JoeGames

2025 was a fun year for games and 2026 looks ready to carry the torch with numerous exciting titles confirmed and many others speculated to be releasing sometime later this year. While there are many titles to look forward to in 2026, one game has taken up more of the gaming community’s excitement than any other. Rockstar Studios’ Grand Theft Auto 6 is the most anticipated game of the year and will likely be one of the best-selling games of all time as well as the front-runner for most awards. However, the development process for GTA 6 has been arduous and it’s hard to say for certain whether this game will actually release on November 19th or not.

Luckily, there are lots and lots of games to be excited about which we can more confidently assume will release this year. Here are 10 of the games I’m most interested in playing next year that should be available on PS5 (Other than GTA 6). This list is certainly not set in stone as I whittled it down from a shortlist of 75 very appealing games and I’m sure there will be some big surprises coming as well. Hopefully I’ll be able to play all of these games and do a real ranking at the end of the year! So, with a little further ado let’s look at five honorable mentions.

HM: Beast of Reincarnation

Game Freak Studios debut into the triple-A scene came out with a very cool trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase back in June and has since been relatively quiet. The game looks to be similar to action titles like Black Myth: Wukong, or Sekiro with sharp, explosive combat stylized in a dark fantasy world. I have some questions about Game Freak making a game that doesn’t feature Pokémon and I need to see gameplay for this game, but I’m really looking forward to it. The graphics, enemies, and combat all looked excellent in the trailer and while the genre isn’t confirmed yet we can expect some type of Action RPG or Soulslike.

HM: Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra

The concept for this game looks great with four playable characters (Captain America, Black Panther, and two new ones), an original story, and graphical fidelity that will convince almost anyone that these are real people and not videogame characters. However, there are still so many question marks around this game. So far, we have no gameplay or release date, and the game has already been delayed with no revised timeline. Also, the game is the debut project for Skydance New Media so we don’t have any real precedence for what they can make. But the game is helmed by Amy Hennig (of Uncharted fame) and has been in development for a long time so if it delivers a fun action game akin to something like Insomniac’s Spiderman series it could be a real gem.

HM: Slay the Spire 2

The original Slay the Spire was the first roguelite I played a lot and remains one of my favorites. It’s deckbuilding, difficulty curve, and meta-progression are all excellent. Roguelite sequels have consistently improved on their predecessors so if it is anything like Risk of Rain 2, Rogue Legacy 2, or last year’s Hades 2 it will take the best parts of the original and add some new tweaks to improve the formula. This game is definitely one of my most anticipated games but at the moment it is only confirmed for a Steam release so it will remain to be seen if it makes it to PS5.

HM: Control: Resonant

Remedy Studios’ Control was the first game I played in 2026 and was a really interesting, bizarre game with an original world full of unique characters. The first game was a 3rd person shooter, adventure game that followed Jesse Fayden in her search to find her brother Dylan. Resonant will follow Dylan sometime later in his search to find Jesse and will pivot to an ARPG style. We still don’t have too much information about this game, but Remedy is a pretty reliable studio, and the debut trailer was good enough to get me to finally play Control so I’m very excited for this one. It probably belongs in the top 10 but just needs some more information.

HM: Valor Mortis

While the Soulslike formula is a bit saturated and has seen numerous recent additions they are still very fun (frustrating) games. Valor Mortis is a first-person Soulslike that takes the formula to a re-imagined Europe during the Napoleonic Wars ravaged by a plague that is making monsters for some patented genre creepiness. I’m not sure how well the formula will translate to a first-person perspective, and I haven’t played anything else from One More Level, but I thought the gameplay footage looked interesting and I’m excited to try this one out.

10. The Blood of Dawnwalker

Rebel Wolves is a new studio, but they are filled with talent for crafting rich, story-driven RPGs (including the former director of The Witcher 3). The Blood of Dawnwalker looks to be an exciting debut project which follows some of the Witcher conventions (but you get to play as a vampire! With vampire powers!) The main character Coen is a “Daywalker” vampire who will have unique abilities based on the time of day and will have to balance his humanity with his bloodlust and a fight to rescue his family.

The most compelling facet of this game for me is the open-ended nature of the narrative which is very reactive to the decisions made by the player. Rather than a linear story the game gives you 30 days & nights to solve its plot and rescue your family. What players do in these 30 days seems to be pretty up to them and there is a great deal of freedom in how you approach different problems. There are also lots of side-quests and open-world activities that do not affect the timeline so players can explore many of these without worrying about having to rush. With this freedom, an interesting combat system, and the potential for Witcher 3 level side quests, The Blood of Dawnwalker could be a really amazing narrative-driven RPG to sink your teeth into. This game has high expectations and even more potential and I am salivating (sorry) to see it in action.

9. Romeo is a Dead Man

Talk about an exciting reveal trailer! Like many people I was first exposed to this game during The Game Awards in 2025. Grasshopper Manufacture’s quirky, bombastic style of humor-based action seems to be pulling out all of the stops for this release. The game follows a “Deadman” named Romeo Stargazer who is some sort of time-traveling, monster-fighting, secret agent guy that goes around the multiverse solving problems. It is primarily an action RPG that follows Romeo on these monster slaying missions, but it also features a ridiculous amount of minigames, extra content, and other characters to get to know. The game has already been recognized for using a variety of visual styles to tell its story including comic books, a retro isometric spaceship as a HUB, and regular Triple-A animation for the majority of its run time.

I don’t have a lot of experience with games from this developer (only Lollipop Chainsaw, and No More Heroes 3) but Romeo is a Deadman looks like a real kitchen sink of a game with gory hack-and-slash combat and tons of systems to dive into. It is also releasing on February 11th, so we won’t have to wait a long time to see what it’s about. I worry a bit that it will have too many things going on at once and that the combat will get repetitive, but I am ecstatic to dive into this crazy world and see what it’s all about.

8. Invincible VS

I had the opportunity to test this game in alpha a few months ago and came away very excited to see the final product. While there were definitely some things that still felt a bit raw the team is full of fighting game veterans and seems very receptive to notes from the community. For fans of the Invincible series the attention to detail, voice acting, and uniqueness of characters will be a good draw. At the same time, fighting game fans will find a game that is easy to pick up and play but difficult to master. The combat is fast, crunchy, and satisfying while the mechanics for each character are unique and accommodate a variety of different playstyles.

So far 11 of the 18 characters have been revealed and 10 were available in the beta and very fun to try out (Battle Beast was my favorite.) While I wish the roster were a bit larger, I think 18 is more than enough for players to try and find their 3 mains before the initial DLC release. So far players have only been able to try online PVP but there is confirmation of an original story and as a fan of the series I am curious where they will take it.

This year will be a big one for 2D & Tag fighting games and while bigger IPs like Marvel and Avatar: The Last Airbender might generate more traction I am confident Invincible VS can carve out a niche of its own and become a fame the FGC cares about if it gets proper post-launch support. This one is confirmed for an April 30th release date so we can expect some more information soon about game modes and the rest of the roster. Hopefully, I’ll get another chance to test it before release and can update my thoughts on it then.

7. Mouse: PI for Hire

Ever since Cuphead I’ve been dying for another game to pull off the classic-cartoon aesthetic of the 1930’s. This year there are two great chances with Coffee Stain Publishing’s Into the Unwell and Fumi Games’ Mouse: PI for Hire. The latter is an FPS with a mystery, detective component that looks to bring whacky weapons and combat into a well realized “rubber-hose” world with interactable NPC’s, minigames, and numerous collectibles.

The most striking thing about this game is the clear level of care that the team has put into it. The entire game is hand drawn with a style that is unbelievably polished and downright charming. This is accompanied by an original jazz score and excellent sound design that really bring home the cartoonish style of the game. At the same time the story looks to blend humorous interactions with real world-themes of racial division and tyranny that fit right in with today’s political climate.

This is a game that I will definitely buy on release and I am itching to play. For anybody who wants some more insight into the development process the team at Fumi Games made a really great documentary on Youtube about their approach to the game. I think Mouse will undoubtedly be one of the best-looking games of the year and if its gameplay is half as fun as the trailers make it seem it might even be one of the best indie games of the year.

6. Saros

Housemarque’s Returnal showed that roguelites could be made with Triple A resources (and warrant Triple A price tags) without losing their charm and the run-to-run excitement the genre is known for. Saros seeks to continue that with more polished gunplay, new abilities, and unbelievable sci-fi visuals. The studio wanted to make another game in the same vein as Returnal within a different universe so we can probably expect another mysterious adventure whose story will be slowly revealed by dying a lot.

This game isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it does look to add in some interesting combat features to spice things up for people who loved Returnal. Protagonist Devraj is equipped with a shield that can absorb incoming damage and convert it into boost for his unique “Carcosan Power Weapons.” I’m sure these will come with a whole slew of upgrades and different ways to customize builds for players. The addition of a shield will hopefully make the combat extra methodical while not compromising on the breakneck pace the studio is known for.

I really enjoyed Returnal and I thought its co-op was awesome when it was added so hopefully Saros will offer that on launch. Even if this game is just Returnal with a fresh coat of paint I will play the heck out of it, but I expect Housemarque to deliver one of the best roguelites yet and some of the best gunplay that gamers can experience in 2026.

5. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls

While Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken are probably the most successful IPs in the fighting game community perhaps no developer is as respected as Arc System Works. the Guilty Gear franchise, Dragon Ball Fighterz, and Granblue Versus have all been great additions to the fighting game ecosystem. I had the opportunity to test Marvel Tokon and really enjoyed the style, combat and feel of the different characters. While this game certainly has some things to iron out and has been criticized for not changing too much in between tests, I still think that it is very fun and will benefit from the power of the Marvel IP as a means of attracting new players.

As I mentioned earlier 2026 looks to be a good year for 2D fighters and while I adored Invincible VS and enjoyed 2XKO I feel that Marvel Tokon has the most potential to have some lasting presence in the FGC. The combat is extremely easy to pick up but still allows for good skill expression and offers players lots of tools in combat. All eight of the test characters available were unique and represented their comic book counterparts well. Spider-Mans zippy, mix-up heavy style was probably my favorite, but I also adored the controlling, zoning power of Doctor Doom, and the all-round, balanced powers of Captain America. This game is a 4 v 4 fighter, but because the team shares a health pool players can decide if they want to really focus on one main or rotate between their roster a lot in the same round.

I have some worries about this game (Marvel is too big of an IP for 16 characters on release) and many people are already counting it out, but I also think that with some slight adjustments players will find a really interesting fighting game. For people with even a passing interest in Marvel the unique designs and great Japanese voice acting performances will be an exciting novelty as well. Assuming this game releases this year it will likely be my fighting game of the year.

4. Nioh 3

Nioh is my favorite soulslike that isn’t made by From Software and all of the gameplay footage and early reactions from review publications confirm that this game is going to be amazing. The third edition of the series has adopted for an “open-zone” type of gameplay instead of linear level design like in the past. Combat has also been tweaked by allowing players to switch on the fly between a quick Shinobi stance and a more parry heavy samurai stance. The game will also feature 14 unique weapon types on launch. All of this leads me to believe that players will be able to customize their playstyle in a way that they haven’t been able to in the past.

Team Ninja is essentially action game royalty at this point and Nioh 3 looks to continue that trend with intense environments, imposing enemies, and combat that might cause motion sickness in some people. This is a game which I am certain will be extremely well received and will likely be one of the most successful games of the year. The formula for these games is so good and the switch to open zones will probably help players to not get discouraged when they run into a difficult boss.

Nioh 3 will be releasing on February 6th and will offer players a demo on January 31st as well so it will likely be the litmus test for action games going forward this year. It will be intriguing to see if Team Ninja’s in house Katana Engine can compete with Unreal Engine 5 and when it seems like most Triple A games are being made with that nowadays. Overall, this looks to be an exciting game for Soulslike veterans as well as newcomers to the genre and belongs in that group of games that might win lots of awards if GTA 6 ends up getting delayed again.

3. Crimson Desert

Korean developer Pearl Abyss looks primed to deliver the first truly massive RPG of the year and potentially the first real Game of the Year candidate. Crimson Desert will be a sprawling, vast RPG with deep build-crafting and a comical number of things to do and enemies to fight. It’s got dragons, mechs, dinosaurs, swords, bows, a cool looking bird suit, magic, and pretty much anything else you can think of aside from romance. I’ve watched lots of content about this game and it is undeniably going to be cool, but I still get the feeling we are just scratching the surface of what this game will really be like. I’ve got some questions about the story and how long the gameplay loop will remain fresh but as a whole package this looks like an incredible project.

The main thing which has been displayed about Crimson Desert is its combat which is clearly dynamic and sems unique from other ARPG’s in its diversity. Sometimes it looks like Devil May Cry with tight combos & strings of skills but other times it looks more akin to something like Elden Ring with difficult, meticulous boss fights. The other thing that we know about this game is that it has a map with a scale that is rarely seen in video games. It has been said that it will be larger than Red Dead Redemption 2 and double the size of Skyrim so players will have a lifetime of things to do and see.

The games story appears to be pretty linear and won’t feature a lot of player decision-making, but Pearl Abyss has stressed that the gameplay loop & customizability given to players will still allow for everyone to have a unique experience. I love decision-making in games but with a game this big it might be nice to not have to worry at all about what I should have done differently. If Crimson Desert can deliver satisfying combat, an interesting story, and compelling side content it may well follow in the footsteps of other ARPG giants and captivate gamers for years.

2. Phantom Blade Zero

Since its initial reveal trailer Phantom Blade Zero has looked different from other action games. While it is technically an ARPG the game has a very unique style which embraces traditional wuxia conventions with a lot of modern twists. The game director Soulframe Liang even coined the term “Kungfupunk” to describe its eclectic blend of kung fu & cyberpunk with elements of Ming dynasty history and dark fantasy. It looks to be a really unique game that will please action fans while hopefully bringing some new things to the table.

The story follows an assassin named Soul who has been given a 66-day timeline to cure a grievous injury inflicted on him by his former order. Assumedly the player will have some type of clock with which to complete this quest while also exploring some side content. I still don’t know enough about the story to get excited but the combat and visuals in this game look otherworldly. Like a wuxia film the combat is rapid, acrobatic and varied with a variety of weapons (More than 20 at launch) on display. While explicitly not a Soulslike game, Phantom Blade Zero does promise intense difficulty and boss encounters to excite veterans of these games. Many games coming this year have exciting combat systems, but none look quite as satisfying as this one.

While players will have to wait a bit to flex their “Kungfupunk” muscles the game is confirmed for a September 9th release and developer S-games has released a lot of information about their inspirations and development processes. Most of the combat was produced through motion capture (using modern Kungfu masters) and there seems to be a clear emphasis on making the incredible things Soul can do grounded in reality. This game is made with Unreal Engine 5 (like lots of others) but looks like it could potentially set a new standard for what that engine is capable of. I can’t wait to play this game, and it is my (extremely) premature pick for Game of the Year if GTA 6 gets another delay.

1. Marvel’s Wolverine

Lots of exciting games are coming out this year but none get my inner child as excited as Marvel’s Wolverine. I am a huge fan of ARPGs and the X-Men, but more than anything I am a fan of Insomniac Games. There are lots of other developers that regularly release great games. However, I don’t think there is another developer that has been able to release this many consistently great games that cover different genres and appeal to a wide audience. Ironically, this will be Insomniacs first M-rated game in over 10 years, so they are stepping a bit out of their typical family friendly style. Despite this, I still have more than enough faith in their superhero/adventure game pedigree (Spiderman, Ratchet & Clank, Spyro).

Wolverine has been featured in numerous games over the years. From 1989’s Uncanny X-Men on the NES to several Marvel vs. Capcom titles and even appearances in last years’ Marvel Rivals, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion. He has been one of the most successful gaming mascots for Marvel for a long time and is one of my personal favorites. Even with this popularity his last solo outing was in 2009 with X-Men Origins: Wolverine which was a fun game but now is a relic of the past. Ever since, many fans have eagerly awaited his return. Marvel’s Wolverine was first announced in 2021, but it wasn’t until last Septembers State of Play that we finally got a trailer… and what a trailer it was.

While there wasn’t much gameplay on display there were confirmations of gory action, multiple places to explore, and a semi original story. The animation looked excellent and the combat looked visceral with explosive fights on snowy mountains, destructible towns, and even a Motorcycle chase that ended with Wolverine jumping onto the back of a semi-truck and clawing a guy (very cool). Wolverine also looks excellent and is confirmed to have his iconic garish yellow suit in addition to multiple other costumes. We also got to see confirmed cameos from Omega Red & Mystique and surely this will just be the tip of the iceberg with the number of characters that could potentially be brought in.

This game has lots more that needs to be revealed and still hasn’t confirmed a release date, but it looks like a dream for any X-Men fan. I trust Insomniac to make a smooth game and I think that Wolverine has enough interesting story beats, villains, and allies to make a really intriguing ARPG game that will appeal to lots of people. I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be the best game to release this year, but it is definitely going to be a game that I pre-order, gleefully await, and beg all of my friends to play too so I can talk with them about it.

Conclusion

That wraps up my most anticipated games of the year for the time being. I’m sure there will be plenty of other amazing games that didn’t make this list, and I can’t wait to play those too. It feels like this year could potentially eclipse the greatness that we saw in 2025 and will have tons of variety to offer casual, and obsessive gamers like me. What games are you most looking forward to next year?