Australian and New Zealand-based game developers make incredible video games. Year after year, this is confirmed again and again. In 2025, Team Cherry held the torch with Hollow Knight: Silksong. Powerhoof delivered with The Drifter (ScreenHub‘s overall Game of the Year). We also got the excellent, creative, and entirely wonderful Letters to Arralla, Misc. A Tiny Tale, Cast n Chill, Mars First Logistics, Carmen Sandiego, and more.
So far, 2026 is shaping up to be an even bigger year, with a starry array of new video games planned for launch this year. Teams across Australia and New Zealand are currently working hard on a variety of new experiences, and we’re so excited to see what they bring in the months ahead.
As curated by the ScreenHub team, with input from local gaming fans and developers, here are all the Australian and New Zealand-made games we’re so excited to see and play in 2026. Many of the video games on this list do not currently have firm release dates, so stay tuned to hear more news about each release as it arrives.
2026 Australian and NZ video games – quick links
GHOST CAM
GHOST CAM (Arch Rebels) is a spooky first-person horror adventure where you wield a camera to discover ghosts you can’t see. This experience won’t be for the faint-hearted, but horror game fiends should certainly pay attention. This title launches on 19 January.
‘Your camera sees what your eyes cannot. Explore eerie liminal spaces, capture spirits before they capture you, and unravel a haunting mystery. But beware – the deeper you go, the more the world distorts, and some ghosts will do anything to remain unseen.’
Adaptory
Adaptory (Stormcloak Games) is a cutesy base building and exploration game that tasks you with keeping a crew of humans alive and thriving on a desolate planet. This title is set to launch in early access on 26 January.
‘Deep in uncharted space, your expedition took a challenging turn when your ship crash-landed. Master complex simulations to keep your outspoken explorers alive, face unpredictable challenges, and figure out a way back home.’
Bento Blocks
Bento Blocks (Sometimes Game Studio) is a lovely, brain-tickling game where you sort various foods into bento lunch boxes, making cuts to ensure the perfect tessellation. This title is set to release in early access on 29 January.
‘Craft delicious lunch boxes in this cosy-yet-challenging ingredient-cutting puzzle game.’
Key Fairy
Key Fairy (Owl Machine) is a minimalist dungeon adventure where you play as a tiny, pacifist fairy who must wield their abilities to charm and placate a variety of strange, horrific beasts. This title launches on 19 February 2026.
‘A hand-drawn, pacifist, folkloric, bullet-hell. Grapple and dance around monsters to collect their shattered stars, weave your way through twisting paths, encounter strange folk, uncover ancient magic, and evade forgotten gods in this frenetic 2D action-adventure.’
Drăculești
Drăculești (Fine Feathered Fiends) is a wonderful gift for lovers of gothic, romantic media: it’s a dating adventure game where you can romance Dracula, as well as the other denizens of Castle Dracula. For those keen to get smooching, Drăculești launches in early access on 2 March.
‘A job gone wrong traps lawyer RM Renfield at Castle Dracula. Sacrifice – others, or your own humanity – to survive, or risk it all for love in this romantic horror visual novel. But Renfield isn’t the only one looking for a way out. Who, if anyone, can you trust?’
Big Walk
Big Walk (House House) brims with good vibes. This upcoming chat-and-puzzle multiplayer game is all about gathering friends and heading off on a big walk, where you’ll discover all sorts of head-scratching challenges. Big Walk is one of ScreenHub‘s most anticipated video games of the year.
‘Set out with your friends through a wide-open world full of challenges, puzzles, and discoveries. You’ll need to work together to find your way around, stay in contact using an assortment of tools and toys, and figure out new ways to communicate when you suddenly find yourself speechless.’
Go-Go Town!
Go-Go Town! (Prideful Sloth) is set to launch out of early access in 2026, with an array of new features planned before then. When it finally arrives in ‘complete’ form, players can expect a lovely, bright-eyed town-building and life simulator with plenty to see and do.
‘Thank god you’re here Mayor – you’ve got LOTS of work to do! In this city building sim, you’re responsible for the layout, logistics optimisation, population growth – all whilst navigating the everyday chaos of infrastructure, worker management and dynamic challenges to make your dream town.’
Don’t Stop, Girlypop!
Don’t Stop, Girlypop! (Funny Fintan Softworks) is a hyper-coloured first person shooter that’s all about saving the world through love and kindness. With a breakneck speed and boggling visuals, you’ll need to strap in to blast through this ride.
‘Spread the love! Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is a Y2K arena movement shooter where standing still is not an option. The faster you go, the more damage you deal and the more you heal! DSG combines the riotous fun of boomer shooter mechanics with advanced contemporary movement abilities.’
The Florist
The Florist (Unclear Games) is a dark, compelling horror adventure where you guide a young woman through a deadly and dangerous garden.
‘Survival horror is a legendary, incomparable video games genre that has brought joy to players all over the world for decades. The Florist has been crafted as a celebration of this legacy, showcasing fresh designs with tense gameplay, mind-bending puzzles and stunning artwork.’
Headlice
Headlice (Bunguin Games) is a compelling new horror adventure that puts a neat spin on the typical formula. While usually, you’d be playing horror games as a survivor, here, you play as a deadly alien creature attempting to free itself from captivity.
‘Headlice is a reverse horror game where you play as an escaped biological abomination fleeing an inept corporation. Embrace your parasitic nature and become the monster you were meant to be.’
My Arms Are Longer Now
My Arms Are Longer Now (Toot Games) is certainly one to watch in 2026. This upcoming puzzle adventure lets you play as a disembodied arm as you attempt to complete an array of physics-based challenges.
‘You are a yucky long-armed thief. Snake through levels, retract like a vacuum cord, or put on a sock to seduce a lonely guard – whatever it takes to pull off the perfect heist!’
TOYA
TOYA (The RnD Department) is an upcoming cube-rolling puzzle game where you must guide a colourful cube through all sorts of complex, geometric environments.
‘TOYA is a minimalist cube-rolling game that is always bigger than you think… Control a squishy purple Toya on their journey through an abstract, blocky world filled with puzzles and wonder. As you progress, the Toya will Cube Up into a larger Toya, unlocking new abilities and areas to explore.’
The Dungeon Experience
The Dungeon Experience (Bone Assembly) is set to launch in 2026, after several years in development. If you’re looking for an esoteric dungeon adventure filled with strange and kooky characters, you’ll find that here, and then plenty more.
‘The Dungeon Experience is a comedy first-person adventure about a low-level mudcrab chasing his dream of helping YOU experience the true bliss of Financial Freedom.’
Frogreign
Frogreign (Arkanpixel) is a Metroidvania platformer adventure starring a brave frog on the journey of a lifetime. With lush environments and neat-looking traversal challenges, this game should turn heads.
‘Leap into an amphibious adventure where your tongue is your grappling hook! Use your tongue to swing, slap and grapple your way through this vibrant Metroidvania. Will you help prince Rill to unlock the power of the great spirits and find his sister, lost in the midst of a royal conspiracy?’
Factory 95
Factory 95 (Macrobit Interactive) is game inspired by the early days of computing that invites you to manage a slide show factory, within a slide show. It’s all very esoteric, and feels novel in the world of video games.
‘Factory 95 is a retro Windows inspired puzzle-automation game about making a slide show factory… in a slide show! Manage your space, make increasingly complex slides and worry about Y2K in this minimalistic factory builder.’
Janet DeMornay Is a Slumlord (and a witch)
Janet DeMornay Is A Slumlord (and a witch) (Fuzzy Ghost) is another of ScreenHub‘s most anticipated video games of 2026. This is an all-Aussie adventure about the real-life horrors of renting, seen through the eyes of a group of queer friends.
‘RENT MONEY IS DEAD MONEY and your landlord is expecting payment IN FULL. Puzzle your way out of a maze of DEPRAVED magical appliances and the UNHINGED diaries of a DEBAUCHED faded television celebrity.’
Doggy Don’t Care
Doggy Don’t Care (Rotub Games) is a funny little adventure game where you play as a tiny dog with a penchant for destruction. Across multiple stages, you’ll spin, bark, and slam through environments, using your abilities to create mayhem.
‘Unleash adorable chaos, solve puzzles and leave your mark (literally!) as a mischievous dog left at home alone.’
Slumbering Woods
Slumbering Woods (Chunky Quail) is an adventure game starring a tiny, caped hero on a quest to gather recipes, and it looks absolutely delightful. For those who enjoy a whimsical story, pay attention to this upcoming release.
‘Slumbering Woods is a cosy, hand-drawn exploration and mushroom-planting adventure set in a world recovering from a long-past climate catastrophe. You play as a travelling herbalist working to restore an isolated village overtaken by rising swamp waters while reconnecting its scattered community.’
Chained Beasts
Chained Beasts (Featherweight Games) is a stylish rougelike that lets you embody powerful beasts as they fight for glory in a gladiator arena.
‘Chained Beasts is a co-op gladiator roguelike. Fight chaotic battles chained to your friends. Use your chains or the arena to beat up foes in creative ways and win over the bloodthirsty crowd. Endure physical and mental injuries to defeat fearsome bosses and survive the day.’
Night Shift: 1999
Night Shift: 1999 (Georgina Owassapian) is a wildly stylish adventure game where you must balance your life as a vampire with your responsibilities at work. What’s most novel about this particular game is that it’s set around Kings Cross in Sydney, Australia.
‘Balance work, vampirism and socialising as you explore Kings Cross, Sydney during the last year of the millennium. Keep a lid on your darkest desires and be rewarded with a deeper understanding of what it means to live again. Or don’t – no one will stop you. You’re a vampire, after all.’
The Grant Grover Anthology
The Grant Grover Anthology (Bit Storm Games) is an upcoming noir mystery adventure set in a future where technology augments have reshaped society. With a neat sense of style and its futuristic-noir themes, this one looks very intriguing.
‘In Neo Naarm in the 22nd century, augmentation technology has run amok. Combining deduction, visual novel and point-and-click gameplay, play as Grant Grover, private detective, one of the only remaining citizens without augmentations, as he solves crimes across the city.’
Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar
Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar (Abandoned Sheep) is an adorable-looking puzzle game where you play as a wily cat that can split itself in two, to overcome an array of environmental challenges.
‘Become entangled in a quantum puzzle adventure! Mittens gains the incredible power to be in two places at once. Explore twisted test chambers, make mischief and evade capture by a whisker!’
Death at Sycamore Hall
Death at Sycamore Hall (Hesperus Games) is an upcoming detective adventure with shades of classic edutainment titles. As you explore the game, you’ll discover the mysteries of Sycamore Hall, working through clues to piece together a magic-infused story.
‘An arcane detective game set in an ill-fated magical academy. Find traces of magic and deduce the meaning of incantations. Examine scenes for clues to help you piece together the story, and determine the identity and fate of each former resident.’
Shape Sender Deluxe
Shape Sender Deluxe (Dead Teapot) is a minimalist puzzle game with very cool twists. You’ll spend your time working through various physics-based challenges, using various technologies to get objects from one place to another.
‘Solve physics puzzles with magnets, springs, portals, fans, and more while your new best friend Sendy helps you along the way! But maybe keep an eye on him, he’s been acting a little… strange, lately.’
BraveCart
BraveCart (Hojo Studio) is a tongue-in-cheek puzzle adventure game where you must return trolleys to their intended locations, while battling a supermarket duopoly.
‘A narrative turn-based puzzle adventure about an abandoned shopping cart who defies two empires and sparks a revolution!’
Burger Bois
Burger Bois (Mischief Makers Studio) is an upcoming food truck sim with very good vibes. In your role as a burger chef, you’re tasked with creating the most delicious burgers possible, inspired by customer requests.
‘A food truck simulator about flavour, not labour. As chief burger creative, design perfect sandwiches and craft your customers’ most vague requests into culinary masterpieces – or disasterpieces! No recipe, no one-right-answer: just let your tastebuds take you to the top.’
Loftia
Loftia (Qloud Games) is an ambitious MMO where you’ll link up with friends to build a happy home amongst a world of clouds.
‘Welcome to Loftia, a cosy, multiplayer world where you can build towards a brighter, more sustainable future! Connect with friends both old and new, to farm, craft, explore, decorate, and create a meaningful impact – together.’
Momento
Momento (Fat Alien Cat, Nomo Studio) is a wonderfully cosy organisation game where you’ll pick and place objects in lovingly illustrated dioramas. After a showing at PAX 2025, we’re very keen to see more of this upcoming game.
‘Momento is a cosy room decorator with a twist: the choices you make play out over the course of a lifetime! Decorate your room, choose which items are important to you, and discover how the objects you choose will alter the course of the story, in a winding ode to the power of everyday things.’
Innkeep
Innkeep (Boot Disk Games) is an inn-running adventure where you must balance the needs of your patrons with your capabilities, while also dealing with all sorts of strange guests, including wily demons.
‘Innkeep is an immersive job sim and retro adventure with a mischievous twist. Run a lonely house in a lawless land. Serve ale. Cook ‘creatively’. Rob your guests. Uncover an arcane secret that may shake the world to its foundations…’
Nonolith
Nonolith (Justcamh) is a minimalist puzzle adventure centred on a unique premise: you must copy and paste your world to push through.
‘The NONOLITH consumes you. Copy and paste the world around you to discover the secrets of this ancient, enigmatic structure. You are very powerful, you just don’t know it yet.’
Duckscape
Duckscape (Reece Williams) is a surreal wordplay game where you guide rubber ducks through all sorts of strange and head-scratching conundrums. If you’re into bizarre gaming experiences, you should make time for this puzzler.
‘Walk along your keyboard to spell out a swirly story. In Duckscape you will need to contort your fingers to move around your keyboard in this oddly controlled game. Unlock levels, game modes and modifiers, and an endless mode. Spell out a quaint tale of friendship in the modern age.’
Your Holy & Virtuous Heretic
Your Holy & Virtuous Heretic (i will bite raw coffee beans) is an occult-infused video games adventure that takes place in a dark and mysterious world filled with strange beings. We’re keeping a close eye on this one as it develops.
‘Your Holy & Virtuous Heretic is an occult-themed RPG set in the 19th century. When ritualist Aleister becomes embroiled in a quest to summon the daemon Ashmodai, who will stand by his side?’
Huedini
Huedini (JuiceGoose) is a pixel adventure with stunning environments, buoyed by a lush, colourful art style.
‘Huedini is a colour-matching action roguelike game. Play as Huedini, a powerful wizard with the ability to change his colour. By matching your colour to that of the enemies, you can absorb their colour essence. By combining these colour essences into the correct combination, you can cast spells.’
