Nintendo's Best Puzzle Series Has a New Game Coming in 2026

Nintendo's lineup of 2026 games is starting to come into focus lately. After a dull period with no new announcements or trailers, the Japanese giant is slowly letting us see the full picture from the summer to the end of December.

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam got a new trailer and was confirmed to still be releasing this year after speculation that it would be delayed until 2027. The series, which is developed by Level-5, has been a fixture on Nintendo's handheld consoles since the first game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, was released in 2008 for the Nintendo DS.

The Professor Layton series tells the tales of the titular professor and his loyal assistant, Luke. There is typically a winding mystery to uncover throughout each game and the adventure is accompanied by over 100 brainteasers and puzzles.

These games have always been catered to those who want to relax with their interactive entertainment instead of being coerced into a mental breakdown due to ungodly difficulty. No violence, no cursing, just feel-good characters and gripping novelistic qualities that mirror the best books you could find.

While the series is still firmly associated with Nintendo, Level-5 is planning on releasing New World of Steam on the Playstation 5 and Windows alongside the original Switch and Switch 2 versions. Perhaps the expanded platforms can help build the series audience and diehard fans won't have to wait years for the next game.

This will also be the second time that the series will be playable on a console that hooks up to the TV. The first six games were on the Nintendo DS or the Nintendo 3DS. The last game, Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Consipracy, had a release on the Switch in 2019.

Developer Level-5 had reportedly closed down their North American business sector in 2020. This worried fans of their games that they would never see a new Professor Layton again. Some of the other great games Level-5 has developed include Yo-kai Watch, Snack World, Inazuma Eleven, Ni no Kuni, and Megaton Musashi.