The 12 months 2026 is upon us, and it’s bought fairly an act to observe within the gaming division. Finally, 2025 was a reasonably good 12 months for the sport business, seeing the discharge of each main and indie titles and the return of traditional video games and IPs. Hopefully, 2026 will be capable to preserve the ball rolling on the previous, however for the latter, it could be a great time to dip a bit extra into the pool of potential remasters, notably for journey video games that may preserve us engaged for a great whereas.
DualShockers’ 10 Most Anticipated Video games of 2026
These 10 video games are a few of DualShockers’ most anticipated titles at present scheduled to launch in 2026.
As we get into the again half of the 2020s, we’re getting additional away from the video games of the early-to-mid 2000s, which suggests it’s the right time to whip a few of these older video games into form. In any case, the aim of a remaster, no less than in my humble opinion, is to both rescue video games which can be trapped on outdated {hardware}, or punch-up video games which can be technically nonetheless accessible, however not in probably the most playable of states.
10
Wario World
It’s on Swap On-line, however we Can do Extra
Close to the top of 2025, Nintendo added cult traditional Wario World to its catalog of GameCube video games accessible to Swap 2 Enlargement Move subscribers. This was some nice information, as Wario World remains to be considered one of my outdated favorites from that period. That stated, Wario’s been getting stiffed a bit these days, and admittedly, he deserves a bit bit greater than an emulated port unique to fancy memberships. If ever there was a time for Wario World to get a recent coat of paint, it’s now.
When you’ve by no means performed it, Wario World is a 3D platforming journey through which our favourite grasping jerk smashes and piledrives his means by a sequence of wacky worlds in an effort to reclaim his misplaced treasures. It’s an exceptionally bizarre, inventive sport, thanks in no small half to contributions by currently-dormant developer Treasure.
Probably the most constant criticisms of Wario World is its comparatively brief size, clocking round 6 hours on a standard run. A remaster might maybe add some further ranges or content material, to not point out restore the extra elaborate closing boss from the Japanese model that was axed from the western model for seemingly no purpose.
9
American McGee’s Alice
The Subsequent Finest Factor After That Canceled Sequel
Within the early 2000s, American McGee was one of many massive identify auteur sport builders, along with his first solo work, American McGee’s Alice, exhibiting the world precisely what he was going for. It was a darkish and twisted tackle Alice in Wonderland, which is already fairly tousled, and a reasonably wild action-adventure sport in its personal proper. American McGee retired from sport growth following the cancellation of the sequel to Alice: Insanity Returns, but when we are able to’t get him to work on something new, a remaster of the unique Alice could be good, no less than.
American McGee’s Alice has been sometimes likened to a third-person Quake, with a mix of pitched battle arenas and puzzle-platforming, all whereas following Alice from a behind-the-back digicam. It employs a bigger number of motion gameplay than its sequels, with an arsenal of vicious toys and power-ups accessible for Alice to destroy the twisted Wonderland denizens with.
If you wish to get technical about it, Alice type of acquired a remaster already, as you possibly can obtain a free copy of it with a purchase order of Alice: Insanity Returns when that sport first launched. Two issues, although: first, that was actually extra of a port than a remaster, and second, you possibly can’t purchase Insanity Returns any extra anyway.
8
Notorious
The Definitive Metropolis-Vast Mayhem Sport
The late 2000s have been the definitive period of sandbox journey video games. It was all about having an enormous metropolis to run round in, and an fascinating means through which to do it. One of many video games that took probably the most inventive stab at it was 2009’s Notorious, one of many signature sequence of Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch Productions. You’ll be able to’t purchase Notorious anymore, solely stream it by PS Plus, however a remaster would repair that downside.
Notorious stars Cole MacGrath, an abnormal dude who finds himself on the epicenter of an experimental weapon detonation. Somewhat than being atomized, he finds himself with superhuman talents, notably electrokinesis, and units off throughout the town to resolve the thriller. Notorious made intensive use of the binary ethical selection framework that was massive again then, with missions permitting you to pursue good and evil paths and unlock corresponding upgrades and talents.
There hasn’t been a brand new Notorious sport since Notorious First Gentle in 2014, and with Ghost of Yotei on the books, Sucker Punch most likely has a while on its fingers to rescue the unique from the void. It’d be good to have a multi-platform remaster, because the authentic was a PlayStation unique.
7
Prototype
The Different Definitive Metropolis-Vast Mayhem Sport
Talking of super-powered sandbox adventures, whenever you consider Notorious, you possibly can’t assist but in addition consider its unofficial rival, Prototype. Each video games launched across the identical time, with Prototype releasing for each PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Not like Notorious, you possibly can nonetheless purchase and play Prototype, although like most 360 ports, it might most actually do with a remaster spit-shine.
Prototype follows an amnesiac man named Alex Mercer, who wakes up on a morgue slab in possession of lethal mutagenic talents, which simply so occur to resemble these of the monsters ravaging Manhattan. To seek out out what occurred to him and save the town, Alex goes to should do plenty of shapeshifting, and eat lots of people. In distinction to its rival, Prototype has no ethical selection system. You’ll be able to devour as many innocents as you need, and the sport gained’t penalize you for it. Past sending extra troopers after you, I imply.
Getting a Prototype remaster on the board would remedy two issues: it could assist to treatment the glitches that accompany making an attempt to play the sport on current-generation {hardware}, and it would pave the best way for a remaster of Prototype 2 as effectively. Hopefully, in the event that they do remaster 2, it doesn’t have any dumb live-service components.
6
Bully
Price Enduring Controversy
Rockstar’s 2006 traditional Bully was largely slated as “Grand Theft Auto for teenagers.” Sadly, given the issues and considerations with video video games and schoolchildren at the moment, the sport was topic to fairly a little bit of controversy, with overeager watch-dogs claiming it inspired children to harm one another. By right this moment’s requirements, the bullying that goes on on this sport is like watching cavemen slap one another, so it’d most likely be a protected time for a remaster.
Bully stars troubled youth Jimmy Hopkins, who’s deserted at a crummy boarding faculty by his mom and swiftly finds himself embroiled in a civil battle between the college’s cliques. The sport runs on a real-time clock; through the day, you attend lessons and play mini-games, then after faculty, you rise up to missions involving pranks, petty theft, and different appropriately small-scale acts of mayhem. Probably the most violent factor on this sport is children utilizing slingshots and potato launchers; nobody makes use of any weapons or something.
Even placing the nontroversies apart, Bully might actually use a technical overhaul. Its port to fashionable platforms, Scholarship Version, was fairly buggy even when it first launched, and has gone largely with out patches since. Come on, Rockstar, you gotta give us one thing to tide us over between Grand Theft Auto video games.
5
Useless Rising 2
The Excessive Level of the Collection
Again in 2024, Capcom launched Useless Rising Deluxe Remaster, a full graphical overhaul of the unique sport with some quality-of-life stuff added in. It was actually extra of a remake than a remaster, however who can inform the distinction lately? Extra importantly, now that that sport is out as a leaping off level, it’s time to present the remaster therapy to the sport that actually wants it: Useless Rising 2.
Useless Rising 2 is undoubtedly the excessive level of your entire Useless Rising sequence, giving us not solely a bigger map to run round in and every kind of latest furnishings and knick-knacks to bash zombies over the pinnacle with, but in addition introducing the sequence’ signature combo weapon system. Wackier weapons, wackier bosses, and an total extra colourful setting actually helped to place the enjoyable in “fun-dead.”
No matter Occurred To Useless Rising?
Certain appears to be useless, not too certain on the rising.
The present ports of Useless Rising 2 and its spin-off, Off the File, are notoriously buggy and poorly-optimized, making it troublesome to expertise this wonderful sport in a super state. A remaster couldn’t solely clear all of that up, however maybe additionally merge the unique sport and Off the File’s content material right into a single, coherent bundle, letting you play each Chuck and Frank’s campaigns. Goodness is aware of, I’d cough up for that comfort.
4
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
We Received the First, Give us the Relaxation
The remaster of Metroid Prime that was launched on the Nintendo Swap was very effectively acquired, with some calling it the definitive strategy to expertise that traditional sport. Metroid Prime 4, then again, was a bit on the divisive aspect, and maybe not the follow-up to that revival a few of us have been hoping for. Maybe Retro Studios simply wants a bit extra reference materials to get its groove again fully, and a good way to do this could be to remaster the remaining Metroid Prime video games, beginning with Metroid Prime 2.
Metroid Prime 2 constructed upon the bones of the primary Prime sport, taking the interconnected 3D world map and reducing it into two distinct halves, mild and darkish. This was again when dual-world gameplay was the new ticket, and Prime 2 took an fascinating method to it by creating pockets of sunshine inside inhospitable darkish zones, forcing you to maneuver shortly and search shelter from its corrosive results. This sport additionally served as the primary full look of Darkish Samus, if that does something for you.
Like Prime earlier than it, Prime 2 is at present not playable on any fashionable {hardware}, so a remaster would assist to make it accessible once more. It’d be nice if Prime 3 would get the identical therapy down the road as effectively, ideally with out the necessary movement controls.
3
Saints Row 2
Time to Begin Mending Bridges
It’s no secret that the 2022 reboot of Saints Row was… less-than-stellar. It was just about only a full and utter misreading of what individuals preferred concerning the authentic video games, which might be why Volition went out of enterprise afterward. Whoever owns the IP now, in the event that they need to begin mending bridges, a great place to begin could be a remaster of Saints Row 2.
Saints Row 2 is a sandbox crime journey in the identical vein as Grand Theft Auto, however arguably a lot, a lot sillier. Your rival gangs included a gaggle of wannabe samurai and a voodoo cult, considered one of your weapons was a shotgun hid in a pimp cane, and you possibly can play mini-games through which you sprayed liquid feces on the neighborhood or threw your self in entrance of automobiles for insurance coverage fraud. It was not a sport that took itself very significantly, although paradoxically, that made its few very severe moments all of the extra impactful.
Saints Row 2 remains to be technically accessible for buy on Steam, however the PC model hasn’t aged nice. It’s very buggy and troublesome to get working. A recent remaster of this sport would each remedy that downside and, hopefully, get the franchise again within the business’s good graces.
2
Sam & Max Hit the Highway
The Traditional Definition of “Journey Sport”
As of late, whenever you say “journey sport,” you normally simply imply “a sport with an journey in it.” Within the olden days, although, “journey video games” particularly referred to point-and-click games like King’s Quest or Sam & Max. We’d be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn’t have no less than one sport of this traditional definition on the board, and it’d most likely be a great time to carry again Sam & Max Hit the Highway.
Skunkape Video games, a small studio composed of former Telltale Video games staff, have spent the previous couple of years remastering the three seasons of Telltale Sam & Max video games with good outcomes. Assuming they’ll get the go-ahead from Steve Purcell and, I assume, Lucasfilm, I’d wholeheartedly welcome an try on their half to remaster the Freelance Police’s first journey. It’s nonetheless a traditional amongst point-and-click adventures for a purpose: it’s chock-full of hilarious gags and wacky characters and background artwork, which might be cool to see touched-up and upscaled in the same vein to the remaster of The Secret of Monkey Island.
Hit the Highway is at present accessible for buy on Steam, although it’s nonetheless powered by ScummVM, and it’s anybody’s guess how lengthy that’ll maintain up within the present PC framework. May be good to get one thing recent on the books, simply in case.
1
Psychonauts
Lengthy as I’m Asking for the Unimaginable…
Everybody has no less than one sport they may go to bat for that no person else will. For me, that sport is Psychonauts, although sadly, the traditional port accessible on present storefronts doesn’t run very effectively, so it’s a bit to advocate to individuals. A recent remaster would most actually help my advice efforts, admittedly unlikely as it’s to occur.
Psychonauts is a platforming journey through which younger psychic Razputin breaks into the covert coaching facility-slash-summer camp run by the titular group, within the hopes of changing into a psychic undercover agent. It’s some of the delightfully inventive video games of the 2000s, due to some novel sport mechanics, humorous characters and dialogue, and intelligent psychological analogies.
Double Wonderful sadly doesn’t make video games practically as typically because it used to, and contemplating the Herculean effort it took to make Psychonauts 2 occur, the chances of a Psychonauts remaster ever popping out, no less than with out some type of outdoors help, are slim at greatest. However hey, to paraphrase a smart child, so long as you’re dreaming, you would possibly as effectively ask for a pony.
9 Finest On-Funds Obscure Journey Video games
Go on a whirlwind journey with out paying whirlwind journey costs.
