With another year comes another Penny Arcade Expo East. Or, more colloquially, PAX East. And with any PAX East, you know that Gamer Social Club was deep into – speaking with passionate developers, trying our hands at new titles, and seeing the passion of the gaming industry
Myself and Candy (GSC’s co-host of Girl Pod, and fellow Editor) represented GSC on the Media front at last week’s PAX East. She’s been providing her coverage over on the site, so be sure to check it all out – including some amazing interviews with some of the developers she met.
Last year, I provided a high-end “My Top Five” from PAX East. But this year, I want to ensure that all of the amazing teams I spoke with get their respective “flowers”, for lack of a better term! So we’ll be covering the day to day on my end from PAX East 2026, with some special additional pieces that I can’t wait to talk about!
That being said, let’s dive into some of the amazing games I saw on Day One of PAX East 2026!
GNAW
- Developer & Publisher: Redstart Interactive
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
Games like the Metroid series and Hollow Knight have brought the genre of Metroidvania to many gamers across the globe. They have also served as inspiration for other talented developers to provide their own spin to the genre. Enter GNAW, a Metroidvania where you’ll be assuming the role of Mack Ripley, a normal guy (read: dinosaur) in New Dino City. The natural order of the world, though, has been thrown into chaos and it’s up to Mack to right everything and save New Dino City!
While I am not a “pro” by any means when it comes to Metroidvania’s, I had an absolute blast playing GNAW. The art style really popped and provides a much more vibrant take on the normal doom-and-gloom in a lot of Metroidvania games. In speaking with the developer, John, he noted that one of his inspirations when it came to the artistic style was the Hellboy comics (which as a comic enthusiast, totally makes sense looking at the game).
GNAW is noted as “Coming Soon” on Steam, with a tentative launch coming to all platforms.
Cosminers
- Developer & Publisher: Gravity Rifters
- Release Date: 2026
- Platform: PC (Steam)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a game like The Forest and Helldivers 2 had a baby? Well, I can imagine that Cosminers is what might be the progeny of that union! I had a chance to take a ride on this demo at PAX, and genuinely enjoyed what I tried out.
Cosminers promotes itself as a co-op FPP sci-fi building and mining game, with elements of survival and a unique day/night cycle. So maybe not The Forest and something like Deeprock Galactic. In speaking with one of the developers (and I am completely spacing on his name – sorry!), it draws a lot of inspiration from the recent film adaptation of Mickey 17. During the day, you’ll be mining and upgrading your base to ensure that your payload can return to the corporate overlords that oversee the work. At night, you’ll be fending off waves of alien bugs who do not take kindly to you being on their home planet.
What is truly unique about Cosminers is the inclusion of survival elements. Things like oxygen, food and water intake, as well as base health, must be factored into your progression. And for the crafting fiends out there, this game looks to be bringing a lot to the table on that front!
Cosminers is currently slated for a 2026 release to PC.
Memoria Wake
- Developer & Publisher: Team Crescendo
- Release Date: 2026
- Platform: PC (Steam)
As someone who has been recently punishing themselves through the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC of Elden Ring, it would be safe to say I’m on a Souls-like kick recently. Imagine my pleasure when I was able to demo Team Crescendo’s upcoming launch title, Memoria Wake.
In Memoria Wake, you’ll be taking on the role of Nilo, a cat-like creature who awakens to a dream-like land…where everything seems to be hostile. Nilo, armed only with a very fancy and effective umbrella, must make their way through the nightmare that is the current world.
One facet of Memoria Wake that I actually was not aware of when I tried out the demo was this little caveat. Special Attacks, abilities…and healing all draw from the same energy pool! Talk about…choice paralysis! Do you play aggressive to get through the fight? Or do you go on your heels and play a little more conservatively to get through a predicament?
Memoria Wake is slated for a 2026 release and it will definitely be a title that I will be checking out when it comes to fruition!
Cell to Singularity – Evolution Never Ends
- Developer & Publisher: Computer Lunch
- Release Date: Out Now!
- Platform: PC
I honestly had no clue what to expect when I went to check out Cell to Singularity. I don’t…know a whole lot when it comes to idle/clicker games. They’re self-explanatory, but I’ve just never tried one out. While I didn’t really get to play the game, per say, I did get to spend a significant amount of time discussing all it had to offer with one of the Computer Lunch team members.
Cell to Singularity is an idle-clicker game with a focus around the entirety of existence. Your clicking will start you at the beginning of time, 4.5 billion years ago, and will bring you through, well, everything! Evolution, human history, the concept of art, and even through the cosmos itself. I would go so far to say that Cell to Singularity is more in line with edutainment that being a free-standing game itself.
I found myself just wanting to look at…everything. Especially when the component of space was introduced – all of which is laid out in the actual “design” in which it exists in reality. You can also locate the Voyager probe, which is just neat.
Cell to Singularity is currently out now and free-to-play!
DREADMOOR
- Developer: Dream Dock
- Publisher: Digital Vortex Entertainment
- Release Date: Q4 2026
- Platform: PC (Steam)
As we all know, many games included elements of fishing. From Hades to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to Monster Hunter Rise, no game is a stranger to having the player do some angling! But hear me out – what if that mechanic was a core component of the game. That’s what you will be getting in the upcoming title DREADMOOR.
In DREADMOOR, the player will be making their way through a wet and rotting world, just off of the tail end of an unknown disaster. You awake to find yourself on a small speck of land with only a derelict fishing trawler as your means of movement. Throughout the game, you’ll catch fish to trade, craft various tools to aid in your fishing, as well as upgrade your boat. And no – you will not be catching your standard trout and bass. If only it were so simple.
I have spent a lot of time fishing in Sea of Thieves, so I felt right at home with DREAMOOR’s fishing mechanics. The atmosphere of the world is also something to behold – it truly feels like something that would exist if the world was completely flooded and some of the water eventually ebbed back.
DREADMOOR is looking for a late 2026 release date and myself (and at least one of the other folks over at GSC) are anticipating this one!
That wraps up our first day at PAX East! Did anything catch your fancy? Was there something that you saw at PAX East that you’re looking forward to? Leave a comment below! And if you’re looking to talk with other like-minded gamers, join us over at the Gamer Social Club Discord!
