2026 is the biggest year ever for video game anniversaries – from Zelda to Sonic

2026 is the biggest year ever for gaming anniversaries, so here’s a rundown of every major birthday and what to expect.

While there’s usually a handful of notable gaming anniversaries each year, 2026 houses a colossal wave of milestones of the like we’ve never seen before.

Last year saw the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and Yakuza’s 20th, but the annals of gaming history have aligned in a big way for 2026, with major franchises like Resident Evil, The Legend Of Zelda, and Sonic The Hedgehog all preparing for a notable knees-up.

These milestones have become more common as we continue to rely on legacy franchises, but while the anniversaries seem like the perfect excuse to promote new and old games it’s very hard to know whether publishers will acknowledge them. Sometimes they’re celebrated in a big way and other times they’re allowed to pass by completely without notice.

To keep track of them all, we’ve rundown all the major gaming anniversaries in 2026 below, along with the likelihood of whether it will be a quiet night-in versus a party for the ages.

The Legend Of Zelda 40th anniversary (February 21, 1986)

We’ve already covered this one in some detail, but we imagine Nintendo has to celebrate this in some fashion at least. We already know a special Lego set is coming, and a movie is in development, but the chances of any games – whether rumoured remasters or brand new – is still a big mystery.

Pokémon 30th anniversary (February 27, 1996)

We already know about chunky Pikachu plushies and Lego sets for Pokémon’s big three-oh, but signs suggest a big game announcement is also brewing. Pokémon Champions is already confirmed for 2026, but we’re hoping there’s room for the next mainline titles on Switch 2, along with release dates for Pokémon Colosseum and XD Gale Of Darkness on Nintendo Switch Online.

Resident Evil 30th anniversary (March 22, 1996)

Capcom’s horror juggernaut is getting its next big mainline entry this year with Resident Evil Requiem, but it’s unclear how far the celebrations will stretch beyond that. A website lists merchandise and a collaboration with Babymetal, but there’s also another movie reboot slated for September, this time by Weapons director Zach Cregger.

Animal Crossing 25th anniversary (April 14, 2001)

With the recent launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition, it’s hard to tell how big Nintendo will go for the anniversary in December. Our best hope is perhaps a trailer for the next game, ahead of a launch in 2027, but they may feel that draws too much attention away from the new release.

Overwatch 10th anniversary (May 24, 2016)

Blizzard’s online shooter isn’t as dominant as it once was, back in 2016, but there’s a chance the publisher will use the tenth anniversary to put some attention back on Overwatch 2. We imagine there’ll definitely be a seasonal event, but a spin-off might be a possibility too.

Dragon Quest 40th anniversary (May 27, 1986)

Square Enix has already promised ‘various announcements’ in relation to Dragon Quest’s 40th, but it’s unclear what any of them could be aside from Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined next month. Considering it was announced five years ago, as part of the 35th anniversary, we’re hopeful for an update on Dragon Quest 12.

Sonic The Hedgehog 35th anniversary (June 21, 1991)

Sega has already announced some of its plans for Sonic’s 35th, with promises of fan meet-ups, community gatherings, merchandise, museum pop-ups, live concerts, and, bizarrely, ‘a brand new narrative podcast’. However, the big question is: where is Sonic Frontiers 2?

Quake 30th anniversary (June 22, 1996)

One of the most influential first person shooters ever made celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and it feels like we’re long due an update on the franchise, after Quake Champions left early access in 2022. For the longest time it’s seemed as if Indiana Jones And The Great Circle developer MachineGames were building up to a new entry but recent rumours have begun to cast doubt on that assumption.

Donkey Kong 45th anniversary (July 9, 1981)

Donkey Kong Bananza might have negated this anniversary before it even began, but there’s a chance we could see some smaller updates, like Mario Kart World DLC themed around the beloved ape, to mark this milestone. The thing is, the Donkey Kong coin-op was also the first appearance of Mario, so Nintendo should be going nuts over this – and yet they completely ignored the 40th anniversary, although that was during Covid.

Metroid 40th anniversary (August 6, 1986)

Following last year’s Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, we’re expecting a lot less commotion around this anniversary in comparison to Zelda – even if Samus does equally deserve the spotlight. The best we could hope for is the long-rumoured re-releases of Metroid Prime 2 and 3 for the Switch, or perhaps a sequel announcement for Metroid Dread.

Harvest Moon 30th anniversary (August 9, 1996)

The original farming sim hits a major milestone this year, although it might be difficult to communicate considering it’s now, for legal reasons, known as Story Of Seasons. A remake of Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar was released on Switch last year, but with a little bit of luck, we might see the announcement of another entry this year.

Crash Bandicoot 30th anniversary (September 9, 1996)

The former Sony marsupial isn’t at the front of everyone’s minds these days, especially after Crash Team Rumble, but there have been some signs of life for the future via a rumoured new Crash Team Racing game and the PS1 trilogy remakes did do very well.

GameCube and Luigi’s Mansion 25th anniversary (September 14, 2001)

A sequel to Luigi’s Mansion 3 feels inevitable after the last game’s success, and we could get an announcement to mark the original’s 25th anniversary. Luigi’s spooky spin-off was a launch title on the GameCube, so more affection for Nintendo’s purple box might be in store over the course of 2026 as well, at least in terms of Nintendo Switch Online games.

Persona 30th anniversary (September 20, 1996)

One of the biggest role-playing franchises could have a huge 2026. There’s already an anniversary website with merchandise to mark the occasion, but with Persona 4 Revival and the inevitable Persona 6 floating on the periphery, developer Atlus has the chance to make this a big one.

Castlevania 40th anniversary (September 26, 1986)

There hasn’t been a new mainline Castlevania game since 2014’s Lords Of Shadow 2, but with Konami doubling down on Silent Hill’s successful comeback, the publisher must have something cooking for its classic gothic adventure. There have been rumours of a new big budget game for years, but we might just end up with another retro compilation.

Tomb Raider 30th anniversary (October 24, 1996)

Amazon has already announced a remake of Lara Croft’s original adventure, entitled Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis, is set to arrive in 2026 to mark this milestone. A brand new game, called Tomb Raider: Catalyst, is then planned for 2027. There’s aso a TV show in production starring Sophie Turner, but it’s unclear when that will start.

Pikmin 25th anniversary (October 26, 2001)

Pikmin celebrates its 25th anniversary just a month after the GameCube. Nintendo has consistently supported Pikmin over the years (it’s one of Shigeru Miyamoto’s favourites) so we imagine it’ll commemorate this in some fashion – perhaps a Switch 2 Edition for Pikmin 4.

Xbox and Halo 25th anniversary (November 15, 2001)

Microsoft is promising a strong slate of games in 2026 to mark Xbox’s 25th anniversary, with one of them being Halo: Campaign Evolved. This remake is just one of several Halo titles in the works at Halo Studios, but it’s important because it’s the first time the series will be on a PlayStation format… which is certainly an odd way to celebrate a quarter of a century of Xbox.

Kid Icarus 40th anniversary (December 19, 1986)

Of all the Nintendo anniversaries this year, we imagine this one will definitely fall by the wayside. There hasn’t been a new game in the series since 2012’s Kid Icarus: Uprising, which is in desperate need of a remaster with new controls – but for some reason Masahiro Sakurai decided to do Kirby Air Riders instead.

Diablo 30th anniversary (December 31, 1996)

There’s actually some confusion as to when exactly the first Diablo went on sale, with some sources suggesting the first week of January. But it seems that some retailers did start selling it in 1996, so we’ll go with that, but it’s possible Bethesda could pretend it’s 1997 just to avoid anniversary fatigue. Either way, the latest instalment, Diablo 4, is getting a major expansion this year with Lord Of Hatred on April 28.

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