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Game journalists can’t exactly see the future, but we can make a couple of educated guesses about what the future of the industry holds. For instance, we know that Grand Theft Auto VI, which Rockstar pushed back to 2026, is going to occupy most, if not all, of the oxygen in the industry when it is released in May 2026. But it is far from the only game releasing next year.

This week as part of Future Fest, we’re playing the part of the Ghost of Video Games Yet to Come and looking to a future that may come with Popverse’s Future Fest. We’re not making assumptions about what the best game of 2026 is going to be (even our powers of precognition have limits), but instead talking about what we think the most exciting, most talked about games are going to be, because that is more fun anyway.

Big 2026 Games - 007: First Light

Considering we’re at least two years away from any movement on the James Bond film franchise, the 007 origin story that First Light promises to be feels like the best thing Bond fans have coming in the near future. I’m a huge fan of IO Interactive’s Hitman series, and I can certainly see the appeal of giving the studio the chance to play with the most famous spy in movie history.

My big question here is, will this be a Hitman game – with each assassination a puzzle that offers multiple solutions – featuring a more memorable protagonist? Or will it be a more action-heavy James Bond game that focuses on shooting and combat? Because if it is the latter, I’m far less interested. Still, the franchise is famous enough that 007: First Light is absolutely going to make a splash when it hits.

Big 2026 Games - Grand Theft Auto VI

The biggest story in gaming for 2026 is going to be GTA VI, but it will either be one of two tales. Either it will somehow match one of the best-selling games of all time and make Rockstar billions of dollars upon release, or it will be called a disappointment. The hype around this game is simply going to be too big for anything else.

That said, a game like Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be good for the industry. Legions of journalists are going to be employed just to write guides about every possible detail in this game and to give opinion pieces before giving dissenting opinions on those pieces. Meanwhile, I’m just looking forward to driving around Vice City with the radio on again.

Big 2026 Games - Marvel Tokon: Fight Souls

If you paid attention to the reports from EVO 2025, you’ll know that Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, even in its very early state, looks incredibly promising. This isn’t exactly surprising; Arc System Works knows its craft and always delivers great fighting games. I expect this game to become a mainstay on the fighting game circuit the same way that Dragon Ball FighterZ was for several years after its release, with the roster growing to include some of the more obscure characters from Marvel Comics.

If they’re inevitably going to give us six variations of Spider-Man, hopefully, we get something like Spiders-Man (a variant that is thousands of sentient spiders that believe they are Peter Parker) alongside Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Gwen. Just give us some weird stuff to sink our teeth into, please.

Big 2026 Games - Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra

Despite the surprising success of Marvel Rivals, the future of Marvel games is surprisingly sparse. Sure, we’ve got the aforementioned Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, but we’ve already seen the Black Panther game get cancelled, and we still have no idea what is going on with Insomniac’s Wolverine game. That means that Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is going to be carrying the torch for Marvel as far as action games go in 2026.

I don’t expect Marvel 1943 to hit the same way that Marvel’s Spider-Man games did; as much as I love Captain America, he is never going to have the kind of name recognition that the webslinger does. However, a game about elite commandos tearing through Nazis like tissue paper is never going to go out of style, and I suspect that this will feel surprisingly relevant in 2026.

Big 2026 Games - Whatever Switch 2 Exclusive Nintendo Announces

The Switch 2 has sold incredibly well so far, but that doesn’t mean that Nintendo’s job is done. Thus far, there are surprisingly few games announced for their new console in 2026, but I think that will change by the end of the year. Before the close of 2025, Nintendo is going to unveil at least two or three big games exclusively for the Switch 2 to sit alongside the third-party games coming out. The only question is what they will be?

I’d be shocked if we got a follow-up to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in 2026, but a new 3D Mario game probably isn’t out of the question. Nintendo is undoubtedly working on both already, so it will just depend on which one is ready to ship first. Whatever it is, Nintendo needs to ship something (preferably multiple somethings) big in 2026 to keep up the momentum on what is looking like a stellar first year for the Switch 2.

Big 2026 Games - Resident Evil Requiem

In between remaking most of the big games in the series, Capcom has, apparently, been hard at work on the follow-up to 2021’s Resident Evil Village. Resident Evil 9, titled Requiem, feels like an attempt to return to the series’ roots. It is taking us back to Raccoon City once again, 30 years after it was destroyed in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

The big story from Resident Evil Village was, of course, Lady Dimitrescu, the giant, scary woman who awoke something unexpected in all of us even before the game came out, despite barely factoring in the story. Will there be a similar character that fans latch onto here? We can only hope so.

Big 2026 Games - Fable

The biggest wild card for me when it comes to gaming in 2026 is the long-awaited Fable reboot. I distinctly remember the explosive (and ultimately self-destructive) hype around the original. While it didn’t live up to the lofty promises of its developer, it was an okay RPG that was followed by two much better RPGs. The 2026 Fable game is the first title in the series in more than a decade and is meant to be a reboot of the story and setting.

I don’t doubt that Fable will sell reasonably well in 2026; the game has enough name recognition that it is an easy sell to fans. Throw in enough callbacks to the original three mainline games (ignore the terrible spin-offs, please) and it should be a fun, nostalgic game. Or it could completely fail to land with fans and become one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Either way, I’ll be watching closely.

Remember, these are just the games we expect to be big hits in 2026. I fully expect (and look forward to) seeing games pop out of nowhere and surprise us. Some indie darling is going to explode onto the scene and give us something new to talk about, making this list completely obsolete and I can't wait to see it happen.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

• All upcoming games in 2025 and beyond
• Gamify My Life, our weekly gaming column designed
• Popverse Picks: The best Assassin's Creed protagonists
• How to play every GTA game in order
• Why the GTA 6 budget isn't as crazy as you think
• The Magic: The Gathering x Spider-Man crossover set wouldn't exist without the Spider-Verse

And be sure to check Popverse regularly for the latest gaming news.