Upcoming Lord of the Rings and Dragon Ball Games to Watch in 2026
Original illustration by GameVexo — Middle-earth meets the AGE 1000 future.
Two of gaming’s biggest franchises just got loud again. Bandai Namco confirmed Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 in 2026, and Lord of the Rings fans now have not one but two brand-new video games quietly moving through development.
Both franchises went quiet for a while. Dragon Ball’s last full Xenoverse game came out back in 2016, and Lord of the Rings games have struggled ever since 2023’s poorly received Gollum. That’s changing fast. If you’re hunting for the new LOTR game for 2026 or trying to track every upcoming Dragon Ball game, this guide rounds up everything that’s actually been confirmed — release windows, platforms, and what’s new in each title. For a wider look at everything else landing this year, our 2026 upcoming games guide covers the rest of the lineup.
We built this list from official publisher announcements, trailers, and event reveals only — no unconfirmed rumors that Bandai Namco, Embracer, or Crystal Dynamics haven’t acknowledged in some form. Whether you’re searching for the new LOTR game for 2026 or just want every upcoming Dragon Ball game in one place, here’s what’s actually confirmed right now, sorted by how anticipated each title is.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3
Action RPGThe first new mainline Xenoverse game in over a decade. Xenoverse 3 drops your custom hero into AGE 1000, a brand-new future timeline built around original character designs by the late Akira Toriyama, instead of replaying the same old sagas again.
✓ Why We Love It
- An entirely new AGE 1000 timeline instead of retelling old sagas
- Original character designs straight from Akira Toriyama
- New “Soul Switch” mechanic lets your hero briefly fight as legends like Vegeta or Piccolo
✕ Keep In Mind
- Confirmed only for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC — no Switch version yet
- The release window is just “2027,” with no exact month or day announced
What sets Xenoverse 3 apart is the Soul Assist and Soul Switch combat systems shown off in the June 2026 “Welcome to West City” trailer. Soul Assist calls in a Dragon Ball ally for a coordinated strike, while Soul Switch briefly lets your custom hero channel a legendary fighter’s power. Combined with seven playable races — up from five in Xenoverse 2 — and a fully explorable West City hub, this looks like the biggest shift the Xenoverse series has made since it began.
New Lord of the Rings Game — Crystal Dynamics
Open-World Action (Untitled)Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics is reportedly building a big-budget, untitled Lord of the Rings game backed by roughly $100 million from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) — designed, according to insiders, to compete with Hogwarts Legacy in scale.
✓ Why We Love It
- Backed at a true AAA budget aimed squarely at open-world scale
- Built by a studio with deep open-world action experience from Tomb Raider
- Sits under Embracer’s new Tolkien-focused Fellowship Entertainment division
✕ Keep In Mind
- Not yet confirmed officially by Embracer or Crystal Dynamics — currently sourced from Insider Gaming’s reporting
- Crystal Dynamics is also juggling two Tomb Raider games right now, so insiders say this project is still “a bit away”
Embracer bought the Middle-earth Enterprises rights back in 2022 and spent two years “prototyping multiple new game concepts” before any of this went public. In 2025, it folded Crystal Dynamics and Warhorse Studios into a new Tolkien-centered division called Fellowship Entertainment. Insider Gaming’s sources describe this specific project as a third-person action game, though Embracer and Crystal Dynamics haven’t commented publicly on the details yet.
Middle-earth RPG — Warhorse Studios
Open-World RPG (Untitled)Kingdom Come: Deliverance II developer Warhorse Studios confirmed in May 2026 that it’s making an open-world “Middle-earth RPG” — though it carefully avoided using the Lord of the Rings name in the announcement itself.
✓ Why We Love It
- From the studio behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, which sold over 5 million copies
- Promises a “living world” with memorable places and a strong narrative focus
- Could finally deliver the slow, immersive Middle-earth RPG fans have wanted for years
✕ Keep In Mind
- No title, footage, or concept art has been revealed yet
- It’s scheduled after Warhorse’s next Kingdom Come game, which itself targets Embracer’s April 2027–March 2028 fiscal year — so this is a long wait
Warhorse’s pitch leans on what made Kingdom Come: Deliverance II work so well: slow, tactile immersion over flashy superhero-style combat. Deliverance II design director Viktor Bocan is reportedly leading this project. Don’t expect to play it before 2028 at the earliest — Warhorse has been upfront that its next Kingdom Come title comes first.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO — Super Limit-Breaking NEO
Fighting / Major DLCThis is the biggest content drop Sparking! ZERO has gotten since launch: over 30 new playable fighters, four new stages, and a brand-new single-player mode, all arriving this summer.
✓ Why We Love It
- 30+ new fighters, including Super 17, GT Vegeta, Bardock (Super Saiyan), and Champa
- New Limit Breaker Journey mode with roguelike-style level-up progression
- Four new stages, including the long-requested Kami’s Palace
✕ Keep In Mind
- Switch and Switch 2 players are getting separate DLC waves on their own schedule — check official patch notes before buying
- Pricing for the NEO expansion hadn’t been announced as of this writing
Sparking! ZERO already passed 200 playable characters thanks to earlier DLC, and NEO pushes that even further while reworking how transformations interact with health regeneration — a balance change competitive players have been asking for. If you already own the base game, this update is what turns it back into the “biggest Dragon Ball roster ever” conversation.
Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game — Switch 2 Edition
Cozy Life-SimNot every Lord of the Rings release has to be a sprawling open-world epic. Tales of the Shire lets you live as a hobbit in Bywater — cooking, gardening, fishing, and decorating your hobbit-hole — and it got a free Switch 2 upgrade on Tolkien Reading Day, March 25, 2026.
✓ Why We Love It
- A genuinely cozy, low-stakes way to spend time in Middle-earth
- Free upgrade for existing Switch owners moving to Switch 2
- Launched its upgrade on Tolkien Reading Day — a nice touch for fans
✕ Keep In Mind
- Reviews were mixed at its original 2025 launch, partly due to performance issues on base Switch
- The slow, cozy pacing won’t appeal if you want combat or exploration
If cozy games are more your speed, this fits right alongside the other low-pressure releases lined up for 2026 — our guide to the best upcoming cozy games of 2026 rounds up more picks like it.
Quick Comparison
| Game | Genre | Platform | Best For | Our Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 | Action RPG | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC | Long-time Xenoverse fans | #1 Most Anticipated |
| New LOTR Game — Crystal Dynamics | Open-World Action | TBA | Hogwarts Legacy fans | #2 Biggest Budget |
| Middle-earth RPG — Warhorse | Open-World RPG | TBA | Immersive RPG fans | #3 Long-Term Watch |
| Sparking! ZERO — NEO DLC | Fighting | PS5, Xbox, PC, Switch & Switch 2 | Existing Sparking! ZERO owners | #4 |
| Tales of the Shire (Switch 2) | Cozy Life-Sim | Switch 2, Switch, PS5, Xbox, PC | Cozy / life-sim fans | #5 |
2026 is shaping up to be a stacked year for gaming in general — Lord of the Rings and Dragon Ball aren’t the only franchises in the spotlight. GTA 6’s cross-platform support and its performance on machines like the Xbox Series S are dominating search trends right alongside these titles, so it’s worth keeping an eye on both.
- Bandai Namco — Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 official site
- Bandai Namco — Battle Hour 2026 reveal recap
- Bandai Namco — Sparking! ZERO Super Limit-Breaking NEO DLC
- GameSpot — everything known about the new Lord of the Rings games
- Insider Gaming — Crystal Dynamics Lord of the Rings report
- GamingBible — Tales of the Shire Switch 2 upgrade