Immersion is one of the more interesting aspects of game design, as while some developers focus on satisfying gameplay loops or having a compelling story, others shift their attention to having a world and an environment that players can truly feel lost in. This doesn't always mean having hyperrealistic graphics and can instead be achieved with good world-building and a visual style that remains consistently engaging from start to finish.
2026 Video Game Release Date Calendar
Video game release dates for 2026 are still mostly a mystery, but we'll keep this page up to date with new information on the biggest titles.
On the horizon, there are plenty of games that are looking to lean heavily into the immersive side of things, absorbing players into forests, cities, and entire worlds. There are also quite a few different genres to look out for, ranging from horror to action, with each aiming to create an experience unlike any other from both a visual perspective and an atmospheric one.
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam
Experience The Tension Of War
Details:
- Large-scale realistic conflicts
- Tactics and teamwork take priority
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is looking to bring the same intensity and suspense of its predecessor to a whole new battleground, thrusting players into the midst of the infamous Vietnam War. The key is realism, as players will find themselves fighting through lush jungles and collapsed villages, all infused with different weather patterns and dynamic terrain.
Trading out flashy modern rifles for more classic weaponry, the game brings a different kind of action to the shooter space, one focused on weighty gunplay across a range of huge maps. It's grounded, heavy, and is poised to be one of the more impressive shooters released in the coming months.
Subliminal
Unsettling Beyond Belief
Details:
- Innovative lighting and rendering
- Pure atmospheric horror
Subliminal is unsettling for some and a waking nightmare for others, sending players to a strange and disturbing world that feels all too familiar. Playing off the idea of liminal spaces, the game plays with visuals in an incredibly unique way, using perspective puzzles and simplistic locations to create a sense of unease even in the absence of real danger.
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A lot of work has been done in terms of lighting and graphical fidelity, and every setting feels like a real location that players could have very easily visited before. Out of all the upcoming horror games, Subliminal is easily one of the most interesting, replacing constant jumpscares and action with a constant sense of dread that never seems to go away.
WILL: Follow The Light
Sailing Into The Unknown
Details:
- Stunning landscapes, both land and sea
- Personal journey full of challenges to overcome
WILL: Follow The Light sends players to the harsh cold in the northern seas, taking on the role of Will, a lighthouse keeper who is searching for his son. The game leverages the power of UE5 in a big way, delivering breathtaking visuals and gorgeous backdrops that perfectly accompany the persistent feeling of hopelessness.
The first-person perspective does a lot of heavy-lifting on the immersive side of things, as players will always feel surrounded by nature and the perils it brings, with nothing but the light to guide them forward. As players dig deeper, more questions arise than answers, and they will need to push past all limits to finally uncover the truth about what has happened to Will's family.
Active Matter
Bending Space And Time
Details:
- Extraction-style raids
- Mind-bending worlds
Active Matter is a completely different kind of FPS game that thrusts players into intense PvPvE battles where supernatural creatures roam the streets, halls, and even the skies. The biggest draw is the world design, as walls bend and players can go from walking on the floor to the ceiling in a matter of seconds, seamlessly transitioning between planes in real-time.
On the gameplay side of things, players will be instantly hooked by the satisfying gunplay that looks just as responsive in PvP encounters as it does against the entities that roam the environment. It's a deeply atmospheric extraction shooter that should hopefully scratch an itch for a lot of players looking for their next big addiction.
ONTOS
The Next Big Name In Horror
Details:
- Unsettling narrative that unfolds slowly through discoveries
- Abstract sci-fi setting
ONTOS comes from the developers of SOMA, and despite it being over 10 years since players faced the underwater terrors, it seems the devs have only gotten better at sci-fi horror. Set in a gigantic hotel on the Moon, players will find themselves coming face-to-face with disturbing experiments and deadly research projects, needing to make decisions and choices that will carry forward throughout their playthrough.
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Frictional Games is one of the best horror developers out there, and a big reason for that praise comes from their dedication to atmosphere and immersion. Players won't simply be walking through bland corridors hunting for clues, but will instead have to hunt and examine closely, taking in their surroundings, and hopefully piece together the dark truth that lies beneath the surface.
Defect
A New Gritty Shooter On The Block
Details:
- Claustrophobic maps for more intense gunfights
- Tactical PvP/E matches
Defect has shown off quite a lot of its world already, gifting players with an immersive cyberpunk environment dominated by AI. Rather than running around at breakneck speed, players will instead need to carefully navigate the tight stairwells and gloomy underbelly of the city, seeking out objectives whilst fighting against enemies and other players along the way.
Visually, the game has a pretty distinctive style that blends futuristic tech into the environment in unique and interesting ways, and if the gameplay is even half as engaging as it looks, it could easily be one of the biggest shooters out there when it finally releases.
ILL
Changing The Definition Of Grotesque
Details:
- Realistic physics in combat
- Fast and unpredictable creatures
ILL is a game that is probably best described with one word: gross. Players find themselves trapped in a dark fortress overtaken by a strange force, and within, there are more than a few horrifying beasts and creatures that are more than happy to cause chaos and mayhem should they get the chance.
The darkness of the world, combined with the realistic physics that governs the enemy movements, makes every encounter feel so much more sinister and out of the player's control. The developers certainly aren't holding back in any regard, and players will need to fight their stomachs and minds almost as much as the insane enemies hiding around every corner.
Project Shadowglass
Bringing A Pixelated Fantasy To Life
Details:
- Reactive environment for multiple gameplay approaches
- Old-school style with a modern engine
Project Shadowglass looks more like a dream than an actual game, but with some talented developers at the helm, this pixelated beauty is soon to be in players' hands. The game takes a retro approach to immersion, surrounding the player with simplistic yet beautiful environments that are being constructed with a whole new kind of 3D pixel technology.
At its heart, it is a stealth game where players can interact with the environment in unique ways to sneak past guards and plot their route through the various structures and locations in the world. There are even sandbox elements that ensure no strategy is more effective than another, giving players the freedom to explore and engage with the world however they choose.
NEO BERLIN 2087
Trading Night City For A Different Kind Of Metropolis
Details:
- An expansive world full of mysteries
- Emphasis on realism in terms of visuals and gameplay
NEO BERLIN 2087 is impressive, beautiful, and an incredibly exciting game for any ARPG fans out there. In a detective story that interweaves themes of love, sacrifice, and betrayal, players need to journey across the world in search of Natalie, the daughter of the deceased head of police, who may hold all the answers they need to solve the mystery.
The setting itself isn't entirely new, but it combines several different futuristic aesthetics to create a universe that players will want to exist in longer after they finish the main story. It also has an insane level of graphical fidelity, which helps it feel even more immersive than many other upcoming RPGs, allowing it to be positioned as one of the more ambitious projects for players to look forward to down the line.
Supreme Experiment
Uncovering The Remnants Of Humanity
Details:
- Ginormous mechanical structures
- Interactive movie gameplay approach
Supreme Experiment may have flown under the radar for many players, being revealed shortly after The Game Awards, but it looks to be an insanely unique game that takes elements from interactive films to create an experience truly unlike any other.
The world is enough to get the hype train rolling, combining cyberpunk robots with eastern folklore to deliver a setting as grand as even big-budget games in space. Without a traditional gameplay loop at its core, the game is instead hoping to rely more on atmosphere and the environment to tell a story about decay and salvation that should hopefully be entirely new to virtually every kind of player.
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