The Green Games Showcase returns for 2026, hosted by PlanetPlay — a not-for-profit gaming platform that helps studios raise funds for real-world climate solutions.
This year’s lineup spans games tackling conservation themes, alongside games that explore evolution and others that simply encourage you to reconnect with our great green world — or, in the case of Permafrost, something a little, err, less green.
Here are our five standouts from the Green Games showcase.
Primordial Empire
Primordial Empire takes real-time strategy, turns it microscopic and thrusts it into the deep sea. You’re quite literally building an empire from the very first basic stem cell, cultivating a colony as you evolve into plants and other micro-organisms. That’s before you’re setting up multiple colonies and trading resources between them.
It’s 2D art style is a standout — vibrant, fluid and oddly hypnotic as microorganisms move and interact.
There’s a demo on Steam for Primordial Empire, with no release date confirmed.
Adapt
There’s lots of layers to Adapt — it is touted as a survival evolution game, but what hooked me is it’s species editor. You are given near total freedom in designing species and creatures — you can be as unhinged as you please.
Your creation is then thrust into a survival game, where you’ll need to scavenge for food, seek out habitable environments, and deal with a constantly changing environment.
There’s a demo on Steam for Adapt out now, with no release date confirmed.
Hela: Of Mice & Magic
Hela: Of Mice & Magic casts you as a small but vital helper to a sick witch, assisting in caring for her village by crafting potions to support her and the village’s residents.
It is a very charming premise, but what struck me most were the visuals — it has a stunning, storybook aesthetic, inspired by Scandinavian folklore. The world looks rich and inviting, with a number of traversal mechanics including gliding and swinging. Best of all, it is co-op!
Hela: Of Mice & Magic is slated for a 2026 release, so throw it onto your Steam wishlist.
SuperWEIRD
The name doesn’t undersell it, SuperWEIRD is exactly that. It is a management building roguelite where you create ‘JunkDroids’ and establish automated manufacturing systems to rebuild a fractured world while holding back the ever-encroaching ‘Goofy Goo’.
You guide your bots by placing flags to define paths and tasks, gradually constructing complex production chains to unlock more advanced tools and weapons. It looks chaotic, inventive, and potentially very addictive.
SuperWEIRD targeting a 2026 release, with no firm date yet, so wishlist it on Steam now.
Permafrost
Permafrost drops you into a frozen, post-apocalyptic wasteland. Humanity’s very existence is hanging by a thread — and your job is to survive, naturally.
There looks to be a great deal of depth here, with Permafrost blending resource management, base building, and combat with a narrative that leans on difficult choices. Plus, there’s a dog companion to take the edge off the chill.
The environment is bleak of course, but actually very stunning, and one that I am looking forward to exploring.
Permafrost is scheduled for release on PS5 and Steam on 21 August 2026.
On a quest for more games? Check out the Green Games Showcase in its entirety below:
More from Showcase Season 2026:
- Women-Led Games 2026 | Our Top Picks
- Latin American Games Showcase | Our Favourites
- Summer Games Fest 2026: Everything You Need To Know
- The MIX Summer Game Showcase 2026 | Our Top Picks
- Indie Quest 2026 | Our Top Picks
- PlayStation State of Play: Everything You Need To Know
