Now that 2026 is here, it’s time to look at the new video games appearing this year. Fans have been waiting eagerly for these for several months – sometimes years! Some are part of a series, featuring the same world building but with new faces; others offer brand-new settings or innovative proposals. Basically, they cater to all styles and preferences.

Some are part of a series, featuring the same world building but with new faces; others offer brand-new settings or innovative proposals. Basically, they cater to all styles and preferences.c

Here is a list of the top five new releases, in order of release date. Prices are given in US dollars. You can check out more upcoming video games here.

Mario Tennis Fever

Release date: 12 February

This sports video game developed for Nintendo Switch 2 features iconic characters such as Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Princess Peach and more. The big new feature is “Fever Rackets”, which allows players to perform a variety of effects during the match. On a single system or online, 1-4 players can be playing in a single match. For $69.99, players who value casual play style, nostalgia and having fun with friends can enjoy Mario Tennis Fever.

Resident Evil: Requiem

Release date: 27 February

Fans of the well-loved post-apocalyptic world can delve into a new survival horror game by Capcom. The 11th game in the iconic Resident Evil series, it features a new main protagonist Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst investigating her mother’s murder, alongside fan-favourite Leon S. Kennedy as a second playable character.

The last game, a remake of Resident Evil 4 released in 2023, also featured Kennedy as the main protagonist, fuelling fans’ excitement about seeing this character once again in a new game.

The game is for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. It costs $69.99 for the standard version and $79.99 for the deluxe version.

Pragmata

Release date: 24 April

This action-adventure sci-fi game, also developed by Capcom, is long awaited as it has been in development since 2020 and pushed back many times due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The story follows an astronaut and an android in the form of a little girl as they fight a hostile AI system on a research station on the Moon. Players will be able to play this brand-new game for $59.99 (standard version) and $69.99 (deluxe version) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.

Grand Theft Auto VI

Release date: 19 November

The last Grand Theft Auto – V – came out in 2013, so gamers are super-keen to see this latest instalment in the incredibly popular action-adventure series from Rockstar Games. It follows the romantic criminal duo of Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval set within a fictionalised Florida.

Fans have been waiting for GTA 6 for over a decade, so long that the wait itself has become a meme: “We have [X] before GTA 6”, where ‘X’ is some ridiculous thing that people would not expect to happen.

The platforms are expected to be PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X or S, with a PC version later. The official price has not been released yet, but it is predicted to be around $70.

Subnautica 2

Release date: not announced

An underwater survival-adventure game set on an all-new alien ocean world. This is the second Subnautica game developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, and the main attraction is the new environment and a greater variety of species compared to the first game.

The open-water survival game will come to PC and Xbox Series X or S, with plans for other platforms later. There’s no official price yet, but fans predict it will be around $50.

If these prices seem steep, you might be right. The cost of video games continues to rise, along with improved technologies and new additions. We must not forget that most of these games are considered to be AAA, so one could say that the steep price is therefore justified for the companies that produce them. However, for the gamers living through a global cost of living crisis, gaming feels like a luxury.