We aren't even at the halfway point, but 2026 has already been a cracking year in video games, with amazing releases happening each and every single day. With no shortage of adventures, the only problem gamers might struggle with is finding the time to play them all.
With that said, below is a rundown of recent releases from four major franchises that you might like to add to that growing back catalogue. From narrative-driven games to side-scrolling puzzlers, high-octane shooters to strategy battlers and more, there’s something for everyone to play.
Life Is Strange: Reunion
Since its 2015 release, Life is Strange has been at the forefront of the gaming industry. With a nostalgic coming-of-age story and innovative butterfly-effect mechanics that could change the plot at a moment’s notice, the series has rightly earned its cult status.
And with a prequel (Before the Storm), a sequel (Double Exposure), spin-offs galore and a live-action adaptation tipped for television, you’d think the franchise was only just getting started. And yet, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
Reunion is the third and final instalment in the mainline series, which sees the stoic photography professor Max Caulfield (Hannah Telle) and the fiery Chloe Price (Rhianna DeVries) return, in what is undoubtedly their best outing yet.
The best that the franchise has to offer
The story of Reunion takes place nearly one year after the events of Double Exposure. Max is still lecturing at the fictional Caledon University, with her career about to reach new heights. When life seems too good to be true, you just know something major is about to unfold.
On returning from a trip to New York City, she finds the entire campus engulfed in an inferno, with her friends unaccounted for. Forced to use her 'rewind’ ability, Max time-travels back three days in an effort to prevent the tragedy and find the culprit. But in true Life is Strange fashion, rewriting fate can and will have dire consequences. No matter who you try to save, someone else will likely pay the price.
What makes Reunion such a high note to end the series on is that the developers had the good sense to cherry-pick the best elements of previous games, across characters, gameplay and settings. The sudden return of Chloe Price proves this. Seeing her back on screen is like receiving a visit from a long-lost friend — the character is simply magnetic.
Gameplay borrows a little bit of everything from previous games, with both Max and Chloe playable throughout. Max’s supernatural rewind abilities allow you to reconstruct reality to your liking, giving you free rein to ask intrusive questions and then erase all evidence of your nosiness. Playing as Chloe introduces more strategy. With no powers, she must always weigh up the tone she takes with characters, often with hilarious and unexpected outcomes.
Ultimately, Reunion is the best kind of gaming goodbye. It doesn’t necessarily try anything new; rather, it bottles up the best bits of the decade-long franchise into one final foray. The story is strong, and the characters just as memorable. No matter what choices you make throughout your playthrough, I’m glad that both Max and Chloe finally get the ending they both deserve.
Life is Strange: Reunion is available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
Pokémon Champions
As Pokémon continues to celebrate its 30th anniversary, there has been no shortage of new games to enjoy this year, including FireRed, LeafGreen and Pokopia. Not to rest on their laurels, Champions is yet another new addition set to infiltrate your devices.
This is a strategy game that focuses primarily on the franchise’s battle mechanics, with no real collecting or Pokédex in sight. As such, the story is bare-bones and largely surplus to requirements. Just know that you play as a rookie trainer who takes over as a Gym manager, and that’s all there is to it.
You’re thrown immediately into the competitive scene of Pokémon battling, where you’ll craft a team of six Pokémon to duke it out against other players. Each Pokémon has its own type, passive abilities, move sets and attributes to consider, recreating the series’ signature rock-paper-scissors-style warfare.
If you want to flex your encyclopaedic knowledge of the franchise, you’ll be well met here. That said, seasoned trainers have vented online about noticeable bugs and missing features in the short few days since release. My guess is that these can and will be addressed over time. But as a free-to-play game, you’re out nothing but a short download to see what Champions has to offer.
Pokémon Champions is available to play on Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS devices
Marathon
From the creators of Halo and Destiny, Marathon is a first-person shooter that not only revives a 30-year-old brand for the modern era, but also puts extraction gameplay back on the industry radar. It is ultra-fast-paced, and equal parts fun and unforgiving.
The game takes place on the derelict colony of Tau Ceti IV, some 99 years after the events of the original game. You play as a ‘Runner’, a mercenary hired to salvage valuables, weapons and more. But you aren’t alone out there. Not only will you be competing against rival Runners, each of whom is hunting the same resources as you, but there’s also a host of environmental hazards across the dystopian landscape ready and waiting to annihilate you.
With every bullet fired from your limited pool of resources, Marathon displays developer Bungie’s mastery of the shooting genre. The taxing nature of the extraction genre is also in full force: try your best to secure the best gear possible, but also try to make it out alive. Die before you exit the session, and all that progress you risked everything for will be permanently lost.
A total of seven different classes are currently found in the game, each with their own unique abilities that allow you to play to your strengths and synergise with your squad. Expect more with every new update. Whether you play solo or with friends, the stakes will always be high, your screen almost too busy to focus on, and your chances of survival forever unpredictable.
Marathon is available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox and PC
God of War: Sons of Sparta
God of War: Sons of Sparta is an ambitious venture for Sony, translating one of their most popular franchises into the retro genre. This 2D Metroidvania game serves as a prequel to the entire God of War series, telling the coming-of-age story of 13-year-old Kratos, long before he acquires his signature weapon, the Blades of Chaos, or his brutal demeanour.
Players travel back to Ancient Greece, as the story centres on Kratos and his brother Deimos on their quest to find missing Spartan-in-training, Vasilis. Across their journey, they’ll face a litany of foes from Greek mythology, including cyclopes, gorgons, the Stymphalian bird and a satyr or two for good measure.
As a Metroidvania side-scroller, gameplay represents a complete U-turn on the traditional God of War experience, which may divide die-hard fans of the series expecting more blood for their buck. Over the course of 20 or so hours, you’ll become as much an expert in running, jumping, backtracking and solving environmental puzzles as you will in using your Spartan spear and shield.
Ultimately, Sons of Sparta plays it very safe. There’s nothing too radical to be found here, no standout features to redefine the Metroidvania genre. Nor does it do anything particularly wrong, either. It’s an enjoyable, conservative odyssey that pays fan service to one of gaming’s most successful franchises in an unexpected way.
God of War: Sons of Sparta is available to play on PlayStation 5
