Canadian games to look out for in 2026

2026 is set to be a particularly big year for games.

First of all, we’re (supposedly) getting Grand Theft Auto VI, which will inevitably smash pretty much every entertainment record imaginable. We’re getting new entries in popular franchises like Resident Evil, Forza Horizon and Fire Emblem. And we’re getting promising new IPs like Capcom’s Pragmata, ex-Witcher devs’ The Blood of Dawnwalker and Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert.

But something else you can bet on — something that sadly doesn’t ever get talked about enough — is a new batch of exceptional Canadian games. That was the case last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and so on. Already, we know of several exciting Canadian games in store for us this year, and that’s before more are inevitably revealed at events like Summer Game Fest. Here are the ones you should keep an eye on.

All Systems Dance

Developer: Mighty Yell (Toronto, Ont.)
Publisher: Mighty Yell, Strange Scaffold
Platforms: PC
Release date: TBA 2026

A lot of games have centred around corporate dystopias, but none have tackled this subject matter quite like Mighty Yell. In All Systems Dance, you play as a citizen who rebels against Big Tech through expressive dance. Given Mighty Yell’s work on 2021’s excellent The Big Con, you can also expect a winning mix of colourful aesthetics, endearing humour and a surprisingly heartfelt story.

At Fate’s End

Developer/publisher: Thunder Lotus (Montreal, Que.)
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S (plus Xbox Game Pass), PC (Steam and Epic Games Store)
Release date: TBA 2026

Thunder Lotus’ Spiritfarer was one of 2020’s finest games, mixing cozy management sim mechanics with a deeply heartfelt story about the afterlife. Now, that same team is giving us a decidedly more action-packed adventure, but one that is nonetheless rooted in similar emotionally-charged character dynamics. You play as a young heiress who must battle her royal siblings in a deadly game of succession, with poignant branching dialogue scenes baked into the Tarot-inspired real-time combat.

Battle Vision Network

Developer/publisher: Capybara Games (Toronto, Ont.)
Platforms: PC, Android and iOS (with Netflix Games release)
Release date: TBA 2026

Inspired by Capybara’s acclaimed Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, Battle Vision Network is a sci-fi PvP puzzle-battler about a Eurovision-esque galactic competition. Centred around five-minute matches, the game tasks you with colour-matching units to fight your way to victory. The wide roster of colourful, customizable characters should ensure there’s plenty of strategic depth here.

Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2

Developer/publisher: Hinterland Studio (Vancouver, B.C.)
Platforms: PC
Release date: TBA 2026 (early access)

Hinterland’s first The Long Dark is one of Canada’s best indie success stories, a survival game that has remained popular and well-supported for a decade now. That’s what makes a sequel so tantalizing, as we can expect the team to build on everything it’s learned so far. For Blackfrost, expect an even larger Northern Canada setting that includes NPCs and co-op, as well as deeper mechanics like the psychological “Will to Live” system.

Blighted

Developer/publisher: Drinkbox Studio (Toronto, Ont.)
Platforms: PC
Release date: TBA 2026

Prolific Canadian game maker Drinkbox (Guacamelee, Nobody Saves the World) returns with this Metroidvania action-RPG. In Blighted, you play as a lone survivor who must consume the brains of his enemies to reclaim the memories of his people. It’s a strikingly gruesome premise brought to life through the developer’s first-ever 3D world and enhanced by a drop-in, drop-out co-op mode.

Button Man

Developer/publisher: Styrax Studios Inc. (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Platforms: PC
Release date: TBA 2026

Let’s be honest: it’s rare for Canada to get to play itself, and whenever it does, it tends to be Toronto. That’s part of what makes Button Man so interesting as a side-scrolling beat ’em up adventure game set in prohibition Halifax. As the hired killer of the local kingpin, it’s your job to hunt down the man who whacked him. From the refreshingly unique and colourful comic book-esque visual style to the nostalgic old-school brawling gameplay, Button Man is shaping up quite nicely.

Capy Castaway

Developer: Kitten Cup Studio (Toronto, Ont.)
Publisher: Big Blue Sky Games
Platforms: PC
Release date: TBA 2026

Capy Castaway isn’t your average cozy game. Its world is a loving tribute to Toronto, it features a luscious art style and you control the adorable animal duo of Capy the capybara and Corvi the Crow on their journey to return home. It’s endlessly charming and looks full of fun little activities and puzzles to tackle. Plus, there’s a Cerberus-inspired mega-sized bird named “Gooseberus” whose three heads are named Loonie, Toonie and Buck, which is just incredible.

Echo Generation 2

Developer/publisher: Cococucumber (Toronto, Ont.)
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC (plus Xbox Game Pass)
Release date: TBA 2026

The cutely named Cococucumber has been on a roll in recent years, delivering acclaimed games like Riverbond, Echo Generation and Ravenlok. Now, the team is crafting its first-ever sequel, which looks to lean further into the Canadian-infused, Stranger Things-inspired nostalgic sci-fi story. Expect deeper turn-based combat this time around thanks to an expanded card system and an interdimensional yarn featuring a time-displaced father.

Gears of War: E-Day

Developer: The Coalition (Vancouver, B.C.)
Publisher: Xbox
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC (plus Xbox Game Pass)
Release date: TBA 2026

Xbox’s flagship third-person shooter series turns 20 this year, so what better way to celebrate than by going back to the beginning? Set 14 years before the original Gears of War, E-Day chronicles the titular harrowing event that marked the emergence of the Locust Horde. While we’ve yet to see any gameplay, The Coalition is promising a gritty, melancholic journey featuring fan-favourite characters Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago.

Petal Runner

Developer: Nano Park Studios (Calgary’s Brandon James Greer and Vancouver’s Danny Guo)
Publisher: iam8bit
Platforms: PC
Release date: TBA 2026

A chance Reddit encounter between two young Canadians led to one of Summer Game Fest 2025’s standout new games. Visually inspired by the classic Pokémon games, Petal Runner follows teenage courier Cali and his virtual fox companion Kira as they make deliveries and calibrate other digital animal friends. All in all, it looks to be a lovingly nostalgic adventure with a coming-of-age story about letting go.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (remake)

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal (Montreal, Que.)
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA 2026

Admittedly, the road to this game has been bumpy, having been originally announced in 2020 as being under development at Ubisoft Pune, only for the original The Sands of Time studio Ubisoft Montreal to take over two years later. While we haven’t actually seen any gameplay since that initial announcement five years ago, The Sands of Time is widely regarded to be one of the greatest games ever made, making a remake a particularly noteworthy prospect.

It’s worth noting that a remake of Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag has also been repeatedly leaked ahead of a rumoured 2026 launch, although it has yet to be officially revealed and we don’t know which developer is making it.

Scott Pilgrim EX

Developer/publisher: Tribute Games (Montreal, Que.)
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date: Early 2026

Tribute Games was founded in 2011 by some of the key developers of the excellent Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game, so it’s truly fitting that it’s the team that’s bringing us this follow-up. Play as Scott, Ramona and several other familiar faces in this original story from Canadian series creator Bryan Lee O’Malley set in a futuristic Toronto. Given that Tribute has since gone on to deliver fantastic TMNT and Marvel beat ‘em ups, we can’t wait to see what they’ll do with their grand return to the wacky world of Scott Pilgrim.

---

Of course, it’s only January, so other Canadian games will no doubt be confirmed for 2026 in the coming months. There are also several games that have been revealed without release windows, including:

• Assassin’s Creed Hexe (Ubisoft Montreal) — set to be one of the series’ darkest games thanks to a story about the witch trials during the Holy Roman Empire.
• Beastieball (Vancouver’s Wishes Ultd.) — a turn-based volleyball RPG that’s currently in early access.
• Croak (Montreal’s Woodrunner Games) — a fast-paced precision platformer featuring some of the animators of Cuphead.
• Fairgame$ (Montreal’s Haven) — a new PlayStation extraction shooter.
• Forest 3 (Vancouver’s Endnight Games) — an outer space entry in The Forest survival horror series.
• Hope in the City (Toronto’s Lofty Sky Entertainment) — a non-linear mystery set in a fictional Chinese city.
• Inferius (Edmonton’s Lucid Rain) — a first-person roguelike deckbuilder inspired by Dante and Lovecraft.
• Sky of Tides (Lofty Sky Entertainment) — a narrative-driven RPG set in an original sci-fi universe (with a tie-in animated series also on the way).
• Soulframe (London, Ont.’s Digital Extremes) — the brand-new fantasy RPG from the creators of Warframe (currently in pre-alpha testing).
• Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic (Edmonton’s Arcanaut Studios) — a new Star Wars RPG from Canada’s Casey Hudson, the director of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy.
• Untitled new Mass Effect game (BioWare Edmonton) — the next entry in the beloved sci-fi RPG series.

What Canadian games are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments.

Image credit: Tribute Games/Mighty Yell/Hinterland Studio