Gaming Influence: Rankings - Most Anticipated Video Games in 2026

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Gaming Influence, a reboot of the same name I created in WrestleCorp. However, I will not only be giving my thoughts on certain video games and video game series but also on video game movies, video game anime, video game digital presentations, etc.

For this edition of Gaming Influence, I'll be ranking my most anticipated video games in 2026.

Before I start, my rankings will only be based on games that are announced and are going to be released in 2025, which include new original games, remakes, remasters, and ports with additional content that wasn't in the original game. My rankings will not include re-releases on other consoles, as well as DLC (Ex. Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven). In addition, if any games in 2025 aren't listed on my rankings, it just means I have no interest in them or forgot about them, so keep that in mind.

Anyway, let's get started!

Before I start my actual rankings, if you want to see my most anticipated video games of last year, check out the link here: Gaming Influence: Rankings - Most Anticipated Video Games in 2025

Here are some honorable mentions that I enjoyed, but didn't make it on the list:

Honorable Mentions: ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN, Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, Code Vein II, Out of Words, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Super Meat Boy 3D, Beast of Reincarnation, Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf, Invincible VS, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, Mario Tennis Fever, Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered, Chronoscript: The Endless End, CONTROL Resonant, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Orbitals, ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer

Now, let's start with my #20 favorite video game in 2025:

007 First Light is an action-adventure game developed and published by IO Interactive, where the game is set to be released on PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 26, 2026.

It's been a long time since we last had a 007 game, which was 007 Legends, released on the PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii U in 2012. Seeing a new original 007 game after fourteen years is remarkable. Everything we've seen of this game so far has looked great in terms of graphics, story, and gameplay, so we'll see if the final game turns out well once it's released in two months.

Here's my #19 favorite video game in 2025:

MONSTER HUNTER STORIES 3: TWISTED REFLECTION is a role-playing game developed and published by Capcom, where the game is set to be released on PS5, Switch 2, PC, and Xbox Series X on March 13, 2026.

With how successful the MONSTER HUNTER STORIES games have become in the past couple of years, it's great to see Capcom is making this into a series, as it's a great way for people to get into the Monster Hunter series without playing the mainline games. It looks like they're continuing the story where they left off in MONSTER HUNTER STORIES 2 as they're looking to expand upon it, but we'll have to wait and see. Luckily, we won't have to wait long as it'll be out in two months.

Here's my #18 favorite video game in 2025:

Danganronpa 2x2 is an adventure game developed by Gemdrops, Inc. and published by Spike Chunsoft. The game is set to be released on Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2026.

I love Danganronpa, and I never thought that this game would be remade with additional content on it, which is awesome to see. Adding new cases and new scenarios with this cast is going to be very interesting, and I'm curious to see how this remake will turn out overall with the new content. Either way, I'm excited for it and hope to see more later this year.

Here's my #17 favorite video game in 2025:

Pokémon Pokopia is a life simulation game developed by Omega Force and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The game is set to be released on Switch 2 on March 5, 2026.

This was a game that I didn't expect, but after watching it, it has a lot of potential. A mix of Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Harvest Moon into one with Pokémon is something that I'm definitely interested in. The fact that you're playing as Ditto, too, is quite cool. Looking forward to trying this game out once it's released in two months.

Here's my #16 favorite video game in 2025:

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a platformer developed and published by Nintendo, where the game is set to be released on Switch 2 in Spring 2026.

It's been eight years since we last got an original Yoshi platformer with Yoshi's Crafted World, which was released on Switch in 2018, so when we saw Yoshi and the Mysterious Book with the latest Nintendo Direct, I was happy to see it. I really love the art style that they did with this game, and the abilities that Yoshi has in this game, compared to past games, are quite unique. Very curious to see how this game will turn out once it's released this spring.

Here's my #15 favorite video game in 2025:

Rhythm Heaven Groove is a rhythm game developed and published by Nintendo, where the game is set to be released on Switch in 2026.

I've been waiting for a new Rhythm Heaven game for a long time, as the last Rhythm Heaven game was Rhythm Heaven Megamix, which was released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2015, which was eleven years ago now, and that's insane. Even though we haven't seen anything of this game for a long time now, I do expect it to deliver, as long as it has catchy songs, people will get into it quite easily. Either way, looking forward to playing this once it's released later this year.

Here's my #14 favorite video game in 2025:

Saros is an action-adventure game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is set to be released on PS5 on April 30, 2026.

Housemarque generally produces great games, and their previous one with Returnal, was great. With Saros, it looks to be their biggest game yet, as everything we've seen so far is looking awesome with the graphics, story, and gameplay. This game has the chance to be Housemarque's best game yet, but we'll see if they can deliver the goods once it's released in three months.

Here's my #13 favorite video game in 2025:

Nioh 3 is an action role-playing game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo. The game was released on PS5 and PC on February 6, 2026.

I'm a fan of the Nioh games, and when they showcased Nioh 3, I was happy, as I personally thought we wouldn't get another game within the series, but yet, here we are. Everything about the game so far is looking great in terms of graphics, story, and gameplay, as they look to expand and improve from Nioh 2, which released on PS4 in 2020. Looking forward to playing the full game once it comes out next month.

Here's my #12 favorite video game in 2025:

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a social simulation game developed and published by Nintendo, where the game will be released on Switch in Spring 2026.

When this game was first announced, I was ecstatic, as the Tomodachi series is just a fun series filled with comedic moments, so I'm glad to see Nintendo making a new game within this series, which is awesome. The last Tomodachi game was Tomodachi Life, which was released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, and that's been thirteen years now, and that's insane. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is looking to continue that comedic moment trend, and I can't wait to play it this spring.

Here's my #11 favorite video game in 2025:

Phantom Blade Ø is a wuxia action role-playing game developed and published by S-GAME, where the game is set to be released on PS5 and PC on September 9, 2026.

The first time we saw this game a few years ago, I was blown away by the graphics and gameplay of this game, and we finally got a release date for the game after so long. Not only do the graphics and gameplay still look impressive, but the story seems very intriguing from what they showcased with the recent trailers, which got me really intrigued. Looking forward to playing the game once it comes out in eight months.

Now, we're in the top ten. Here's my #10 favorite video game in 2025:

Grand Theft Auto VI is an action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games, where the game is set to be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2026.

I mean, what else is there to say about this? It's Grand Theft Auto, of course, I'm going to be excited for this game. It'll be thirteen years since the last original Grand Theft Auto game, which was Grand Theft Auto V, and that was released on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in 2013; that's insane. Originally, it was supposed to come out in 2025, but it got delayed to 2026. We'll see if the delay will make the game better, and we can only hope.

Here's my #9 favorite video game in 2025:

PRAGMATA is an action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom, where the game is set to be released on PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and Switch 2, on April 24, 2026.

When they first showcased this game a few years ago, I was quite impressed by it as I was curious to see what the game would be, and a few years later, we finally got a full release date for it, and it's incredible. Everything about this game is looking amazing so far in terms of graphics, story, and gameplay. We won't have to wait long now as it'll be coming out in three months.

Here's my #8 favorite video game in 2025:

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is an action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom, where the game is set to be released on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X in 2026.

When they first showcased this game back in the Game Awards in 2024, I was blown away as I didn't expect a new original Onimusha game after so long, but here we are. The last original Onimusha game we had was Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, which was released on PS2 in 2006, so it's been twenty years, and that's unbelievable. I'm looking forward to the return of Onimusha with Onimusha: Way of the Sword later this year.

Here's my #7 favorite video game in 2025:

DRAGON QUEST VII: Reimagined is a role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix, where the game was released on Switch 2, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 5, 2026.

When they first announced this at a Nintendo Direct last September, I was shocked as I didn't expect a reimaging of DRAGON QUEST VII, but here we are! I really love the type of art style that they're going with this reimaging, as it's mixing in the classic and modern style into one, which is awesome to see. They're also looking to do a lot of QoL improvements as well, which I can't complain about. Can't wait to re-experience this game in a new way once it's released next month.

Here's my #6 favorite video game in 2025:

Resident Evil Requiem is a survival horror game developed and published by Capcom, where the game was released on PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 27, 2026.

Ever since they showcased this game back at Summer Game Fest last year, I was blown away, as this Resident Evil game is looking incredible. The fact that this game will have two playable characters in Grace and Leon is awesome, and I'm very curious to see where the story goes itself. The gameplay looks fun as always, but I'm ready for a bunch of scares to survive. We won't have to wait long now as the game will be released next month.

Now, we're in the top five. Here's my #5 favorite video game in 2025:

 

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a fighting game developed by Arc System Works and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is set to be released on PS5 and PC in 2026.

When they first showcased this game at a PlayStation State of Play last June, I was blown away as it looked incredible. This game is pretty much what I want the next Marvel Vs. Capcom game to be, but the fact that this game is being developed by Arc System Works and the anime aesthetic to the Marvel characters is insane. The combat looks super fun and flashy, and it's a 4v4 fighting game as well, which is history here. Everything is checking the boxes for me when it comes to this game, and I really hope this game delivers once it's released later this year.

Here's my #4 favorite video game in 2025:

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix, where the game will be released on Switch 2, PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X in 2026.

When they first showcased this game back in the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase in July of last year, I was amazed, as I didn't expect Square Enix to develop an action RPG in HD-2D, but here we are! The combat of this game looks incredible in the HD-2D graphics, as this is a game that has a lot of potential to be amazing. Hope to see more and can't wait to see the final product when it comes out later this year.

Here's my #3 most anticipated video game in 2026:

The Duskbloods is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Nintendo. The game is set to be released on Switch 2 in 2026.

When they first announced this back in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, I was literally stunned as I never expected Nintendo to get an exclusive FromSoftware game, but here we are! From everything we've seen with the game so far, it looks to be a spiritual successor to Bloodborne, which I'm totally down for. Hope to see more of it and looking forward to playing it once it comes out later this year.

Here's my #2 most anticipated video game in 2026:

Marvel's Wolverine is an action-adventure game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is set to be released on PS5 in Fall 2026.

We haven't seen anything from this game for four years until the PlayStation State of Play last September, where they finally showed gameplay for it, and it looked incredible. Everything that Insomniac has done with this game looked amazing in terms of graphics and gameplay, as it looks like Wolverine, but very curious to see if it feels like Wolverine once we get our hands on it. Looking forward to seeing more of this game once it comes out this fall.

Now, here's my #1 most anticipated video game in 2026:

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. The game is set to be released on Switch 2 in 2026.

Fire Emblem is one of my favorite Nintendo franchises, and I'm glad that another game in the series is on the horizon, but the fact that this game is potentially a sequel to Fire Emblem: Three Houses got me excited. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one of my favorite Fire Emblem games, and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave looks to continue within that timeline, especially with Sothis returning. Either way, I can't wait to see more of this game to see if it's connected to my favorite Fire Emblem games in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Those are my most anticipated video games in 2026.

What are your most anticipated video games in 2026?

Let me know in the comments below, and thank you for reading.