Out of everything, what Valve are planning this year interests me the most. I may not get on board with the Steam Machine, or maybe not this year even since I'm not an early adopter, but it's the most interesting swing I've seen in the industry for quite a while. The idea of a (hopefully) affordable little box that can play thousands of games already released is a disruption if it pays off.
For those who question it's purpose, I'll point you to my teenage son. He's constantly using my expensive gaming laptop, and not even for taxing games. He's into Roblox, simulators, and sports - nothing that melts a GPU even. If the price is right, it would suit him perfectly having a small PC that plays games and then potentially doing other online work.
So so many things to talk about what you talked about gaming this year in no particular order...
1.- RAM prices are definitely going to be a factor on determining the success of Valve's Game Cube, same with PC gaming. For years us console gamers have heard "buy a PC" well a couple RAM sticks can be half of what a console is nowadays.
2.- I couldn't care less about GTA 6, but one thing I can always commend is that they do a good satire of American society at the time it comes out...but given how much it's been delayed and how rapidly Pop Culture is changing, I can't help but feeling the satire mmay be outdated culturally speaking by the time is out
3.- Silksong and Team Cherry definitely hit a light in a bottle moment! Congrats on having such a wonderful representation of talent from your country. I hope Mexico can have a tiny bit of success and representation with a game that's supposed to come out this year: Mariachi Legends, check it out if you want.
Great read, Harrison! I've been itching to write an article about what counts as an indie game with the exact title of your question. Maybe 2026 is the year to tackle it!
Thank you! I pinged a whole bunch of industry types over the Jan break to help compile this list -- just so it's exactly what's on everyone's lips.
That was a big one for devs, really kicked off by Clair Obscura being badged an 'indie'. It's a great topic! And I won't get to all of these this year. Would be keen to hear your take!
Some interesting questions in here! Definitely interested to see how the AI bubble continues to grow or burst this year. And as a console house, we definitely have our eyes on the new Steam box; hubby is trying to see if he can build a mini PC for cheaper 🤔
You’re right, it’s an exciting but testing time for games. Here’s hoping 2026 turns out to be a good year for the pixels!
Out of everything, what Valve are planning this year interests me the most. I may not get on board with the Steam Machine, or maybe not this year even since I'm not an early adopter, but it's the most interesting swing I've seen in the industry for quite a while. The idea of a (hopefully) affordable little box that can play thousands of games already released is a disruption if it pays off.
For those who question it's purpose, I'll point you to my teenage son. He's constantly using my expensive gaming laptop, and not even for taxing games. He's into Roblox, simulators, and sports - nothing that melts a GPU even. If the price is right, it would suit him perfectly having a small PC that plays games and then potentially doing other online work.
So so many things to talk about what you talked about gaming this year in no particular order...
1.- RAM prices are definitely going to be a factor on determining the success of Valve's Game Cube, same with PC gaming. For years us console gamers have heard "buy a PC" well a couple RAM sticks can be half of what a console is nowadays.
2.- I couldn't care less about GTA 6, but one thing I can always commend is that they do a good satire of American society at the time it comes out...but given how much it's been delayed and how rapidly Pop Culture is changing, I can't help but feeling the satire mmay be outdated culturally speaking by the time is out
3.- Silksong and Team Cherry definitely hit a light in a bottle moment! Congrats on having such a wonderful representation of talent from your country. I hope Mexico can have a tiny bit of success and representation with a game that's supposed to come out this year: Mariachi Legends, check it out if you want.
Awesome post!
I love this comment! Thanks for adding more value to what is already a really long read!
Really good questions and explainations. Thanks
Great read, Harrison! I've been itching to write an article about what counts as an indie game with the exact title of your question. Maybe 2026 is the year to tackle it!
Thank you! I pinged a whole bunch of industry types over the Jan break to help compile this list -- just so it's exactly what's on everyone's lips.
That was a big one for devs, really kicked off by Clair Obscura being badged an 'indie'. It's a great topic! And I won't get to all of these this year. Would be keen to hear your take!
Some interesting questions in here! Definitely interested to see how the AI bubble continues to grow or burst this year. And as a console house, we definitely have our eyes on the new Steam box; hubby is trying to see if he can build a mini PC for cheaper 🤔
You’re right, it’s an exciting but testing time for games. Here’s hoping 2026 turns out to be a good year for the pixels!
Thanks Amy! Yeah, really wanted to create a piece that opened up the convo on game more broadly than "what's coming out this year?".
I'm a console gamer too! But geez it feels like we're a dying breed on the internet eh?