I’ll be honest: I did not expect a single year to stuff so many action-adventure games into my brain that I would still be sorting through them in 2026. But 2023 was ridiculous. I saved a big roundup of upcoming action-adventure titles back then, and now I want to walk through it like a time capsule. Some of these games became comfort food. Some became cautionary tales. And a few became the reason I still keep a controller charged. 🎮
The Small Games That Punched Way Above Their Weight
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk was the one I expected to be niche and weird, and it was. You literally lose your head, get a robot head, and join a crew to tag a city. In 2026, that pitch sounds like a fever dream, but the vibe still works. It is a spiritual successor to a cult classic, and you can feel that DNA in every grind and graffiti splash.
Hi-Fi Rush was a shadow-drop that made everyone look silly for not seeing it coming. Chai gets his heart replaced with a music player, and suddenly combat becomes a rhythm game. Tango Gameworks made button-mashing feel musical. If you missed it in 2023, it is still one of the sharpest action games of the decade.
Dredge is the one I return to when I want to relax and then feel deeply unsettled. You fish, meet quotas, upgrade your boat, and slowly uncover an island mystery. It is cozy horror on the water. Tchia does something similar with sunshine: you are a kid saving your father, and you can possess over 30 animals and objects. It is a coming-of-age adventure that never takes itself too seriously.
Scars Above put me in the boots of Dr. Kate Ward, a scientist, not a soldier. An alien artifact appears, the science team is scattered, and you have to survive with brains instead of brawn. Wild Hearts offered monster hunting in a fantasy medieval Japan with Kemono beasts. Atlas Fallen gave me sand powers and essence absorption, plus co-op if I wanted to share the chaos. These are not perfect games, but they are interesting ones.
The Blockbusters That Ate My Weekends
Then there were the giants. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom took the open world of Breath of the Wild and split it into Sky Islands, the Depths, and the surface of Hyrule. I lost entire weekends to shrines, temples, puzzles, and monsters. In 2026, it is still the benchmark for systemic open-world play.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 brought Peter Parker and Miles Morales together as a Spider Unit. Kraven the Hunter arrives looking for the ultimate challenge, and the Symbiote sinks its claws into Peter. Venom follows. It is blockbuster action with a comic-book heart. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor continues Cal Kestis five years after Fallen Order, with more open spaces, side missions, and new powers. Hogwarts Legacy let me wander Hogwarts, fly on hippogriffs, explore the Forbidden Forest, and visit Hogsmeade. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora made me a Na’vi kidnapped and raised by humans, then abandoned and taken in by a tribe. You learn what it means to be Na’vi and then defend Pandora from invaders.
Remakes, Remasters, and the Art of the Do-Over
Metroid Prime Remastered brought Samus Aran’s first-person GameCube adventure to Switch. Tallon IV is still hostile, the Space Pirates are still awful, and the atmosphere still holds. Resident Evil 4 Remake took a horror classic and gave it next-gen graphics and modern controls. The original was scary despite dated visuals; the remake is scary because of them. System Shock Remake revived SHODAN and the cyberpunk nightmare of an AI turning humanity into cybernetic abominations. Red Dead Redemption got a re-release with Undead Nightmare, so you can hunt former friends in the Wild West and then fight zombies. It is a strange double feature, but it works.
The Like a Dragon Double Feature
Like a Dragon: Ishin traded modern Japan for 1860s Kyoto. You wield a gun and a samurai sword while hunting your father’s murderer. Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name brought Kazuma Kiryu back, now living as a monk and trying to leave his past behind. Of course, one last mission drags him back. Both games show how flexible this series has become. In 2026, they are essential for anyone who fell in love with the franchise after Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
VR and Co-op Corner
Arizona Sunshine 2 put Fred in a zombie apocalypse with a dog at his side. It is a VR road trip through Arizona, and the dog is the best part. Horizon: Call of the Mountain is not a direct sequel to Forbidden West; it is a PSVR 2 game starring Ryas. Remnant 2 is the co-op pick: you and friends fight to stop reality itself from being destroyed. It is loud, tough, and better with company.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage and the Past
Assassin’s Creed Mirage took me back to 9th-century Baghdad and the early days of the Hidden Ones. You play Basim, learning their skills and chasing visions. It is a smaller, more focused Assassin’s Creed, and in 2026 that focus feels like a virtue.
| Game | Why I’d Revisit in 2026 |
|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | Sky Islands, Depths, and endless building contraptions |
| Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Kraven, Venom, and dual Spider-Men |
| Resident Evil 4 Remake | Still the gold standard for horror remakes |
| Hi-Fi Rush | Rhythm combat that never gets old |
| Dredge | Cozy fishing with a dark secret |
| Like A Dragon Gaiden | Kiryu’s emotional side story |
| Metroid Prime Remastered | A first-person classic with better controls |
| Remnant 2 | Chaotic co-op survival |
So, what is the lesson? Action-adventure is not one genre; it is a playground. In 2023, we got remakes, remasters, VR experiments, rhythm brawlers, fishing horror, and open-world epics. Now in 2026, I can look back and see which ones actually stuck. The answer is more than I expected. If you are building a backlog, start with Tears of the Kingdom, Hi-Fi Rush, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Dredge. Then call a friend for Remnant 2. And maybe keep a dog nearby for Arizona Sunshine 2. 🐕