GTA 6 and every little thing else: What to survey in video games in 2026

The video games substitute is unpredictable.

When you may well perchance told us this time final year that a beforehand unknown French studio would claim game of the year, Battlefield 6 would knock Call of Duty off the head of the annual charts and that Saudi Arabia would rob gaming huge Electronic Arts (EA) we would were… sceptical.

So you may well perchance must be very toddle of yourself – or very foolish – to try and predict what’s going to happen within the year forward.

Fortunately, we’re no longer within the crystal ball substitute right here at BBC Newsbeat, however there are some things shall we even be confident video game followers ought to composed protect an test up on on in 2026.

Whether or no longer it’s huge releases, huge strikes or huge considerations – right here’s a rundown of among the largest things to see out for.

“A cultural 2nd, a day thousands of thousands of gamers were awaiting for a extremely, very lengthy time.”

Sound familiar? It will composed. It is what we wrote about Tremendous Theft Auto 6 this time final year.

Two delays and one new trailer later, and we’re roughly where we had been 365 days ago.

Assuming it comes out, as planned, on 19 November, this may almost no doubt shatter records.

And in addition you may well perchance bet other publishers may well perchance prefer to liberate their own 2026 games as far away from it as that you just may well perchance take into accounts.

Nevertheless the massive ask stays: “Will it safe delayed again?”

Author Contain Two says or no longer it is confident the brand new date will protect, on the other hand it stays to be considered whether or no longer developer Rockstar’s most modern sacking of 31 workers – which incorporated experienced crew contributors – may well perchance have an impact on the game.

Read more:

• ‘We had been fired for trying to unionise’
• Why does GTA 6 protect getting delayed?

Admire this year, when publishers manoeuvered spherical GTA 6’s current “leisurely 2025” liberate date, 2026 is front-loaded with foremost releases.

Eastern huge Capcom unleashes Resident Rotten Requiem, the ninth well-known entry in its blockbuster scare series, in February, followed by sci-fi circulate crawl Pragmata in April.

Sony is also planning to plunge PlayStation uncommon Saros, a note-as a lot as 2021’s widely-praised Returnal, in April.

Whereas Wolverine, the next superhero wreck from Spider-Man studio Insomniac – one other in-rental Sony developer – is dwelling to approach within the autumn.

May perchance well perchance well just will see the arrival of 007 First Light – the celeb-filled James Bond crawl from Hitman developer IO Interactive.

Nintendo will be looking to rob the momentum of its list-breaking Switch 2 commence this year.

Ones to survey embody Pokopia – a cushy take on Pokémon – and online multiplayer The Duskbloods from Elden Ring maker FromSoftware.

Followers have complained about the dearth of a new Mario or Zelda game and, as things stand, neither has been announced yet. Nevertheless the company’s got make for announcing huge new games mere months sooner than they liberate.

Microsoft currently teased huge displays for its January 2026 Developer Inform showcase and, unless we’re told otherwise, is attributable to of liberate Fable – its reboot of the very British myth RPG series – and Gears of Battle: E-Day sometime all the design by the year.

Marking 25 years of its Xbox mark may well perchance also give the company a probability to win support followers after backlashes over studio closures, mark rises to its Game Cross subscription provider and its decision to liberate flagship series on rival consoles.

And that’s correct the main publishers. Request more indie surprises to take centre stage subsequent year.

Our one-to-survey is Raccoin – a rating assault game inspired by arcade coin-pusher machines.

Read more:

• Xbox Game Cross mark make higher angers gamers
• 007 First Light delayed to May perchance well perchance well just 2026

Random-safe admission to memory, or RAM, is a extremely well-known component in thousands of thousands of digital gadgets including smartphones, Properly-organized TVs, medical instruments and even vehicles.

It is far also been getting if fact be told, if fact be told dear.

Demand from Synthetic Intelligence (AI) data centre tasks has been blamed, with among the world’s biggest RAM producers pivoting in direction of supplying put a matter to from huge tech corporations.

Micron, owner of the Fundamental mark equipped in quite so a lot of online and excessive facet street stores, currently announced it became ceasing its client substitute to pay attention to place a matter to from AI corporations.

All of which has created a shortage that, in step with some analysts, may well perchance finally push up prices of electronics, with video game consoles excessive on the checklist of attainable casualties.

Trade websites Bloomberg reported that manufacturing prices for Nintendo’s Switch 2 may well perchance upward push and there are also considerations that Valve’s upcoming PC-console hybrid Steam Machine would be delayed, or dearer, attributable to the matter.

To this level, no video game corporations have commented.

Within the games substitute, which has faced thousands of layoffs in most modern years, discussions about generative AI (GenAI) and its impact on jobs are significantly fierce.

Accurate this month Swen Vincke, the boss of multi-award-successful Baldur’s Gate three maker Larian Studios, faced a backlash when he told interviewers the company had explored using GenAI for setting up with tips and early prototypes.

He said no AI convey would seem in its completed games nor change human workers however, in a note-up response, said it’d be “irresponsible” no longer to evaluate new applied sciences.

Regardless of early claims that GenAI may well perchance allow of us to make games more swiftly at a fraction of the present prices, or no longer it is unclear how worthy of an impact or no longer it is if fact be told had.

Developers who’ve spoken to BBC Newsbeat whisper or no longer it is no longer widely old in completed merchandise due to a mix of ethical, just and helpful considerations, however diverse corporations have at the least tried using it for pre-manufacturing work.

Some smaller corporations proudly teach that they don’t use the instruments at any stage of pattern.

Against a backdrop of uncertainty over the lengthy-term design forward for GenAI, it stays to be considered how far its use will unfold.

Nevertheless or no longer it is miles a subject that fosters solid emotions from gamers and workers all the design by the substitute, so request of more controversies because the year ploughs on.

Read more:

• Can Arc Raiders win a Bafta game award?
• How AI is fuelling uncertainty for game developers

Electronic Arts (EA), the publisher of Battlefield 6, EA FC and The Sims, is now not any doubt one of the most world’s biggest video game corporations, accountable for titles that in most cases top bestseller charts.

The announcement it had accredited a list-breaking $55bn (£41bn) narrate from a Saudi Arabia-led investment team came as a shock.

It is far the nation’s most modern huge tear into gaming, which it says is allotment of wider efforts to make its financial system less reliant on oil.

Nevertheless critics take into accounts or no longer it is miles a make of “sportswashing” – investing in entertainment in an try and soften its global popularity due to its anti-LGBT rules and human rights list.

The nation’s conservative cultural values have triggered considerations over the impact the deal may well perchance have on toddle EA series.

The Sims, which has an infinite LGBT fanbase, faced an develop up from some of its agreeable-identified convey creators when some cut obedient ties in advise in opposition to the buyout.

EA answered with an announcement announcing the game would “repeatedly be a rental where you may well perchance enlighten your official self”.

There are also considerations that the deal may well perchance also lead to extra lay-offs at EA, which has taken on $20bn of debt to finance the acquisition.

If all goes to thought, the deal ought to composed be performed by the summer, when there ought to composed be more clarity on the system forward for some of gaming’s most smartly-liked series.

Read more:

• Why Saudi Arabia spent $55bn on EA