Another year is upon us, and there's much for us to look forward to, with a new mainline Resident Evil game, a string of Mario games, and, of course, the most anticipated title of perhaps all time, Grand Theft Auto VI, all poised to appear this year. However, while the Pocket Tactics team can't wait to experience all the great games we know about, there's plenty in store for 2026 that we don't yet know about.
So, as we do every year, the Pocket Tactics squad has come up with individual predictions that we can reflect on at the end of the year - the team did pretty well with our 2025 predictions, but we're going to get ahead of the game this year and put them out there for you to see now. That way, you know we really are just brilliant when it comes to December, and we're living our best lives with a series of strong predictions that came to fruition. I'm already off to a terrific start, with one of my predictions coming true before I could even write this feature.
I thought a new Life Strange game would arrive, and now we know for a fact that's the case, so what about other new game predictions? At the very least, we think Final Fantasy VII part 3 will appear (and our editor, Ruby, went one step further, stating that it'll be called Requiem or Reawaken). We're also hoping to see something about Kingdom Hearts 4, though it'll ultimately come out next year instead - don't let us down, Square Enix. Please. Ruby is also hoping for Persona 6, while Connor is betting on a new Spyro game - full disclosure, this is a coping mechanism from our hardware editor, but here's hoping that he's right.
Beyond those, I think a new Castlevania game, Sonic Frontiers 2, an official Chainsaw Man game, and Fallout 3 and New Vegas remakes are on the way, along with a Switch 2 port of The Witcher 3 and new DLC in which you play as Ciri (it's all but confirmed that we're getting a new expansion already). Then, keeping along the theme of remakes, our guides editor, Tilly, thinks we'll see another Resident Evil remake, along with the current ones popping up on the Nintendo Switch 2 - this makes perfect sense to me, given we're getting Requiem on the platform day one.
Staff writer Holly, meanwhile, thinks that the recent 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn't all you Tom Nook fans are getting this year, as she reckons a new Animal Crossing game is on the way - the Nintendo Switch 2 does need one - along with the possible additions of Animal Crossing GameCube and Wild World on NSO. Ruby supports this idea, too, pointing out that the franchise turns 25 in April. Staff writer Quinn also has a prediction for AC, claiming that New Horizons will become popular once more, and with the new update, that feels like a guarantee at this point.
Up next, our Hoyoverse fans, Tilly and staff writer Daz, suspect that Honkai Nexus Anima will launch in Autumn 2026 and that Genshin Impact's Mondstadt will get a long-awaited expansion with more lore surrounding Alice and the Hexenzirkel. Daz also thinks that the recently released Heartopia will find its way onto the Switch 2 and other consoles, while Slay the Spire 2 will land on mobile and the NS2.
The number of predictions about Pokémon means it gets its own paragraph - I'm betting that generation ten is releasing in November 2026, which Ruby thinks will get an official announcement in February, with Red, Blue, and Yellow due to appear on NSO. Meanwhile, Daz suspects that we'll get a limited-edition Switch 2 console to celebrate Pokémon's 30th anniversary, Z-Moves will make a comeback, and that Project Voltage Live (the Pokémon x Miku live shows) will tour outside of Japan. Suffice to say that Pokémon is in for a massive year if we're even right about just a few of these.
Elsewhere, our newshound Sam's convinced that Grand Theft Auto VI will release in November (hold that thought), but he concedes that it won't arrive with Grand Theft Auto Online. Instead, he thinks the multiplayer game will launch next year. It turns out Sam isn't alone in thinking Rockstar will finally release GTA 6 either, as Quinn points to a The Game Awards sweep for it - except for Mobile Game of the Year, of course, which Ruby thinks Ananta will win.
Sam's also banking on Starfield coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 with a Cyberpunk 2077-style relaunch, and that he'll, at long last, be able to play Call of Duty on the hybrid console. He also suspects that The Duskbloods, FromSoftware's upcoming NS2 game, is a timed exclusive only, getting an announcement for PS5 and Xbox ports, and that we'll finally see the first trailer for the Max Payne remake.
To conclude our positive thoughts on what to expect from games in 2026, I'm also hoping that Poppy Playtime doesn't end with Chapter 5, Daz wants Persona 1 and 2 remakes, and Holly is rooting for Viva Piñata making a comeback. Oh, and Quinn reckons that Roblox Moments will finally leave beta and be so popular that it causes trouble for TikTok.
Moving on to hardware, I'm sorry to say that our hardware editor suspects a price increase for the Nintendo Switch 2. Sam also chose to get in with hardware price predictions, guessing that the Steam Machine will cost $450. Yeah, I know, your bank account is already crying at the thought, right? Well, if Connor's right, and you've been waiting for the Apple foldable phone, 2026 is your year, meaning you're going to need to part with even more cash to get the latest piece of tech.
For those of you who love all things pink (like Ruby), you'll be manifesting our prediction that Valve will release a pink Steam Deck. Then, if you think the Switch 2 is too big in handheld mode, you might like that Holly's anticipating the Nintendo Switch 2 Lite, be it through an official reveal or leaks. To conclude our thoughts on hardware, Valve will unveil the Steam Deck 2, though that'll happen towards the end of the year.
Now that all of those lovely, happy, and hopeful predictions are out of the way, it's time to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that there may be some things that happen that we don't want. While most of our predictions are positive, there are a couple that you'll probably curse us for if we're right - let's start with one of mine. Sorry to say it, people, but I foresee another Grand Theft Auto VI delay, with Rockstar pushing it in 2027. Don't look at me like that. I hope I'm wrong, and I'll be happy to see that Sam's right instead if it does come out in November, as I'll also be cruising around in Leonida.
Another prediction that may not sit well with you, particularly if you like things shaken, not stirred, is Quinn's thoughts that 007 First Light will release with problems similar to those of Cyberpunk 2077. However, they do think that IO Interactive will pull it around, just like CD Projekt Red did - Sam also thinks there'll be room for improvement for Bond, with the game not hitting 60fps on NS2. Furthermore, AI may find a place in Fortnite, only for Epic Games to reverse its decision when the communist revolts against the idea.
The less-than-ideal predictions don't stop there, as Quinn suspects that you're all going to hate Assassin's Creed Jade thanks to shoddy controls, but this turns into a positive as Ubisoft counteracts this with a PC port. Meanwhile, Connor thinks the sun will set on Marvel Snap and that the new FIFA game on Netflix will be so bad it'll bring the entire service to an end - the mobile games, not the movies and TV shows. At the same time, Holly has resigned herself to another Witchbrook delay and some inevitable Roblox controversy.
However, perhaps the most bleak things the team anticipates revolves around AI, with Google AI disappearing only for something much worse to replace it, a developer announcing the first AI-generated videogame actor, and a new predominantly AI triple-A game launches and does disappointingly well, heralding the end of civilization, the human spirit of creativity, and all things good. Not that we're being dramatic or anything.
Finally, Tilly is betting on a low-effort licensed anime game arriving to little fanfare, and I can but hope that her prediction doesn't coincide with my Chainsaw Man one - I want something decent, thank you.
So, what do you think? Are we just hopeful fools, or do you think we're right about a chunk of these? Either way, head over to the Pocket Tactics Discord and let us know - we'd love to hear your predictions, too.