This past year gave us some truly great games, including Ghost of Yotei , Dispatch, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hades II, to name a few. However, it also gave us some examples of questionable design and development, such as Assassin’s Creed: Shadows and MindsEye. With 2025 now behind us, it’s time to look forward to the innovations and stories coming over the next 12 months. Here’s what we at Dawn are looking forward to playing in 2026. Grand Theft Auto VI Releases on November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S Mikail: This was an obvious one, since it’s not only the most anticipated game of the year, but also the past decade. Following years of hype, trailers and memes (we had a Pakistan-India war before GTA VI ), Rockstar’s next entry in one of the most profitable but controversial video game franchises will be upon us next November. When it drops, it could be the biggest entertainment launch in history. The trailers showcase a photorealistic Vice City, which I’m itching to explore, highly detailed characters, and a Bonnie and Clyde-esque story featuring the two protagonists, Lucia and Jason. After seeing the interactive world created in 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2, and bearing in mind Rockstar’s track record for quality, this is going to be one for the books. A screenshot of one of Grand Theft Auto VI’s two protagonists, Jason. — Photo via Rockstar Games Cairn Releases on January 29, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and PC Nazish: One of the first games coming up this year, Cairn is a survival climber that does not shy away from arduous realities of mountain climbing. It looks almost educational in the way it covers all the inglorious parts — straining every muscle to crawl up steep cliffs, wrapping bandages around the sores on your hands, and the sheer, cold solitude. I’m especially intrigued by how grimly realistic and immersive this one looks. Not in terms of its visuals, but in the way it casts mountain climbing as the dangerous, daunting task it is, rather than a bright and pixelated journey of bouncing spring platforms and double jumps (Can you tell I’ve played a lot of Celeste ?). At the same time, it promises breathtaking landscapes and peaceful moments of rest that make it worth it to keep going. Just watching the trailer for this game made me a bit scared, so that’s promising. Resident Evil: Requiem Releases on February 27, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC M: The next mainline entry in Capcom’s iconic survival-horror franchise is set to release early next year, following an FBI agent being chased by monsters as she investigates a series of mysterious deaths. For the first time in the series, the game will allow players to switch between first and third-person perspectives, offering players a more tense experience in the former and a more action-focused one in the latter. Like every mainline entry since 2017’s Resident Evil VII: Biohazard , the game has been developed on Capcom’s RE Engine, allowing for realistic lighting and high visual fidelity. I’d be more excited if this series didn’t absolutely terrify me. Slay the Spire 2 Releases in March 2026 for PC (Early Access) N: I might be building a brand for playing a lot of sequels, but I can’t not mention the return of this iconic roguelike deckbuilder. Slay the Spire 2 promises brand new cards, characters, relics and potions as well as souped-up art and animation that already looks engaging and fresh. I have to confess that deckbuilders aren’t really something I’ve played a lot of. But I love a game that promises interesting variation in its gameplay. I love a game that gives you Big Damage Numbers and fun loot, and a real sense of progress. And I love a game with funky art and animation that shows off a distinctive personality. So I think this one will be a blast. 007: First Light Releases on May 27, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC M: Making his return to video games after over 12 years, James Bond will step back onto the scene with this offering from IO Interactive, the masterminds behind the Hitman franchise. First Light will act as an origin story for the iconic secret agent, with IO being, in my opinion, the best developers for a project of this nature. Hitman’s World of Assassination trilogy already played a lot like a spy game — a well-dressed man sneaking into places he’s not supposed to be — providing a solid foundation. An explosive gameplay reveal this year showed a game with Hitman ‘s open-world, methodical stealth and Uncharted’s action-packed shooting and set-pieces in one package. Mr Bond, we’ll be expecting you. Hollow Knight: Silksong - Sea of Sorrow Expansion Releases in 2026 on PC and Steam Deck N: If you‘re looking for more of an indie fix, Hollow Knight: Silksong has announced an expansion coming up next year (exact date TBD). Sea of Sorrow promises “new areas, bosses, tools, and more” according to the game’s official Steam page — and if you’ve played either Hollow Knight or the long-awaited sequel, you already know the best part is the exploration and discovery. While not much is known about the expansion yet except that it‘s “nautically-themed” and takes the player both across and beneath the seas, that’s more than enough to hype me up. I‘m well into Silksong right now (expect a review soon) and this is a great excuse for me to keep revisiting it in the next year. Let’s just hope my platforming skills will still be up to snuff by the time it‘s out. And that I’m still young. Forza Horizon 6 Releases in 2026 on Xbox Series X/S and PC M: The latest entry in Microsoft’s open-world arcade racer, Forza Horizon 6 , will take players to Japan, where they will be able to explore the land of the rising sun while driving some of the fastest and most iconic cars ever to grace asphalt. Forza Horizon 5 , released on PlayStation 5 this year, gave players a truly open world to explore with amazing car physics and highly detailed vehicles. I loved it. You could curate a solid collection of dream cars, ranging from supercars to racing trucks to the all-time classics. With this gameplay loop in modern-day Japan and with the amount of vehicles the game can offer, this is going to be one ride worth waiting for. I just hope it also comes out on PlayStation soon after launch. Marvel’s Wolverine Releases in 2026 on PlayStation 5 M: After initially being announced in 2021, the team behind Marvel’s Spider-Man , Insomniac Games, is set to unsheathe Marvel’s Wolverine sometime this year. Footage from gameplay reveals and trailers has shown a slick combat system with plenty of gore, living up to the comics. Behind-the-scenes footage shows a team of developers passionate about bringing the comic icon to life, while actor Liam McIntyre seems stoked to voice such a recognised character. However, we’ve seen projects where developers claim to be passionate about the source material, only to drop the big catch when launch day arrives. With Insomniac at the helm, I have little doubt about the quality of the game at launch and I’m really excited to sink my teeth (and claws) into this dark, gritty adventure. A screenshot from Marvel’s Wolverine. — Photo via PlayStation Store Subnautica 2 Releases in 2026 on Xbox Series X/S and PC N: This is slightly different fare from my usual genre, but exploring every single corner of a game until I’m hitting the edge of the world is one of my favourite things to do, and I suspect I’ll be doing that a lot here. For fans of open-world survival games, this follow-up to the popular 2018 Subnautica essentially promises more of a good thing — beautiful, vivid underwater landscapes to chew on while fighting off the various many-toothed things trying to chew on you. And, it comes with an official, four-player co-op mode — they know what the people want. This one is going to be released in Early Access for people who just can’t wait to dive (ha!) back in.