Happy New Year and welcome to 2026! Code Vein II and Cairn headline a relatively quiet month, with some exciting indies bringing plenty of action and nostalgia into the mix.
Here are our most anticipated games releasing in January 2026:
Big Hops
Ribbit, ribbit! Big Hops is one of the first indie games to hop out of the developer pond in 2026. Created by Luckshot Games, it takes some of the best elements from some of our favourite titles and mashes them together for a froggy adventure.
In Big Hops, you play as Hops, a frog on a mission. Collect tasty bugs, meet animal friends, climb tall cliffs, and explore a diverse variety of levels with your tongue — it looks very nostalgic!
Take the leap, check out Big Hops when it launches on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC on Jan 13th.
Craftlings
If you’re a (slightly) older gamer like me, you might’ve spent countless hours as a kid playing puzzler Lemmings. Now, Craftlings is combining that same ‘save as many as you can‘ style of problem solving with crafting and resource management.
You’ll need to shepherd your little craftlings, keeping them from harm as they gather and deliver resources for building and researching new technologies, and even pick up the sword to defend their home. It looks like a fantastic mix of classic games Lemmings and The Settlers, and I’m so here for it.
Craftlings digs it’s way onto PC on Jan 16th.
READ MORE: Video games your boss doesn’t want you to know about
Escape from Ever After
Break free from the soul-leeching corporate rat-race in Escape from Ever After. Unscrupulous megacorp Ever After Inc.™ is commandeering fairytales, using their characters as a cheap labour force, and milking the stories of their magic! As Flynt Buckler, it’s up to you to rally your colleagues and take down the company from the inside!
The cute and cartoonish RPG takes heavy inspiration from the Paper Mario games with its 2D cutout characters and dynamic turn-based combat. Jump between various storybook worlds full of curious characters, treasure to collect, and secrets to uncover.
Escape from Ever After launches on the 24th of Jan for consoles and PC.
The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin
The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is a free-to-play open-world RPG set in the world of the popular manga and anime The Seven Deadly Sins. The game tells its own original story however, allowing for a mix of freshness and familiarity.
You’ll explore the beautifully animated world of Britannia, as Prince Tristan of Liones, looking to restore order to a world in chaos. With your team of heroes you’ll battle against ferocious monsters and imposing bosses, with plenty to do outside of combat too, like fishing, cooking, and uncovering the secrets of the land.
The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin will be available on Jan 28th for PlayStation 5, PC and mobile.
Cairn
Conquer the mountain in this atmospheric survival adventure. Cairn pits you against Mother Nature herself as you battle the elements and your own body to be the first person to ever summit Mount Kami.
With the ability to climb anywhere, it’s up to you to forge your own path upward, decisions that could see you standing atop lofty peaks… Or falling to your doom. There’s a strong emphasis on realism; you won’t just be holding forwards to climb like in 99% of games. You’ll have to manage your posture and balance, as well as limited resources like climbing pitons, chalk, and finger tape.
Cairn climbs onto PlayStation 5 and PC on Jan 30th.
READ MORE: Preview | Cairn: ‘A Mountain Worth Climbing?’ (PC)
Code Vein II
It’s a time-hopping, post-apocalyptic adventure in Code Vein II. You’ll travel back to a time before the world’s destruction to find a way to save the future for the Revenants and humans alike.
While it’s the second in the series, Code Vein II is unrelated to the first game but still shares its anime aesthetics and soulslike/ARPG gameplay style. The fast, action-packed combat looks to keep you on your toes as you go toe-to-toe to monstrous enemies. As a Revenant Hunter, you have the ability to drain the blood of the enemies you defeat and acquire new skills.
Code Vein II time travels onto PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on Jan 30th.
READ MORE: Does the Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition ‘Pac’ a Punch?
More games releasing in January 2026:
- 6th – DuneCrawl
- 7th – StarRupture (Early Access)
- 10th – Pathologic 3
- 10th – Code Violet
- 13th – Quarantine Zone: The Last Check
- 15th – Streetdog BMX
- 15th – CASSETTE BOY
- 15th – Philna Fantasy
- 15th – The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon
- 15th – Kejora
- 17th – BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW
- 20th – Blightstone (Early Access)
- 20th – On-Together: Virtual Co-Working
- 20th – Lunars (Early Access)
- 21st – MIO: Memories in Orbit
- 22nd – Tailside: Cozy Cafe Sim (Early Access)
- 22nd – Arknights: Endfield
- 22nd – Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator
- 22nd – DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Visions of Four Heroes (DLC)
- 22nd – Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven (DLC)
- 23rd – Nova Roma (Early Access)
- 23rd – Hermit and Pig
- 23rd – Perfect Tides: Station to Station
- 23rd – Banquet for Fools
- 27th – Highguard
- 27th – Adaptory (Early Access)
- 29th – DUSK INDEX: GION
- 29th – Steel Century Groove
- 29th – City Tales: Medieval Era
- 30th – Don’t Stop, Girlypop!
- 30th – I Hate This Place
- 31st – Vampires: Bloodlord Rising
Miss last month’s list? Check it out below.
