Some are still waiting for the announcement of a new Valve game.
GamesIndustry.biz turned to a group of authoritative analysts and learned their expectations for the gaming industry in 2026.
Emmanuel Rosier of Newzoo believes that Valve will "shake up the industry" next year with the announcement of Half-Life 3:
Valve will once again be in the spotlight, officially presenting Half-Life 3 — not to play on nostalgia, but as a statement of where hardcore PC gaming is headed. This announcement will not only be about the game itself, but also about the positioning of the platform and the company's technological leadership.
Newzoo believes that investments in artificial intelligence will quietly raise the barrier to entry into the gaming industry for new gamers. The development of AI technologies will consume more and more memory resources and production capacity, which will affect device prices. This will also force developers to "moderate their technical ambitions," as "the most advanced games risk being aimed at too narrow an audience."
Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis predicts the release of Steam Machine in 2026 and expects a price in the range of $700-800 for the basic version. He thinks Valve will be able to sell several million devices in a year and surpass Steam Deck's initial figures.
The analyst believes that GTA VI will no longer be delayed and the new Rockstar game will become "the biggest entertainment release of all time in terms of revenue generated in the first months after launch."
