army of yokai and supernatural beings to ascend to his rightful place on the Shogunate. The game introduces dual playstyles: traditional Samurai (three weapon stances, Ki Pulse stamina recovery) and new Ninja (fast-paced evasion, aerial attacks, Mist clone-creation ability). Unlike its predecessors, Nioh 3 features expansive, less-linear level design with larger explorable spaces, side quests, and points of interest discovery. Players switch between playstyles freely, utilizing guardian spirit transformations and Soul Cores. After playing the game at a recent event, our own Francesco De Meo swears this is shaping up to be Team Ninja’s culmination in the action RPG area. Everyone will soon get a taste, anyway, thanks to the free demo launching on January 29, with save data carrying over to the full game.

Capcom‘s ninth mainline horror title returns to post-apocalyptic Raccoon City 30 years after the US government unleashed a nuclear missile to try, and largely fail, to contain the zombie outbreak. The game features a return to multiple protagonists: there’s the new character, Grace Ashcroft, an introverted FBI analyst haunted by her mother’s death, who’s investigating murders at the Wrenwood Hotel, and then there’s the returning fan-favorite, Leon S. Kennedy. The developers of Requiem have openly stated that they’re trying to balance the horror elements seen in entries like Resident Evil 2 with the action elements of games like Resident Evil 4, with Grace providing the former and Leon ensuring the latter. The goal is to provide a ‘complete rollercoaster ride’ like never before, with greater peaks of horror tension and valleys of peaceful exploration or more relaxing action combat.

Perhaps the biggest addition is the ability to switch between third and first-person views at any time, which also allows players to slightly customize the degree of tension they’re willing to experience. The game, powered by RE Engine, will support NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Multi Frame Generation and path tracing on PC. The Gamescom 2025 demo was very promising, and there’s no doubt this is one of the most anticipated games of the year in most players’ lists, too.

Crimson Desert (March 19, 2026 – PC, PS5, XSS|X)

Most games on this list are from acclaimed developers who are either releasing a sequel to an established IP or working on a brand new IP while still staying well within the boundaries of their proven area of expertise. Crimson Desert is one of two exceptions. Sure, Pearl Abyss proved they can create a successful MMORPG with Black Desert, but this is something else entirely.

Originally announced as another MMO at G-Star 2019, the game quickly shifted to an ‘open world action/adventure game with multiplayer support’. Back then, it was still slated for Winter 2021, but it was later delayed indefinitely. After it resurfaced, Pearl Abyss has never mentioned multiplayer again, focusing entirely on the single player component and revealing the game’s massive scope.

The open world is gigantic: the developers said it’s twice as large as Skyrim and also larger than Red Dead Redemption 2. Powered by the custom BlackSpace Engine, it is entirely seamless, featuring advanced simulations for water, volumetric fog, cloth, hair, and even destructible elements. Players can even fly around the continent of Pywel, riding massive dragons.

The game was playable at Gamescom 2025, showing off an intricate combat system that allows for numerous moves, drawing inspiration from fighting games. This meant it didn’t demo very well, but on the other hand, it could become a major asset for the final game, contributing to its depth. The biggest unknown is the story, but everything else about Crimson Desert already looks very, very juicy.

007 First Light (May 27, 2026 – PC, PS5, XSS|X)

It’s been ages, at least as far as the gaming industry goes, since we’ve gotten a new game based on James Bond. The previous one was 2012’s 007 Legends, a mediocre Call of Duty clone developed by Eurocom (which was shut down after that game’s release). 007 First Light brings much loftier promise.

Developed by IO Interactive, the acclaimed studio behind the HITMAN series, it is an origin story portraying a young Bond, who is 26 years old and fresh out of his assignment as an Aircrewman in the Royal Navy, looking to earn his 00 status in MI6. The character, who’s voiced by Irish actor Patrick Gibson, is a bit reckless, as already shown in released footage.

From a gameplay standpoint, HITMAN fans should not expect the same level of freedom that Agent 47 is awarded in those games. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for 007 to do the same things. Instead, it resembles a blend of HITMAN and more linear action/adventure games, such as Naughty Dog’s Uncharted. If the studio can deliver on the narrative front while still offering some of its trademark gameplay, it may have a winner on its hands.

Phantom Blade Zero (September 9, 2026 – PC, PlayStation 5)

I mentioned earlier that there are two exceptions to the ‘established AAA studio’ rule on this list. The second is, of course, S-GAME‘s Phantom Blade Zero. Founder Liang Qiwei (known as Soulframe Liang) started making small indie projects, like the Rainblood trilogy (which was developed with RPG Maker), and then achieved success with the Phantom Blade trilogy of mobile games. Phantom Blade Zero is, however, the studio’s first foray into the triple-A PC and console market.

First unveiled at May 2023’s PlayStation Showcase event, the game immediately caught our attention and we brought you an exclusive interview just two months later, where Soulframe Liang talked about the game’s inspiration from Chinese Wuxia culture in terms of setting, while the gameplay takes elements from games like Ninja Gaiden, Nioh, and Sekiro, blending action RPGs with Soulslike and Hong Kong action films to create a style called kungfupunk.

More importantly, our Francesco De Meo played the game at two consecutive Gamescom conventions, coming away from his sessions more excited each time. If S-GAME can also deliver a decent narrative (which revolves around a warrior with a mission and only 66 days left to live), this could turn out excellent.

Grand Theft Auto 6 (November 19, 2026 – PlayStation 5, XSS|X)

Does it really need explaining why GTA 6 is on a list of most anticipated games? Rockstar‘s historical pedigree would warrant that on its own, never mind the fact that the previous installment is the second best-selling game of all time with over 220 million units sold at the latest count.

It’s been thirteen years since the latest release of a Grand Theft Auto game. Despite the continued expansion of GTA Online, the vast community of fans is overdue for a new game. They’re going to get it (unless there’s a third delay, which Rockstar has never done before) late this year, when the award-winning studio will bring gamers to a fictional version of Florida, where Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, the new duo of playable characters, encounter a statewide conspiracy and are forced to protect each other.

Rockstar hasn’t really shared anything about the gameplay, but the developers have continuously innovated the open world genre since GTA 3 and they are expected to do so once again with GTA 6. When it comes to the online mode, we have our own rumor based on Rich Vogel’s statement that the multiplayer might evolve toward an MMORPG-like experience.

The Blood of Dawnwalker (TBA 2026 – PC, PS5, XSS|X)

Following the highly successful release of The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, several CD Projekt RED employees split to form their own studio, Rebel Wolves. After getting some investment from NetEase and a publishing deal with Bandai Namco, they unveiled their first project, the vampire-themed dark fantasy open world action RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker.

The game clearly shows its roots in The Witcher III, but there are several key differences. For one thing, the protagonist, Coen, is given 30 days and nights to save his family from the cadre of vampires that has exploited the plague and the ineptitude of the local lords to take control of Vale Sangora.

Time does not advance linearly, allowing players freedom to explore without too much stress. But the most significant innovation, at least on paper, is that the game’s narrative sandbox supposedly treats all quests in the same way, instead of splitting main and secondary quests. Everything that you do furthers the goal, and you can complete the missions in various ways. For example, during the day, you might get easier access to certain areas, but you’ll only have the ability of a regular human, whereas at nighttime, Coen can leverage his Dawnwalker-derived vampiric skills. You can also choose to give in to Coen’s vampiric side or not.

Rebel Wolves admitted that it won’t be nearly as vast a game as The Witcher III in terms of scope, but then again, quality is more important than quantity.

Control Resonant (TBA 2026 – PC, PS5, XSS|X)

Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment has long provided gamers with fantastic titles, like the first two Max Payne titles, Alan Wake, and more. Despite this fact, they have often struggled financially. Now, with Control Resonant, they’re trying to get their first smash hit in over 30 years in the industry.

There’s good reason to be hopeful. Control was by far their most successful game, having sold more than five million units to date, and Resonant has been repositioned in the even more popular action RPG genre, potentially opening the IP to a larger audience.

Resonant also focuses on melee combat with the shapeshifting Aberrant weapon, which can change in a variety of forms. The protagonist is Jesse’s brother, Dylan. With Jesse mysteriously vanished, he’s the only one who can deal with a catastrophic invasion of Manhattan thanks to his reality-bending powers. Control Resonant also offers more open-ended exploration of Manhattan, where players can find optional quests to help other humans and fellow members of the FBC.

The Duskbloods (TBA 2026 – Nintendo Switch 2)

Kind of like with Rockstar, it’s impossible not to put a game made by FromSoftware on the year’s most anticipated games list after all their successes. Last year, Elden Ring Nightreign proved they can even produce a kick-ass multiplayer game, although The Duskbloods may be even more ambitious.

This was apparently the longest gameplay prototyping cycle in their history. In this PvPvE game, eight-player matches pit Bloodsworn (vampire-like characters, of which there are more than twelve to choose from) against each other and AI enemies with dynamically variable victory conditions: last player standing, rival elimination, ally cooperation, and boss defeat, among others. Legendary director Hidetaka Miyazaki personally pitched this to Nintendo, prioritizing player freedom over mandatory mechanics. Combat emphasizes superhuman abilities (double-jumps, jetpack traversal, dashing), with boss encounters designed for tactical complexity. There’s also a dynamic event system that will alter match conditions to prevent repetitiveness. As a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, if it is even remotely as good as FromSoftware’s latest projects, The Duskbloods could be a killer application that drives millions to purchase the system.

Marvel’s Wolverine (Fall 2026 – PlayStation 5)

James ‘Logan’ Howlett hasn’t had the privilege of a dedicated game since 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a mediocre tie-in of the eponymous movie. Just like with James Bond, Logan is in much better hands, as Marvel’s Wolverine is being developed by Insomniac Games, the acclaimed studio behind Spyro, Resistance, Ratchet & Clank, and most importantly, the great Marvel’s Spider-Man series, which convinced Marvel to let them take a stab at the Ol’ Canucklehead.

Announced more than four years ago, the game was among those most exposed following the Insomniac ransomware hack that occurred in December 2023. Following that incident, the Californian developer went into stealth mode for a bit, and for a while, we only heard rumors saying the game would be fantastic. At last, during September 2025’s State of Play, we got our first look at in-game footage. That’s where we also learned that Wolverine will be voiced (and mo-capped) by actor Liam McIntyre, and that in the game we’ll see characters like Mystique and Omega Red as well as locations like Canada and Japan. We’ll know a lot more in Spring, ahead of an estimated Fall release window, but if Insomniac can keep the same quality of the Spider-Man games, Marvel’s Wolverine could be a GOTY contender.

Honorable Mentions

There are many more interesting games to look forward to in 2026, including the following heavy-hitters:

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