If you thought 2025 was stacked with must-have video games, 2026 is quietly turning into a monster year for games. After Grand Theft Auto VI slid to a November 19, 2026, release date on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, a bunch of publishers reshuffled their calendars around Rockstar’s behemoth.
For service members and vets, that means one thing: a lot of new ways to burn through barracks downtime, post-deployment leave, and three-day weekends. From tactical Star Wars missions to underwater survival and life-sim wish fulfillment, here are 10 of the most exciting games currently on the 2026 schedule—and what they offer military gamers specifically.
Grand Theft Auto VI – The Big One Everyone Will Be Talking About
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Release date: November 19, 2026
Rockstar formally set GTA 6 for November 19, 2026, after delaying it out of 2025 and calling it “the largest game launch in history.”
Set in a modernized Vice City with dual protagonists, this is the game that will dominate every smoke pit conversation for months. For troops, it’s a giant open world you can disappear into on leave—complete with the usual mix of heists, car chases, and “you’re never going to believe what happened last night in-game” chaos.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
It’s the cultural event of the year. Even if you’re not playing it, everyone in the unit will be, which makes this the de facto “what we’re all doing after duty” game for late 2026.
Resident Evil Requiem – Back to Raccoon City With an FBI Lead
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, Nintendo Switch 2
- Release date: February 27, 2026
Capcom’s next mainline horror game, Resident Evil Requiem, returns to Raccoon City and stars Grace Ashcroft, an introverted FBI technical analyst investigating a string of strange deaths at the Wrenwood Hotel—where her mother died years earlier.
Gameplay mixes first- and third-person perspectives, with an emphasis on creeping dread over nonstop gunfights. Director Koshi Nakanishi has described the tone as “a delicate girl fighting with a rugged revolver,” leaning into psychological tension over pure action.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
Horror is already a favorite decompression genre among many troops. This one layers federal-agent vibes, bioterror scares, and hotel CQ into a long, moody campaign—perfect for late-night, lights-off sessions in the barracks.
007 First Light – Bond Before the Tux
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch 2
- Release window: March 27, 2026
IO Interactive, the studio behind the modern Hitman trilogy, is finally lifting the curtain on its Bond project. 007 First Light is a third-person action-adventure that tells an original James Bond origin story, following a young MI6 recruit before he earns his license to kill.
Expect stealth, disguises, and carefully planned missions instead of pure run-and-gun chaos.
007 First Light: Gameplay Trailer
Gameplay trailer for 007: First Light, IO Interactive’s original James Bond origin story coming in 2026. From stealth to shootouts, 007 First Light delivers high-stakes spycraft, explosive combat, and the ultimate test of your skills. Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on March 27, 2026.
Pre-order now and get a free Deluxe Edition Upgrade.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
This is basically a fantasy pipeline game—selection, training, and early missions for the world’s most famous “secret” agent. If you’ve ever daydreamed about intel work or special operations, this scratches that itch in a much more grounded way than some shooters.
Star Wars: Zero Company – Clone Wars Tactics for NCO Brains
- Platforms: PC (consoles likely to follow)
- Release window: 2026
Star Wars: Zero Company is a single-player, turn-based tactics game where you command an elite, unconventional squad during the twilight of the Clone Wars. You play as Hawks, a former Republic officer leading mercs-for-hire, making tough calls for a small team of specialists.
Think XCOM with clone troopers and a heavy emphasis on positioning, overwatch, and squad team dynamics.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
This is catnip for tactically minded NCOs and officers. It’s all about small-unit leadership, risk management, and living with the consequences of your orders—just with fewer real-life counseling statements.
Call of Duty 2026 (Reportedly Modern Warfare 4) – Korea on the Horizon?
- Platforms: TBA
- Release window: 2026 (reported)
Activision hasn’t officially announced the 2026 entry yet, but multiple reports say Infinity Ward is working on a new Modern Warfare—likely Modern Warfare 4—with a campaign set mainly on the Korean peninsula, involving both North and South Korea.
Details can still change, but given Call of Duty’s yearly cadence, it’s safe to assume a big tentpole shooter is coming.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
Every year’s CoD becomes the default multiplayer choice in a lot of barracks and dorms. A Korea-focused campaign gives you plenty of real-world strategic hooks to argue about between matches.
Next Ghost Recon – Rumored Return to Tactical Roots
- Platforms: TBA
- Release window: 2025–2026 (rumored)
Leaks suggest Ubisoft is working on a new mainline Ghost Recon that returns to a more grounded, first-person, squad-based tactical shooter, drawing inspiration from games like Squad and Ready or Not.
Nothing is confirmed yet, but insiders peg the release window somewhere between late 2025 and fall 2026.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
If you bounced off the loot-grindy feel of Breakpoint but still have fond memories of earlier Ghost Recon titles, this could be the series’s second chance to actually feel like military small-unit tactics instead of just another open-world checklist.
Crimson Desert – Medieval Merc Life With Big “Deployment” Energy
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, macOS
- Release date: March 19, 2026
Pearl Abyss’ long-gestating Crimson Desert finally has a firm date: March 19, 2026.
Originally conceived as a prequel to the MMO Black Desert Online, it has evolved into a standalone, story-driven open-world action RPG where you’re a hard-luck mercenary trying to keep a company alive in a brutal, war-torn land.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
This is basically a fantasy PMC life. You’re managing contracts, watching your people suffer for other people’s wars, and trying to keep everyone fed and paid—just with more dragons and fewer PowerPoint slides.
Subnautica 2 – Co-Op Survival in a Hostile Ocean
- Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S (Early Access)
- Release window: Early Access in 2026
Unknown Worlds has delayed Subnautica 2’s Early Access launch into 2026 to add more content and polish, but it’s still very much in the works.
Built in Unreal Engine 5, the sequel keeps the series’ lonely, underwater survival vibe but adds up to four-player co-op and cross-play between PC and Xbox—no PS5 version announced yet.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
If you’re stuck somewhere landlocked, this is the ultimate mental PCS: alien oceans, base-building, resource management, and a constant sense that something huge is moving out in the dark.
Halloween – Michael Myers Comes for Your Barracks Game Night
- Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Release date: September 8, 2026
IllFonic—the studio behind Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed and Friday the 13th: The Game—is turning John Carpenter’s classic into a 1v4 asymmetrical horror sandbox simply titled Halloween. It’s set on Halloween night, 1978, in Haddonfield, with one player stalking as Michael Myers while the others try to survive as “Heroes of Haddonfield.”
Why it matters for the military crowd:
This is tailor-made for spooky season in the dorms. One person gets to be the Boogeyman; everyone else screams into their mics and questions their life choices.
Paralives – Building the Post-Service Life You Actually Want
- Platforms: PC, Mac (Early Access)
- Release date: May 25, 2026
Indie life-sim Paralives has been quietly building a huge following, and the team has now locked in an Early Access release for May 25, 2026.
Unlike The Sims, it leans into detailed building tools, realistic schedules, and small-scale, slice-of-life drama. It’s also single-player and doesn’t require a constant internet connection.
Why it matters for the military crowd:
Not every off-duty hour needs gunfights. Paralives lets you design the dream house, neighborhood, and routine you might be working toward after ETS—without dealing with actual VA paperwork or BAH calculations.
The Bottom Line
Release dates slip, platforms change, and “TBD 2026” can easily turn into 2027. But as it stands, next year has something for almost every kind of military gamer:
- A once-in-a-generation blockbuster (GTA 6)
- Tactical brain food (Zero Company, rumored new Ghost Recon, CoD 2026)
- Survival and horror for late-night watchstanders (Resident Evil Requiem, Subnautica 2, Halloween)
- And at least one game built around the quiet life, a lot of troops are hoping to develop when the DD-214 finally prints (Paralives).
Start making room on your hard drive now—2026 is going to be busy.
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