What We Should Expect
With games getting more and more elaborate and slightly more nostalgic, we certainly have a lot to look forward to in the next year or so. The next wave of releases has massive sequels, revived classics, long-delayed experiments, and a few wild swings that could swing either way. Some of these games look promising on paper, but the mood around them is complicated by genre fatigue, long waits, or the usual fear that the company’s ambition might translate into sloppy design. Others have a clear enough hook that they're hard not to root for. Here are 10 upcoming games that could disappoint, followed by 10 we're already clearing calendar space for.
1. Grand Theft Auto VI
GTA VI is still the elephant in the room, especially when it comes to long wait times. With a current release date of November 19, 2026, the game will almost certainly be enormous. After such a long wait, even a polished open-world blockbuster could feel like a letdown if it leans too hard on scale, satire, and online-ready chaos without actually saying something new.
2. Fable
Fable has always worked best when it feels a little odd, a little cheeky, and just scruffy enough around the edges. The reboot, due in autumn 2026, looks charming enough, though the concern is that it could pave over the classic mischief of this fantasy series.
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3. The Elder Scrolls VI
The Elder Scrolls VI has been sitting in the distance for so long that we’re not even sure if we’re excited anymore. That makes the real game a risky proposition, because anything short of amazing will fall short of years of buildup and speculation.
4. Tropico 7
Tropico 7 has a recognizable identity, and that's both its strength and its problem. Building, scheming, managing public happiness, and playing political puppet master can still be entertaining, but the series needs more than another layer of systems if it wants to feel sharp. Planned for 2026, it has the tools. Whether it has ambition is less clear.
5. Lords Of The Fallen II
Lords of the Fallen II is stepping back into a genre where players already have plenty of grim worlds, heavy bosses, and stamina-draining misery to choose from. A darker tone and bigger scope may help, though this sequel needs cleaner execution and a stronger identity if it wants to carve out a space in the industry.
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6. Ace Combat 8: Wings Of Theve
Ace Combat 8 has the benefit of a niche that still feels underserved, since not every major 2026 release lets you tear through the sky in a fighter jet. The worry is that the campaign may deliver another slick but familiar loop of dramatic radio chatter, missile locks, and high-altitude spectacle without truly shaking up the formula.
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7. Dune: Awakening
Dune: Awakening already has the right setting for survival: heat, scarcity, and politics. The console version still has to prove that its systems and pacing can feel natural on a couch instead of accidentally joining the sandbox genre.
8. Marvel 1943: Rise Of Hydra
Marvel 1943 has a great setup: wartime intrigue, superhero conflict, and a cast that could make the story feel different from the usual modern cape routine. The delayed 2026 release window and limited public details leave room for concern, though, especially when cinematic superhero games can look impressive long before anyone knows how they actually play.
9. Subnautica 2
Subnautica 2 has a built-in audience, a strong survival hook, and the obvious appeal of returning to the deep depths of the ocean. Early access can work well for community-driven games, though it also means players may pass judgment on it before the game is fully fleshed out.
10. Solasta II
Solasta II already speaks to players who like crunchy tactical RPGs, careful party-building, and high-stakes combat. Its full release still needs to prove the sequel can polish the experience and deepen the adventure, while addressing frustrations from the previous release.
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1. 007 First Light
007 First Light has a clean, exciting pitch: a younger Bond, a new origin story, and the chance to make spying feel stylish instead of turning every mission into a loud hallway fight. If it gets the balance right between stealth, gadgets, social tension, and sharp action, it could finally give Bond the modern game he deserves.
2. Marvel's Wolverine
Marvel's Wolverine doesn't need a giant roster or a world-ending threat to work. Logan is at his best when the stakes feel personal and close, and a tight action game built around that idea could make this a really incredible story.
3. CONTROL Resonant
CONTROL Resonant has the advantage of coming from a world where the mundane and the supernatural work well together. Expanding that universe with a bigger paranormal adventure could be exactly the right kind of strange, especially if the game keeps its mystery tight.
4. Gears Of War: E-Day
Gears of War: E-Day has a smart angle: it goes back to the catastrophe that shaped the series instead of stretching the timeline forward forever. A younger Marcus, the first Locust emergence, and a heavier survival-horror mood could make the franchise feel brutal again, in the best way.
5. The Duskbloods
The Duskbloods sound strange enough to be exciting, which is exactly what we’re looking for. Gothic style, multiplayer tension, and the vampire-like characters may not work as well as we hope, though at least it feels like a real swing at something different.
6. Onimusha: Way Of The Sword
Onimusha: Way of the Sword brings back a series that never needed to be overcomplicated. Samurai action, supernatural threats, and a moody historical setting are already a strong foundation, and a modern version could feel sharp…if it’s able to maintain its classic atmosphere.
7. Phantom Blade Zero
Phantom Blade Zero has an excellent combat presentation that makes every sword swing look considered and purposeful. Its wuxia-inspired action, heavy world design, and sharp visual identity make it one of the more exciting action games on the 2026 calendar, and the footage so far backs that up.
8. The Blood Of Dawnwalker
The Blood of Dawnwalker has an immediately readable premise: a half-human, half-vampire protagonist just trying to survive. That split could give the game real texture, especially if the choices you make actually affect the outcome of the game.
9. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is exciting because it doesn't look like your standard superhero game. A flashy tag fighter with reworked Marvel characters and arcade energy could give competitive players something loud, stylish, and worth showing up for.
10. Mixtape
Mixtape looks smaller than most of the heavy hitters here, which is part of its appeal. A coming-of-age adventure built around friendship, music, and one last night of teenage trouble has a clear emotional core, and sometimes that's more memorable than another giant map.
