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What makes a game one of the best action games to play? You need a good combat system, a world you want to explore and live in, some set pieces, and did we mention a good combat system? It needs to be satisfying in one way or the other, and front-and-centre of what the title is trying to do.
No need to thank us, but we’ve played a fair few over the years, and we figured it’s only fair to pass on that expertise to you, and let you know what the best action games you can play in 2026 are, and why. There’s more than a few, some old, some new; some in a modern setting, others Victorian, and some even supernatural in essence. One thing they do share in common though? They’re all incredible action games you won’t regret playing then, now, or in the future.
Control Resonant
The sequel to one of 2019’s weirdest games, Remedy’s Control Resonant changes the formula up considerably. Gone is Jesse as a playable character, replaced by her twin brother Dylan, and the focus has turned towards melee-based-gameplay.
Featuring numerous weapons, abilities, and skills, the story of Control Resonant continues that of the Remedy Connected Universe, while simultaneously opening up the weird and wonderful world Remedy has brought us to a wider audience. It got a maximum score from us, and for good reason.
- Release Date: September 24th, 2026.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
- Developer: Remedy Entertainment.
- You Should Play: When you want a world inspired by Twin Peaks, time travel and more to confuse and entice you.
- Copies Sold: As of November 2026, 1 million.
Elden Ring
2023’s Game of the Year, Elden Ring took everything Hidetaka Miyazaki learned from his time developing Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Demon Souls, and perfected almost everything. Replacing the linear paths with an open world and putting the onus on players to find and explore interesting moments and stories as they play proved to be a master stroke, and after spawning a spin-off with Elden Ring Nightreign, we’re all wondering what comes next – spoiler, it’s The Duskbloods.
- Release Date: February 25th, 2022.
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, XBOX One, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
- Developer: FromSoftware.
- You Should Play: When you want to get lost in a world of death and whimsy, tortured souls, and utter misery.
- Copies Sold: As of October 2026, 36.4 million.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
I’m sure you’re thinking this is an odd inclusion, all things considered. Especially when the full size instalments available, and that’s a fair point. The reason I’ve included this title out of the Yakuza franchise is due to its smaller size, more streamlined set of features and quicker-to-the-punch gameplay.
Playing as Goro Majima after the events of Infinite Wealth, you’re without your memory and trying to piece everything together. Naturally, you end up becoming a pirate and sailing the Seven Seas because of it. To say we loved it is an understatement.
- Release Date: February 21st, 2025.
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
- Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
- You Should Play: When you want some wacky nonsense intercut with long cutscenes and a great story.
- Copies Sold: No confirmed numbers yet.
Pragmata
Capcom has had an incredible year in 2026, with numerous high-profile releases, from Resident Evil Requiem to Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Smack-dab in the middle is Pragmata, a new IP from the developer taking a huge swing, and absolutely smashing it out of the park. Playing as Hugh, you’ll attempt to escape from a base on the moon as things continue to go wrong all around you, all while trying to protect a cyborg-like child, Diane.
Throw in some of the most fun combat of the year – if not ever, for action games at least – combining the hacking of Diane and the ranged shooting of Hugh, and you have Pragmata, a game desperately in need of a sequel being announced. It was one of our highest scoring games of the year, so an easy inclusion to the best action games list we’ve got going on here.
- Release Date: April 17th, 2026.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
- Developer: Capcom.
- You Should Play: When you want to experience a new sci-fi adventure with a father/daughter relationship thrown in.
- Copies Sold: As of September 2026, 2.7 million.
Marvel’s Wolverine
While Marvel’s Wolverine may not have been all that fans were expecting, or hoping for, it’s definitely more than first glance might reveal. Set in the Insomniac Universe, it tells a fresh, brand new story about Logan and how he came to be the Wolverine. Featuring Nathaniel Essex, Jean Grey, and a range of lesser known mutants, it twists and turns established mythology until it fits into the universe we’ve seen for the last eight years with the Insomniac Spider-Man games.
Similarly, the combat is as gratuitous, visceral, and bloody as you’d want from a Wolverine game, with claws going in places you wouldn’t want to see, amputations and decapitations galore, and a combat system that rewards players for variation where attacks, abilities and skills are concerned, as we said in our review.
- Release Date: September 15th, 2026.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5.
- Developer: Insomniac Games.
- You Should Play: When you want to cut and slash your way through the Marvel universe created by Insomniac Games.
- Copies Sold: As of November 2026, 2.4 million.
God of War (2018)
You really had to be there when God of War (2018) was revealed at E3. There had been no rumours, people thought the franchise was done-and-finished. How wrong, thankfully, we were. Featuring the return of Kratos in a new story featuring a new pantheon of Gods, the gameplay also gets heavily modernised to boot, and the timeline expanded.
Featuring a deep combat system, multiple skills, abilities and more to find and use, at first glance the game may seem like a linear path you continue on until you hit the end of the story. With some Metroidvania platforming and travelling to-and-fro, that couldn’t be more wrong. It’s one of the best action games ever, let alone one of those you can play right now in 2026.
- Release Date: April 20th, 2018.
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.
- Developer: Santa Monica Studio.
- You Should Play: When you want an ultimate power fantasy to absolutely destroy countless enemies, fodder and Gods alike, in quick fashion with rippling muscles everywhere.
- Copies Sold: As of November 2022, 23 million.
Gears of War: E-Day
In a story that was only hinted at in the games, and glossed over in the books, Gears of War: E-Day brings us the first days of the Locust invasion, and how it came to bring the iconic duo of Marcus and Dom together. In fact, it showed much more than that, including the civilian citizens reactions to a threat they had no idea was below them for years and years.
It felt like a return to former glory for the Gears of War franchise, but with middling sales cannibalised by XBOX Game Pass, we may be waiting a while for the next entry, if ever, of the iconic XBOX title.
- Release Date: October 6th, 2026.
- Platforms: XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
- Developer: The Coalition.
- You Should Play: When you want to some third-person shooting madness against invading Locust in a world scarily similar to Earth.
- Copies Sold: As of November 2026, 400,000.
Phantom Blade Zero
Have you ever wanted to play as a master of martial arts that only has 66 days left to live? Well if so, that’s exactly what Phantom Blade Zero will do for you. The game opens with Soul, our protagonist, fighting a childhood friend to the death and then being resurrected.
What follows is a journey through the kingdom searching for a cure for his time-limiting ailment, fighting monsters and beings of all nature, but also spending time helping the average person. It’s surprisingly tender, funny, and heartwarming at times, but the combat that we all came for? Well that’s where the game really shines. If you’re just starting it now, you’ll need some help.
- Release Date: October 29th. 2026.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, and PC.
- Developer: S-Game.
- You Should Play: When you want to enjoy a new world with a fluid, fast, and frankly incredible combat system.
- Copies Sold: As of November 2026, 4 million.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
The second entry for Capcom, and it’s the return of a franchise we’ve wanted to return for years. We have some useful tips, if you’ve yet to play it, but this is a title where combat is front-and-centre, and it’s ridiculously fun and hard-hitting. It also features a new, oddly humourous protagonist that will make you laugh for sure.
- Release Date: September 4th, 2026.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
- Developer: Capcom.
- You Should Play: When you want a combat focused adventure through a stylised Japan that’ll leave you wanting more.
- Copies Sold: As of November 2026, almost 2 million.
Bloodborne
Eleven years on and Bloodborne is still the one title that gets brought up any time a remake/remaster discussion starts. Every single PlayStation State of Play or Showcase, the memes begin about how it’s finally happening, and yet, it never does. Victorian Eldritch horror skinned Soulslike shouldn’t work, but it does. To many its preferred to Elden Ring, and while it’s not open world like that title, it does have the Metroidvania-like doubling back that the genre is now known for.
With some seriously impressive bosses, enemies and all around fresh (at the time) approaches to world-building and combat, it’s no surprise the PlayStation exclusive continues to have such a rabid fanbase, and it’s still one of the finest action games you can play right now, and great fun with it.
- Release Date: March 24th, 2015.
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
- Developer: FromSoftware.
- You Should Play: When you want to jump back in time and fight mutated and horribly monsters in a truly bleak setting that will feel familiar, yet oddly bleak and utterly absent of any sort of happiness or hope for those that live in it.
- Copies Sold: As of November 2026, 10.4 million.
Uncharted 2
You can really put any of the Uncharted titles here, but a personal favourite is the second, and that’s something mirrored by a huge contingent of the franchise’s fans. Everything we saw in the first title has been amped up to eleven, with far bigger set pieces, more stakes, and better gunplay.
Opening with a train sequence that is as adrenaline-pumping as it is confusing as to how Drake got there, we got to experience the story knowing where it was going, and wondering if he’d survive once we returned. It’s one of the best action games, best PlayStation games, and best games ever, if we’re being truthful.
- Release Date: October 13th, 2009.
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
- Developer: Naughty Dog.
- You Should Play: When you want to play as a modern day Indiana Jones.
- Copies Sold: As of March 2015, 6.5 million. Likely far higher now, but no more figures have been released.
Arkham City
Following on from the huge success of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City expanded the franchise from a self-contained location to an entire city. That wasn’t the only thing though. The game took more from the established lore of Batman, introducing new versions of villains we’ve all grown up with, and putting them in a different light.
Pushing the envelope on the combat and investigative sides of the game, as well as offering new side missions and stories for players to uncover and find was a master stroke by Rocksteady Studios. Add in the shocking and unlikely ending, and you have one of the best action games of all time, let alone to play in 2026.
- Release Date: October 18th, 2011.
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, XBOX 360, XBOX One, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
- Developer: Rocksteady Studios.
- You Should Play: When you want to become Batman.
- Copies Sold: As of July 2020, 12.5 million.
Dead as Disco
You know a game is good when it’s making multiple ‘best of’ lists. Featured in our best rhythm games list, Dead as Disco makes a worthy appearance here. With the action contained to a single dance floor, the audio being whatever track you load up, and the combat methodically linked to the track in question, what else would you want to play when you want to beat up one man or another?
The fact that it’s all wrapped in a gloriously presented and beautiful-looking graphical display makes it even better, and it’s still in Early Access! How it looks come the full release is interesting to see.
- Release Date: May 5th, 2026.
- Platforms: PC.
- Developer: Brain Jar Games, Inc.
- You Should Play: When you want to beat people up to a beat of your own choosing.
- Copies Sold: As of November 2026, around 600,000.
That’s our choices for the best action games you can play in 2026, but what would you pick? There’s no end to one of the most popular genres, similarly to the best fps games we showcased, but there’s some absolute diamonds here.
Action Games FAQs
What is an action game?
An action game, also known as action adventure game, is any game where you’re fighting, exploring, platforming, and usually involves a story that you’re working your way through.
What is the greatest action game of all time?
An impossible question with no real answer. Everyone’s tastes differ, and while there are more popular action games than others, there’s still no concrete ‘Number One’ action game out there.
What are some good action games for adults?
Due to adults being able to handle more complex systems, you’ll regularly find action games with a higher rating have more in-depth mechanics, features, and combat systems. This will keep them far more interested in the title for longer.
For more from us, don’t miss every game coming out in 2027, or the best fighting games you can play right now.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
