Well, that’s exactly what we’re setting out to do. Here are a few recently announced titles that are sure to make 2026 and the next few years all the more exciting with their presence. Let’s get started!

1. Sons of Sparta

This one was quite a pleasant surprise, being made available right after its reveal at State of Play. If you love hard-hitting action, big set-piece battles, and a setting that goes all-in on spectacle and emotion, this one’s an absolute no-brainer.

It’s a 2D platformer that rewinds the clock, diving into a protagonist’s past as he fights alongside his brother and begins carving out his place on the battlefield. It leans heavily into tight platforming challenges, while its spear-and-shield combat proves surprisingly addictive, rewarding precision, smart parries, and well-timed evasions.

2. The Trilogy Remake

It was a welcome surprise to see the announcement land at the show, especially with a full remake project on the table for players. We’re eager to see how the updated versions modernize the classic gameplay loops, sharpen the pacing, and refine the combat feel while keeping the general flow and feel intact.

Either way, we’ll be jumping in the moment it’s playable, though it sounds like it may be a while, with development still in the early stages.

3. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse

It’s always great to join one of the Belmont’s on a monster hunting adventure, and this one’s setting in Paris has us fascinated by its gothic vibe and buttery smooth combat animations. Of course, the Vampire Killer is making its return to your side along with new weapon types that let you take the fight to whatever monstrosities the game throws at you.

While details about its story are a tad scarce at this time, we’re sure that Konami and the Dead Cells team are up to the task of making it one worthy of the long-standing franchise.

4. Gothic Remake

This is another remake that we’re itching to get our hands on considering just how much work is going into making it a game that stays true to the classic RPG while modernizing it to make it appealing to a new generation of players.

With the most recent in a series of videos about its development showcasing how the team has crafted its NPC character models from the ground up, this one’s shaping up to be a very fine addition to a slew of remakes of classic titles. Even better is the fact that it’s currently scheduled for a 2026 release.

5. Samson

This one’s quite unique in that it features a man in a leather jacket literally taking on the world in order to pay off his debts and save his family. That’s easier said than done, however, as the city of Tyndalston is not an ideal place where one can earn their fair share without a little bit of violence involved.

Miss a day’s payment, and you’re even deeper in the debt trap with both the law and the lawless out to get you. This action brawler is going to keep the pressure on you, but of course, it gives you everything you need to come out on top. Just don’t expect it to give you cash or mercy.

6. Aphelion

While we’ve seen our fair share of sci-fi adventures where humanity needs to move out from the Earth thanks to hostile living conditions, we’re still excited for Aphelion as it does things a little differently. You see, it focuses on two explorers stranded on a potentially new home for their fellow humans, their ship having crashed, and one of them being injured in the process.

With two protagonists with their own abilities and skills, and a story that explores the burden of duty in a dire situation, this one could pull at your heartstrings more than you’d like to admit.

7. John Wick

It’s always going to be great to see Keanu Reeves play another video game badass after his work as Johnny Silverhand. And John Wick’s excellent take on the character’s signature gun-fu style is looking very promising in the reveal trailer at State of Play, February 2026.

Saber Interactive looks like it’s staying true to the character while bringing all of the action and chaos that seems to chase him around to the table in a title we’re excited to play, although that could take a while.

8. Knight’s Path

When life gives you lemons, you pick up a sword and wander the land in search of redemption. At least, that’s what Arlyk, the protagonist of this action-RPG set in ancient Rome, sets out to do in order to rebuild his life as a noble.

With combat that’s looking like you’re going to earn your reputation as a swordsman without comparison, this one is going to have us spending a lot of time with mechanics that are designed to make each swing or slash of your blade count. Add in an immersive world and a potentially memorable cast of characters, and you have yourself a winner.

9. Kena: Scars of Kosmora

Kena is now older, wiser, and more determined to bring her unique blend of empathy and compassion to Kosmora, a brand new location that’s opened its doors to her. She’s more confident in her role as a guide and is determined to help the living as well as the dead as she goes about her duties.

That’s good news for us as it gives us more opportunities to experience a story that hopefully retains the wit and charm of Bridge of Spirits with a combat system that seems fast, fluid, and, most importantly, fun.

10. Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 2

We’re never going to say no to any opportunity to play more Metal Gear Solid, and the chance to replay MGS4 on a modern console without having to boot up our admittedly ancient PS3 is always a reason to celebrate.

And with Peace Walker retaining its online play components, this is a title we’re eager to get our hands on when August 2026 finally comes around. It’s time to round up your friends and take on a Metal Gear title that was built around cooperative play in this second addition to the Master Collection series from Konami.

11. GreedFall 2: The Dying World 1.0

The prequel to Greedfall has been in early access for a while now, but it’s finally ready to face the world this March. We’re stoked to return to Tree Fradee, a place where your choices carry wait and there’s always a bit of danger for those adventurers who care to go looking for it.

If this new title is anything like its predecessor, this one could have us spending more than a few hours finding out that our actions have consequences, and ones that we didn’t expect more often than not.

12. ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies

The spiritual successor to Disco Elysium is definitely up there with the more interesting concepts we’ve seen in recent years. You play as a former secret agent who harbors dark secrets and is now working as a PI after being forced out of the agency in disgrace.

The story is about rebuilding burned bridges as much as it is a mystery, where you need to think carefully about your actions while also paying attention to your crumbling mental state. That’s a lot to take in, but it’s going to be worth it from everything we’ve seen about this one.

13. Road to Vostok

Coming to early access in April 2026, this post-apocalyptic survival title takes you to Vostok, a harsh place in which even a silly error could mean the end of your adventure, with permadeath being a constant threat that hovers over you as you make your way through the story.

With a dynamic world that features a comprehensive weather system, multiple hostile factions all determined to give your character a premature death, and of course, a ton of loot to be gathered, Road to Vostok has us quite enthusiastic for all of it.

14. IKUMA – The Frozen Compass

Any adventure where you’re accompanied by a NPC is one that’s worth it in our book, and this one definitely caught our eye with its unique visuals and art style. You play as Sam, a boy who finds himself alone and stranded on an island in the Arctic with his loyal furry friend Ellie at his side.

Together, they must find a way home, braving all of the challenges in their way in a coming-of-age story that forces Sam to confront his past in order to ensure he has a future.

15. Project Windless

If you liked The Bird That Drinks Tears series of novels, this is a game that’s going to be a treat for you. It’s an open-world RPG set in the same universe as the books, placing you in the shoes (metaphorically, of course) of a giant humanoid bird who is armed with a pretty cool pair of dual blades and out on a mission that has you taking on several enemies who are quite skilled at coming at you from all directions based off what we’ve seen in the trailer.

This is a game that we’re eager to play thanks to its focused, single-player experience.

And that’s a wrap on our most anticipated titles for the rest of this year and perhaps a few that are going into 2027 and beyond. Of course, you can be sure you’re going to hear from us the moment new information on any one of them becomes available.

Interestingly, Xbox users have also noticed Peace Walker HD being taken down from the Microsoft Store. The title was available on Xbox consoles through backwards compatibility thanks to the Xbox 360 release of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which included Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (and by extension, Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake), and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 was unveiled last week, and will essentially fill out the empty spots of the canon games that remained unplayable on modern hardware. Along with the two games, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel will also be playable on consoles after having spent more than two decades exclusively available on Game Boy Color.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 will be coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and the Switch 2, and is slated for release on August 27th.

The Steam listing for the collection has revealed the kind of hardware that PC players will need for the title, and most surprising in this is the fact that it requires a minimum of 16 GB RAM. Since Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was made for PS3—a console with 512 MB of RAM—and Peace Walker was made for PSP —a handheld with either 32 MB or 64 MB of RAM depending on the hardware revision—the relatively higher RAM requirements might indicate the level of extra visual polish we might see.

The idea that the games are simply running through emulation rather than being fully ported to modern platforms also has some merit, which could go on to explain the hardware requirements since emulation software also tends to have its own hardware overhead requirements, especially in terms of processing speeds and memory.

Konami has also confirmed that, while Metal Gear Solid 4 won’t be getting back its multiplayer Metal Gear Online mode, the online co-op mode for Peace Walker will be kept intact for the Master Collection Vol. 2 release. This is great for the latter since it features many optional missions structured like Monster Hunter‘s quests. However, Konami hasn’t yet confirmed whether or not we will see the Monster Hunter collaboration missions make it into the Master Collection Vol. 2 release, which involved hunting down a Rathalos, among other things.

Both Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker fill out important gaps in the overarching story of the franchise. While the former marks the end of Solid Snake’s story, closing off all loose plot threads by its climax, the latter gives us a greater glimpse at how Metal Gear Solid 3 protagonist Naked Snake would continue his transformation into Big Boss, with its ending and final boss fight directly leading into the events of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes.

Originally released exclusively for PS3 and the only entry in the series to never get a re-release, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the final tale in Solid Snake’s journey. He’ll go up against Liquid Ocelot’s version of Outer Heaven with new stealth mechanics (including an optic-camo suit). As for Peace Walker, it originally launched for the PlayStation Portable before coming to PS3 and provides some much-needed background on characters like Paz heading into Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 launches on August 27th (with pre-orders seemingly getting Metal Gear: Ghost Babel for free), but that’s not all. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1’s final update is going live today, and adds high-resolution options for both Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, making them look sharper than ever. With discounts currently live for the series, there’s no better time to jump in.

In a Production Hotline video earlier in the year, Okamura said that Konami hadn’t yet decided what games were going to be included in Master Collection Vol. 2, and speaking in the recent video, he elaborated further on why that decision hasn’t been made, explaining that unlike the games included in Vol. 1, other Metal Gear titles don’t have existing HD ports that can be used for a new collection, while those that are already in HD are quite large in scale, which comes with its own challenges.

“We had HD ports of MGS1, 2, and 3. Or, sorry, not really for 1, but the other two,” Okamura said. “But most of the titles released after those don’t have a pre-existing HD port we could use. Some are in HD, but those would all be really big titles, and that comes with its own set of issues.

“So with all those factors to consider with the lineup, anything along the lines of ‘what’s in it?’ or questions like ‘how long will it be in development? When will it be out?’ It’s going to be a little while until we can get a clear picture, but when we do, we’ll let you know here.”

Okamura then went on to very explicitly confirm that Konami is indeed working on Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, before acknowledging the issues that Vol. 1 launched with, and providing assurances that the company will avoid similar mistakes with the next collection.

“Of course, we called the first one Vol. 1, so we are making a Vol. 2, that much is for sure,” Okamura said. “We’re also worried about how Vol. 1 had a pretty rough launch, with all the issues, so we’re going to do everything we can to not repeat that, but we just have to ask for everyone to give us time.”

Earlier this year, reports claimed that the lineup of titles for Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 would include Metal Gear Solid 4, Metal Gear Solid 5, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, something that prior datamining leaks had suggested as well. 

Meanwhile, Konami is also continuing to work on Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, having recently showcased the upcoming remake’s opening, and confirming that it’s now fully playable behind-the-scenes from start to finish. A release date hasn’t yet been announced, but the game will be playable at TGS later in September. 

Speaking in an interview with IGN, Konami producer Noriaki Okamura recently teased – not too subtly – that a second volume of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection would likely include Metal Gear Solid 4 as well.

“We definitely are aware of this situation with MGS4,” Okamura said. “Unfortunately we can’t really say too much at the moment with [Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection] Vol. 1 containing MGS 1-3 dot dot dot… you can probably connect the dots!

“Right now we still are internally concerned about what we should be doing for the future of the series. So sorry, we can’t really reveal anything at the moment. But stay tuned!”

This isn’t the first time the idea of MGS4 being included in a potential Vol. 2 has come up. Reports suggested in June last year that it would indeed be part of the next Metal Gear collection, alongside The Phantom Pain and Peace Walker, which was later reinforced by datamining leaks of Vol. 1 later in the year.

Speaking about the next Master Collection release earlier in the year, Noriaki stated its contents hadn’t yet been decided, and asked for more patience. Read more on that through here.

In the meantime, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with a release date or window currently unknown, though that will seemingly be announced later this year.

GRAND THEFT AUTO 6 GAMEPLAY

Rockstar Games does things at its own pace and leisure, so it’s very unlikely that the company is going to bother aligning its plans with an event rather than just dropping a new trailer of GTA 6 online whenever it’s good and ready. It’s highly unlikely, then, that we see a new trailer of the open world crime epic at Summer Game Fest or at Xbox Games Showcase or what have you- but boy oh boy would there be an explosion of hype if we did.

BLOODBORNE REMAKE/REMASTER

Looking at the way Sony treats the game, you wouldn’t believe that Bloodborne is widely considered one of the greatest games ever made, let alone one of the best first-party PlayStation games of all time, because even as demand for a Bloodborne sequel or remake or remaster or, hell, even a 60 FPS patch, grows louder, Sony insists on responding to that demand with pure silence. The chances of a Bloodborne remaster or remake ever happening are slim, but some part of us is just never going to be able to let go of that last shred of hope.

THE ELDER SCROLLS 6

Even though it’s been six years since Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6, it doesn’t take a genius to know that there’s zero chance we’re going to see it at the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase. The fantasy RPG entered production only a few months ago, while Bethesda is still also very much focused on post-launch support for Starfield. Are we going to see the sci-fi RPG’s first expansion? Almost certainly. But The Elder Scrolls 6? Unfortunately, as awesome as it would be, it just isn’t going to happen for a few years yet.

THE LAST OF US PART 3

While it’s unlikely that The Last of Us is the sort of franchise that’s just going to go on forever, it’s also almost definitely not done just yet. At the very least, fans expect one more game to round out Ellie’s story- but though that’s almost definitely going to happen at some point in the future, it’s highly unlikely that it’s going to happen anytime in the near future, much less the coming days. We’ll be all kinds of hyped when The Last of Us Part 3 really is announced, but we doubt it’ll happen anytime soon.

HALF-LIFE 3

Thanks to Half-Life: Alyx, this is no longer completely a joke inclusion. The 2020 VR game was like a bolt out of the blue, and impossibly enough, it once again gave series fans hopes that maybe Half-Life was going to have a future after all. Of course, you can never be too sure that Valve is ever going to do what you expect it will, so there’s still no guarantees that a new Half-Life game will ever come out- but there’s at least a semi-decent chance that it does, and if that happens, our excitement is going to be through the roof.

THE WITCHER 4

Cyberpunk 2077 was a major bump in the road for CD Projekt RED (if we’re putting it mildly), but after having righted those wrongs with post-launch updates and the excellent Phantom Liberty, the developer is now ready to return to the Witcher universe. Geralt of Rivia’s story is over, but CDPR has now started working on another new game in the series that will kickstart its own trilogy. The game is supposed to enter full production before the end of the year, so we’re not going to get an announcement just yet- but slowly but surely, it’s cooking behind the scenes, and we’re keeping one eye glued to it.

THE NEXT LIKE A DRAGON/JUDGMENT

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio puts out Like a Dragon and Judgment games at an incredible pace, which means even though it’s only been a few months since Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth came out, it’s not completely nuts to already start looking to the future. Given how long it’s been since Lost Judgment, it’s likely that a third instalment is what’s next for RGG Studio, but even so, we don’t think an announcement is coming just yet. Whenever it does though, given the developer’s track record, it goes without saying that we’re going to be more than a little keen to get our hands on whatever game ends up getting announced.

ACE COMBAT 8

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is five years old, so fans can’t be blamed for growing antsy about when the series’ next instalment will be announced, and if recent leaks are to be believed, Ace Combat 8 is indeed what Bandai Namco has lined up as its next big game. Do we expect an announcement in the coming days, especially with the publisher also focusing on Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree? Probably not. The announcement is very likely coming soon though, and we couldn’t be more excited.

DEATH STRANDING 2 GAMEPLAY

Admittedly, this one isn’t as unlikely as many of the others we’ve spoken about in this feature, especially given how often we see Kojima trailers at Geoff Keighley events, but the fact that Sony didn’t showcase a new trailer of the game at its recent State of Play might suggest that maybe there just isn’t anything to show yet. Is there a chance that we still see a trailer at Summer Game Fest? There probably is- and we hope that that does happen, because Death Stranding 2 is looking set to be one of 2025’s biggest releases.

DINO CRISIS REVIVAL

Probably the textbook definition of a pie-in-the-sky dream scenario. There’s been loud demand for a revival of the Dino Crisis franchise for a while now, but though Capcom looks to have aggressive plans for remakes where Resident Evil is concerned, it doesn’t look like the company is eying a Dino Crisis revival just yet. We hope that it does end up happening sooner rather than later though, because a modern survival horror Dino Crisis game built in the RE Engine would be just too good to pass up.

NEXT MASS EFFECT

BioWare confirmed that it was working on the next Mass Effect game several years ago at this point, but the sci-fi RPG is still in pre-production, which means it’s still going to be at least few years before the game releases. Given that, and the fact that BioWare and EA are probably going to be focusing on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf this summer, how likely is it that we see glimpses of the next Mass Effect in the coming days? Not likely at all, unfortunately. We’re happy to be patient though, in the hope that it turns out to be worth the wait- which, admittedly, will be a tall order.

CONTROL 2

Remedy Entertainment only just released Alan Wake 2 less than a year ago, and the developer recently confirmed that Control 2 had still yet to enter full production. Is there a chance, then, that Control 2 gets announced at one of the upcoming events? All signs are pointing to no, especially since it’s looking likely that Remedy will instead be showcasing Alan Wake 2 DLC. Whenever Control 2 does get unveiled however, given how excellent the first game was, you can bet excitement for its sequel is going to be sky-high.

MAX PAYNE 1 AND 2 REMAKE

Max Payne 1 and 2 Remake is probably going to be Remedy’s next big project after Alan Wake 2, especially with the developer having confirmed that the combined remake will be entering full production soon. What that means, then, is that though it’s unlikely to get unveiled in the coming days, chances are high that it will be announced within the coming year or two. When that happens, you can look forward to widespread fervent anticipation, because the return of Max Payne is something we’ve been desperately waiting for for a long, long time.

MIYAZAKI AND FROMSOFTWARE’S NEXT GAME

When FromSoftware releases a new game, especially one directed by the mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki, the entire industry sits up and takes notice, and that obviously will happen whenever it happens next. It won’t be happening anytime soon though, because FromSoftware is going to be entirely focused on Elden Ring’s upcoming expansion over the coming couple of weeks. Given the speed at which the studio works, there’s a good chance that we’ll be hearing about its next game faster than some may think, but we do think it’s unlikely that that happens as soon as this summer season.

METAL GEAR SOLID MASTER COLLECTION VOL. 2

A compilation of a bunch of old games wouldn’t be a hugely exciting thing under ordinary circumstances, but there’s a good chance that the next time Konami puts out a Master Collection for Metal Gear Solid games, it will also include Metal Gear Solid 4, making that game playable on a system other than the PS3 for the firs time ever. Our hope is that that happens sooner rather than later, but there’s been little to no indication of late that Konami will be making those announcements in the near future. We hope we’re wrong though, because we’re always down to return to Metal Gear.

Of course, the fact that it was called Vol. 1 was indication for many that the company had more similar collections planned for the future, and while that hasn’t yet been officially announced, it certainly seems like we’ll be hearing more about a second volume at some point in the future.

In a recently uploaded “production hotline” video uploaded by Konami, responding to a question about a second MGS collection, series producer Noriaki Okamura said (via Twitter user @HEITAIs) that Konami hasn’t decided “yet” which games will be included in Master Collection Vol. 2, or when it will be released, before adding, “please wait a little longer.”

Previous reports and datamining leaks have indicated that Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 will include Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

Konami is also working on a number of improvements for Master Collection Vol. 1, including support for higher resolutions, controller configuration options, and more.

Meanwhile, MGS3 remake Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

This is due to Timo653 on Reddit discovering multiple strings related to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid 5 and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker when looking at scripts for the launcher of Metal Gear Solid 2 in Vol. 1. There are references to manuals, Terms of Service and more, with Peace Walker having more than Metal Gear Solid 4 and 5.

Vol. 1’s titles are also included in the strings, lending further credence to Vol. 2 being in the works. Konami hasn’t confirmed the latter, so we must wait for an official announcement. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, check out our review for Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1.

MGS 2 Vol2 Leak?

Its official website for Metal Gear Solid has added buttons for games in Vol. 1 on the History page. However, as noted by Twitter user Nitroid, inspecting the page reveals placeholder buttons for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid 5 and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. It could mean a potential Vol. 2 is coming with these titles. IGN said it “understands this lineup for Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is accurate” and awaits comment from Konami.

While one could assume that the buttons for Vol. 1 link to generic listings for each game, they lead to new pages showcasing screenshots and images from the upcoming compilation. The old listings can still be found under “Lineup” on the official site, but if Vol. 2 does happen, this would be Konami laying the groundwork.

Interestingly, when Konami first announced Vol. 1, it listed all three titles, but also had a “?” and “Stay tuned for more information.” The section has since been updated to include Metal Gear 1 and 2, along with other goodies, but the existence of placeholders for other titles gives some hope. It’s especially noteworthy for fans of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which has been stuck on PS3 since its 2008 release.

Stay tuned for further updates. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 releases on October 24th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch.

The new Metal Gear Solid website added buttons to the timeline for the games in Master Collection Vol. 1, but if you inspect the page, there are placeholder buttons for MGS4, Peace Walker, and MGSV as well.

Very interesting. pic.twitter.com/V0ezMHdpcT

— Nitroid ❗ (@Nitroid) June 21, 2023

While this is hardly conclusive of anything, here's some additional context for why it's suspicious: pic.twitter.com/2zPbbKTL79

— Nitroid ❗ (@Nitroid) June 22, 2023