Top 10 Video Games Releasing in April 2026

There’s no fooling in this statement: April is almost here, and while kids will be searching for eggs, I’ve already found the best console releases for the upcoming month. After a pair of highly anticipated titles were delayed from March, April is top-heavy. No fewer than four of the games from my 26 most anticipated titles list set to arrive.

Before we get into the top games for April, there are some ports and DLC that should be mentioned. Xbox owners will be getting their hands on Hades II, while those with a PS5 get Bethesda’s RPG, Starfield, along with the all-new Terran Armada DLC. Diablo IV also will receive the expansion Lord of Hatred.

Now then, here are my top 10 video games that are coming out in April:

10) Kiln

Double Fine’s pottery brawler ekes out the last spot ahead of MotoGP and Tides of Tomorrow thanks to the developer’s history of fun, quirky games. This certainly has all the makings of another such title as you bring your pottery creations to life and battle it out in multiplayer.

9) Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss

Expect all kinds of spooky weirdness when you’re tasked with exploring an abandoned underwater mining facility to determine what befell its inhabitants. It certainly looks suitably bizarre. We’ll see how the investigative gameplay delivers.

8) The Occultist

Back-to-back spookiness. Is April the new October? In this one, you’ll travel to a cursed island to investigate the disappearance of your father. I’m always up for good survival horror. Here’s hoping the debut effort from DALOAR Studios fits the bill. Random aside: I keep reading the game’s title as “The Oculist” in my head, which is less scary.

7) He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction

I’ve never been much of a He-Man fan, but I stumbled across the Dolph Lundgren movie on Amazon a couple of months ago, and it is spectacularly bad (I cannot recommend it enough), which somehow made me more interested in the upcoming video game adaptation. It’s also developed by Bitmap Bureau, which made Terminator 2D: NO FATE. By the power of Grayskull...

6) inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories. / Tiny Bookshop

I’m doubling up on the cozy stuff here. Tiny Bookshop has been on PC for a while, and it currently holds an “overwhelmingly positive” rating from over 4,000 reviews. inKONBINI, meanwhile, is seeing its initial release, tasking you with running a convenience store in small-town Japan in the 1990s.

5) Darwin’s Paradox!

Every time I see this game, it reminds me of Penguins of Madagascar, and that’s a good thing. Beyond the endearing visuals, the platforming looks like it has plenty of potential. Bonus points if they work Cheezy Dibbles into the game somehow.

4) Mouse: P.I. For Hire

Originally slated for a March release, Mouse: P.I. For Hire immediately stands out thanks to its hand-drawn, Steamboat Willie-inspired graphics. That style served Cuphead well, though I’m curious to see how a first-person shooter operates within those confines. It’s the first of the four games I noted earlier that appeared on my top 26 games for 2026 list.

3) Saros

I’ve played every one of Housemarque’s games—Super Stardust Delta, Resogun, Alienation, Nex Machina, Matterfall, and Returnal—and I’ve enjoyed them all. Saros is the spiritual successor to Returnal, expanding on the gameplay and adding more narrative elements. There’s a ton of potential in this one.

2) PRAGMATA

The more I’ve seen of PRAGMATA, the more I’m looking forward to playing it. The visual style has some Death Stranding in it, and there’s more than a little Isaac Clarke in the protagonist’s suit. Capcom has been pumping out bangers recently. Can it continue that run with a completely new IP?

1) REPLACED

Even though REPLACED being delayed was probably the best thing for me based on my schedule, I was still disappointed to have to wait another month to play it. I’m all in on the neon-soaked, Blade Runner-inspired action-adventure game. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get pushed back from its planned April 14 launch.

Related: 5 Takeaways From Xbox’s Partner Preview