Game Releases This Week — May 18, 2026 to May 22, 2026

May has already been uncharacteristically busy as far as game releases go, and this week is no exception, with the penultimate week of the month positively jam-packed from beginning to end with quality games to look forward to. The biggest highlight this week is Forza Horizon 6, which, by all accounts, is one of the best games in the entire series and a must-have pick-up for racing game fans, both hardcore and casual. After all, what other racing game lets you compete against a Gundam in the Japanese countryside?! Outside of Forza, there are plenty of other great titles coming down the pike this week, including one of the Switch 2's more interesting exclusives (a new Yoshi platformer) and the ambitious fourth LEGO Batman game that looks to be a bit of a spiritual successor to Arkham City.

• Release Date — May 19, 2026
• Developer — Vigil Games, Kaiko
• Publisher — THQ Nordic
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Platforms — PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

I had to do a double-take when I saw that Darksiders: Warmastered Edition was only just now making its way over to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S this week, because I could have sworn it was already on those platforms. But nope, the Warmastered remaster of Darksiders has been a Switch exclusive until now. As far as the Darksiders games go, the first in the series is still the closest in lineage to something like God of War, with only a smattering of some of the Legend of Zelda tendencies the series would take on in the second entry, and none of the Dark Souls influence of the third. It's an incredibly fun game that still holds up and runs great on the Switch, so the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions should be mostly flawless.

• Release Date — May 19, 2026
• Developer — Playground Games
• Publisher — Xbox Game Studios
• Genre — Driving/Racing
• Platforms — PC, Xbox Series X/S

The week's biggest release is arguably Playground Games' latest open-world spin-off from the mainline Forza series, Forza Horizon 6. This latest entry in the globe-trotting racing franchise takes place in Japan and predictably takes players all the way from the bustling city streets of Tokyo to the stunning countryside surrounding Mount Fuji. You can expect all kinds of silliness and engaging open-world pick-up races as you make your way from one end of the country to the other. Reviews for this one are already out as of last week, and it's currently sitting at a very impressive 92% positive aggregate score, placing it as one of the best games in the Horizon series.

• Release Date — May 19, 2026
• Developer — Kritzelkratz 3000
• Publisher — ININ Games, Tozai Games
• Genre — Shoot 'em Up
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

One of the most influential and classic scrolling shooter franchises is back this week with R-Type Dimensions III, and from the screenshots, it looks fantastic. The R-Type games are more about routing and memorization than split-second reaction timing and pattern recognition that you'd find in more modern, danmaku-style bullet hell games, which can take some getting used to if you didn't cut your teeth on that era of the shmup genre. Still, the R-Type Dimensions series is known for incorporating some quality-of-life features that make these very difficult shooters a little bit more accessible, and the fact that R-Type Dimensions III serves as a remake of the previously SNES-exclusive R-Type III makes it a great jumping-on point for the shmup-curious.

• Release Date — May 20, 2026
• Developer — Ghost Ship Games
• Publisher — Ghost Ship Publishing, Coffee Stain Publishing
• Genre — Action Roguelike, FPS
• Platforms — PC (Early Access)

There are dozens upon dozens of great roguelikes to choose from on Steam, but this week sees one of the most exciting new additions to the subgenre in quite some time with the Early Access launch of Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core. The mainline experience of Deep Rock Galactic is already some of the most fun you can have in co-op, so taking that core gameplay loop and making it endlessly replayable through procedural generation, modifiers, and meta-progression seems like a match made in Heaven. Plus, Ghost Ship Games has already proven it can make an incredible roguelike set in that universe with Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors. Now we get to see what it's like using the standard first-person perspective and classic DRG gameplay.

• Release Date — May 20, 2026
• Developer — Red Art Studios, Banana Bytes
• Publisher — Success, Red Art Games
• Genre — Shoot 'em Up
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

Man, this week is really heavy on the scrolling shooters, isn't it? In addition to a couple of shmup remakes, we've got the third entry in the long-dormant Psyvariar series finally rearing its head on Wednesday, a full 6 years after the release of Psyvariar Delta. The Psyvariar games are some much-loved vertically scrolling shooters originally developed by Success, but this latest entry sees Red Art Studios take over development duties while Success handles publishing. Notably, Red Art games has been behind some pretty great shoot 'em ups over the last few years, including the excellent Sophstar, which bodes well for Psyvariar 3 being a return-to-form for the franchise that matches the quality of previous entries.

• Release Date — May 20, 2026
• Developer — OtherSide Entertainment
• Publisher — Megabit
• Genre — Action, Stealth
• Platforms — PC

Legendary game creator Warren Spector's latest project, Thick as Thieves, launches this week for PC, and it seems like an exciting evolution of the stealth-heavy gameplay that the creator's most noteworthy games (Thief, Deus Ex) are known for. Except in Thick as Thieves, the traditionally single-player stealth experience transforms into a co-op heist game where players must work together to avoid threats and nab a series of precious artifacts. Most interesting about Thick as Thieves, though, is how the game handles progression, with each new attempt supposedly introducing an entirely different campaign scenario, making no two playthroughs alike. It sounds like the kind of ambitious thing that Warren Spector would be behind, and if it can be pulled off, it could very well rank among the creator's best.

• Release Date — May 21, 2026
• Developer — Granzella
• Publisher — City Connection
• Genre — Shoot 'em Up
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

The third and final new shoot 'em up planned for release this week is the latest in publisher City Connection's growing line of remasters and remakes, FZ: Formation Z. A modern-day remake of the classic 1984 shooter of the same name, FZ: Formation Z is a horizontally-scrolling shooter where players get to take control of a transforming attack jet that can morph into a mech a la Robotech. The original Formation Z was a pretty substantial hit in the arcades, and the new remake looks like it could be a nice, modernized stroll down memory lane for both old-school fans and newcomers alike.

• Release Date — May 21, 2026
• Developer — Northstar Games
• Publisher — Northstar Games
• Genre — Cozy, Farming Simulation
• Platforms — PC (Early Access)

This week sees a few games launch into Early Access to test the waters before a full 1.0 release, with new cozy farming sim Hillshade Farm among them. Initial impressions of Hillshade Farm have been pretty impressive from the game's opening prologue demo, so as long as there's enough content on offer during the initial weeks and months of the Early Access launch, it could find a core audience that helps to build and shape the game as it continues development toward a 1.0 release. While some farming sims can venture into grind-heavy territory with all the tasks that they set upon the player for managing their digital farm, Hillshade tends to place a greater emphasis on a relaxing and tranquil atmosphere. Sounds like the perfect counterpoint to something like Farming Simulator.

• Release Date — May 21, 2026
• Developer — Kwalee Labs
• Publisher — Kwalee
• Genre — Action, FPS
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Kwalee has been making quite a name for itself as of late as a keen-eyed publisher of some fantastic indie games, and the studio's internal development arm is now set to release its latest game with the very cool-looking Luna Abyss. Luna Abyss is a story-driven action-adventure and first-person shooter game with an emphasis on platforming and what appears to be a very cool, very esoteric sci-fi narrative. Think Mirror's Edge with a little bit more Control thrown into the mix for good measure, and you're not too far off. Best of all, there's a demo for Luna Abyss that players can check out ahead of deciding whether to grab the full game, and it currently has an impressive 93% "Very Positive" user review score on Steam.

• Release Date — May 21, 2026
• Developer — Ikinagames
• Publisher — NIS America
• Genre — RPG
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

I recently shouted out Starbites as one of the indie games we're most looking forward to for 2026, and its release date is now fully upon us this Thursday. This turn-based RPG featuring a full-blown mech building and customization meta-game comes from indie developer Ikinagames but is published by NIS America, which is primarily known in the West for the long-running and much-loved Disgaea series. If Starbites caught its eye as an RPG worth propping up, it should absolutely be on genre fans' radars as one of the more promising indie games heading our way in the first half of the year. Plus, who wouldn't love the idea of a turn-based tactical approach to something like Armored Core?

• Release Date — May 21, 2026
• Developer — Bulwark Studios
• Publisher — Kasedo Games
• Genre — Turn-Based Tactics
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

This one kind of snuck up on tactics fans: later this week, we're getting the long-awaited sequel to Warhammer: 40,000 Mechanicus with Mechanicus II, and it seems to be a bigger, better version of the excellent Warhammer 40K turn-based tactics game. That said, turn-based combat in the Warhammer universe has gotten a serious shot in the arm in the intervening years since the original Mechanicus' release, courtesy of Warhammer: 40,000 Rogue Trader's excellent encounter design, so the bar for Mechanicus II has been set pretty high. That said, with original Mechanicus developer Bulwark Studios back at the helm, signs are pointing to Mechanicus II being a safe bet for both Warhammer and turn-based tactics fans.

• Release Date — May 21, 2026
• Developer — Nintendo EPD
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Genre — Platformer
• Platforms — Switch 2

Switch 2 owners can celebrate getting their next big system exclusive this week, thanks to the launch of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Mysterious Book follows closely in the footsteps of previous Yoshi-centric platforming games like Woolly World and Crafted World by presenting a whimsical set of stages that feature unique, inspired level design and platforming challenges, but it takes things a step further by making the iconic green dinosaur the curator of a living encyclopedia, chronicling the flora and fauna of a new world to fill out the titular tome. Preview impressions for this one have been pretty stellar so far, so it seems like the Switch 2 may have just gotten a perfect platformer follow-up to the likes of last year's Donkey Kong Bananza.

• Release Date — May 21, 2026
• Developer — ZA/UM
• Publisher — ZA/UM
• Genre — RPG
• Platforms — PC

One of the week's most exciting and controversial releases is Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, the newest game from Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM. As beloved as Disco Elysium is by the gaming community, the bar is set incredibly high for Zero Parades, and the controversy comes from the fact that most of the key personnel who worked on Disco Elysium are no longer part of ZA/UM following some less-than-above-board business practices. Still, those who do remain seem to have crafted yet another incredibly compelling narrative-driven role-playing game set in a dystopian near-future world. That alone should pique the interest of anyone looking for something similar to Disco Elysium, regardless of whether Zero Parades delivers the same level of narrative punch and RPG depth.

• Release Date — May 22, 2026
• Developer — Fabraz
• Publisher — Atari
• Genre — Platformer
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book isn't the only new platformer we have to look forward to this week, as we're also getting (checks notes) Bubsy 4D?? All joking aside, this appears to be an earnest attempt at reviving what used to be a marginally successful cult favorite platformer series that was ultimately derailed by the abysmal Bubsy 3D, with even its name being a tongue-in-cheek reference to that early PS1 abomination. The old-school Bubsy platformers on 16-bit hardware were actually pretty fun, hence why the series has held onto a cult following during its long hibernation, and the humor and charm of Bubsy 4D could be primed to help bring it back into the limelight if the gameplay is there.

• Release Date — May 22, 2026
• Developer — Traveller's Tales
• Publisher — Warner Bros. Games
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Let it be known: I'm a sucker for a great LEGO game just as much as I'm a shoo-in for a solid Batman game, and the LEGO Batman games have long been some of the best examples of both. The series is getting a surprising and unexpected fourth entry this week with LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, and it looks to be the most ambitious game not just in the series, but in the whole Traveller's Tales LEGO canon. A fully open-world action-adventure game in a LEGO Gotham City akin to a brick-built version of Batman: Arkham Asylum, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight looks like the LEGO Batman series' version of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and if it has even a fraction of the content that game contains, it'll be an absolute essential pick up for Batman and DC fans.

• Release Date — May 22, 2026
• Developer — Bandai Namco Studios
• Publisher — Bandai Namco
• Genre — RPG
• Platforms — Switch 2

The week's slate of game releases closes out not with a new entry, but with an impressive-looking port for the Switch 2 in the form of Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn Edition. The Beyond the Dawn release of the latest Tales of... game includes the more recent Beyond the Dawn DLC alongside the base game, so it's great to see this title finally join the rest of the Tales titles available on the Switch in a complete, definitive edition form. And as far as the Tales games go, Tales of Arise is one of the better entries in the long-running series, especially if you're looking for an entry with some of the best combat and plenty of flexibility in how you approach certain encounters.