January 2026 Gaming Kickoff: 5 Blockbuster Releases to Ignite the New Year
January often feels like gaming’s awkward exhale—a post-holiday slump where backlogs glare accusingly and resolutions whisper “just one more indie.” But 2026 flips the script with a powerhouse quintet that’s lean, mean, and loaded with legacy love. From JRPG sagas closing epic arcs to musou massacres on fresh hardware, ports democratizing console crowns, anime ARPGs summoning sin-fueled spectacle, and a long-awaited Soulslike sequel sucking you back into vampiric voids, this month’s slate punches above its weight. Dropping between January 15 and 30 across PS5, PC, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S, and mobile, these five aren’t filler—they’re fireworks, blending remasters that honor roots with originals that push boundaries. With the Switch 2’s hybrid hum and cross-gen accessibility, January 2026 invites everyone to the party: Story weavers, button-mashers, and lore lords alike. Total playtime? Easily 200+ hours if you dive deep. Let’s timestamp ’em and tease why they’ll steal your soul—your calendar’s about to get color-coded.
January 2026 Game Releases
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon – January 15 (PS4, PS5, PC, Switch, Switch 2)
Nihon Falcom’s Trails series has been a slow-burn symphony since 2004, weaving Zemuria’s threads into a tapestry of intrigue that’s rivaled only by George R.R. Martin’s doorstoppers. Trails Beyond the Horizon—the Calvard arc’s thunderous finale—lands January 15 via NIS America, capping a saga that’s spanned over 500 hours across 13 mainlines. Platforms galore (PS4/5 backward compat, PC Steam, Switch/Switch 2 hybrid bliss) mean no one’s left in the dust, with £59.99 standard editions packing dual audio (JP/EN voices) and a £79.99 collector’s with artbook, soundtrack, and Van Arkride figurine.
Story-wise, it’s convergence chaos: Protagonist Van returns amid a multiversal rift swallowing timelines, pulling Sky, Crossbell, and Erebonia vets into a Zemurian reckoning. Expect 60-80 hours of dialogue-dense drama—Kevin’s priestly shadows, Rean’s blade legacy—culminating in a finale that’s been teased since Daybreak‘s detective dashes. Gameplay evolves the hybrid system: Real-time slashes flip to turn-based tactics mid-brawl, orbment crafts chain artes like combo spells, and bond events deepen your crew’s 20+ recruits. Switch 2’s 4K docked/1080p portable shines with quick-saves for train commutes, while PC mods loom for lore expansions. Why play? If Cold Steel‘s empire epics hooked you, this horizon’s your heartfelt horizon—Falcom’s magnum opus, bittersweet and boundless.
The Legend of Heroes
Dynasty Warriors: Origins – January 17 (Switch 2)
Omega Force’s musou machine turns 25 withDynasty Warriors: Origins, storming Switch 2 on January 17—timed perfectly with the console’s holiday glow-up from its 2025 launch. Building on the PS5/PC/Xbox Series X/S drop earlier that year, this port packs Joy-Con motion flourishes for weapon spins and DLSS upscaling for horde-hacking at 60fps docked/handheld. £49.99 gets the base blitz, with a £14.99 DLC bundle syncing cross-play officers like a mythical Guan Yu variant.
At its core, Origins reboots the Three Kingdoms with an original “nameless warrior” lens—from Yellow Turban flames to Chibi’s inferno—spanning 40+ hours of 1v1,000 ecstasy. Seamless squad swaps let you puppet Lu Bu’s sky-scraping axe or Zhuge Liang’s stratagems, while weather-warped fields (monsoons mire mounts, blizzards blind archers) add tactical teeth. Co-op raids scale to 10,000 foes, and Empires-style base-building bleeds into open maps for emergent empire sims. Switch 2’s hybrid shines for portable pillages—imagine mashing through Red Cliffs on a commute. Why play? If Total War: Three Kingdoms left you craving cathartic combos, Origins is the button-mash milestone—chaotic, colossal, and ceaselessly satisfying.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade – January 22 (Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2)
Square Enix’s Midgar miracle finally breaks free from Sony’s silk on January 22, asFinal Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade—the 2020 opus plus Yuffie’s Episode INTERmission DLC—ports to Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2. After five years of PS exclusivity, this £69.99 bundle arrives with Streamline Mode (toggle real-time/turn-based), photo mode galore, and ray-traced slums that pop in 4K/60fps on Xbox/Switch 2 docked. Pre-orders snag Magic: The Gathering crossover cards and the OG FF7 until month’s end—digital/physical hybrids for collectors.
Relive Cloud’s merc-to-messiah arc in 40-50 hours of narrative nectar: Avalanche heists escalate to summon spectacles, materia weaves elemental mayhem, and Aerith’s whispers tug eternal heartstrings. Intermission’s ninja hijinks add 5-7 hours of wind-cloaked whimsy, with cross-save syncing Rebirth flows for trilogy chasers (Part 3 eyes 2027). Switch 2’s portable prowess lets you slum it on the subway, while Xbox’s Quick Resume zips between sectors. Why play? It’s the gateway gloss on a 1997 legend—visceral, voiced, and visually volcanic. Eurogamer’s ports praise “flawless fidelity,” making Midgar’s mako menace multiplat magic at last.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin – January 28 (PC, PS5, Mobile)
Netmarble F&C’s free-to-play ARPG The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin crashes Britannia on January 28 for PC, PS5, and mobile—cross-platform progression ensuring your phone farm fuels PS5 raids without a hitch. Tying to the Netflix anime’s lore, this gacha-glory open-world lets you transcend timelines as Tristan (Meliodas’ heir), assembling sins like Escanor for holy war havoc. Expect 50+ hours of story quests, with pre-reg perks like exclusive skins and a 10-pull pity system keeping monetization merciful (£0 upfront, £9.99 battle pass).
Gameplay’s Genshin-grand: Seamless continents brim with fishing mini-games, cooking buffs, and resource rifts, while real-time combos chain full-motion sin bursts—Escanor’s sun flares or Diane’s earth quakes in co-op against Archangels. PS5’s DualSense rumbles with relic resonances, mobile’s touch-optimized for swipe-summons. Crunchyroll tie-ins drop seasonal events, blending anime fidelity with ARPG ambition. Why play? It’s sinfully accessible—free entry to a knightly saga that’s equal parts spectacle and strategy. If Punishing: Gray Raven‘s mobile musou moved you, Origin’s your origin of excess.
The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin
Code Vein 2 – January 30 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
Bandai Namco’s long-teased thirst quencher, Code Vein 2, drains shelves January 30 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S—five years after the original’s 2019 vein-vamp debut. Shift’s Soulslike sequel plunges Revenants into a “Resurgence” rift, where Luna’s horrors mutate bloodlines into madness; you, the hunter, drain ichor to unlock Codes—customize as a scythe-reaving reaper or wolf-whisperer. £59.99 standard, £79.99 Deluxe with CE costumes and artbook, promising 40-60 hours of co-op carnage with enhanced rays and balanced “partner” AI.
Story dives darker: Fractured futures clash with veiled pasts in dual-era delves, bonds forging narrative arcs with 15+ companions (no more cheese deaths). Jails evolve into transformative finishers—Reaper sweeps or blood blooms—while exploration bleeds Bloodborne labyrinths with vein-veiled vistas. Combat’s refined: Ichor swaps mid-fight, gift trees branch deeper, and co-op scales to three for rift raids. Why play? If Vein‘s gothic grind gripped your jugular, this II’s eternal—deeper dread, deadlier dances, and a resurgence that’ll resurrect the series. Gematsu’s trailer teases “darker, deadlier,” and after betas, it’s no bluff.
Code Vein 2
Wrapping January 2026: A Compact Calendar of Consolation Prizes
January 2026’s five-fold fury feels like a deliberate detox after 2025’s feast—Trails‘ Trailsblazing finale for lore lovers, Dynasty‘s horde-hewing on Switch 2 for handheld havoc, FF7 Remake‘s multiplat mercy for Midgar missionaries, Sins: Origin‘s sin-slinging accessibility for anime acolytes, and Code Vein 2‘s blood-soaked sequel for Souls seekers. No 50-game flood; just five that demand your devotion, totaling 250+ hours of hybrid highs—from Falcom’s 80-hour odyssey to Netmarble’s endless gacha grind. Switch 2 owners feast on three ports, PS5/Xbox/PC split the rest, and mobile tags along for Sins‘ sins. It’s a month for meaningful marathons, bridging remasters with revolutions—perfect for easing into the year’s roar.
With budgets from free (Origin) to £80 (collector’s), there’s entry for every enthusiast. Pre-order perks abound: NIS bundles for Trails, Square’s MTG cards for FF7, Bandai’s CE swag for Vein. As we thaw from holiday haze, these gems glow—reminding us gaming’s greatest gift is the grind we choose. What’s your January juggernaut—Zemuria’s zenith or Vein’s veins? Sound off; let’s squad up for the saga.
