With roughly half the year done, 2026’s legacy is already defined by a slew of brilliant games that will keep most people busy for a long time. From horror to dense RPGs and cozy sims, every genre received a new representative. However, even when compared to other popular categories, 2026 action-adventure games have been especially incredible, ambitious, and celebrated. Seriously, it seems like the genre cannot help but bottom out at “pretty good,” at least if we focus on relatively big names and ignore the slew of forgettable titles that launch on Steam.
If the most anticipated 2026 action-adventure games – Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, GTA 6, and Marvel’s Wolverine – fail to materialize by the end of December, the year would have already done enough to be remembered as a triumph and not a disappointment. Even if all those projects launch as planned, they would need to be incredibly special to overshadow the masterpieces that have already etched their name into gaming lore.
- No RPGS like Neverness to Everness, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, and Nioh 3.
- No early access games like Subnautica 2 or Windrose.
- No ports like Where Winds Meet, Darksiders: Warmastered Edition, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Crimson Desert
Pearl Abyss’ Ever-Evolving Open-World Masterpiece
I know what you are thinking, “Wait, didn’t you say no RPGs?” While it might seem to be part of that genre, Pearly Abyss describes Crimson Desert as an action-adventure game; “open-world action adventure” is literally part of the official website’s Google Search title. With no leveling system, character creator, or extensive playstyle customization, Crimson Desert casts you as Kliff, a Greymane with a specific fighting style, personality, and story. Although presenting players with options like a skill tree that lets them mold the combat system to an extent, the game is otherwise a pure action-adventure experience that features an absolutely massive world filled with layers upon layers of mechanics, quests, and beauty.
Crimson Desert is far from perfect; it has a notoriously slow start that feels like a never-ending tutorial, a main story that never picks up steam, and some of the worst boss battles in recent memory. Kliff is not the most interesting protagonist, either, and only a few of the side characters can be described as memorable. Personally, I didn’t really start getting into the game until about 15 hours; from then, Crimson Desert seemed to just become better and better. By the end of a 50-hour run (which is on the short side), I was absolutely ready to spend considerably more time exploring every part of Pywel, an open-world continent that feels genuinely endless. Pearl Abyss’s continued support has also kept the game in the spotlight.
007 First Light
James Bond’s Newest Adventure Lives Up To His Reputation
Finally, James Bond is back and better than ever. 007 First Light marks the legendary agent’s long-awaited return to gaming, being the first proper entry since 2012’s dismal 007 Legends. Despite boasting a respectable video game resume, Bond’s greatest achievements were so far in the past that they belong to history and hold almost no relevance to the current landscape. 007 First Light couldn’t afford to miss the mark, and IO Interactive proved to be the absolute best developer to revive the franchise. The game was so good that Amazon quickly announced that it wants to create even more Bond games (potentially without IO Interactive’s involvement, as the world refuses to make sense in 2026).
Revolving around an inexperienced 007 looking to earn his MI6 badge, 007 First Light blends Hitman with Uncharted to create a globe-trotting adventure that captures the blockbuster epicness of the movies and the slower-paced action of the classic games. Although plenty of missions slow things down and force Bond (and players) to slip undetected into a crowded setting, 007 First Light is by no means just Hitman with British accents, with the game giving players the leeway to take a guns-blazing approach, if they prefer to go down that route.
Pragmata
Capcom Does It Again
When Capcom revealed a new third-person shooter featuring a young girl as a weapon, the gaming world’s reaction merged intrigue with confusion. As my favorite franchise of all time is Devil May Cry, I always have time for a new Capcom experiment; that said, even I felt skeptical about the project after absorbing every ounce of Pragmata footage available.
Those fears were largely unfounded, although this is one of those games that you have to experience yourself to really get. Looking in from the outside, the combat seems slow, cumbersome, disjointed, and unnatural. In practice, the gameplay merges real-time gunplay with puzzle-style hacking surprisingly well, although it is still very much an acquired taste.
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