[WRITE-IN] Previewing 2026's Big Games + Drafting Our Fantasy Critic Rosters | Firelink Podcast

I hope 2026 with the ram shortages where we go back to managing memory better

Various questions (and my own thoughts on each) - What's the most exciting AAA sequel coming in 2026? I'm feeling more hyped for Control 2 and RE9 than GTA6. New Onimusha is also intriguing! What's the most interesting remake / remaster coming in 2026? The Fatal Frame 2 remaster, DQ7 Reimagined, Yakuza 3 Kiwami, and Trails in the Sky 2 Remake all could be good! I've also been waiting for Ys X: Proud Nordics to buy that one (I miss getting the full version of Ys games as the default English release) What 2026 indie games are exciting? Even without Silksong, is this the most stacked indie slate ever? Slay the Spire 2, TR-49, Mewgenics, Building Relationships, Esoteric Ebb, the new Free Stars (OG Star Control, but they don't own the name any more, just the entire setting), Ardenfall, At Fate's End, Map Map, There Are No Ghosts at the Grand, more Deltarune, and Mina the Hollower all have me pretty excited! Roman Sands RE:Build, Mandrake, Nighthawks, Pony Island 2, and Alabaster Dawn all *might* be 2026, too, and those all look very good! And I'm at least cautiously interested by Holstin, Neverway, Denshattack, Neverlooted Dungeon, and Queen's Domain, too.

Souls-Fatigue might be real but it's hard to ignore how good Phantom Blade Zero, Duskbloods and Lords of the Fallen 2 look, all slated for 2026.

Do you think that any trends from the indie & AA space will be taken to heart by AAA? Because we know there's no adherence to release dates, quality standards or player feedback

Looking forward to Nivalis, from the makers of Cloudpunk. Never managed to get on with a life sim before, and I'm interrested to see if their take on the genre will finally get me. It definitely looks like it's going to be a very good-looking game, and I know they can do a great cyberpunk atmosphere, so maybe that'll be the difference. Are there any games coming up in 2026 that any of you think might finally be an entrypoint for a genre you've not got into before?

If GTA VI WASNT coming out this year, what would be the most hyped game?

I already forgot the lineup, except for GTA 6 and pragmata. Need more games about frogs :(

I feel I'm in the minority for having no hype nor inclination to purchase or play GTA 6. Over-hyped and it's totally gonna be pushed back to next year. The only game on my radar for this year so far is Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined. After the HD-2D Erdrick trilogy I've fallen in love with the series again. Never beat 7 but played the original release. Time to finally beat it.

Look, to be honest I have no idea what is coming out in 2026. Although one suspects after listening to this upcoming podcast I’ll be much more informed.

Stoked for There Are No Ghosts at the Grand, I do hope it *actually* releases this year

I am most looking forward to Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. Not a whole lot of hyped announcements that cater to my tastes, so hopefully some awesome showcases will crop up over the year.

Elder Scrolls 6. This is the year.

I played the heck out of Ace Combat 4. S Rank on all levels up to the last difficulty (never tried it on 1 hit kills you). I played through AC5. I would jump back into it for AC8.

There are a few KS games I backed that I'm looking forward to. LumenTale, Sacrifire, Hymn to the Earless God, Food Devils, and Exit Veil are just a few of them. Other than that, I'm possibly excited for Code Vein 2 and Nioh 3 but that depends on if those games are good. Anything else I want needs to be announced first, like Triangle Strategy 2 (which I've been waiting for since the original came out lol) EDIT: oh yeah, I'm also buying Pathologic 3 on release as well

I'm excited for Deltarune Chapter 5, Cassette Boy, and more Warframe

Do you think slay the spire 2 will come out 2026? I hope it surpasses the first game like silksong did

2026 looks like it'll have some good games but it doesn't have the same hype as 2025 for me. Thank God for that, I'm insanely back logged with 2025 games. Also there are so many games with unsure release dates, does GTA6 actually come out this year? How about Wolverine?

Do you guys think Resi 9 will follow in the footsteps of 3 and 6 and be the dud of it's trilogy?

My personal most anticipated game is probably At Fate's End (from the Spiritfarer devs). Spiritfarer remains one of my top 5 games, and I'm really excited for their follow-up. Also looking forward to Escape from Ever After (a Paper Mario spiritual successor), which releases real soon!

I'm personally looking forward to the double warhammer 40k Whammy. Dawn of war 4 AND Total war warhammer 40k

Capcom has been killing it as of late and the return of Onimusha is exciting. The opening cinematic to Onimusha 3 will forever be burned into my memory. Can't wait to suck up those shiny souls.

Control: Resonant has got me excited. Having completed the Remedy-verse with Alan Wake 2 this year, I am really impressed with the story telling and world building of Remedy. My only gripe being the gameplay. Control: Resonant looks to be bringing the 3rd person melee action combat and I'm interested to see how they implement it.

GTA6 is the only thing worth mentioning for 2026. Also, will we get the results of last year’s draft?

Do we get a rundown of how 2025's league turned out?

My hope is Rockstar gets sued to hell and back for union busting but my prediction is they're gonna get a slap on the wrist.

My prediction is that gta6 gets delayed out of 2026. And if it does. Wolverine GoTY.