The game market is predicting a major tectonic shift in the first half of 2026. Rather than one mega-title, a series of masterpieces featuring different genres and fun are about to be released.
The diversity of genres is also clear. The release lineup of works targeting users’ tastes has been confirmed, including large-scale open world action, popular IP-based RPGs, extraction shooters, and classic horror, and all of them have a formidable volume enough to be classified as masterpieces.
In particular, interest from domestic users is also high as two major titles are about to be released that are expected to provide a new paradigm for the Korean game market, which is attempting to enter the PC and console markets from an online game market.
[8년간의 담금질을 마치고 등장하는 펄어비스의 야심작 – 붉은사막]
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The most anticipated work in this March lineup is Pearl Abyss’ ‘Red Desert’. ‘Red Desert’, developed as a fully packaged console and PC title, has raised the expectations of users around the world by participating in major global game shows such as Summer Game Fest (SGF), Bilibili World, China Joy, and Tokyo Game Show (TGS), starting with GDC (Game Developers Conference).
The characteristic of this game is that you can encounter all the content found in existing open world games. Users can encounter boss battles with unique patterns ranging from large-scale battles ranging from base occupation, battlefield participation, and mercenary unit battles, to drawing their own battle patterns using aerial combos and various skills based on melee actions.
What’s also noteworthy is that it boasts a volume so vast that its release date was postponed one after another in order to implement realistic actions and quests that can be found all over the map, providing just as much fun as AAA games in the West.
In particular, there are predictions that the paradigm of the Korean game market may change depending on the technology and performance of ‘Red Desert’, as it is a single-player PC and console game that invested a large amount of capital over a long period of time, which is rare among domestic game companies.
As such, ‘Red Desert’, which is receiving great attention both at home and abroad, is scheduled to be released simultaneously in PC and console versions on March 19th.
[칠대죄의 새로운 변신! – 일곱 개의 대죄: 오리진]
Netmarble, which is preparing a large-scale masterpiece lineup this year, will also release its first new game of 2026, ‘Seven Deadly Sins: Origins’ (hereinafter referred to as Seven Deadly Sins: Origins) in March.
‘Seven Deadly Sins: Origins’, the sequel to Netmarble’s all-time hit ‘Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross’, is an open world RPG developed on multiple platforms including mobile, console and PC.
Users can freely explore the vast field and enjoy a variety of actions such as real-time battles with multi-character switching, puzzles, environmental interaction, and gliding movements. Users can also enjoy the characters’ spectacular ultimate actions with a party-based battle structure of up to 4 people.
The overseas response is also enthusiastic. Since it was first revealed at Gamescom in 2023, it has recorded millions of global trailer views, and overseas media have left rave reviews calling it “the most authentic anime-style open world RPG since Genshin Impact.”
‘Seven Deadly Sins: Origins’ is scheduled to be released on March 24, 2026.
[클래식 공포의 귀환 – ‘제로 ~ 붉은나비’ 리마스터]
The remaster of ‘Zero Red Butterfly’, a masterpiece that taught gamers about the fear of taking pictures during the PS2 era, is also scheduled to be released in March.
‘Zero Red Butterfly’, released on PS2 in 2003, is the most highly rated masterpiece in the entire ‘Zero’ series. At the time of its release, it was evaluated as “one of the best horror games of all time” along with the high score of “Famitsu”.
This game tells the story of twin sisters Mio and Mayu being trapped in an abandoned village called ‘Minakami Village’, and it has influenced numerous horror games since by adding the horror and action elements of visually identifying and chasing ghosts through the ‘command camera’ system that seals ghosts with a camera.
In this remastered version, high-resolution textures, improved handling, and frame optimization will be applied, allowing you to experience the horror elements of the original more vividly. ‘Zero ~ Red Butterfly’ remaster is scheduled to be released on March 12th.
[“망작이냐 평타냐?” 모두의 관심을 한 몸에 – ‘마라톤’]
Bungie’s new game ‘Marathon’, whose release was doubted by everyone amidst all sorts of incidents, will also be revealed in March.
‘Marathon’, developed by Bungie, is a new game in the ‘Marathon’ series released through Apple Macintosh in 1994. This ‘Marathon’ became the basis for Xbox’s representative game ‘Halo’ series after Bungie was acquired by MS, and is also considered a classic masterpiece in the West.
But the development process wasn’t that good. It was a highly anticipated work when news of its development was announced, but in closed alpha testing, it suffered from total difficulties such as insufficient hitting and skills that did not fit the genre, and its evaluation plummeted to the point where it was evaluated as the ‘second Conchord’.
In particular, although it is an extraction genre with high tension, it was criticized for not fitting the genre as it consisted of skills that only appear in hero shooting, such as complete transparency and map hacking, and in the case of the alpha test streaming broadcast, the number of viewers fell from 150,000 to 1,000.
To make matters worse, news broke that some of the game’s assets had been plagiarized, and Sony and Bungie themselves issued apologies. The game was also embroiled in internal and external problems, including reaching an agreement with the artist in December last year, and the game’s release was postponed once.
It was a ‘marathon’ where the release was uncertain, but Bungie took the lead by announcing the game’s price along with the release date in March. Bungie and Sony plan to continue the long-term service by conducting season-based updates and balance patches based on the live service operation experience accumulated through the ‘Destiny’ series.
Marathon, which is receiving unprecedented attention from users, is scheduled to be officially released on March 6th.