20 Upcoming Video Games That Could Be Surprise Hits
Don't sleep on these upcoming potential bangers.
While it goes without saying that some of 2026's biggest and most anticipated video games include Grand Theft Auto VI, Resident Evil: Requiem, Crimson Desert, 007 First Light, and Fable to name just a few, what about those games that'll end up sneaking up on us all largely out of nowhere?
It's always fun when a game blows everyone away without much in the way of major pre-release hype, where the developer simply kept their head down and chipped away until their stone cold banger was ready.
And where 2026 is concerned, these 20 games are the ones most likely to become surprise hits with either critics or players, if not both.
These games don't have massive marketing budgets or AAA production values for the most part, but they do have a brilliant central idea which appears to have been executed in inspired fashion.
It of course remains to be seen if they've actually delivered the goods, but the odds are looking very strong that these games are some of next year's most talked about, even if you might not even know about them yet...
20. Big Walk
Developer House House - the team behind 2019's viral indie hit Untitled Goose Game - is back with their long-awaited next title Big Walk, which could very well be 2026's big co-op hit.
Up to four players can team up to traverse the game's vibrant, open world bushland environment, solving puzzles in order to progress with communication being key.
Though Big Walk has proximity chat, you'll often be separated enough from your cohort that you'll need to rely on gestures and codes in order to get your message across.
House House has emphasised that the experience is a casual one designed entirely around hanging out with friends and forging a joint path forward, which sounds like a perfect antidote to the avalanche of cinematic AAA releases we'll all surely play next year.
Don't be too shocked if Big Walk basically becomes next year's Peak - a sly word-of-mouth co-op hit that millions won't be able to stop playing with their pals.
Big Walk releases TBA 2026.