Published 3 hours ago

So it begins

January is much busier for new video games than you think

Graphic: Polygon | Source images: Bandai Namco, Focus Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Nihon Falmon/NIS America, Nintendo

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After a long year that felt like it would never end at times, 2026 is finally here. The new year offers a fresh opportunity to get away from the baggage of 2025 and start with a clean slate. It’s also a good excuse to give your 2025 gaming backlog a break and look ahead to what could be a pretty major year for gaming — so long as delays don’t radically change what’s on tap.

If you’re looking forward to the big stuff, like Resident Evil Requiem or Nioh 3, you’re going to have to wait a few months. The year’s big games won’t start coming out until February. As is usually the case, January is set to be a quieter month with only one or two big-ticket games on the calendar at the moment.

But don’t be misled: January is still positively loaded when it comes to new games. Whether you’re looking for a new multiplayer game or a Metroidvania to fill the Hollow Knight: Silksong-sized void in your soul, your backlog is about to fill up much faster than you think. Just take a quick look at some highlights.

• Pathologic 3 (Jan. 9)

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Jan. 15)

• The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon (Jan. 15)

• Mio: Memories in Orbit (Jan. 22)

• Perfect Tides: Station to Station (Jan. 22)

• Arknights Endfield (Jan. 22)

• Hermit and Pig (Jan. 22)

• Highguard (Jan. 26)

• The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin (Jan. 28)

• Cairn (Jan. 29)

• Don’t Stop, Girlypop! (Jan. 29)

• Code Vein 2 (Jan. 30)

  Image: Bandai Namco Studios/Bandai Namco Entertainment

January will start strong on Jan. 9 with Pathologic 3. The latest entry in developer Ice-Pick Log’s horror RPG series is a long-awaited sequel for fans who have long revered Pathologic 2 as a misunderstood sensation. While the Pathologic series has historically been a polarizing one, the threequel comes at a time when audiences seem more willing to vibe with games that antagonize their audiences with meaningful friction. There’s a chance that Pathologic 3 breaks out from its niche fanbase and finds its moment in a slow first half of January.

We’re really off the races once Jan. 15 rolls around. That’s the day that Animal Crossing: New Horizons gets its anticipated 3.0 update and Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade. Both could stand to revitalize a once culturally dominant game, as history tells us that Animal Crossing updates can be fairly substantial.

The year really begins for RPG fans on that day too. The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon will finally come to the west on Jan. 15, kicking off a busy month for the genre. The free-to-play Arknights: Endfield follows Trails on Jan. 22, as do Switch 2 ports of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade (also coming to Xbox Series X) and Dynasty Warriors: Origins. That RPG stretch culminates on Jan. 30 with the month’s biggest game: Code Vein 2. Bandai Namco’s latest will give players 2026’s first big Soulslike just one week before Nioh 3.

You’ll want to keep your eyes on Highguard too. Launching on Jan. 26, the new free-to-play multiplayer game from some of the developers behind Apex Legends and Titanfall looks to shake up the hero shooter with its fantasy setting and animal-riding movement. Considering that it was the grand finale of this year’s The Game Awards, developer Wildlight Entertainment seems to think it has something big on its hands.

Beyond that, the back half of January is also loaded with the kind of indie games that could wind up being surprise hits. Mio: Memories in Orbit (Jan. 20) is a gorgeous Metroidvania that looks like it will be perfect for Silksong fans. Hermit and Pig (Jan. 22) is a charming turn-based RPG that pays tribute to Earthbound. Cairn (Jan. 29) made a big splash at last year’s Tribeca Fest with its in-depth rock-climbing gameplay. And Don’t Stop, Girlypop! (Jan. 29) is a Y2K-themed shooter that you really just need to see for yourself.

So if you’re the kind of person who likes keeping up with the latest games, make peace with your 2025 backlog now. We’re off to the races.