Halfway 2026. What Else Is On The Horizon?

Well, we made it. We’re half way through the year and with one of the most anticipated games releasing in November (hopefully?), it’s time for us to reflect on the year that’s been and what’s ahead as we’ve been more than surprised with the quality of games in a year that is allegedly defined by a single one.  

If you don’t know what we’re talking about, don’t worry—you will soon… 
 

But first, let’s recap! Capcom started the year off strong with the release of Resident Evil Requiem, boasting dual-protagonist gameplay whilst delivering 10ish hours of absolute butt-clenching survival horror. Followed in April with a genuine Game of the Year contender, the highly anticipated and refreshingly original, Pragmata. The affectionately named ‘Dad Simulator’ was Capcom’s long awaited mystery project with its initial reveal in 2020. Developmental delays and radio silence somehow catapulted fan excitement and its release proved to make up for the long wait, and then some. Capcom couldn’t possibly drop something better this year, no?  

Meanwhile, Bungie has us wondering: when one door opens, another one closes…  
 

Marathon landed on Steam in March with a free demo weekend that saw some of the sweatiest players converge to try out the latest extraction shooter. The launch came with underwhelming success and a justified amount of anger from fans as hundreds of developers were pulled away from Destiny 2 to work on the development of Marathon. This was then followed by, and to the surprise of almost no-one, the announcement of Destiny 2’s cancellation of future expansions in late May. We’ll be watching this space closely to see what’s next for Bungie fans and future seasons of Marathon.  

Curiously, March also delivered arguably one of the biggest single-player open-world releases of the year, Crimson Desert, on the same day as the Death Stranding 2: On The Beach PC Port. A bold move by Kojima Productions that has us wondering if there’s also something planned for November 19th? Hmmmm… Anyway, back to Crimson Desert—the action-adventure RPG sold 3 million copies in its first week and earned strong reviews proving to players that it was well worth the wait after originally being announced back in 2019.  

May brought us a massive month of titles, most notably the early-access release of Subnautica 2, with one million copies sold in the first hour of launch and with reviews currently sitting at Very Positive. Similarly landing in May with positive reception, Forza Horizon 6  launched with breathtaking Japanese views and 550 real-world cars for players to discover. The open-world racing franchise reminded us why they’re the gold standard in this genre with already ~50k of positive reviews on Steam.  

Wrapping up the mid year recap with special mentions to Indie hits: YAPYAP, Mewgenics, and early-access title—Slay the Spire 2. All very much worth a play.  
 

Before we get accused of burying the lede…  
 

What’s on the horizon for the rest of 2026? The highly anticipated and long awaited Grand Theft Auto 6 launch is confirmed(?) for November 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with no confirmed release date for the PC Port as of yet. With a projected $3 Billion in revenue, GTA 6 has and will consume the gaming discourse for months leading up to and around launch, forcing the entire industry to adjust and scramble to release their titles before the month of November rather than compete directly.  

Gears of War: E-Day and Phantom Blade Zero are two such titles launching in October. Gears of War: E-Day is available for pre-purchase now but will be launching October 6. The prequel to Gears of War explores the brutal origin story in a co-op setting with players trying to survive a city under siege, boasting bigger battles and bigger maps.  

In contrast, Phantom Blade Zero is dropping two weeks later on October 29 as a dark fantasy with a race-against-time style storyline—blending breathtaking visuals and fight choreography inspired by martial arts cinema. Launching just weeks before GTA 6, Phantom Blade Zero has us wondering if this is a clever marketing strategy or just plain confidence in their ability to release an amazing game.  

We’re keen to see closer to the date how many other studios will take this same risk. In any case, there are so many awesome titles coming up for the remainder of 2026 and this is truly shaping up to be one of the greatest years for PC Gaming.  

Don’t agree with us? Did we miss any big ones? Let us know in the comments!