New Games 2026: January Week 3 Spotlight

Welcome back to our weekly gaming roundup! The final stretch of January delivers an intriguing mix of narrative-driven adventures, expansion content for cult favorites, and co-op survival experiences that should keep your library growing. Before we explore this week's new games 2026 releases, take a moment to check out our esports predictions and analysis for the latest tournament coverage across Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. This week also brings some seismic shifts in the industry as major publishers make difficult decisions about their futures.

Game Releases

Perfect Tides: Station to Station

Platforms: PC

Release Date: January 21, 2026

The award-winning Perfect Tides returns with a sequel that trades small-town adolescence for the overwhelming reality of big city young adulthood. Players return to the life of Mara, now 18 and navigating the momentum and whiplash that comes with entering this transformative period. Station to Station embraces the classic point-and-click adventure formula while modernizing the experience through streamlined mechanics and expanded systems. Players collect an inventory of names and subjects rather than just physical objects, watching Mara's understanding of the world grow through conversations, experiences, and memories. The game presents over 60 environments connected through a public mass transit system, creating a sprawling urban landscape that feels both vast and intimate.

What makes this sequel particularly compelling is its focus on the emotional complexity of relationships at this age. The game features non-linear exploration and branching outcomes across seasonal acts that follow a full year of Mara's life. Players can build both friendly and romantic connections while decorating their space, pursuing interests, and finding their place in an unfamiliar world. The cinematic presentation and thoughtful pacing suggest this could be one of the year's standout narrative experiences for players who appreciate character-driven storytelling. New players can jump in without prior knowledge of the original Perfect Tides, though returning fans will undoubtedly appreciate the continuity.

Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

Release Date: January 22, 2026

Developer Massive Monster brings substantial expansion content to their beloved roguelike cult management game with Woolhaven, a winter-themed addition that explores the forgotten history of lambkind. Players should note that this content only becomes accessible near completion of the base game, making it a true endgame experience for dedicated cultists.

The narrative hook centers on Yngya, the forgotten God of the lambs, who summons players to restore the flock and reclaim what time has buried. The expansion introduces an entirely new realm battered by harsh blizzards and freezing temperatures, where survival mechanics take on fresh urgency. Players must build new structures to keep followers warm while protecting them from frostbite and famine. The atmospheric winter setting creates a different tone from the base game's darker aesthetic, though the underlying corruption mechanic ensures nothing feels safe or sacred.

Woolhaven adds two vast new dungeons filled with creatures corrupted by the Rot, an insidious force that spreads as players restore souls to their spiritual home. The expansion also introduces a complete ranching system where players can breed rare animals for wool, warmth, and when desperate times call for it, precious meat. These majestic creatures can be tamed, ridden, and cared for by followers, adding another layer to the already complex cult management mechanics.

The narrative promises to unravel long-buried secrets while introducing new characters with their own agendas. A prowling wolf and his war-hungry pack lurk on the frozen summit, while a shadowy figure waits in hidden caverns with blade sharpened and patience running thin. Restless spirits drift along the ridges, each bound by former sins. The expansion's tagline suggests that restoring the past comes with a steep price, hinting at moral dilemmas that could test even the most devoted cult leaders.

Escape from Ever After

Platforms: PC

Release Date: January 23, 2026

Developer Imaginekara Media takes direct inspiration from the classic Paper Mario games to deliver an adventure RPG that asks what happens when capitalism invades fairytale worlds. The premise alone demonstrates the kind of creative risk-taking that indie developers can afford to explore.

Players control Flynt Buckler, a classic fairytale adventurer who storms his dragon nemesis Tinder's castle only to discover corporate offices instead of a villain's lair. The once-intimidating fortress now houses mindless drones sipping coffee and filing reports, while the dragon herself is nowhere to be found. The culprit behind this transformation is Ever After Inc., a real-world conglomerate that recognized storybooks as an untapped market ripe with valuable resources, cheap labor, and profit opportunities. With Tinder's Castle as their corporate headquarters, Ever After Inc. plans to take over every storybook they can access.

The setup forces Flynt to do the unthinkable: get a job and team up with his former nemesis to climb the corporate ladder and take down Ever After Inc. from the inside. The gameplay combines turn-based combat with perfectly-timed action commands reminiscent of Paper Mario's battle system, rewarding experimentation and strategic thinking. Players can build and customize their party as every character has unique skills that can be equipped and upgraded throughout the journey.

The exploration takes players through diverse storybook worlds that constantly shift their rules and expectations. One moment you're fleeing Lovecraftian terrors while solving a noir murder mystery, the next you're battling villainous versions of The Three Little Pigs as they attempt to bulldoze a fairytale forest for real estate developments. Between adventures, players engage in office banter, help storybook coworkers, and decorate their workspace as they ascend the corporate hierarchy. The jazzy big-band soundtrack keeps energy high throughout the adventure, while the narrative promises genuine charm and personality. For players craving that specific Paper Mario flavor of combat and storytelling, this could be exactly what they've been waiting for.

Echoes of Elysium

Platforms: PC (Early Access)

Release Date: January 27, 2026

Developer Loric Games launches their ambitious co-op survival RPG into Early Access this week, bringing players to the serene yet deadly skies of Elysium. The Arlington, Virginia-based studio positions this as their flagship effort in creating immersive multiplayer experiences that push boundaries in both innovation and storytelling.

The core premise centers on living aboard airships in a paradise that actively wants you gone. Players can tackle the experience solo or gather up to six friends for online co-op as they uncover mysteries of a forgotten world where soul-powered clockwork beasts lurk around every corner. The fractured biomes offer both danger and discovery, requiring players to recruit their crew, gather resources, craft tools and airships, and fight land and skyborne mechanisms while surviving against an environment that grows more hostile as you explore.

Airship customization stands as the game's defining feature. These floating vessels serve as your base, transportation, workshop, and war machine simultaneously. Players can customize every component, expand their fleet, and upgrade weapons to survive encounters with the Heron faction's mechanical monsters. The design possibilities range from lumbering fortresses to nimble raiders, with success depending entirely on how well you build and strategize. Your airship represents the difference between glory and becoming scattered scrap wood across the Elysian skies.

Combat against the Heron faction promises escalating challenges as players level up, unlock new abilities, and craft gear to transform from a fragile skiff into a formidable floating fortress. Hostile towers and an entire armada of airships await in the clouds, ensuring combat remains central to the experience. The Early Access launch gives Loric Games an opportunity to refine the balance between base building, exploration, and combat based on player feedback. For fans of co-op survival games looking for a fresh setting beyond the usual medieval or post-apocalyptic landscapes, the airship-focused gameplay could offer something genuinely different.

Happenings in the Gaming World

Amazon's New World: Aeternum Delisted, Shutdown Scheduled for 2027

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Amazon Games made the difficult announcement on January 15 that their MMORPG New World: Aeternum would be delisted immediately and completely shut down on January 13, 2027. The decision comes just months after the development team confirmed the game would no longer receive content updates, marking a swift decline for a title that launched with significant expectations.

The official blog post from the development team expressed gratitude for the community while extending the current Nighthaven update until shutdown. Players can no longer purchase the game as of the announcement date, though existing owners can continue playing for another year. The team clarified in an accompanying FAQ that no new content or server merges would arrive during this final period, though they will continue monitoring bugs and performance issues to ensure smooth operation as the game winds down.

New World originally launched for Windows in September 2021 before expanding to PlayStation and Xbox platforms in October 2024 alongside the Aeternum reboot. Developed by Amazon Games Orange County and published by Amazon Games, the title received average reviews at launch and struggled to maintain its initial player base. The October 2025 announcement ending content updates provided the first warning sign, though the team promised at that time to give six months' notice before any changes affecting player access.

The shutdown follows broader turbulence at Amazon Games, including significant October 2025 layoffs across their publishing team and development studios in Irvine and San Diego. These cuts were part of a massive 14,000-person reduction across Amazon as a whole. The combination of ending support and studio restructuring paints a picture of a company reassessing its gaming ambitions after mixed results with their major releases.

Bungie Showcases Marathon's Star-Studded Voice Cast

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Following the recent release date announcement for their upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, Bungie revealed an impressive roster of over 30 English voice actors bringing the game's characters to life. The announcement came via a January 19 Bluesky post featuring a video scrolling through cast members' names, highlighting some of the industry's most recognized and award-winning talent.

The cast includes Jennifer English, who recently won The Game Awards' Best Performance category for her role as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. English is joined by fellow Clair Obscur performers Ben Starr and Tracy Wiles. Baldur's Gate 3 fans will recognize Neil Newborn and Samantha Béart, known for their work as Astarion and Karlach respectively. The list continues with Roger Clark from Red Dead Redemption's Arthur Morgan, Erin Yvette who voiced Blonde Blazer in Dispatch, Dave Fennoy who voiced Lee Everett in The Walking Dead, and numerous other established names.

The impressive cast roster arrives amid ongoing debates about AI-generated voice acting in the games industry. Marathon's extraction shooter contemporary Arc Raiders, which launched in October 2025, sparked controversy over its use of AI voices. Industry professionals pointed out that AI usage failed to deliver the promised time or cost savings, while Nexon CEO Lee Jeong-heon suggested that assuming every company now uses AI would be prudent.

Marathon has previously defended itself against AI accusations when Alberto Mielgo, director of the game's eight-minute cinematic reveal trailer, took to Instagram to clarify that no AI contributed to the trailer's creation. He emphasized that 155 people worked on paintings, animations, 2D and 3D work, compositing, and renders over months of production. The announcement of a human voice cast reinforces Bungie's commitment to traditional talent in an era where some studios are testing AI alternatives.

Ubisoft Cancels Six Games, Delays Seven More in Massive Company Reset

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Ubisoft announced a sweeping portfolio reset on January 15 that includes six game cancellations and delays for seven additional projects as part of what the company describes as a major organizational and operational overhaul. The cancelled titles include the previously-announced Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, four unannounced games spanning three new IPs, and a mobile title. According to the company's official statement, these projects failed to meet new quality standards as Ubisoft undergoes broader restructuring and portfolio prioritization.

The seven delayed projects remain unspecified but were pushed back to ensure enhanced quality benchmarks are fully met and to maximize long-term value creation. The announcement accompanies previously-confirmed closures of Ubisoft Halifax and layoffs at Ubisoft Abu Dhabi, RedLynx, and Massive Entertainment. The company also confirmed the closure of Ubisoft Stockholm, adding to the human cost of this strategic pivot.

Central to Ubisoft's new direction is a company-wide reorganization into five separate Creative Houses announced last year. The first of these, Vantage Studios, will oversee Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six Siege while attracting $1.3 billion in investment from Chinese conglomerate Tencent. Led by Ubisoft Montreal co-founder Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot, son of CEO Yves Guillemot, Vantage Studios represents the model for the remaining four houses.

The other Creative Houses will focus on competitive and cooperative shooters including The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. Another house covers live experiences like For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Brawlhalla, and Skull & Bones. A third concentrates on fantasy and narrative-driven games including Anno, Might & Magic, Rayman, Prince of Persia, and Beyond Good & Evil. The final house handles casual and family games such as Just Dance, Idle Miner Tycoon, Ketchapp, Hungry Shark, Invincible: Guarding the Globe, Uno, and Hasbro properties. Four additional properties currently in development, including the recently acquired March of Giants, await placement into specific houses.

Ubisoft attributes these difficult decisions to a persistently selective AAA market and increasingly competitive shooter landscape, combined with rising development costs that challenge publishers attempting to create new brands. The company's revised strategy centers on open world adventures and live-service experiences supported by targeted investments, deeper specialization, and cutting-edge technology. Notably, Ubisoft plans accelerated investments in player-facing Generative AI, positioning emerging technology as part of their path forward despite ongoing industry debates about AI's role in game development.

The reset places creative and financial accountability closer to where value gets created while increasing the company's ability to innovate and execute with greater discipline, flexibility, and speed. Whether this restructuring successfully revitalizes Ubisoft's portfolio or simply reflects broader industry contraction remains to be seen, but the scope of changes signals that business as usual is no longer viable for one of gaming's largest publishers.

That wraps up this week's spotlight! Which release caught your attention from this batch?

If traditional gaming doesn't grab you right now, perhaps esports competition does. We cover tournaments for Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 with in-depth analysis.

Check out our tournament predictions or test your own skills with our Pick'ems system, where you can predict match outcomes and compete for expensive items and skins from the Steam marketplace. Ready to make your predictions? Try it out today.