A new year brings new games! This January, the spotlight truly is on fresh projects, not sequels or remakes of old ones. Of course, there are some, but they’re few and far between. But January 2026 is delighting us with variety: from atmospheric horrors and climbing simulators to anime action games, extraction games, and even space Metroidvanias.
The third installment of the cult series (known in Russia as “Pathologic”) is a radical reworking of the scenario of the Bachelor, a scientist from the capital who arrives in a plague-stricken city. You have only twelve days to defeat the epidemic and save the inhabitants. Unlike previous games, this one has a different focus: you don’t just survive, but manipulate time and try to bring logical structure to the chaos of a dying city.
It remains a surreal, stress-filled survival simulator where every decision changes the outcome. For fans, it’s a long-awaited return to their beloved universe, and for newcomers, a chance to experience one of the industry’s most complex and unusual narratives.
The popular mobile tower defense game has evolved into a full-fledged RPG with strategy elements. Endfield aims to unite the Genshin Impact audience with fans of production simulators. You’ll not only assemble a squad of anime heroes and battle in real time, but also build automated factories to produce equipment and resources right on the surface of an alien planet.
The combat system allows you to instantly switch between characters, using their elemental abilities, and city-building elements add depth to the gameplay. This is a potential hit for those who love the HoYoverse style but want more complex base management mechanics.
The first Code Vein wasn’t an absolute hit, but it earned positive reviews from both players and critics. In particular, our editor, Mikhail Shkredov, praised the project for its successful combination of combat and item collection, spectacular boss battles, and a multifaceted progression system with the ability to change character classes on the fly.
The “anime Dark Souls” sequel promises to address the original’s main flaws, making the world more cohesive and the combat more dynamic. The developers are positioning the game as an action RPG for those who enjoy the Souls aesthetic but are put off by its prohibitive difficulty.
The second installment emphasizes an improved companion mode and spectacular boss battles. If you’re looking for a beautiful slasher with a dark atmosphere and the ability to progress through the story at a comfortable pace, Code Vein II is a great choice for the end of the month.
While other games offer you the chance to slaughter zombies by the thousands, this project puts you in the shoes of an apocalyptic bureaucrat. It’s a checkpoint officer simulator: you decide who to let into the safe zone, who to quarantine, or who to eliminate.
You’ll have to use laboratory equipment, identify hidden symptoms of a mutating virus, and manage the checkpoint’s resources. A mistake could cost the entire city its lives. A blend of Papers, Please mechanics and tense survival.
An atmospheric horror film exploring the dark side of social media and bullying. The protagonist, Anne, tries to escape a surreal nightmare created by her past and online bullying.
The gameplay revolves around exploring locations and solving puzzles using the heroine’s smartphone. The developers promise multiple endings depending on your decisions, and truly terrifying monsters that symbolize the psychological trauma of the digital age.
An aesthetically pristine Metroidvania where you play as a nimble robot aboard a gigantic derelict ship, the Ark. The visual style resembles animated watercolor paintings, and the gameplay harks back to the best of the genre, like Ori and Hollow Knight.
The player will need to unlock abilities like the grappling hook and wall running to uncover the labyrinth’s secrets and discover the fate of the AI overseers. If the controls are as responsive as the visuals, we’ll be treated to one of the most beautiful games of the year.
“A shooter from the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall”—that’s how Highguard is billed. Unfortunately, the free-to-play project, fanfare-launched in December 2025 at The Game Awards, failed to inspire players who were expecting something more significant from the Western gaming industry. However, it’s too early to write it off: the game is being developed by an experienced team, and the colorful gameplay trailer showcases not only traditional genre mechanics but also intriguing innovations, such as mounted shooting. Promotional materials unabashedly call Highguard a “next-generation shooter.”
According to the developers, players will raid and fight as Guardians—mysterious masters of firearms, thrown into the battle for control of a mythical continent. And… essentially, no other details are being revealed yet. The game has almost completely disappeared from the public eye. Some industry experts suspect the January release may not happen and the project will be delayed—perhaps to further refine it and avoid a negative reaction upon release.
We’ll find out the final outcome a bit later. In any case, since this is a free-to-play project, every player will be able to experience it for themselves upon release (if it happens) and form their own opinion of this shooter. We’re waiting.
A rock climbing simulator from the creators of the jaw-dropping slasher Furi. There are no enemies in the traditional sense—your adversary is the mountain itself. You’ll have to calculate every step, place pitons, and manage the stamina of the heroine, Aava, as she dreams of conquering the impregnable peak.
The game offers a realistic approach to mountaineering: you need to manage your resources and choose your route wisely. On the hard difficulty level, it’s a brutal challenge, where one mistake means a fall, but there are also more forgiving modes for those who simply want to enjoy the views.
And if you enjoy the game, who knows—maybe next time you’ll set off to conquer the peaks of the Urals or the Caucasus in real life, and eventually, you’ll even set your sights on all fourteen eight-thousanders.
An isometric roguelike survival game in the style of 80s comics. The heroine inherits a cursed ranch, where she must mend fences and craft ammo by day, and fend off monsters from other dimensions by night.
The key to success isn’t always direct combat; traps and stealth are often more advantageous. The visual style, based on Kyle Starks’ comics, and dark humor set the project apart from dozens of other survival games.
A new take on the extraction shooter genre: instead of an open map, vertical gameplay takes place in a zombie-infested office skyscraper. The game is launching in Early Access and features a strict class-based division of roles.Our reviewer, Daniil Shepard, after playing the game during beta testing, was intrigued but skeptical about its future.
The main feature that distinguishes the game from similar titles like Dark and Darker is its unique escape system: each squad member must find their own capsule; group escape is impossible. This forces them to split up at the most crucial moments, creating a host of tense situations.
However, the game is currently in Early Access. If The Midnight Walkers is viewed as an interesting experiment for fans of a niche genre, why not?
A massive expansion for the recently released hack-and-slash game. Koei Tecmo adds a new storyline for four heroes, additional troop types, and maps. A good reason to return to the game for those who missed the content at launch.
Image courtesy of KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
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