#4 | Video Games - The 2026 Release Window

Because of the work I do over on Bluesky posting about indie games, I keep a running list of upcoming games. The list includes release dates if I know them, but most of the games have a vague release window. And when I say "vague" I mean this:

Looking at my spreadsheet right now, there are 23 titles that are scheduled to release this year so I would like to highlight 6 that I personally hope come out this year. You might be asking yourself, "why 6?" & the answer is that this is supposed to be a short blog that you can read in 4 minutes or less & my last post came in at a hefty 7 minutes. So, as a person who loves arbitrary, self imposed themes, I'm limiting this post to 6 games. Here we gooooooooooo!

1. Armatus by Counterplay Games Inc. <--- clickable link, btw.

According to it's Steam page, Armatus is a "third person roguelike shooter set in the demon-insfested ruins of Paris." You play as the last in a line of supernatural warriors who use guns & celestial powers to hold back the hordes while you search for the Sunless Gate, a lost gateway to heaven. The trailer for this game makes the combat look crunchy, brutal & very OTT, reminding me of what I love about games like Borderlands & Remnant II.

1. Toxic Crusaders by RetroWare <--- clickable link, btw. (demo available)

I won't lie, I don't know shit about The Toxic Crusaders except that the show & the upcoming video game adaptation have an amazing theme song. While that's reason enough for my interest to be piqued, I also can't help but to be drawn towards 2D beat 'em ups. One of my childhood obsessions was Streets Of Rage 2 on the Genesis & I'm still chasing that dragon to this day. My fingers, toes & eyes are crossed in hopes that we get this game this year.

1. Prison Of Husks by Glass Head Dolls <--- clickable link, btw. (demo available)

If you're taking time from your day to read a gaming blog then I won't waste that time explaining what the souls-like/lite genre is. You know what you're getting when you play one of those. Well, Prison Of Husks is one of those but what stands out is the art style. It grey, gritty, grimy & a little pixel-y like a PS3 game. Set in a "painted afterlife" you play a doll who uses the language of dodge rolls & parries in their search for their beloved. One line that stands out to me in the Steam description is "battle pigment-hoarding bosses." That suggests that you might be restoring color to the world as you progress & that sounds super cool to me.

1. Jigrift by Empty Castle Games <--- clickable link, btw.

I have a real soft spot for puzzle games that let you move large chunks of the world around. Games like Arranger, Paper Trail, the excellent Viewfinder & the upcoming Compress(space) blow my little mind every time. Looking at the trailer for Jigrift conjures that same feeling of awe. You'll play as a frog who crash lands on one of a cluster puzzle shaped islands & has to put the island back together to earn the trust of a "tribe of three-eye'd voodoo frogs." What more do you need to know? (besides the release date)

1. Better Than Us by Little Bat Games <--- clickable link, btw.

This is eat the rich the game. More specifically, this is trick the rich and steal their shit the game. A premise I could not be more on board with right now. I'm a big fan of everything this game is advertising; stealing from the rich, lying to the rich, wealth redistribution, dark comedy. Its all here. My hope is that this point & click game will be some kind of cathartic release valve in the year that brought us history's first trillionaire 🤮

1. Agent 64: Spies Never Die by Replicant D6 <--- clickable link, btw. (demo available)

What if I told you there's a Golden Eye/N64 inspired FPS coming out this year? What if I told you it has an objective based campaign that can be played solo or in co-op. What if I told you it also had online/split screen PvP? Well that game is real and its called Agent 64: Spies Never Die. Every now and then, the universe smiles in my direction & a lovely coincidence occurs. Today's lovey coincidence is that this game actually has a release date. As of writing (July 23rd) its scheduled to come out on August 11th, 2026. The last time I checked this game's release date was July 2nd, according to my spreadsheet so this was a nice surprise for me.

Apparently I haven't hit my 4 minute read restriction yet so, as a bonus for you for reading this far, I'm just going list the rest of the games that didn't make it into top 6. Thanks for reading. Follow me on Bluesky for more indie games.

• Bloody Hell Hotel by Unfold Games
• Chronoscript: The Endless End by DeskWorks Inc.
• Citystate Metropolis by Andy Sztark
• Diecast by Sofamire (demo available)
• Finding Polka by Lidlocks (demo available)
• Frostrail by FakeFish
• Goeland: Seagull Adventure by Maarti Games
• Grave Seasons by Perfect Garbage
• Knuckle Jet by Rain Games (demo available)
• Machine Party by Mike Klubnika & GDeavid (Release Date: 7/30/26)
• Monomoon by Gentle Giant
• Over The Hill by Funselektor Labs Inc. & Strelka Games
• Rune Fencer Illya by Nootbox Games
• SacriFire by Pixelated Milk
• Shroom & Gloom by Team Lazerbeam (demo available)
• The Birdsong Tree by Hongoneon (demo available)
• The Merlies by Darjeeling & ARTE France (demo available)