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AlientrapCompetitive shooters still constitute the majority of the most popular multiplayer games, yet in 2025, co-op games as diverse as and also amassed large audiences. 2026 already has its fair share of upcoming co-op games, and the year kicks off with an that has me hooked. In DuneCrawl , you team up with up to three other players to jointly command a mobile battle station, which happens to be constructed on the back of a massive, armored crab.More precisely, you assume the role of members of the Polloi, a society spanning the desert that reveres a crustacean deity and traverses the sands on colossal crabs called Dune Crawlers adorned with cannons. When the game begins, you liberate one of these Dune Crawlers from a group of technologically advanced invaders from the north and set out to repel the attack.You'll divide your time in DuneCrawl between piloting your Dune Crawler and dismounting to explore cities, outposts, and caves on foot. There's a vast array of both melee and ranged weapons to outfit your character, and combat turns chaotic in no time once bombs and bullets start flying. The desert is also brimming with beetles the size of Polloi to ride, which can act as combat mounts that move with a satisfying heft and make it easy to outflank your foes. DuneCrawl can be played solo, but the true enjoyment stems from its co-op mode. Bringing a friend along makes combat simpler and exploration more enjoyable, and teamwork is even more vital in the most thrilling part of the adventure — the Dune Crawler. Each player undertakes a distinct task on your mobile base; one has to steer the vessel, and another can fire the cannons when assaulting an enemy stronghold. You can also have someone heal the Crawler, reload the guns, or boost your ship’s speed.It's the manner in which DuneCrawl requires teamwork that makes it such an excellent multiplayer experience. Because each player can only perform one task at a time on the Crawler, good communication is indispensable, and executing it well is extremely gratifying. You might find yourself evading enemy attacks and stomping foes on the ground while maneuvering to allow your gunners to get the perfect shot, then retreating to create space for crewmates to make repairs. Or you could climb into a cannon and launch yourself onto an enemy ship to disable its weapons and safeguard the rest of your team. You can also summon a spectral NPC to assist in both solo and co-op, but the more actual players you have, the more rewarding it is.There’s a lot more to DuneCrawl than its walking fortresses, but its crab versus crab combat is a high point. | AlientrapThe unique form of teamwork in DuneCrawl is what makes it great, but it's also brimming with other surprises. The ability to load yourself into a cannon is something my co-pilot discovered naturally as we played, and we happily tested it by hurling ourselves at the first enemies we encountered. We also found bombs that launch bees to clear hostile bases, friendly spiders that help repel boarders, and perhaps our favorite part of the game, a horn you can play to make wildlife follow you like the Pied Piper.While your ultimate objective is to vanquish the forces invading your desert, there are numerous side quests to undertake and outposts to raid, all scattered across the map for you to uncover. DuneCrawl is fairly straightforward if you're solely after the main quest, but like all great multiplayer games, it's far better when you take your time and focus on exploring with your friends. Just a week into 2026, DuneCrawl ’s novel approach to co-op is the year's first major surprise.DuneCrawl is available now on PC.

NintendoNintendo has finally revealed all the key details about its first of the year, and it already looks like a major step up from its mediocre predecessor. Mario Tennis Fever fixes every persistent problem from the previous Mario tennis outing—and it does so by drawing clever concepts from other recent Nintendo titles and classic arcade games.Much is at stake for . Even though the last entry in the series, 2018’s Mario Tennis Aces, was arguably , it fell short in many ways. A lack of content, an extremely brief single-player experience, and no character customization made it seem surprisingly incomplete when it launched. Nintendo rolled out more characters and tweaks through post-launch updates in the months after, but even the final, fully featured version was still not up to the standard Mario Tennis fans expected.Fever won’t make the same error. For starters, it will include 38 playable characters—compared to Aces’ 16 at launch. It’s using the Mario Kart World method for its character lineup, giving lesser-known Mushroom Kingdom figures like Nabbit, Chomp Chain, and Goomba their moment in the spotlight. As great as this is, I’m disappointed to say that , didn’t make it in.Fever will also reintroduce customization via the new adjustable Fever Rackets. Before a match begins, players will pick one of 30 such rackets, each with a distinct power. When players fill their Fever Gauge, they can trigger special, game-changing boosts. The Mini Mushroom Racket, for example, reduces your opponent’s size, while the Ice Racket creates slippery ice patches on your opponent’s half of the court.The Fever Gauge is most reminiscent of the Gamebreaker system from the classic EA Sports Street games—a really clever source of inspiration. The Fever Racket powers, meanwhile, feel similar to ’s badge system, which allowed players to choose their own unique perks when playing.For players worried that the Fever features will compromise the competitive integrity of Mario Tennis, fear not—players can disable Fever Rackets for a more classic playstyle.Fever also offers many more single-player options. Tournaments, skill-building minigames, and the objective-driven Trial Tower mode complement the quick-play choices. The main attraction is the comeback of Adventure Mode. Players will follow a story where mysterious monsters turn Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Wario, and Waluigi into infants, who must relearn their tennis abilities to revert to their adult selves. The trailer suggests players will be able to explore a map freely, chatting with NPCs and tackling new challenges along the way.Mario Tennis Fever will feature a single-player Adventure Mode, a big step up from Aces’ exceptionally short story mode. | NintendoMario Tennis Fever appears to be making all the right moves to fix Mario Tennis Aces’ flaws. New mechanics and a substantial single-player experience will make this game feel like a worthy full-price purchase. Mario Tennis Fever seems like the ideal launch title for the Switch 2 in 2026, a year already poised to be huge for the new console.Mario Tennis Fever will release on February 12, 2026 on Switch 2.

LucasfilmThough it served as the launch series for Disney+, it has now been nearly since The Mandalorian first graced our screens. Dave Filoni’s “” has carried on with Ahsoka, yet there’s no indication of The Mandalorian Season 4 on the horizon. Instead, Din Djarin and his young adopted clanmate are moving to the big screen with , a theatrical film that will continue the series’ story.Beyond a few guest stars, character names, and vague plot details, we’ve learned little about this upcoming movie. However, a new image now offers at least a small glimpse of what to expect later this year.A new look at The Mandalorian and Grogu shows... the Mandalorian and Grogu. | LucasfilmThis new image was included in a roundup of most anticipated 2026 movies, alongside a synopsis: “Armored warrior Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his little companion (a.k.a. Baby Yoda) make a hyperspace jump from Disney+ to the cinema. The ‘Star Wars’ pair are called upon to assist the New Republic against troublesome Imperial warlords, form an alliance with a former Rebel pilot (Sigourney Weaver), and become involved with Jabba the Hutt’s son (Jeremy Allen White).”Since this synopsis appears to be from USA Today, it doesn’t reveal much new information, but the image does show the Mandalorian and Grogu aboard Din Djarin’s ship, the Razor Crest. We already knew the Razor Crest would feature (as seen in the trailer), but this image suggests we’ll see more of it beyond just scenes of the pair traveling between planets.The Razor Crest is back, in movie form. | LucasfilmThe Razor Crest was destroyed at the end of Season 2, so how does it return and factor into the story? We’re just months away from finding out, and hopefully, it brings back a key element that made the show great from the start: Mando and Grogu exploring the galaxy in search of adventure.The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters on May 22, 2026.

UniversalAs the year 2025 transitioned into 2026, the whole world got a peek at Christopher Nolan's next epic, The Odyssey. In semantic terms, it is the very first epic ever, an extremely long poem credited to the Greek writer Homer. It was only turned into a book in the 1400s, though it was probably passed down through oral tradition for centuries upon centuries before that. The story is set around 1184 BC, after the hero, Odysseus (Matt Damon), fought in the Trojan Wars. As most people are probably aware, the story of The Odyssey is about Odysseus and his soldiers' long and winding journey back to their home of Ithaca.And, if you're looking for the general public's reaction - not that of the highly - online film buff community - the general impression of the trailer is that it's a bit... underwhelming. Several Reddit users also said they thought the trailer was [seems there's an error in original text here]. And while some people are having issues with the dull, serious tone of the trailer (which, whether appropriately or not, feels a lot like Denis Villeneuve's Dune movies), the truth is, the The Odyssey trailers need to be unexciting because otherwise, we'll see all the best parts too soon. Arguably, the challenge with any cinematic adaptation of such an old story is obvious: How do you make the legendary encounter with the Cyclops look amazing and fresh? How do you reveal the many - headed sea monster Scylla without, well, spoiling it? As The Odyssey enters the cultural conversation, there are discussions about the newer Emily Wilson translation that Nolan used to create the film, and the political and cultural significance of the interpretations of Odysseus' deeds. (I personally [seems there's an error in original text here], though it's too late to recommend that version to Mr. Nolan.)However, in theory, watching The Odyssey on the big screen isn't a college lecture on how we feel about the origin of Western heroic narratives, and the film's success or failure won't be measured by how historically accurate the costumes are. (Can you make mythological gods and heroes that never existed “accurate” anyway?) Instead, the only real measure of The Odyssey's success will be if an ordinary person, who has only a vague idea of the story and the history, is captivated by the sheer spectacle. If we wanted another Nolan - directed character study, we could just watch Oppenheimer again. On the contrary, The Odyssey has witches, sirens, sea monsters, regular monsters, and men getting turned into pigs. Do you really want to put that in the trailer? Of course not. Nolan and whoever is in charge of the film's marketing are being very clever. These early trailers are safe and straightforward, showing us the characters of Odysseus, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland). And that's because, yes, on some level, the story is about this broken family unit, and we need to care about them; otherwise, the grander adventure won't work.Christopher Nolan, ready to present us with a great epic. | Variety/Variety/Getty ImagesAt some point, a later trailer for the 2026 Odyssey will show more of the well - known and fantastical action. But those who want to experience the film for what it could truly be - a new take on the oldest Western action - adventure story - might want to avoid seeing too many preview images of the film. Many people will have preconceived notions of how the various events should look in the film, but our movie - going experience will definitely be better if our minds are blank when we enter the theater. The Odyssey will be in theaters on July 17, 2026.

HBOA thriller series is usually pretty easy to spot: blurry cover art, a tagline about some big conspiracy or fight for justice, Kiefer Sutherland running somewhere. But often, the best thriller series look nothing like you think. Sometimes they’re , , or even comedies. One of the decade’s top thriller series is something entirely different: a medical drama that’s become a pop culture sensation evoking TV’s golden age. Noah Wyle returns to The Pitt as Dr. Robby, the beating heart of his ER. | HBOThe Pitt () began as a spinoff of ER, featuring Noah Wyle, who played Dr. John Carter on the long-running medical drama. However, rights issues with the estate of ER creator Michael Crichton (yes, the same Michael Crichton behind Jurassic Park) required changes to the series — though this might have been a good thing. What makes The Pitt so great are its differences from ER. Wyle plays Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, the leader of a Pittsburgh ER. Dr. Robby is a world apart from the reformed WASP millionaire’s son Dr. Carter: he’s coping with trauma, deeply compassionate toward his patients, and cherishes his Jewish faith. The structure is also entirely distinct: whereas ER episodes might cover hours, days, or even weeks, each The Pitt season focuses on a single shift, with one episode per hour. This means patients and characters stick around for multiple episodes, letting you follow cases in near-real time. A new doctor’s A.I. “improvements” prove to be an issue in The Pitt Season 2. | HBOSeason 1 tracked the ER team as they handled rat infestations, a drowning, a hate crime, and an active shooting. In Season 2 — now available on HBO Max — that shooting is commemorated on a plaque, and Dr. Robby is working his final shift before a three-month sabbatical. But that last shift falls on the Fourth of July, brings back a disgraced colleague, and introduces his temporary replacement early — whose plans to use AI to streamline clinical workflows clash with Robby’s views. Due to the chronological format, don’t look for fireworks accidents until later in the season, but you will see cases involving fecal impaction, infected casts, disability, and the dire state of medical debt. It’s absolutely a worthy sequel to Season 1, and if you jump in now, you’ll get one hour-long episode every Thursday night through mid-April. Even though a shift is typically just 10 hours, something will definitely delay Dr. Robby’s sabbatical — and it’ll keep you hooked.The Pitt Season 2 debuts today at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly on Thursdays.

Epic GamesAnnual game releases number in the thousands, a figure that has grown recently due to an increase across all platforms. This creates greater potential than ever to discover fresh and surprising titles among new launches. However, many gamers prefer the familiarity of a handful of established favorites. Recent data reveals that on consoles, the most popular games of 2025 were identical to the top titles of 2024. Does this consistency signal an industry facing a crisis?In 2025, the five most-played games on PlayStation, ranked by popularity, were Fortnite, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto V, Roblox, and , as reported by . This lineup and its order mirrored PlayStation's 2024 list. Xbox's rankings for both years included the same titles, albeit in a somewhat different sequence.Grand Theft Auto V remains one of the top console games of the year, thanks to its multiplayer mode. | Rockstar GamesThe list's leaders hold no genuine surprises, comprising entirely games that have been popular for years. Still, it is somewhat startling to see their positions remain so uncontested. It is also not coincidental that these leading games are either free or very inexpensive now, and are titles built around essentially limitless multiplayer, be it competitive shooters or cooperative building experiences.This trend indicates a player base clearly seeking maximum value for their money. Many individuals lack disposable income for non-essentials like video games. For instance, a found that 73% of employed professional respondents could not afford anything beyond basic living costs. Concurrently, gaming as a hobby is becoming pricier. The Nintendo Switch 2 launched above many predicted price points, and the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S saw price increases last year. Given this context, it's significant that the games leading console charts are not new releases, making them accessible even to players who have entirely bypassed the latest console generation.Game prices are also gradually rising, with publishers testing standard edition prices as high as $80 for new releases. Free-to-play titles, like many on the most-played lists, are not exempt from rising costs, as microtransactions present a nearly boundless revenue stream. However, the choice to play without spending any money remains.Most indies can’t compete with Fortnite, but they can carve out their own niche by learning some of its lessons. | Landfall, Aggro CrabPrice is likely not the sole driver of these games' enduring appeal, however. While selecting infinitely replayable games is financially sensible, it also relates to their well-established communities. Titles like function as social spaces as much as games. The more a player's friend group is committed to a specific game, the less inclined they are to leave it for another. Cost is a factor here, but so is the sense of daily ritual and community fostered by logging in and playing with the same people.Currently, it seems impossible for a new game to dethrone established giants like Grand Theft Auto V. Yet, the principles behind the top games' success can guide smaller titles toward their own forms of achievement. Indie games such as Hades II and (along with the not-quite-indie, not-AAA Clair Obscur) dominated awards ceremonies this year. Even more modest games like have recently emerged from obscurity to achieve significant success relative to their scale. A key commonality is a substantially lower price compared to blockbuster releases.Smaller games can also meet players' social needs effectively, as demonstrated by surprise hits like . If players are seeking endless virtual playgrounds for themselves and their friends while simultaneously being priced out of major publisher offerings, it presents a substantial opportunity for multiplayer indie games. This approach will not replicate the success of the year's top performers, but a smaller budget brings far less pressure for massive commercial returns. While Fortnite will undoubtedly lead most-played lists again in 2026, the very factors fueling its success could also create space for a few unexpected favorites to thrive.

NIS AmericaPlaying a video game rarely makes me feel like an old man, even though my tired eyes start aching after just a couple of hours. But one moment in Trails Beyond the Horizon stopped me cold—my jaw dropped as the “Zoomer” streamer villain I’d just encountered spouted a string of slang, some terms I’d never even heard before. The new character, Ulrika, feels like peering into the void of a malfunctioning algorithm; while my initial reaction was shock and a touch of disdain, over the next 100 hours, I came to find her act surprisingly heartfelt and, honestly, hilarious. What started as a gimmick turned into one of my absolute favorite parts of the game, adding to its already unique personality.A quick background: Ulrika is a brand-new character in Trails Beyond the Horizon, the 13th installment in the long-running series—each entry weaving a continuous, interconnected narrative. Throughout the franchise, a shadowy villainous group called Ouroborous pulls nearly every string for an unknown end. Even after 13 games, their true motives remain a mystery.Ulrika’s aesthetic draws from the Japanese “gals” (or “gyaru”) fashion subculture, defined by tanned skin and elaborate accessories. | NIS AmericaOuroborous has a role called Enforcer—extremely powerful individuals granted almost total freedom to act as they please, which often leads to… let’s say, eccentric personalities. Ulrika is one such Enforcer, and fittingly, you only interact with her via a computer screen—she’s literally always online.Right away, she bombards you with Gen Z slang—calling protagonist Van Arkride “unc” and declaring she’s totally ready for battle, but not in a “sussy” way. Ulrika comes on extremely strong initially, making it easy to dismiss her as a one-note gag. But as the game progresses, her whole act feels increasingly heartfelt; her writing (especially the localization work, which I fully commend) shows real care.Ulrika’s brash personality fits right in with Ouroborous’s roster of bizarre, larger-than-life figures—think of them as a group of Bond-style villains. But Ulrika has a unique spot in the organization: she’s fiercely critical of her own allies, mocking them just as much as she does the main cast.But the more you watch her interact with her allies, the thematic layers start to emerge—she’s a young person who, despite her skill and knowledge, often feels overlooked by her peers simply due to generational gaps.It’s a ton of fun to see how each character reacts to Ulrika and the nicknames she doles out. | NIS AmericaThis level of care is what makes Ulrika stand out, but she also has a few other layers to her character.Hilariously, her ability lets her brainwash others using specific “power words,” turning your allies against you and forcing them to follow her commands. That’s a clever touch for a villain themed entirely around being an “influencer.”Equally, she satirizes the classic JRPG trope of the “grumpy old man” party member—Cid from Final Fantasy 7 is the most iconic example, but many Japanese RPGs include a character framed as crotchety despite not being elderly. In recent Trails games, 28-year-old protagonist Van takes on this role, often teased for his old-fashioned ways. As a 34-year-old, this sometimes makes me feel like I’m fading away.Ulrika’s interactions with Van and the entire party subvert this trope nicely—suddenly everyone who teases Van for being “old” gets a taste of their own medicine (and more than one character points this out).Equally funny: Ulrika is introduced alongside another new villain, Simeon—her polar opposite, a sharply dressed man fixated on medieval nostalgia. | NIS AmericaUlrika’s character and role in the story have so many small, meaningful layers—making her one of the richest additions Trails Beyond the Horizon brings to the series.It’s fair to say most media is slow to depict younger generations meaningfully—until those same generations start creating the media. I know I’m an aging millennial, but a core theme of the Trails series has always been youth’s hopefulness. Ulrika embodies that perfectly, but instead of being a one-joke character, her role and actions have depth. This is also a great example of why Trails remains a groundbreaking RPG franchise.The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon launches on January 15, 2026, for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, and PC.

Square EnixA few games are considered foundational texts for the medium — titles like The Legend of Zelda and Halo. However, for the role-playing genre, no single game is more significant than the original Final Fantasy. Expanding on the concepts of its predecessors, Final Fantasy defined nearly every aspect of modern RPGs, elevating turn-based combat into a dominant genre. Square Enix launched a beautiful remaster in 2021, and that version is now accessible on Xbox Game Pass. Whether you're seeking a lesson in gaming history or a relaxed weekend adventure, Final Fantasy deserves a place in your library. First launched in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Final Fantasy was the creation of Hironobu Sakaguchi, who would guide the series through ten more installments before departing to establish Mistwalker Studio. While Final Fantasy didn't create the JRPG or mechanics like turn-based combat and an overworld map, it perfected and brought mainstream attention to almost every genre staple. The game synthesized existing parts into a definitive blueprint that has been built upon by innumerable titles since. Its integration of combat with a class system was particularly impactful, with six unique jobs offering substantial replayability. Final Fantasy’s Pixel Remaster looks stunning, and comes with an incredible orchestrated soundtrack. | Square EnixThe narrative centers on the four prophesied Warriors of Light, who are dispatched to rescue the princess of Cornelia from the antagonist Garland. Naturally, plans change, and the group finds themselves on a mission to harness the power of the elemental crystals to save the world. Judged by contemporary standards, Final Fantasy is remarkably straightforward — with minimal plot, simple combat, and a brief playtime. Yet, this very simplicity is what makes revisiting Final Fantasy so appealing. The gameplay of Final Fantasy cycles through four stages: exploring a town for clues, traversing the overworld to a dungeon, delving into the dungeon, and engaging in battles throughout. All these components merge seamlessly. Players aren't hindered by long dialogues or exposition, fights are brisk, and the dungeons are concise. It's the type of experience where you can start playing and suddenly find that five hours have passed.Final Fantasy’s revolutionary job system gave every playthrough a distinct flavor. | Square EnixThe game also possesses a comforting charm. Uncovering Matoya’s Cave with its catchy theme feels cozy, and obtaining the airship, which unlocks the entire world map, provides a sense of freedom. While the intricacy of subsequent titles is welcome, it's compelling to revisit the origins and observe Final Fantasy’s basic framework. The inaugural title truly celebrates what were, at the time, monumental moments, contributing to the franchise's enduring appeal. From the very start, the series had a knack for creating memorable experiences.The Pixel Remaster specifically bestows Final Fantasy with a beautiful visual overhaul and a magnificent orchestral soundtrack, amplifying those significant moments. It also includes numerous bonus features and quality-of-life improvements, such as a comprehensive art gallery, the ability to disable random encounters, combat speed adjustments, and more. Final Fantasy’s storytelling has come a long way, but there’s still something beautiful about the original’s simplicity. | Square EnixFinal Fantasy is among that select group of games that feel timeless, the sort you might play biannually as a ritual. Its elegant simplicity makes it valuable for both RPG enthusiasts and those new to the genre. For anyone who has never experienced Final Fantasy, playing it will foster a deeper understanding of the origins of many video game concepts and the medium's evolution.Final Fantasy (Pixel Remaster) is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, and Android.