![\"Sonic,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEC_281004166-b8d5.jpg\")
\n\t\tA big year for birthdays (Sega\/Amazon\/Nintendo)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tA big year for birthdays (Sega\/Amazon\/Nintendo)<\/p>\n
2026 is the biggest year ever for gaming anniversaries, so here\u2019s a rundown of every major birthday and what to expect.<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s usually a handful of notable gaming anniversaries each year, 2026 houses a colossal wave of milestones of the like we\u2019ve never seen before.<\/p>\n
Last year saw the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.<\/a> and Yakuza\u2019s 20th, but the annals of gaming history have aligned in a big way for 2026, with major franchises like Resident Evil<\/a>, The Legend Of Zelda, and Sonic The Hedgehog all preparing for a notable knees-up.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s very hard to know whether publishers will acknowledge them. Sometimes they\u2019re celebrated in a big way and other times they\u2019re allowed to pass by completely without notice.<\/p>\n To keep track of them all, we\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Legend Of Zelda 40th anniversary (February 21, 1986)<\/p>\n We\u2019ve already covered this one<\/a> in some detail, but we imagine Nintendo has to celebrate this in some fashion at least. We already know a special Lego set<\/a> is coming, and a movie is in development, but the chances of any games \u2013 whether rumoured remasters or brand new \u2013 is still a big mystery.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Pok\u00e9mon 30th anniversary (February 27, 1996)<\/p>\n We already know about chunky Pikachu plushies and Lego sets<\/a> for Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s big three-oh, but signs suggest a big game announcement is also brewing. Pok\u00e9mon Champions is already confirmed for 2026, but we\u2019re hoping there\u2019s room for the next mainline titles<\/a> on Switch 2<\/a>, along with release dates for Pok\u00e9mon Colosseum and XD Gale Of Darkness on Nintendo Switch Online.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Resident Evil 30th anniversary (March 22, 1996)<\/p>\n Capcom\u2019s horror juggernaut is getting its next big mainline entry this year with Resident Evil Requiem<\/a>, but it\u2019s unclear how far the celebrations will stretch beyond that. A website<\/a> lists merchandise and a collaboration with Babymetal, but there\u2019s also another movie reboot slated for September, this time by Weapons director Zach Cregger.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/p>\n Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter<\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Animal Crossing 25th anniversary (April 14, 2001)<\/p>\n With the recent launch<\/a> of Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Overwatch 10th anniversary (May 24, 2016)<\/p>\n Blizzard\u2019s online shooter isn\u2019t as dominant as it once was, back in 2016, but there\u2019s a chance the publisher will use the tenth anniversary to put some attention back on Overwatch 2<\/a>. We imagine there\u2019ll definitely be a seasonal event, but a spin-off might be a possibility too.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Dragon Quest 40th anniversary (May 27, 1986)<\/p>\n Square Enix has already promised<\/a> \u2018various announcements\u2019 in relation to Dragon Quest\u2019s 40th, but it\u2019s 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\u2019re hopeful for an update on Dragon Quest 12.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sonic The Hedgehog 35th anniversary (June 21, 1991)<\/p>\n Sega<\/a> has already announced<\/a> some of its plans for Sonic\u2019s 35th, with promises of fan meet-ups, community gatherings, merchandise, museum pop-ups, live concerts, and, bizarrely, \u2018a brand new narrative podcast<\/a>\u2019. However, the big question is: where is Sonic Frontiers 2?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Quake 30th anniversary (June 22, 1996)<\/p>\n One of the most influential first person shooters ever made celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and it feels like we\u2019re long due an update on the franchise, after Quake Champions left early access in 2022. For the longest time it\u2019s seemed as if Indiana Jones And The Great Circle developer MachineGames were building up to a new entry but recent rumours<\/a> have begun to cast doubt on that assumption.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Donkey Kong 45th anniversary (July 9, 1981)<\/p>\n Donkey Kong Bananza<\/a> might have negated this anniversary before it even began, but there\u2019s a chance we could see some smaller updates, like Mario Kart World DLC<\/a> 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 \u2013 and yet they completely ignored the 40th anniversary, although that was during Covid.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Metroid 40th anniversary (August 6, 1986)<\/p>\n Following last year\u2019s Metroid Prime 4: Beyond<\/a>, we\u2019re expecting a lot less commotion around this anniversary in comparison to Zelda \u2013 even if Samus does equally deserve the spotlight. The best we could hope for is the long-rumoured re-releases<\/a> of Metroid Prime 2 and 3 for the Switch, or perhaps a sequel announcement for Metroid Dread<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Harvest Moon 30th anniversary (August 9, 1996)<\/p>\n The original farming sim hits a major milestone this year, although it might be difficult to communicate considering it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Crash Bandicoot 30th anniversary (September 9, 1996)<\/p>\n The former Sony marsupial isn\u2019t at the front of everyone\u2019s 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<\/a> game and the PS1 trilogy remakes did do very well.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n GameCube and Luigi\u2019s Mansion 25th anniversary (September 14, 2001)<\/p>\n A sequel to Luigi\u2019s Mansion 3<\/a> feels inevitable after the last game\u2019s success, and we could get an announcement to mark the original\u2019s 25th anniversary. Luigi\u2019s spooky spin-off was a launch title on the GameCube, so more affection for Nintendo\u2019s purple box might be in store over the course of 2026 as well, at least in terms of Nintendo Switch Online games.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Persona 30th anniversary (September 20, 1996)<\/p>\n One of the biggest role-playing franchises could have a huge 2026. There\u2019s already an anniversary website<\/a> with merchandise to mark the occasion, but with Persona 4 Revival and the inevitable Persona 6<\/a> floating on the periphery, developer Atlus has the chance to make this a big one.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Castlevania 40th anniversary (September 26, 1986)<\/p>\n There hasn\u2019t been a new mainline Castlevania game since 2014\u2019s Lords Of Shadow 2, but with Konami<\/a> doubling down on Silent Hill\u2019s successful comeback<\/a>, the publisher must have something cooking for its classic gothic adventure. There have been rumours of a new big budget game<\/a> for years, but we might just end up with another retro compilation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Tomb Raider 30th anniversary (October 24, 1996)<\/p>\n Amazon has already announced<\/a> a remake of Lara Croft\u2019s 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\u2019s aso a TV show in production starring Sophie Turner, but it\u2019s unclear when that will start.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Pikmin 25th anniversary (October 26, 2001)<\/p>\n Pikmin celebrates its 25th anniversary just a month after the GameCube. Nintendo has consistently supported Pikmin over the years (it\u2019s one of Shigeru Miyamoto\u2019s favourites) so we imagine it\u2019ll commemorate this in some fashion \u2013 perhaps a Switch 2 Edition for Pikmin 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Xbox and Halo 25th anniversary (November 15, 2001)<\/p>\n Microsoft is promising a strong slate of games in 2026 to mark Xbox\u2019s 25th anniversary, with one of them being Halo: Campaign Evolved<\/a>. This remake is just one of several Halo titles in the works at Halo Studios, but it\u2019s important because it\u2019s the first time the series will be on a PlayStation format\u2026 which is certainly an odd way to celebrate a quarter of a century of Xbox.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Kid Icarus 40th anniversary (December 19, 1986)<\/p>\n Of all the Nintendo anniversaries this year, we imagine this one will definitely fall by the wayside. There hasn\u2019t been a new game in the series since 2012\u2019s Kid Icarus: Uprising, which is in desperate need of a remaster with new controls \u2013 but for some reason Masahiro Sakurai decided to do Kirby Air Riders<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Diablo 30th anniversary (December 31, 1996)<\/p>\n There\u2019s 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\u2019ll go with that, but it\u2019s possible Bethesda could pretend it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Email\u00a0gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a>, leave a comment below,\u00a0follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n To submit Inbox letters and Reader\u2019s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our\u00a0Submit Stuff page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more stories like this,\u00a0check our Gaming page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow
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