The biggest game sequels still coming

There has rarely been a better — or more frustrating — time to be waiting on a sequel. The follow-ups currently in development include some of the most ambitious games ever attempted, alongside indie darlings whose fans have been refreshing store pages for years. This roundup gathers the heavyweights into one place, ranks them loosely by how loudly the internet is watching, and does the one thing the hype machine usually skips: it tells you plainly that none of these dates are guaranteed.

A note on how to read the windows below. Where a developer has confirmed something, we say so. Where the timing is an estimate, a target, or a fan expectation, we label it as such. Release dates for games this big slip routinely, so treat every "expected" as a soft pencil mark and confirm the current status on the official site or platform store before you plan anything.

The sequels, ranked by anticipation

Roughly ordered by how much oxygen each one is taking up in the conversation — not by quality or certainty. Several of these have dedicated hubs on our gaming section; we link the game name where one exists so you can dig deeper.

1. Grand Theft Auto VI

The single most-anticipated game on the planet, full stop. Rockstar's return to the fictional state of Leonida picks up the open-world crime saga more than a decade after GTA V — a game that is still, astonishingly, a commercial juggernaut. Expectations are stratospheric precisely because the gap has been so long. Rockstar has pointed to a console-first launch, but treat any specific date as expected, not final, and verify on the official Rockstar Games site.

2. The Witcher 4

CD Projekt Red is rebuilding its flagship from the ground up: a new saga, a move to Unreal Engine 5, and — heavily rumoured but unconfirmed — a new playable lead. Because it only recently entered full production, a launch is realistically expected in the latter half of this decade rather than imminently. It is one of the most exciting resets in the genre; it is also a long way off.

3. The Elder Scrolls VI

Confirmed to exist, and confirmed to be patient. Bethesda's return to Tamriel is one of the longest-dated games here, with no firm window announced and a development path that follows the studio's other projects. The hunger is enormous after Skyrim's endless re-releases — but anyone telling you a specific year should be treated with deep scepticism until Bethesda says so.

4. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

The most famously rebooted project in modern Nintendo history finally has momentum, a subtitle, and renewed gameplay showings. Samus Aran's return to first-person exploration is one of the more concrete prospects on this list, with a window generally expected to be nearer-term than the open-world giants. As ever, lock nothing in until Nintendo confirms it on its own channels.

5. Subnautica 2

The follow-up to one of the most beloved survival games of the last decade returns players to an alien ocean — this time with co-op as a headline feature. Expect an early-access-first approach in the spirit of the original, which built its reputation over a long, iterative development. A precise launch window is best treated as rumoured; watch the developer's channels and its Steam page for the real schedule.

6. Hollow Knight: Silksong

The sequel that became a legend for being absent. Team Cherry's follow-up to the masterful metroidvania Hollow Knight stars Hornet and has been near the top of every "most wanted" list for years. Anticipation is borderline mythical. There is no date you should treat as certain — and given the project's history, that scepticism is well earned.

7. Fallout 5

Bethesda has acknowledged Fallout 5 exists, but it sits behind The Elder Scrolls VI in the studio's queue, which makes it one of the most distant entries here. The TV show's success has reignited mainstream interest in the wasteland, so the appetite is real — but so is the wait. File any timing you read under "not soon."

8. Beyond the giants: more sequels and revivals worth tracking

The pipeline runs far deeper than the headline seven. Keep an eye on Marvel's Wolverine from the Spider-Man studio, the long-awaited Fable reboot, the stylish Perfect Dark reboot, IO Interactive's 007 First Light, Ghost Story Games' Judas, the spectacle of Crimson Desert, Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heart of Every Star, the Splinter Cell Remake, and Capcom's intriguing Pragmata. Each carries its own confirmed-versus-rumoured split, so dig into the individual hubs before betting on any window.

Quick reference: platforms & expected windows

Everything in this table is expected or rumoured unless a developer has confirmed it. Platforms marked "expected" are plausible based on each studio's recent releases, not final announcements. Always check the official site and store listing before you plan a purchase.

How to read a "release window" without getting burned

A few habits save a lot of disappointment. First, separate a confirmed date from a target from a fan estimate — publishers use careful language for a reason, and so should you. Second, remember that big games slip; a delay is not a betrayal, it is the norm for projects of this scale. Third, ignore "leaked release dates" on social media until they appear on an official channel. The pattern repeats every year: a screenshot goes viral, gets treated as gospel, and turns out to be a placeholder or a guess.

The throughline across this entire list is patience. The biggest sequels are big precisely because their makers are taking the time — and the safest assumption for any unannounced game is "later than the internet hopes."

Trailers & video

Trailers and official gameplay reveals are the best primary source for tone, scope and — occasionally — timing. The links below take you to current video rather than a guessed embed, so nothing breaks when a studio drops fresh footage.

We deliberately link to a live search and a reputable channel rather than embedding a single clip — that way you always land on genuine, up-to-date coverage instead of a video that might be removed or replaced.

Where to follow these games

Official trailers, screenshots and release dates live on each publisher's site and on the platform stores below. We deliberately do not host or embed copyrighted screenshots or key art — the links take you straight to the genuine, current sources where you can wishlist, pre-order and verify dates.

Frequently asked questions