The 5 Biggest Upcoming Action-Adventure Games

Ah, the fabled action-adventure game, a concept so wide-reaching that it crosses over into genres like RPGs, shooters, and survival. What constitutes a representative? Usually, there has to be an element of exploration, ideally featuring multiple exotic locales or a foreign world born out of the developer’s imagination. Typically, you play as a fixed protagonist, as character customization leans into full-blown role-playing territory. Naturally, action has to be part of the equation, which often means combat, but not always. Sometimes, the game follows a linear campaign; other times, you are dropped into a massive open-world and told to go wild. Uncharted, Sekiro, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are all action-adventure games, despite being wildly different in nearly every area.

Overflowing with variety and scope, when done right, there is nothing better than this genre. With releases like Ghost of Yotei and Split Fiction, 2025 has produced quite a few absolute gems, and the year is not over yet. Furthermore, 2026’s early months are starting to get quite full, and the calendar already has a few big upcoming action-adventure games. Let’s highlight the ones that will likely be the talk of the internet.

To qualify, a game must have set a release date between December 2025 and March 2026. That said, an exception tentatively targeting an early 2026 debut will be included.
We are generally going to avoid games that are predominantly associated with other genres, such as RPGs, Soulslikes, or horror.
As the line between RPG and action-adventure can be blurry, we are not going to include any games featured in this Upcoming Action RPGs article. If nothing else, we can use this opportunity to spotlight new titles.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

2025’s Biggest Action-Adventure Game

Before the year’s end, Nintendo will release arguably the most anticipated action-adventure game of 2025, at least for people who own a Switch. Samus Aran is back with the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, a sequel to the fantastic GameCube and Wii trilogy that elevated the franchise to new heights (which is saying something). Back then, Retro Studios proved that the Metroid formula could not only be adapted into 3D and first-person, but it could also thrive in both of them. The fourth entry has been through the development wringer since it was announced nearly a decade ago, but the project seems to have come together, hopefully setting the stage for an evolution that will once again push the franchise forward.

Upcoming Games All About Exploration

Prepare for an exciting journey filled with discovery in these upcoming games.

Going by the available information, Beyond will take place on Viewros, a new planet known for its diverse biomes. Metroid Prime has always excelled in open level design, and the upcoming sequel should be doubling down and expanding this element. As far as we know, the game is not fully open-world, but you can expect to find fairly large areas that reward exploration, and Samus even has a motorcycle (named Vi-O-La) to make traversal quicker. First-person action will also take center stage, although combat will only be one part of the Metroid Prime 4 package.

Unbeatable

An Action-Adventure Game All About Finding Your Rhythm

Now, here is a game chock-full of personality and style. Unbeatable is, technically, a rhythm-adventure title, but the former should be flashy, responsive, and promote wanton destruction, a combination that should ensure a good time. D-Cell has packed together a decently lengthy single-player campaign, along with an arcade mode designed to offer potentially endless replayability. Also, the soundtrack should be great and will feature plenty of new songs (and multiple versions of them).

For the story mode, you are cast as Beat, a girl dripping in cool and who has a knack for attracting trouble and playing the guitar. She is wanted by the cops, although that might not be the end of her worries or even the biggest. Unbeatable should be a gorgeous and creative sidescroller all about music, friendship, hanging out, and over-the-top action.

Crimson Desert

So Far, The Biggest Action-Adventure Game Coming In Early 2026

Pearl Abyss, the developer behind Black Desert Online, has set its sights on conquering the single-player scene for its next epic, and Crimson Desert has been specifically advertised as an action-adventure game rather than an RPG. After the Black Bears mounted a deadly onslaught on the Greymanes, Pywel fell into a state of turmoil as these two factions seemed destined to erupt into all-out war. You are cast as Kliff, a member of the Greymanes who wants to save his faction and taste revenge.

Great Games Where Your Decisions Truly Matter

The following games stand out for forcing players to make tough decisions that can drastically change the story.

Crimson Desert is an open-world game, and a rather visually impressive one at that. Pearl Abyss has experience in creating beautiful environments and landscapes while not shortchanging the gameplay, and the upcoming title’s single-player focus should highlight BDO‘s strengths and limit (or straight-up eliminate) its weaknesses. Crimson Desert‘s combat looks fantastic and, more importantly, complex, which it will need to be to remain interesting throughout what will likely be a fairly lengthy campaign. You will also be able to engage in traditional open-world content that takes the focus away from the battlefield.

007 First Light

James Bond’s First (Action) Adventure

It has been roughly 13 years since the last James Bond game, and even longer since the last good James Bond game. 007 First Light will bring this exhausting wait to an end, and it seems set to be far more ambitious than most of the IP’s licensed fares. IO Interactive, of Hitman fame, is handling the project, and the team is arguably the perfect match to adapt the origin story of the most famous secret agent in fiction. The story sees Bond take on his first mission, which he needs to complete to earn his 00 number. This is a fun and novel idea that has not really been explored in the movies.

While IO Interactive has not fully revealed its hand yet, 007 First Light will implement ideas from Hitman, with Bond having to quietly infiltrate open stages to avoid detection. That said, sometimes the best option is to go guns blazing, and Bond is more than capable of aiming a gun. The campaign seems to be a globe-trotting adventure as well.

Cairn

Survive The Mountain

Here it is, the exception. Honestly, I went back and forth on whether to include Cairn, as it is not a traditional action-adventure game that features combat. However, the genre is listed on Steam, so here we are. From the team behind Furi comes a mountainous survival game, where you must plan an expedition and face off against one of the biggest challenges any human can face.

Cairn will attempt to accurately simulate the thrill and horror of taking on such a momentous task, even taking things like stress and exhaustion into account. On paper, this game seems to be mostly adventure and not action, but the latter should still be covered by the fact that you will be constantly in a life-or-death situation. A poor decision could be catastrophic, and you will need to make them constantly.