Cover image via 
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for the latest stories and breaking news.
Happy New Year! We've officially survived the sheer volume of epic video games in 2025.
We hunted beasts in the Forbidden Lands, stopped The Paintress from painting death, and dual-wielded our way through feudal Japan.
You'd think the industry would give our wallets a break, but looking at the 2026 slate, that is simply not happening.
If 2025 was the year of the open-world giant, 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the 'Character Action' games.
We're seeing the return of iconic heroes, origin stories for legendary squads, and a certain British spy getting his first proper video game outing in over a decade.
Here are the five games you need to lock onto your radar for 2026:
1. Marvel's Wolverine
Platforms: PS5
After practically perfecting the superhero traversal mechanic with Spider-Man, Insomniac is trading webs for adamantium claws. This isn't a friendly neighbourhood patrol; it's a mature, gritty dive into Logan's history.
We have been waiting for a Wolverine game that actually lets Logan be Logan since the X-Men Origins tie-in years ago. Insomniac has promised a darker tone, and given their track record, we expect the combat to be visceral. Forget webbing enemies to walls; this is about berserker barrages and healing factors.
Rumours and early tech showcases suggest a real-time regeneration mechanic where you can see battle damage — cuts, burns, exposed skeleton — heal over in real-time during combat. It's the ultimate power fantasy.
2. Gears of War: E-Day
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC
We are going back to the start. Fourteen years before the first Gears of War, a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago face the initial horror of Emergence Day. No space lasers, no robot armies — just the raw, terrifying collapse of society as the Locust Horde erupts from the ground.
The series is returning to its horror roots. The trailers have shown a moodier, more claustrophobic atmosphere reminiscent of the original 2006 classic. It's less about being a super-soldier and more about surviving a nightmare. Plus, seeing the "brotherhood" of Marcus and Dom form from day one is going to hit hard emotionally.
The Coalition work magic with Unreal Engine 5, and E-Day looks set to redefine graphical fidelity, particularly lighting and gore physics.
3. Fable
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC
It has been a long time coming, but we are finally returning to Albion. Playground Games — the masters behind Forza Horizon — have rebooted the whimsical, satirical RPG franchise. It's a world of heroes, chickens, and British humour, all wrapped in a stunning fairytale aesthetic.
Modern RPGs have become incredibly serious — looking at you, Witcher and Final Fantasy. Fable looks to bring back the "fun" of role-playing, where you can be a noble hero or a landlord who kicks chickens for sport. The tonal shift is exactly what the genre needs right now.
The reboot promises to deeply integrate how NPCs react to you based on your fame (or infamy). Walk into a pub, and they might cheer you or hide under the tables, depending on whether you saved the village or robbed it.
4. Resident Evil 9
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
After wrapping up of the Winters family saga in Village, Capcom is taking the franchise forward. Leaks and rumours point to a more open-ended structure, possibly setting the game on an island with a focus on exploration that goes beyond the "corridor horror" of previous entries.
Capcom is on an undeniable winning streak. Whether this ends up starring classic characters like Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy or introduces fresh blood, the RE engine guarantees it will be the scariest thing you play this year. The shift to a potential open-world format could reinvent survival horror just like RE4 did back in the day.
With the "mould" storyline finished, we are eager to see what new biological horror Capcom cooks up. Are we going back to zombies, or something entirely new and folklore-based?
5. 007 First Light
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
The studio that created Hitman is making a James Bond game. Read that again. It is a match made in gaming heaven. This is an original "Bond origin story", meaning we aren't playing as Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan, but a fresh incarnation of 007 earning his 00 status.
IO Interactive understands "social stealth" and gadgetry better than anyone. We expect massive, intricate sandboxes — casinos, enemy bases, ski resorts — where you can complete objectives using a silenced pistol, a high-tech watch, or just by smooth-talking your way past the guard. It's the ultimate spy fantasy.
Unlike the linear Call of Duty-style Bond games of the past, this will likely allow you to approach missions with the same creative freedom found in Hitman, but with more action and explosions.
