Tom Richardson<\/span>BBC Newsbeat<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n The video games industry is unpredictable.<\/p>\n If you’d told us this time last year that a previously unknown French studio would claim game of the year, Battlefield 6 would knock Call of Duty off the top of the annual charts and that Saudi Arabia would buy gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA) we’d have been… sceptical.<\/p>\n So you’d have to be very sure of yourself – or very foolish – to try and predict what’s going to happen in the year ahead. <\/p>\n Luckily, we’re not in the crystal ball business here at BBC Newsbeat, but there are a few things we can be confident video game fans should keep an eye on in 2026.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s big releases, big moves or big issues – here\u2019s a rundown of some of the most important. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n “A cultural moment, a day millions of players have been awaiting for a very, very long time.”<\/p>\n Sound familiar? It should. It’s what we wrote about Grand Theft Auto 6 this time last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two delays and one new trailer later, and we’re more or less where we were 12 months ago.<\/p>\n Assuming it comes out, as planned, on 19 November, it will almost certainly break records.<\/p>\n And you can bet other publishers will want to release their own 2026 games as far away from it as possible.<\/p>\n But the big question remains: “Will it get delayed again?”<\/p>\n Publisher Take Two says it’s confident the new date will hold, but it remains to be seen whether developer Rockstar’s recent sacking of 31 staff – which included experienced team members – will affect the game.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Like this year, when publishers manoeuvered around GTA 6’s original “late 2025” release date, 2026 is front-loaded with significant releases.<\/p>\n Japanese giant Capcom unleashes Resident Evil Requiem<\/b>, the ninth main entry in its blockbuster horror series, in February, followed by sci-fi action adventure Pragmata<\/b> in April. <\/p>\n Sony <\/b>is also planning to drop PlayStation exclusive Saros<\/b>, a follow-up to 2021’s widely-praised Returnal, in April.<\/p>\n While Wolverine, <\/b>the next superhero smash from Spider-Man studio Insomniac – another in-house Sony developer – is set to arrive in the autumn.<\/p>\n May will see the arrival of 007 First Light<\/b> – the celeb-filled James Bond adventure from Hitman developer IO Interactive.<\/p>\n Nintendo<\/b> will be looking to maintain the momentum of its record-breaking Switch 2 launch this year.<\/p>\n Ones to watch include Pokopia <\/b>– a cosy take on Pok\u00e9mon – and online multiplayer The Duskbloods <\/b>from Elden Ring maker FromSoftware.<\/p>\n Fans have complained about the lack of a brand new Mario or Zelda game and, as things stand, neither has been announced yet. But the company’s got form for announcing big new games mere months before they release. <\/p>\n Microsoft<\/b> recently teased big reveals for its January 2026 Developer Direct showcase and, unless we’re told otherwise, is due to release Fable <\/b>– its reboot of the very <\/i>British fantasy RPG series – and Gears of War: E-Day<\/b> sometime during the year.<\/p>\n Marking 25 years of its Xbox <\/b>brand could also give the company a chance to win back fans after backlashes over studio closures, price rises to its Game Pass subscription service and its decision to release flagship series on rival consoles<\/a>.<\/p>\n And that’s just the major publishers. Expect more indie surprises to take centre stage next year. <\/p>\n Our one-to-watch is Raccoin <\/b>– a score attack game inspired by arcade coin-pusher machines.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Random-access memory, or RAM, is a vital component in millions of electronic devices including smartphones, Smart TVs, medical equipment and even cars.<\/p>\n It’s also been getting really, really expensive.<\/p>\n Demand from Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centre projects has been blamed, with some of the world’s biggest RAM manufacturers pivoting towards supplying demand from big tech firms.<\/p>\n Micron, owner of the Crucial brand sold in many online and high street shops, recently announced it was ceasing its consumer business to focus on demand from AI companies.<\/a><\/p>\n All of which has created a shortage that, according to some analysts, could eventually push up prices of electronics, with video game consoles high on the list of potential casualties.<\/p>\n Business website Bloomberg reported that production costs for Nintendo’s Switch 2 could rise<\/a> and there are also concerns that Valve’s upcoming PC-console hybrid Steam Machine<\/a> could be delayed, or more expensive, as a result of the situation.<\/p>\n So far, no video game companies have commented.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the games industry, which has faced thousands of layoffs in recent years, discussions about generative AI (GenAI) and its impact on jobs are especially fierce.<\/p>\n Just this month Swen Vincke, the boss of multi-award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3 maker Larian Studios, faced a backlash when he told interviewers the company had explored using GenAI<\/a> for coming up with ideas and early prototypes.<\/p>\n He said no AI content would appear in its finished games nor replace human workers but, in a follow-up response, said it would be “irresponsible” not to assess new technologies.<\/p>\n Despite early claims that GenAI could allow people to make games more quickly at a fraction of the current costs, it’s unclear how much of an impact it’s actually had.<\/p>\n Developers who’ve spoken to BBC Newsbeat say it’s not widely used in finished products due to a mix of ethical, legal and practical concerns, but plenty of companies have at least tried using it for pre-production work. <\/p>\n Some smaller companies proudly state that they don’t use the tools at any stage of development.<\/p>\n Against a backdrop of uncertainty over the long-term future of GenAI<\/a>, it remains to be seen how far its use will spread. <\/p>\n But it’s a topic that fosters strong emotions from players and workers within the industry, so expect more controversies as the year ploughs on.<\/p>\n Read more: <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Electronic Arts (EA), the publisher of Battlefield 6, EA FC and The Sims, is one of the world’s biggest video game companies, responsible for titles that regularly top bestseller charts.<\/p>\n![\"Rockstar](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/2d27\/live\/de993a80-df5a-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp\")
Rockstar<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nGTA 6: Will it actually arrive in 2026?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Resident Evil 9, James Bond and Wolverine<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20251210-151139-37baf2dfdd-web-2.36.1-1\/grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"Capcom](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/87ca\/live\/ec2b6ea0-df5c-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.png.webp\")
Capcom<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nBad memory: RAM prices are going up <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The battle over AI in game development<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Larian](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/0e16\/live\/0f848880-df5a-11f0-a7ad-b72dffdf9dfd.jpg.webp\")
Larian Studios<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nSaudi Arabia buys Electronic Arts<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
![\"EA](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/750d\/live\/7a598330-df5b-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp\")
EA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8366\/live\/74a706f0-15d7-11ef-9b12-1ba8f95c4917.jpg.webp\")
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