This year promises to be as exciting a gaming year as any prior. We’ve got a lot of great games on the way, along with exciting new tech like the Nintendo Switch 2 to play them on. With that in mind, this feels like a good week to share what we’re most interested in for 2026’s gaming schedule so far. Check out our picks below in this week’s Shack Chat!
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**Question: What is your most anticipated game of 2026?**
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### Pokémon Pokopia
*Ozzie Mejia, Senior Cozy Gamer*
I’ve come to love and appreciate the different varieties of cozy games as I’ve gotten older. I came around on Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, but it was Disney Dreamlight Valley where I really started to get a sense of what this type of game could do. Of course, my Disney village has been unattended for over a year, so where do I go now?
Well, apparently, the answer is an abandoned Pokémon island. The idea of living as a Ditto—creepily imitating a human being—and building a village from scratch has me intrigued, especially knowing what kind of Flintstone-like functions every Pokémon is capable of doing. Will this be worth checking into every day? Not sure, but I can’t wait to find out.
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### Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls
*T.J. Denzer, Senior News Editor*
After the time I spent playing demos at EVO and Tokyo Game Show in 2025, I couldn’t be more excited to see how *Marvel Tokon* grows in 2026. Arc System Works has been cooking with gas on its fighters for as long as I can remember, and *Tokon* looks like it’s going to be another banger.
The coolest Ghost Rider we’ve ever had in a fighter, Iron Man looking like a Gundam, and Storm and Dr. Doom being exactly what they ought to be — this game looks excellent from all angles. I just need them to stick the landing and hopefully drop Gambit, Jubilee, Luke Cage, and Nightcrawler along the way.
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### Grand Theft Auto VI
*Asif Khan, Sweet Jump Enthusiast*
I know some folks think that *GTA 6* is about to get delayed again, but I am still looking forward to playing that game later this year. A true Florida Man simulator is exactly what the broader video games audience needs in 2026.
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### Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2
*Bill Lavoy, Shackmaps Overlord*
My excitement for *GTA 6* is off the charts — I’ll play it for hundreds of hours, no doubt. But *Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2* is the sequel to a game that I feel deeply connected to in a way that goes beyond entertainment.
I play *The Long Dark* to feel at home, to lose myself in a survival sandbox that drives me to explore survival interests in the real world. The continuation of that journey in *Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2* is by far the experience I’m looking forward to the most in 2026.
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### Grand Theft Auto VI
*Sam Chandler, Law-abiding Citizen*
Is it finally going to happen? Will we finally get to play *Grand Theft Auto VI* this year? I don’t think there’s ever been a bigger game that more people are looking forward to playing.
There have been massive game releases in the past — games that have defined gaming moments (like *Halo 2*, *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*, etc.) — but *GTA VI* feels like it’s about to topple all records. If it does happen this year, I’ll be one happy law-abiding citizen.
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### Mixtape
*Donovan Erskine, Nostalgic Mixtape*
*Mixtape*, the newest game from Beethoven and Dinosaur, blew me away when I played it at Summer Game Fest last year. A coming-of-age story packed with rich characters, great needle drops, and a charming art style? I’m in.
I got to see first-hand how they’re infusing music and art into the narrative, and I’m dying to see more. If *Mixtape* is two-thirds as good as I think it will be, it’ll be one of my favorite games of 2026.
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### The Duskbloods
*Dennis White Jr., The One with The High Death Counter*
I love my Soulsborne games, and I am very interested in what FromSoftware is building next — not only a brand new game but one that is online multiplayer focused at its core as well.
With the game being a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive and a PvPvE, I hope the development team is creating something fun and exciting with elements already established in some of their other titles.
There seems to be a Victorian gothic aesthetic that reminds me of areas like Cainhurst Castle in *Bloodborne*, but from interviews with Nintendo, Hidetaka Miyazaki mentions there will also be more modern areas in the game.
Getting power and abilities from blood ties into character elements explored in *Bloodborne* with the vampiric race called the Vilebloods. As a Souls nerd, I’m curious if some elements of a potential Vilebloods spin-off were repurposed into this new IP.
Regardless, I have not been let down by previous FromSoftware titles, and with Miyazaki confirmed as director for *The Duskbloods*, I’m definitely locking in and will be playing this game on Day One.
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### Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
*Steve Tyminski, Stevetendo Show Host*
What is my most anticipated game coming out in 2026? There are a few that I’m keeping my eye on. I’m looking forward to *Pokémon Pokopia*, Pokémon’s try at an Animal Crossing-like game. From the looks of it, it’s going to be interesting and Squirtle is in it, so that’s a plus.
Another game I’m excited about is *The Duskbloods*. I have always been interested in the Dark Souls games but rarely jumped into them — that’s going to change with this title as it looks really cool. Fingers crossed it still comes out in 2026.
If I have to pick one game I’m looking forward to the most, it’s *Yoshi and the Mysterious Book*. Yoshi adventure games can be hit or miss, but from what has been shown so far, this game looks really interesting.
It reminds me of *Yoshi’s Story* if Yoshi was tasked with curating a museum or exhibits. If we don’t get a new *Super Mario 3D* game this year, *Yoshi and the Mysterious Book* will be my top pick for 2026, with *Pokémon Pokopia* and *The Duskbloods* getting honorable mentions.
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2026 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for gaming — we can’t wait to see how all these exciting titles unfold! What games are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!
https://www.shacknews.com/article/147465/shack-chat-most-anicipated-games-2026
