GameCentral runs through the biggest video games still lacking release dates and running down why they won’t be launching in 2026.
There are a lot of video games coming out this year that we’re looking forward to across PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, but there remain plenty of hotly anticipated games that have been public knowledge for some time and yet feel no closer to coming out.
Perhaps these games will see a new trailer or update within the next 12 months but it’s extremely unlikely they’ll actually come out this year. In some cases, even 2027 feels a smidge optimistic.
For the sake of managing expectations, let’s run down what sort of games you shouldn’t expect to see throughout 2026.
Alien Isolation 2
For as flawed as it was, 2014’s Alien Isolation was, in its best moments, a successful adaptation of the Alien franchise and a solid survival horror game. So, the confirmation of a sequel from the same director was a more than welcome surprise.
The problem is this announcement came in 2024 with no trailer, no screenshots, not even a promotional image. Plus, developer Creative Assembly made it clear the project was still in early development.
With how long modern development cycles are, Creative Assembly is not going to rush out an Alien Isolation 2 in just a couple of years. It’s certainly not going to launch till after the PlayStation 6 and new Xbox… assuming Sony and Microsoft’s plans don’t change.
Assassin’s Creed Hexe
Assassin’s Creed remains one of Ubisoft’s most important franchises (which is why it reportedly has so many projects in the works), but it typically doesn’t rush out new mainline entries nowadays.
So, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows not even a year old, the next game – the witch themed Assassin’s Creed Hexe – will probably only see a new reveal at most in 2026.
That’s not to say there’ll be no Assassin’s Creed this year. Ubisoft still won’t admit to it, but evidence points to the long-rumoured Assassin’s Creed 4 remake launching within the coming months.
Don’t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source
As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.
Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
BioShock 4
Take-Two has been promising a new BioShock since 2019 but so far has had nothing to really show of it. In another timeline, BioShock 4 might’ve launched by now but instead we live in the timeline where it suffers from a very messy development.
So much so, that Take-Two opted to change out leadership at developer Cloud Chamber and overhaul the game’s entire narrative among other areas. Depending on how much work is being scrapped, BioShock 4 may not see the light of day until the 2030s.
There also remains talk of Netflix doing a BioShock movie, but according to an interview with The Direct, production isn’t expected to start until director Francis Lawrence wraps up his work on The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping, which is slated for a November 2026 release.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3
There was some hope that Square Enix would formally announce the third instalment in its Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy at The Game Awards last month, but the company was completely absent from the show.
Given the four-year gap between the first game and 2024’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, it’s certainly too soon to expect part three to launch, especially when it doesn’t have a proper name yet.
The good news is that work on part three is progressing well according to creative director Tetsuya Nomura (per Gematsu) and though there are now plans to bring the entire trilogy to Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2, director Naoki Hamaguchi has assured this hasn’t disrupted development (via Easy Allies).
Kingdom Hearts 4
Fans aren’t so optimistic for Square Enix’s other absent role-player Kingdom Hearts 4. Despite being announced in 2022 with a cinematic trailer (and a potential Star Wars tease), there’s nary been a peep about it since.
Nomura has also assured development is going smoothly, but the only update Kingdom Hearts fans have had were a handful of vague screenshots. And those were clearly shared as a way of apologising for the decision to cancel a new mobile game that would’ve helped ease the wait.
It’s unclear what, if any, effect that cancellation has had on Kingdom Hearts 4 but unless Square Enix surprises fans with a new trailer this year, it’s looking more and more likely that the game won’t arrive until after the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy has wrapped up.
Next Mass Effect
Whether you’re calling it Mass Effect 4 or Mass Effect 5, the next entry in BioWare’s sci-fi role-playing series was announced all the way back in 2020 and though the promise of a new sequel was once incredibly exciting, the last five years have seen that excitement be chipped away.
Aside from a general lack of updates, BioWare suffered from lay-offs after the launch of 2024’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which was deemed a flop by EA, and the publisher itself is set to be acquired by a consortium of new investors.
There have been concerns that the new ownership will have a dramatic impact on the new Mass Effect’s development, with some employees fearing further lay-offs. EA felt the need to assure the project hasn’t been cancelled, but shared virtually nothing about its progress.
Okami 2
The sequel to Okami was the biggest reveal of The Game Awards 2024, especially with Hideki Kamiya returning to direct it. But Capcom made it abundantly clear that it was still a long way off from releasing.
In fact, Kamiya said he had only just started working on it, which means you shouldn’t even expect a proper trailer or update on its progress this year. At best, the Okami sequel could launch by 2028 and that’s still fairly generous.
Fortunately, Capcom has plenty of other games launching in 2026. Resident Evil Requiem in February is the biggest one, followed by Monster Hunter Stories 3, Pragmata, the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, and the new Onimusha.
Capcom also plans on releasing two new live action movies this year: another Resident Evil reboot from Weapons direct Zach Cregger and a fourth Street Fighter movie.
Persona 6
Persona 5 is nearly 10 years old at this point and yet Persona 6 remains oddly elusive, with every rumour of an incoming announcement having failed to bear fruit.
The success of the Persona franchise means a sequel is an absolute given, but there’s nothing to indicate how far along it is in development. While a 2026 release is out of the question, maybe Sega and Atlus will finally grace fans with a trailer for Persona’s 30th anniversary this year.
Although it too lacks a release date, the Persona 4 remake – Persona 4 Revival – did see a formal reveal at the Xbox summer showcase, so you should expect that to launch before Persona 6.
Star Wars: Eclipse, Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic remake, and Star Wars Jedi 3
While we do have Star Wars Zero Company and Star Wars: Galactic Racer to look forward to this year, expecting any of the other already announced Star Wars games to launch in the next 12 months is folly.
Quantic Dreams’ Star Wars: Eclipse hasn’t seen an update since the 2021 reveal and though the studio assures it’s still in development, it is now juggling it alongside a new live service game titled Spellcaster Chronicles.
Likewise, the troubled remake of Knights Of The Old Republic is supposedly trucking along at Saber Interactive, but such a project is likely still years away. There’s a very real chance the newly announced Fate Of The Old Republic will come out first.
The third Star Wars Jedi game will also probably see the light of day before Eclipse and the KOTOR remake, but it was only announced in late 2024 and the last entry, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, came out in 2023. So, with any luck, this is a 2027 release at the earliest.
The Elder Scrolls 6
It is not controversial to say The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced too early. More than seven years since its reveal and all that’s officially known is that the game will have mountains.
Comments by Xbox suggested that The Elder Scrolls 6 could launch as early as 2028 and Bethesda’s Todd Howard did say the game is in a playable state last summer. But even with it being a priority within Bethesda, Howard’s also said the game is ‘still a long way off.’
In the interim, there have been rumours and theories about The Elder Scrolls 6 taking place in High Rock and/or Hammerfell (the two regions where The Elder Scrolls took place) and featuring naval battles and ship customisation.
The Witcher 4 and The Witcher 1 remake
Given its appearance at The Game Awards 2024 (albeit with only a cinematic trailer) and a fancy looking tech demo shown last summer, The Witcher 4 is very much CD Projekt’s main priority at the moment instead of Cyberpunk 2.
CD Projekt has yet to commit to a release year, but it has ruled out 2026, making 2027 the earliest it could launch. A Polish analyst has claimed there are plans for a new DLC add-on for The Witcher 3 in May that’ll serve as a prologue for the sequel, but there’s been no official confirmation.
You may have forgotten that there’s supposed to be a remake of the very first Witcher game on the way too. CD Projekt has shared even less about that since the initial announcement, so don’t expect that till after The Witcher 4.
All that’s been said about the remake is that it will have an open world like The Witcher 3 and remove ‘outdated’ elements like the romance cards.
Total War: Medieval 3
Total War: Medieval 3 was only just announced last month via a brief live action teaser, which immediately made it clear that this thing is years off from releasing.
Creative Assembly even admitted that this announcement came too early, stressing that the sequel is still in pre-production, meaning it’s probably another three or four years away.
However, with Creative Assembly looking to get direct input from fans throughout development, perhaps it plans to offer beta tests, private or otherwise, in the future. Whether any such tests will be available in 2026 is another question entirely though.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.