May '26 Release Thread

At first glance there doesn't seem to be much going on in May, but there are still a fair number of games coming out this month. Here is a short summary of the ones I recognize:


The biggest game this month, on paper, is 007 First Light. This is a game made from the developers of the Hitman franchise, games known for giving the player a large amount of freedom in choosing how they approach missions, blending both stealth and action. For this game they are leveraging those skills in order to tell a James Bond origin story. This is one of the most mass market, big budget game releases this year and despite that, or because of that, it also harbors a large amount of skepticism from the general player base. Ultimately this game is a big question mark and it's hard to tell how well it will be received.

For a more stable expectation of success, we have Forza Horizons 6. I consider the racing genre to be relatively niche, but the Forza franchise has long been one of the standout hits of its genre, with the Horizon branding in particular being generally more approachable and fun for wider audiences. Racing games have always been known for their visuals, with these in particular having great environment design, with each game taking place in a different part of the world. This one will be taking place in Japan.

This month also sees the release of Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, another franchise with a proven, if underestimated, record. These games take a silly and tongue-in-cheek approach to their source material, often featuring simple gameplay and a large roster of characters. This one in particular is said to be a love letter to the entire franchise and includes references from a wide range of media, as well as a revamped combat system.

Lastly, Nintendo has another exclusive this month with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Even by Nintendo standards, Yoshi games tend to be very kid friendly and often have unique art styles. In this one, rather than focusing on traditional platforming gameplay, the gameplay focuses on curiosity and discovery. The player is tasked with filling out the pages of an in-game book by observing and interacting with the world and the creatures inside it.

Not going to highlight any particular indie games this month, as I don't really know much about most of them. I will point out, however, that Subnautica 2 is apparently entering Early Access this month. I don't normally cover Early Access, but suspect there might be some interest here.

Spoiler for May releases:

PC

• Forza Horizon 6 (May) - racing
• Thick as Thieves (May) - stealth/action
• Alabaster Dawn (May) - action rpg/early access
• Subnautica 2 (May) - survival/action adventure
  

Multiplatform

• 007 First Light (May) - action adventure
• Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (May) - action adventure
• Mixtape (May) - adventure
• Call of the Elder Gods (May) - puzzle adventure
• Directive 8020 (May) - interactive drama/sci-fi horror
• Wax Heads (May) - puzzle
• Bubsy 4D (May) - platformer
  
  

PS5


Xbox Series X/S

• Forza Horizon 6 (May) - racing
• Subnautica 2 (May) - survival/action adventure
  

Switch 2

• Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (May) - platformer
  

Is anyone looking forward to any of this month's games?

I'm personally not planning on picking anything up, but I will be curious to see how well they do. Despite enjoying the Hitman games, I'm not really that excited for 007. If it's good I might play it eventually, but I'm not enough of a James Bond fan to want to pay a premium for it.


PS+

EA Sports FC 26 | PS5, PS4
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers | PS5
Nine Sols| PS5, PS4


Trailers:

https://youtu.be/trvIyyFt_MM?si=Jifduq5KXra8fVPx

https://youtu.be/vwmq_k5Kto0?si=hiUCKS_fXo0ESfhS

https://youtu.be/xciD-Vz6T_Q?si=JW13n8LdUeaEeoj7


Previews:

https://youtu.be/IjxNXBYhj5o?si=v8YK7q7sD8tKeafL

Subnautica 2 better be good. I have high hopes, but am afraid I'll get disappointed when it probably can't hold up to the original. :-)

Subnautica 2 can be bought and downloaded, as it goes on early access later this day. If it's good or not, I have no idea, but I hope so.

I don't know if it's good (too early to trust any reviews) but it certainly seems popular. I've seen claims they have already hit a million sales and 100+k concurrent players.

Mina the Hollower finally came out this month. I think this was in one of these release threads before it got delayed. It's kind of a souls-like style game mixed with the old top down 2D Zelda games. It seems to be doing well, though perhaps not as well as the other games that came out this month. Forza 6, 007, and Subnautica 2 all seem to have been massive hits.