What are the hottest video games that you need to have on your radar as the end of the year approaches? With Summer Game Fest and Gamescom in the rearview mirror, knowing where to place your attention is easier said than done. That's why Hot 25 exists, to help you cut through the noise and connect with the world's most anticipated video games.
GamesRadar+ launched Hot 25 in the summer, a list updated quarterly that tracks the hottest games of the moment. The Fall Edition of Hot 25 is designed to reflect the games that are turning our heads right now – the ones we know you're going to fall in love with too. It doesn't matter whether a title is set to release in a couple of weeks or years beyond that, Hot 25 tracks the 25 hottest games deserving of your time today.
The Hot 25: Summer 2025 Edition
The creators of Returnal are back with a new roguelite, a dazzling PS5 exclusive set for release on March 20, 2026. Housemarque is putting forth a constantly evolving, approachable, and otherworldly sci-fi adventure in Saros, where you'll wield a high-tech arsenal to survive a ballet of bullets and brutality.
The wait for Witchbrook continues, with Chucklefish pushing its ambitious life sim into 2026. We're happy to hold out a little longer to enroll at Witchbrook College, as the promise of attending classes and completing assignments to expand your mastery of the magical arts sounds like a dream.
2026 is shaping up to be an excellent year for fighting games, with Invincible VS from Quarter Up leading the line. This 3v3 tag-team brawler set in the Invincible universe looks utterly delightful with its combination of bone-breaking combos and a vicious roster of heroes.
The six year wait is almost over. Capcom is set to unleash its sci-fi adventure in 2026, although there's still a lot we need to learn about this unique puzzle-shooter hybrid. The blend of hacking and action on display certainly feels distinct, making Pragmata feel like a genuinely new prospect.
A new entry to the Hot 25, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was announced at Gamescom 2025 and quickly became one of our most anticipated video games of the incoming year. Legacy of the Dark Knight is an original Lego adventure which draws inspiration from all eras of Batman.
If you were worried that it would take Nintendo a couple of years to get its best franchises onto the Switch 2, you can rest a little easier knowing that there's a mainline Fire Emblem game set for release in 2026 – one which seems to be drawing heavily from the legacy of Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Toxic Commando is what you get when you mix the impressive tech behind the SnowRunner series with the raw energy of Space Marine 2. This co-op shooter is being brought to life through a collaboration between Saber Interactive and iconic director John Carpenter, and should land in early 2026.
Star Wars: Zero Company is one of the most intriguing strategy games of 2026. Developers Bit Reactor and Respawn Entertainment are cooking up a single-player, turn-based tactics game set in the Clone Wars era of the Star Wars universe. There are a lot of unknowns, but we're desperate to learn more.
Out of Words has a style to it that is, put simply, out of this world. This co-op platformer has this beautiful handcrafted art direction which arrests attention with ease, although you'll need to try and focus on the challenges in front of you as an array of physics-defying puzzles require careful communication. Out of Words looks like a must-play for fans of It Takes Two and Split Fiction, just get ready to have your relationship tested.
Built in collaboration between Sony Interactive Entertainment and Arc System Works (the legendary fighting game studio behind Guilty Gear and BlazBlue), Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is one of the most intriguing PS5 console exclusives of 2026. This 4v4 tag-team fighter draws its roster from all of your favorite Marvel heroes and villains, thrusting you into fast, tactical 2D brawls across gorgeously painted combat arenas.
One of the most interesting prospects of 2026 is Beast of Reincarnation, an upcoming action-RPG from developer Game Freak. This is the first AAA title from the studio outside of the Pokemon series, with this new adventure set in Japan in the year 4026. With an art style which easily draws comparisons to the works of Studio Ghibli, and combat encounters that look wickedly challenging, we're desperate to get our hands on this one.
The more we see of Crisol: Theater of Idols, the more we're falling in love with what Blumhouse Games and Vermila Studios are putting into the world. Crisol originally held the 25 position in our summer edition of Hot 25, but new opportunities to get our hands on this upcoming horror game – where blood acts as both your health pool and your available ammunition – have only increased our anticipation.
Looking for a social-sim to play on your Switch 2 but don't fancy another run at Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Then you are going to want to have Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream on your radar for Spring 2026. This endearingly-goofy game sees you overseeing the lives of Mii characters who have taken up residence on a small island, entrusting their ability to live carefree lives in your hands.
Pokemon is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, and what better way to celebrate than with Pokémon Pokopia. This life-sim for Nintendo Switch 2 has you taking on the role of a Ditto that's working to transform an empty land into a wondrous Pokemon utopia. Pokopia may look exceptionally cute, but we're already fearing for the hundreds of hours this game is clearly going to consume.
The Final Countdown
11. Forza Horizon 6
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X | Release date: TBC 2026
2026 is going to be a massive year for Xbox Game Studios. The publisher is working to deliver new installments to the Forza, Fable, Gears, and Halo franchises within a single calendar year as Xbox celebrates its 25th anniversary. Forza Horizon 6 was announced at the Tokyo Game Show in September, a fitting location as developer Playground Games revealed that the open-world racing adventure will be set in Japan. That's been a long-requested locale for a series best known for letting you race around some truly stunning vistas. There's still so much we need to learn about Forza Horizon 6, but with Playground already out there promising its largest open world to date (not to mention a stunning realization of the Japan setting) we cannot wait to get our hands on this one.
10. The Blood of Dawnwalker
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | Release date: TBC 2026
The Blood of Dawnwalker is going to be one of the most talked-about video games of 2026. It's the debut project from developer Rebel Wolves, a studio staffed by former CD Projekt RED veterans (including the game director of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt). This upcoming single-player RPG has you take on the role of a Coen, a Dawnwalker that's suffering both silver poisoning and a vampiric curse – an ailment which pushes and pulls you in different directions as you set out on a quest to save your family. You'll have just 30 days to try and achieve this, with every major decision that you make in the gothic open world shifting the time of day forward. Time is as valuable a resource here as the weapons you carry on your back, making The Blood of Dawnwalker one of the most unique offerings of 2026.
9. Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | Release date: TBC 2026
It has been 20 long years since the last mainline installment to the Onimusha franchise, a legendary action-adventure series that was once considered one of the best reasons to own a PS2 (here's a fun fact: Onimusha: Warlords was the first game on the platform to achieve one million sales). Capcom is looking to wield that legacy as it prepares to unleash Onimusha: Way of the Sword in 2026. If you're looking for an old-school action-adventure game then you need look no further, with Capcom going out of its way to stress that Way of the Sword is not a Soulslike – there's a more resolute focus on fast-paced action, clashing blades, and sharp timings to survive vicious onslaughts. Everything we have played of Way of the Sword so far has impressed, so the return of Onimusha can't come soon enough.
8. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch 2 | Release date: December 4, 2025
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond may not be the last video game to release in 2025, but it's certainly the most anticipated. It's been 18 long years since developer Retro Studios delivered Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, with the extended wait leaving many worried that we'd never again steer Samus Aran through a strange, hostile alien world. But here we are, readying ourselves for a descent into the depths of Viewros, a planet besieged by rival bounty hunter Sylux of Metroid Prime: Hunters fame. Retro is taking some big swings with Beyond, embellishing Samus' power suit with a suite of new psychic abilities and the introduction of a far broader world to explore – a space you'll navigate with a motorbike. There's a lot of unanswered questions about Beyond, but it is undoubtedly the Switch 2 release we can't stop thinking about.
7. Fable
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X | Release date: TBC 2026
Playground Games has never released a third-person RPG before, yet it has been entrusted with bringing about a return to Albion in 2026. It's an undoubtedly massive undertaking, although we have faith that the team can bring about a faithful reimagining of Fable for modern audiences who have instead grown up playing fantasy RPGs like The Witcher 3 and Baldur's Gate 3. Playground is best known for developing the Forza Horizon series, games that contain stunning depth and detail, with best-in-class mechanics packaged into some of the best-looking open-worlds the industry has to offer. From what we have seen so far of Fable 4, that same commitment to excellence is being applied here. It's been a decade since Fable Legends was canceled and Lionhead was shuttered, so expectations are high; but all signs are pointing towards this being one of the definitive RPGs of the incoming year.
6. The Duskbloods
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch 2 | Release date: TBC 2026
The release of a new video game from FromSoftware is always cause for celebration, with the studio on a frankly ridiculous hot streak. The last decade has brought us Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Elden Ring, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, and Elden Ring Nightreign – so what then should we expect from The Duskbloods? Well, it's a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive for one thing. Legendary game director Hidetaka Miyazaki is hard at work shaping one of the key reasons to adopt the new platform in 2026, with The Duskbloods promising action-RPG brutality in PvP and PvE combat. FromSoftware is clearly building on its experience with Nightreign here, shifting gears into more gothic territories to inform its world design and combat specialties. The Duskbloods is different, but FromSoftware has never been afraid of bucking expectations.
5. Grand Theft Auto 6
Platform(s): PS5, Xbox Series X | Release date: November 19, 2026
Delays out of Rockstar North are as expected as day turning to night. It's why we weren't all that surprised when GTA 6 was delayed from May 26 to November 19, 2026. The developer has cited a need for additional polish to explain away the release date change. It's likely those six months will help prepare Rockstar for what will surely be the biggest entertainment release of all time, particularly as hype for this long-awaited return to Vice City is already stratospheric. It's already been over 12 years since the release of GTA 5, so surely we can all hold out for just a little longer.
When GTA 6 does land in 2026, you'll be following dual protagonists – Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos – as you set about causing chaos in the wide open world of Leonida. We're yet to see raw gameplay footage, but everything shown to the world so far demonstrates Rockstar's proficiency for delivering technical excellence. So much of GTA 6 has been under lock and key, but the promise of guiding Duval and Caminos through a statewide conspiracy after a failed bank robbery is sure to be the only thing the world is talking about come November 19.
4. The Witcher 4
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | Release date: TBC
Of all the video games which have charted on our updated Hot 25 list, The Witcher 4 is the only one unlikely to launch in 2026. In fact, it's likely that this RPG is still years away from release – with developer CD Projekt RED working to both deliver on its massive ambitions and avoid the pitfalls which sank the launch of Cyberpunk 2077. Still, The Witcher 4 has been lodged in our minds ever since the studio released a stunning Unreal Engine 5 tech demo over the summer, a showcase of the technology that's threatening to raise expectations for open-world RPG design.
It's still early days for The Witcher 4, but we do know that the experience will focus on Ciri – charting her journey as a Witcher following Geralt's retirement at the end of Wild Hunt. A new protagonist means you should expect a new powerset to grapple with, particularly as CDPR has already been vocal about its desire to integrate Ciri's proficiencies with sorcery directly into combat. Fiery new weapons and more dynamic monster encounters are inbound, so too is a more densely detailed and reactive world to explore. The Witcher 4 may be on the distant horizon, but it looms large over a genre CDPR has revolutionized time and time again.
3. 007: First Light
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | Release date: March 27, 2026
007: First Light is transforming into something relatively unexpected. When it was announced that IO Interactive was taking up the challenge of developing a modern James Bond game worth playing, many assumed we'd be getting a reskinned Hitman. The studio has, after all, built a reputation for creating wildly reactive stealth games set across self-contained environments. It was easy to imagine Bond working in this sort of framework, albeit with the focus shifted from assassination towards espionage.
What we're getting instead is far more ambitious, and exciting. 007: First Light tracks a young Bond as he works his way through the MI6 training program, yet to earn the legendary '007' code name and the license to kill which comes along with it. What continues to surprise us about First Light is how cinematic its action and set-pieces look. Hitman meets Uncharted is a comparison that's being made, and not all that far from the truth. What's staggering is the wealth of choice and opportunity that is being put on display, giving you the freedom to roleplay Bond like never before.
2. Resident Evil Requiem
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | Release date: February 27, 2026
What secrets will emerge from the ruins of Raccoon City? That's the question on everybody's mind as we inch ever closer to the release of Resident Evil Requiem. Capcom is shifting gears after RE7 and RE8, looking beyond the adventures of the Winters family to refocus on the core timeline. You'll be playing as Grace Ashcroft, daughter to Alyssa Ashcroft – one of the primary protagonists in Resident Evil Outbreak, the co-op focused spin-off from 2003. She'll be venturing into a city which defined the earliest years of the franchise, some 30 years after the US Government eradicated it with an experimental thermobaric missile.
Everything we have played of Resident Evil Requiem so far points to it being a horrific celebration of all eras of the series, perhaps best represented in how the game gives you the freedom to play in either first- or third-person perspectives. Regardless of how you choose to play, the action is tense; Capcom is working to create something truly terrifying, the sort of experience where your movements are measured in inches due to the fear of what awaits around every corner. Expect Resident Evil Requiem to not only be one of the biggest games of 2026, but a true GOTY contender to GTA 6.
1. Marvel's Wolverine
Platform(s): PS5 | Release date: Fall 2026
Just as we were starting to fear that Marvel's Wolverine would slip beyond 2026, Insomniac Games appeared to not only lock in a Fall 2026 release window but deliver an absolutely stunning first look at this adventure in action. The studio has of course established a reputation for delivering best-in-class superhero games through its work on Marvel's Spider-Man, so it should come as no surprise that Wolverine appears set to be an authentic realization of the character and the violent world he occupies.
Marvel's Wolverine isn't pulling any punches. It's an exceptionally bloody action-adventure where you'll guide Logan on a globetrotting journey for answers. The combat is slick and fluid, environments bathed in blood as you slice, rip, and tear through foes with sharp adamantium claws. There's a ferocity underlying everything which we just didn't expect to see from such a prominent first-party exclusive.
Ferocity, and a keen attention to detail. Marvel's Wolverine will clearly be the PS5 system showcase for 2026, with its dazzling visual effects and cinematic setpieces. There are still questions to be answered surrounding the difficulty (Logan does have a rapid healing factor, after all), but these concerns fade to the background every time we see more of the game in action. Wolverine and Insomniac appear to be a match made in heaven, which is why Marvel's Wolverine is clearly the hottest video game on the planet right now.
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