The Metroidvania genre is possibly one of the most popular genres in gaming. Not just with gamers but developers as well as it’s a genre that sees developers and publishers, both indie and big time do their own takes on the genre. For whatever reason, the genre remains quite malleable and seems to remain fresh despite the number of entries that come.
2025 saw more than its share, with top notch entries such as Hollow Knight: Silksong and Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist as well as others that managed to stand on their own such as Constance and Lone Fungus. 2026 looks like we’ll be seeing quite a few more as well, with some highly anticipated games as well as a few that look promising but could fly under the radar. I’m going to take a look at and highlight 8 upcoming games in the genre planned for 2026.
Mio: Memories In Orbit
Perhaps one reason the Metroidvania genre remains fresh is due to how visually distinct many of the games in the genre can be and Mio: Memories in Orbit looks like it could be one of the most visually striking game in the genre since Ori. Being developed by Douze Dixiemes, Mio features a cell shaded 2.5D art style that looks like an interesting blend of both sci fi and fantasy styles as you play as a robot named Mio who is on a quest to prevent the shutdown of a massive spaceship.
On top of the visual art style, Mio’s exploration looks like it’ll stand out just due to how quickly he seems to move around. Mio zips through some tight looking platforming with an almost 3D Sonic-esque flow and it looks like constant movement will be a core part of much of the game as the devs have done showcased on Mio’s movement specifically.
Mio is set to launch very soon, coming out on the 20th of this month for all platforms and also will be playable day 1 with Gamepass.
High On Life 2
The first High on Life surprised people a bit since most expected a typical shooter that mostly got by on its comedy. So when the game actually turned out to be a competent 3D Metroidvania, it was a welcome surprise for sure. The game which saw you wield a set of sentient guns proved popular with gamers despite a more mixed reception from critics.
Squanch has stated they’re looking to expand upon the gameplay and have already shown off more traversal options such as a skateboard. While the first game’s gameplay was fun enough, it did take a bit of a backseat to its humor. If Squanch can make the gameplay on the same par as its humor, High on Life 2 could perhaps become among the biggest surprises of the year when it drops on the 13th in February on all platforms excluding the switch 2 which is set for an April 20th release.
Grime II
Much like Mio, Grime instantly caught eyes due to it’s art style which looked like a horror painting of sorts. Developed by Clover Bite, its a Souls-like Metroidvania that managed to set itself apart by doing away with things such as not having to recollect your resources after death and while hard, the game was also lauded for being very fair.
With Grime II on the way sometime this year, fans of the genre that are looking for a challenge but were perhaps turned off by how brutal and punishing games like Silksong or Nine Sols could get may want to check out Grime II. Looking at early trailers, it looks as if it’ll refine and expand on what made the first one good and looks to be a game that fans of the Souls style Metroidvanias should keep their eye on. A demo is available for the game now and so far only a PC release is confirmed.
Layers Deep
After South Of Midnight, I’m looking forward to any games that explore Southern folklore more. Layers Deep looks to explore Southern folklore in a very interesting way as the game sees you playing as a sentient onion that’s trying to escape a rotting Southern gothic world. The premise and unique protagonist alone are high selling points but from early previews, the game looks like it’ll have strong world building and exploration as well.
Layers Deep doesn’t have a release window just yet but developer Tall Order Games have been updating people fairly regularly so keep your eyes open for it’s release on Steam with other platforms planned as well.
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night had some big shoes to fill as it was essentially a spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. SOTN is one of the games credited with inventing the genre as we know it and Bloodstained certainly delivered when it came. Fast forward close to 7 years later and ArtPlay has a orequel coming with Bloodstained: The Scarlett Engagement.
The game looks even grander in scale than the first game and features co op gameplay between 2 protagonists, Leo and Alex. While it doesn’t look like it’s trying to reinvent the wheel (no game really needs to at this point) it looks like they’re taking what made Ritual of the Night good and expanding upon it. While there’s no official date, The Scarlet Engagement is planned to launch some time this year on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series platforms.
Tails of Fate
Tails of Fate looks to be a Metroidvania with a greater focus on combat and huge boss battles. This is somewhat similar to Iconoclasts, which is among the most underrated Metroidvanias in my opinion. The animal themed Metroidvania sees you switch between 3 different protagonists seamlessly. The 3 characters, Reynard, Varken and Koal all look to have very distinct fighting styles. For example, Reynard the fox moves very quickly and fights with a crossbow while Varken, a pig uses a large sword for powerful attacks that can be charged up.
Tails of Fate also features great looking hand drawn visuals with some very smooth looking animations. Although combat does seem to be it’s biggest selling point along with its visuals, developer Chase The Bunny also is building a large interconnected world to make the most of the exploration the genre is known for and all 3 characters will have customizable and upgradeable weapons and armor. Tails of Fate is eyeing an end of 2026 release on Steam and a demo is available now. A release on all other major platforms is planned later as well.
Before I Go
Before I Go has a visual style that kind of reminds me of Ori set in a more sci-fi and nightmarish setting. This is fitting since the whole premise of the game is supposed to be centered around accepting death. Although not a Soulslike, Before I Go looks to be a very challenging Metroidvania with combat and platforming that looks like it’ll be quite the reaction test for gamers as developer J’s laboratory has promised the game will be punishing
As opposed to most of the games on this list which largely focus on melee combat, before I go looks to take more after games like Metroid Dread and Shadow Complex which could be a nice change of pace as many of the games in this genre seem to prefer the sword fighting route after the success of Hollow Knight. A demo for Before I Go is available now and the game is set for an April 13th launch on all platforms.
Mariachi Legends
Mariachi Legends caught a lot of eyes during it’s recent trailers due to its unique pixel art that draws from Mexican folklore, particularly centered around the day of the dead. While it’s not the first Metroidvania with a Mexican theme as Guacamelee also did that, it looks like it wont be as comedic as that game was.
Mariachi Legends looks to be a combat focused Metroidvania that features fast past combat mixed with platforming and exploration. The game centers detective named Pablo Cruz who makes a deal with death to gain the ability to transform into LA Sombra. He does this in order battle supernatural forces invading Mexico. No official release date is set but developer halberd studios are planning a first half of 2026 release which suggests the game should be out by May. So far only a PC and Switch release are planned.
Crowsworn
Although visually Crowsworn was compared to Hollow Knight during it’s recent trailer, it looks to be a vastly different game in terms of gameplay. Developer Mongoose Rodeo has said it’s gameplay is largely inspired by Devil May Cry which is evident as the combat looks very combo focused in comparison to other Metroidvania titles. Visually the game does take inspiration from Hollow Knight as it’s character designs are at the same time cute and intimidating but also draws inspiration from Bloodborne.
Just showing how combat focused the game will be however, there are supposed to be over 120 unique enemies in Crowsworn as well as over 30 boss fights. No release date for Crowsworn is confirmed yet but seeing it this year wouldn’t be surprising. It’s planned for release on all major platforms and will be a day 1 title for Game Pass.
Altered Alma
Altered Alma is a cyberpunk RPG metroidvania which sees you fight with a teleporting dagger as a mercenary named Jack. While it’s combat looks great and it looks like it’ll be fun to zip around with Jack’s Quantum blade, Altered Alma is also doing something a bit unique for a metroidvania as there are dating sim elements. As Jack builds up a crew, his relationships with them grow stronger and these choices will also affect how Jack plays.
The game also hopes to create a strong story as developer 2awesome has bought on writers Anthony Johnston and Emma Beeby who have written for Dead Space and Doctor Who respectively to helm the story writing. Altered Alma doesn’t have a release date yet but a demo is available and it’s planned for a release on all major platforms.
Alruna: End of History
A standalone sequel to Alruna and Necro Industrialists, Alruna: End of History looks to continue the Gameboy Color-esque art style of the previous game. The game will be more of a puzzle platformer style Metroidvania, although combat and exploration will still be a big part of the game as well. The Necro Industrialists was a well received game and so far End of History looks promising as well. The themes of the game look to be quite heavy as they focus on suffering and salvation. This on top of featuring a world that has pretty much been wiped out by industrialization.
The game boasts a very compact map with over 200 interconnected rooms overall, implying there will be quite a lot to find in the game. Alruna: End of History is planned for a March 30th 2026 release date from solo developer Niklas Hallin for PC and Nintendo Switch.
So there are 10 upcoming Metroidvania titles that show alot of promise for different reasons. Of course there are even more coming, perhaps even this year as the genre is one that seems to never end. For whatever reason however, gamers (myself included) don’t grow bored of the genre so I say for now, keep ’em coming. What Metroidvanias are you excited for? Let us know in the comments below.
