Top 15 Games - May 2026

After April brought a number of highly anticipated titles from the cyberpunk thriller, REPLACED, Capcom's new IP, Pragmata, and the soon to be released Saros, we approach a month of high profile AAA and indie releases. So, here's 15 games worth keeping an eye on in May 2026.

WAX HEADS - 05/05/26

Ever wanted to run a music store and help customers find their next favourite record? In Wax Heads, you do that and more. It's a cosy narrative sim where you converse with shoppers and colleagues, and solve relaxing puzzles to help people find the right music for them.

With dozens of original songs to listen to, and a unique paper cut out art style, Wax Heads looks like a game worth getting lost in.

MIXTAPE - 07/05/26

After their psychedelic musical extravaganza, The Artful Escape, developer Beethoven and Dinosaur is back with another music centric game in Mixtape - a coming of age story about friendship and the power of music.

On their last night together, three friends go on one last adventure. As they venture to a party, they listen to a mixtape of their favourite tunes that all make them remember dreamlike recollections of their favourite shared memories - a great concept for an emotionally resonant narrative.

And with a stacked soundtrack featuring, Joy Division, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure and more, it's one that I'm really looking forward to playing.

WILL: FOLLOW THE LIGHT - 07/05/26

After a very short delay, Will: Follow The Light releases on May 7th. An atmospheric, first-person adventure puzzle game about a man's personal journey to locate his missing son.

You traverse the Northern Landscapes, sailing and dog sledding around large areas for any clues to your child's whereabouts. If the narrative reveals and puzzles hit the mark, it will be another strong indie game.

DIRECTIVE 8020 - 12/05/26

The latest horror adventure game in The Dark Pictures Anthology from Supermassive Games, creators of The Quarry and Until Dawn. Directive 8020 looks to be another solid entry in the branching narrative, player choice driven genre. With extra development time to polish the game, and refinements to the gameplay, Directive 8020 is looking like a fun time in single-player or playing with friends.

Featuring actress Lashana Lynch from No Time to Die and The Day of the Jackal TV show, you play a group of astronauts who somehow stumble on an organism able to infect and mimic any of their crew - a space version of John Carpenter's The Thing. The perfect setup that allows players to choose who to trust and make life and death decisions to alter the entire plot.

CALL OF THE ELDER GODS - 12/05/26

Developer Out of the Blue Games delivers a sequel to the puzzle game, Call of the Sea, in Call of the Elder Gods - a Lovecraftian puzzle adventure game.

From the trailers, the developers continue to advance the observation based puzzle design with the ability to switch protagonists to solve multi-step puzzles. And if anyone worries that the game's puzzles are going to be too difficult, Call of the Elder Gods includes a choose your own difficulty feature, to enable a player to toggle hints.

I enjoyed the first game a lot, and if the developers have built on that solid foundation, I'm certain Call of the Elder Gods will be another great puzzle game.

FORZA HORIZON 6 - 15/05/26

After five entries in the fun arcade racer, Playground Games finally takes Forza Horizon to the diverse landscapes of Japan. From the bustling cityscapes to the snowy mountainsides and more.

Forza Horizon 6 has players participate in another Horizon Festival to acquire homes and build out a potential collection of over 550 vehicles. With a prominent focus on co-op play and customisable online events, Forza Horizon 6 has something for every driving fan.

THRIFTY BUSINESS - 18/05/26

Thrifty Business is a laid back management simulator set in the vibrant world of the 90s, where you manage your own vintage thrift store. But instead of just maximising your profits, you can customise your whole store and listen to your clientele and fulfil their requests. With 500 items to place in your store, Thrifty Business looks to be an indie game worth checking out.

THICK AS THIEVES - 20/05/26

From renowned game developer Warren Spector of Deus Ex and Thief fame, Thick As Thieves is a stealth game that's gone through many iterations since its reveal. Initially announced as an asymmetrical stealth multiplayer PvPvE game, it was recently revealed to have pivoted to a single-player and two player co-op experience.

Thick As Thieves now focuses on a multi-hour, replayable campaign. These short missions encourage replayability and for players to experiment with different abilities and stealth techniques. I hope the stealth gameplay and campaign is enough to make this new format successful when it launches.

YOSHI AND THE MYSTERIOUS BOOK - 21/05/26

Nintendo's next Switch 2 exclusive sees the return of their iconic green dinosaur-like creature, in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. A side scrolling, platformer through the pages of a mysterious book. As always, Nintendo have found a way for the visuals to stand out by using stop motion animation. It looks like another solid Nintendo adventure for the whole family.

COFFEE TALK TOKYO - 21/05/26

The latest installment of the Coffee Talk series takes us to Tokyo, to spend late nights brewing coffee, meeting people and making dialogue choices.

Coffee Talk Tokyo continues the cosy narrative first approach from the original, with another lofi soundtrack to backdrop conversations with a cast of new and returning characters. If anyone wants a break from the more intense games, Coffee Talk Tokyo is looking like a nice relaxing video game to enjoy.

ZERO PARADES: FOR DEAD SPIES - 21/05/26

Since releasing one of my favourite modern games, Disco Elysium, developer ZA/UM has found itself in a tumultuous period, but is now following up Disco Elysium with the much anticipated espionage RPG, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies.

You play as spy Hershel Wilk, who after a disastrous mission five years ago, gets the opportunity to prove themselves on a mysterious new assignment. Like Disco Elysium before it, your decisions impact Hershel and the overall story.

I can't wait to see how Zero Parades turns out, and I hope it comes close to the quality of Disco Elysium.

COPA CITY - 21/05/26

Copa City is a very unique management simulator where you organise and setup football matches. Managing city elements, stadiums and the structures around them, setup entertainment, food and security services. All whilst being graded on match readiness for the upcoming football natches.

It's a fresh take on the management simulator. But I just hope there's enough depth to gameplay loop.

LEGO BATMAN: LEGACY OF THE DARK KNIGHT - 22/05

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is the latest Lego story-led action adventure game from TT Games. You follow Bruce Wayne as he becomes Batman and battles his classic rogues gallery whilst reliving some of Batman's biggest moments in TT Games' trademark humorous Lego style.

But what makes this version of Lego Batman unique is its combat system - a similar but simplified version of the combat in Rocksteady's Arkham series.

I can't wait to give this one a go. With brand new combat and gameplay systems, it will be a nice change of pace for the regular button mashing of other Lego titles. I do think this has the potential to be a great game for a whole range of players.

BUBSY 4D - 22/05/26

Hot off the heels of developer Fabraz's release of the excellent Demon Tides, the studio is back to take a swing at classic platformer mascot, Bubsy in Bubsy 4D.

Backed by publisher Atari, Bubsy 4D looks like it uses many gameplay mechanics from Demon Tides, which isn't a problem if it differentiates itself in some ways. And from the trailers, I was pleasantly surprised to hear voice acting, which was one of the things I wanted in Demon Tides. It really helps to add personality to the characters. But if Bubsy 4D is as good as Demon Tides from a moment to moment gameplay perspective, Fabraz will cement itself as one of the best modern developers of 3D platformers.

007 FIRST LIGHT - 27/05/26

We end the month with a big one, the gaming return of an iconic franchise, James Bond, in 007 First Light. A third person action adventure game from IO Interactive, the talented team behind the brilliant Hitman trilogy - a big departure from Hitman's choice driven gameplay.

007 First Light sees you take control of a very different Bond, a younger, inexperienced rookie thrown from the army, straight into the ranks of the MI6. A perfect setup for a fresh take on the character that lets players get to know their own version of Bond.

Until recently, all we had seen was an extended gameplay trailer with some action, driving and minimal exploration. It looked like the setpieces of a Naughty Dog game, mixed with simplified versions of Hitman's gameplay mechanics.

But now, IOI recently released a brand new, in depth gameplay trailer. It confirms Bond can blend in and find alternative paths, eavesdrop and talk your way in or out of situations. The biggest feature seems to be the Bluffing system, where Bond can confidently talk his way through sections of a level unless there's a higher tiered enemy nearby, which will call for an optional plan of action.

I can't wait to see how all of these features blend together in 007 First Light. After the brilliant Hitman series, I have high expectations for what IOI can achieve with a character like Bond. It's one I'll be trying out day one.

And that's it. 15 games releasing in May that I believe look interesting enough to keep an eye on.