Top 100 NEW Games 2026 without SEQUELS, REMAKES, REMASTERS or REBOOTS
Are you tired of video game sequels, reboots, remakes, remasters and are looking for a unique gaming experience to reignite that spark for why you love gaming? You’re not alone and it’s why you need to keep an eye on every single game on this list because the next big thing isn’t a sequel, it’s a completely new universe emerging right now just like Game of The Year winner Clair Obscur Expedition 33 in 2025.
These 100 games are completely original and coming in 2026 with something guaranteed for everyone, no matter your taste and without wasting your time, a single sentence about why you should care for each one. (in alphabetical order)
TOP 100 Games of 2026 (NO SEQUELS, REMAKES, or REBOOTS)
007 First Light is IO Interactive combining the universe of James Bond with their ultra refined, third person Hitman stealth-action gameplay while leaning into his love for emerging tech and globe trotting.
The Adventures of Elliot is an all new HD-2D action RPG from Square that features real time combat, no party system, freedom to explore and as a result feels like their attempt at The Legend of Zelda.
Aphelion is a third person sci-fi adventure about an astronaut trying to rescue her partner on the newly discovered ninth planet at the edge of the solar system across harsh environments and shifting realities.
Armatus is a third person roguelite shooter that feels reminiscent of Returnal set in the demon infested ruins of Paris from new publisher Fictions.
At Fate’s End is the newest game from the team behind Spirit Farer who return with an action adventure that uses their signature art style where you battle your estranged siblings as your family tree becomes your skill tree.
Band of Crusaders is a medieval, isometric RPG with real time tactical combat where demons have risen and you are called to lead a crusade to reclaim the land from the unholy darkness.
Beast of Reincarnation is a post apocalyptic souls-like set in the year 4026 in an ever changing Japan infected by corruption and blight being developed by Game Freak best known for their work on Pokemon.
Big Walk is a co-op from the team behind Untitled Goose Game about simply walking, talking and the challenges that comes along with that simple task.
Blight: Survival is a third person medieval survival horror set in the 14th century that takes place in the wide open countryside and dark, decrepit dungeons with inspiration from souls-likes, extraction and action horror.
Blighted is the new co-optional Metroidvania from Drinkbox, the team behind Guacamelee about a civilization on the verge of collapse due to the evil, brain eating Sorcisto that features a unique psychedelic western aesthetic.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is the debut RPG from Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by many ex CD Projekt Red Devs about a daywalker with two sets of powers depending on night or day and a limited time mechanic to finish your quest.
In Bloody Hell Hotel you’re a vampire who needs to transform his once grand estate into a thriving hotel, but it will be costly so in a similar way to Moonlighter, you’ll need to plunder the dungeons below for the resources.
Bradley The Badger is a genre bending adventure as Bradley travels through multiple games inspired by The Last of Us, Bloodborne and Cyberpunk, but with the help of development powers to gain a unique edge.
Cairn is a gritty adventure that offers boss fights in the form of mountains and gives player full climbing freedom as you choose your path during the ascent while managing resources and making camp.
Chained Beasts is a 1-4 player co-op gladiator roguelike where you and another gladiator are chained together in the coliseum as you fight for you life during the day and heal your mental and physical injuries at night.
Clockwork Revolution is the new RPG from InXile that, at first glance, looks like a Steampunk version of Bioshock where you wield a powerful artifact that allows you to reverse time, alter the past and change the future.
Coven of The Chicken Foot is an atmospheric 3D puzzle platofmer about an old witch and her monster like companion from Wildflower Interactive, a studio founded by Bruce Straley, Game Director of Uncharted 2, Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us.
Crimson Desert is a huge, open world, single player action RPG from Pearl Abyss the studio behind the very successful MMO Black Desert where you play as the leader of the Greymanes on his quest to rebuild their dynasty.
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a first person horror set in a nightmarish reimagined Spain as you are on a divine mission from the Sun God who has the power to use blood as both a weapon and a means to survive.
Croak is the debut title from Montreal based indie studio WoodRunner Games about a frog prince trying to save the kingdom through Celeste level platforming, a unique tongue grapple mechanic and a very whimsical art style.
Crowsworn is the most obvious choice to be the metroidvania for people to look forward to after Silksong as it’s developed by a very small team, built around a dark, gothic world and is hand drawn.
Darwin’s Paradox is a 2.5D puzzle platformer where you play as an octopus and must harness their extraordinary skills and intelligence to escape a mega corporation complex and find a way back to the ocean.
Decrepit is a first person roguelite dungeon crawler with a souls-like inspiration with every death dragging you back to a new cell at the bottom of the castle as you try to use your knowledge and newly found gear to escape.
Deer & Boy is a puzzle platformer with a strong cinematic atmosphere about a young runaway boy and a fawn whose abilities evolve as it grows changing how the experience unfolds.
Denshattack is a fast paced platformer inspired by Jet Set Radio where you play as a subway train trying to outmatch rival train gangs, bring down an evil corporation and take back the tracks.
Dino Lords is exactly what it sounds like as you control a medieval army, build strongholds and harness the power of dinosaurs in this RTS, action RPG hybrid.
Directive 8020 is the newest cinematic horror with a sci-fi twist from Supermassive games that takes a large amount of inspiration from The Thing as you are being hunted by an alien capable of mimicry.
Duskfade is a bright and colourful love letter to classic 3D platformers as you and your mechanical bird companion must save your sister from a mysterious clock tower that has cast eternal night across the realm.
Echo Weaver is a metroidvania where you’re stuck in a time loop, but there are no upgrades or unlocks, just secrets that you don’t know yet as you find ways to extend time, but shorten it through healing, unlocking and more.
Emberville is a pixel art ARPG about rebuilding a town currently in ruins by venturing into the dungeons beneath and rescuing its inhabitants one by one to restore the town, increase your abilities and discover what happened.
End of Abyss is a dark and atmospheric top down metroidvania inspired by Alien from former Tarsier founders Section 9 Interactive and was by far the best thing I played at Summer Game Fest Play Days.
Enter The Chronosphere is a turn based, bullet-hell roguelike where each chronosphere is procedurally generated as you try to fight your way to the core with the big twist being that the world only moves when you do.
The Eternal Life of Goldman is a stunning hand drawn metroidvania about an explorer at the end of his career on a mission to venture into vast archipelago to kill a mystical deity that no one has ever seen.
Erosion is a time shifting action-rogue like with a western voxel aesthetic where death costs a decade, what you do in the present greatly affects the future and time is running out to rescue your kidnapped daughter.
Fatekeeper is a story driven, first person action RPG where you use both sword and sorcery to explore tangled forests, wind scoured mountain ridges and forgotten underground cities.
Fallen Fates is a top down action RPG reminiscent of The Mageseeker and Hyper Light Drifter where humans are forced to merge with magical beings to save the world as you explore intertwined destinies and conflicting goals.
Felt That Boxing is what you would get if you crossed Sesame Street with Punch Out! and then added witty writing and gameplay depth about a unadaptable puppet turned prize fighter trying to save his orphanage.
Flask combines deck building and auto battling in a roguelike set in a post medieval fantasy world where you’re an alchemist deep in debt and need to collect monster blood to become filthy rich with the help of flask powers and humanoid monsters.
Game is Full of Bugs is an action roguelike about a programmer who has been drafted to resist an alien invasion by using leftover alien pieces to craft all types of new equipment that looks reminiscent to Enter The Gungeon.
Good Boy is a cozy, creature collecting top down metroidvania set on a remote planet as you pilot a robotic rover and capture new alien life to do research and upgrade your rover to allow you to explore further.
Grave Seasons is a cozy life sim, which I don’t normally care for, but this one is about an escaped convict who tries to start a new life off the grid, but quickly finds himself entangled in a supernatural serial killer web
Hela is a co-optional adventure from many of the devs behind the Unravel series about two mice who are given fantastical powers to help a friendly witch who has fallen ill as they traverse the Scandinavian countryside.
Hello Sunshine is a survival RPG set in the sun scorched desert of a distant future where you’re the last hope of humanity and must stay close to a friendly iron giant to survive the harsh elements.
Ikuma: The Frozen Compass is a game set in1864 about a young boy named Sam and his loyal husky Ellie who becomes stranded in the Arctic after going searching for a lost expedition inspired by real events from1845.
ILL is a first person, survival horror game with extremely minimal information that plunges you deep into a dark fort overtaken by a mysterious entity that features visceral dismemberment and realistic physics.
Infinitesimals is a narrative focused third person immersive sim drawing heavy inspiration from 90’s classics like Deus Ex and Thief as well as movies like Star Wars and Predator and was one of the best things I played at Summer Game Fest.
Kibu is a 3D platforming adventure where you explore colourful biomes using the power of your ancient staff to climb, glide and fight as you try to rebuild the ruined temple you used to call home
The Lift puts you in the shoes of a supernatural handyman who needs to renovate a massive research facility known as the institute, which is now abandoned after a mysterious incident and you need to uncover what happened.
Light No Fire is Hello Games follow up to No Man’s Sky, but instead of exploring the galaxy, this time you get to explore a full planet in what is likely going to be one of the biggest open world games of all time.
Long Gone is a narrative driven post apocalyptic adventure from solo developer Hillfort Games, which looks like Monkey Island meets The Last of Us with a pixel aesthetic.
Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls is the newest fighting game from ARC system works with an incredible Marvel roster, an absolutely stunning art style, and a rare 4v4 mechanic.
Mewgenics is a turn based tactical game about breeding an army of super powered cats from the developer of The Binding of Isaac.
Menace is the new turn based strategy from the studio behind the genre classic “Battle Brothers” where you lead strike force against an alien invasion with infantry, tanks, mechs and more.
Mixtape isn’t a game, it’s a bunch of heartfelt vignettes spliced together like an actual mixtape about three friends and their last night together before joining the real world set against an incredible soundtrack.
Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is a cozy puzzle adventure based on a beloved children’s book series about a hippo like character whose hibernation is interrupted as he explores the unknown and helps those in need.
Mouse PI for Hire is a first person shooter with eye popping rubber hose animation where you play as mouse detective Jack Pepper with a pulpy noir story inspired by the gameplay Metroid Prime.
Neath is a Eldritch Roguelike Tactical RPG with a 90’s dungeon crawler aesthetic that doesn’t immediately capture my attention, but after Rogue Legacy 2, I'm willing to blindy trust what Cellar Door offers next.
Neverway is pyschological horror about a girl named Fiona looking for a fresh start in a concept that feels reminiscent of A Link to The Past with two different worlds that blend wholesome and horror with bold juxtaposition.
OKU is an atmospheric adventure in the vein of Giant Squid titles where you ride across the Japanese landscape as a traveling monk writing haikus to increase your connection to nature and unlock forgotten paths.
Ontos is the new psychological horror from the team behind SOMA about an abandoned hotel on the moon as you try to uncover cryptic experiments and face unsettling horrors in this mind bending experience.
Orbitals is an asymmetrical co-op adventure set in a retro anime galaxy being designed exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 about two space explorers trying to save their home from a supernatural cosmic storm.
Order of the Sinking Star is the new puzzle game from Thekla Inc, the studio behind The Witness and Braid that takes the concept of four different puzzle games and blends them together for the ultimate complexity.
Out of Words is a handcrafted stop motion, story driven co-op adventure about Kurt and Karla who lose their words and are transported to the fictional world of Vokabulantis and must learn to work together to escape.
Over The Hill is the new lo-fi off roading game from the studio behind Art of Rally about getting lost in the wilderness with day/night cycle, dynamic weather system and real time terrain deformation.
Pragmata is a brand new science fiction IP from Capcom about one man and his android companion trying to escape a robotic onslaught aboard the lunar station with a unique pipe mania inspired third person gameplay.
Prelude: Dark Pain is a turn based tactical RPG where you play as retired bloodthirsty warrior turned blacksmith who leads an uprising against tyrannical rulers with a strong visual style reminiscent of Darkest Dungeon.
PVKK sees you operate a planetary defence cannon with all the buttons, knobs, switches and dials you can think of, but the real game lies beyond the bunker as you try to uncover the regimes agenda and true motives.
Recur is a side scrolling platformer about a postman that trying to save the world with a unique mechanic where moving right advances time and moving left reverses it.
REPLACED is a 2.5D action platformer about an AI trapped in a human body set in an alternate cyberpunk version of the1980’s in a post nuclear landscape with a stunning, hand crafted pixel art aesthetic.
Rewilders: The Lost Spring is an open world, action roguelite where you need to restore corrupted ecosystems with creature collection and metroidvania style progression from the makers of Endling: Extinction is forever.
Rivage is a first person sci-fi puzzle adventure where you awaken alone aboard a space station centuries from now as you need to solve puzzles, explore and piece together what has happened.
The Road of Dust and Sorrow is a 2D post apocalyptic survival horror where a remedy to solve hunger has turned most of humanity into zombies as you play as a mother trying to protect her daughter and keep hope alive.
Rockbeasts is about managing a grunge band in the 90’s as you try to take them from unknowns to superstars as you do everything from picking gigs, playlists, signing record deals, repairing equipment and even finding a meal.
Rune Fencer illyia is a demanding metroidvania about a young girl who wakes up aboard an airship without her twin sister and must venture into the sunken kingdom and its 24 unique areas to find her.
Saros is the spiritual successor to Returnal, except this time Housemarque has softened the edges by providing enough changes to make it more accessible to a wider audience without sacrificing gameplay
The Secret of Weepstone is an ultra-stylized, hand drawn dungeon crawler inspired by classic tabletop Dungeons and Dragons where you roll dice, loot dungeons, solve puzzles, and fight monsters with great narration.
Selini is a metroidvania inspired by the atmosphere of INSIDE ten years in the making from a solo dev as you explore a war torn cryptic world looking for meaning without any guidance or dialogue.
Shade Protocol is a 2D cyber-fantasy metroidvania with soulslike combat where the world around you is written in code and you have the power to rewrite it, allowing you to greatly manipulate the world around you.
Shroom and Gloom is a first person, dungeon exploring double deck builder as you use one for combat and one for exploration with no limits allowing for broken builds and infinite upgrades.
Silver Pines is a 2.5D survival horror metroidvania that embraces the genre staples with nightmarish terrors, puzzles and scarce resources.
The Simulation is an upcoming Blumhouse horror about a retired game developer who is hired to help investigate a case where the only evidence found was a never before seen horror game that will take you down a rabbit hole.
SKINWALKER: First Blood is a retro action platformer where a scientist makes a deal to a shapeshifting beast held captive at the base of the research station to save his daughter from terminal illness in exchange for its freedom.
Spark in the Dark is a hardcore dungeon crawler where every single enemy encounter is harrowing and its USP is that you need to stay in the light, which are few and far between and make use of your limited lantern.
Stage Fright is an asymmetrical story driven co-op adventure from Ghost Town Games, the studio behind Overcooked who are out to prove that they are the master of the co-op genre.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the spiritual successor to the Star Wars racing games of the N64 days created by Fuse Games an independent studio that rose from the ashes of Criterion with Burnout and Need For Speed veterans.
Star Wars: Zero Company is X-Com meets Star Wars, which is already a great idea, but it’s being developed by a large amount of X-Com and Civilization veterans at BitReactor.
Stranger Than Heaven is the all new IP from Sega and RGG studio, which looks to be about a supernatural detective and a story that will unfold over the course of a century as the first two trailers were from 1915 and 1943.
TankRat is about the end of the world, where you control a hardened drone infused with human concsiousness as you salvage and control tanks to make your way to the city in the sky in search of the truth.
Tears of Metal is the follow up to Bloodroots from Montreal based studio Papercult where you play as a medieval Scottish leader in this hack and slash, action-rogue like trying to reclaim his lands with a fantastical twist.
Tenjutsu is a top down, isometric action roguelike from the designer of Dead Cells where you play as a renegade Yakuza hellbent on revenge that looks to graft the speed and fluidity of Dead Cells onto a completely different perspective.
Threads of Time is a turn based JRPG inspired by the classics of the 90’s spanning across four time periods from 12,000,000 BC when dinosaurs roamed to a cyberpunk soaked future and even a post apocalyptic world.
Tides of Annihilation is an action RPG that looks to be heavily inspired by Elden Ring and Shadow of the Colossus in a story drawing from Arthurian legend as you explore a post apocalyptic London
Truckful appears to be a simple and cozy game about delivering goods to the people in the peaceful countryside, but at the outskirts of town lies a ancient forests full of mystery and intrigue only spoken of in legends and myths.
Valor Mortis is a first person souls-like set during a plague the Napoleonic Era, but with a fictional twist being developed by the studio behind Ghost Runner.
Vampire Crawlers is the follow-up to Vampire Survivors as they take a familiar universe, change perspectives and change gameplay in this dungeon crawling deckbuilder that captures the chaos.
Verdant is a stylistic post apocalyptic adventure through a lush and vibrant world as you survive by exploring, upgrading, crafting and building camp as you try to discover the downfall of humanity with supernatural powers.
Well Dweller is the all new dark fantasy metroidvania from Kyle Thompson, who has consistently produced quality games after Crypt Custodian and Islets, in a tale about a little bird trying to end the wicked queens reign.
Wild Blue Skies answers the age old question “What if Star Fox 64 was developed in 2026?” as it reimagines the on-rails flight adventure about a squad of animal pilots trying to save the world.
Wolverine is the all new game from Insomniac following their incredible work on Spider-Man that trade-in family friendly super heroes for gritty and visceral.
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is the new CRPG from the studio behind Disco Elysium, as they return with extremely familiar gameplay and visuals, but with an all new story about a spy on their final desperate assignment.
If you made it this far, thanks and I hope you find some incredible games to experience after reading this list.
