Jeremy’s most anticipated games for 2026

Kungfu Cthulhu Soulslike Metroidvanias, amirite?

Image credit:Frogwares/Bitkid/Cold Symmetry/Postmodern Adventures

As we cross out the final days of 2025 on our Treehouse calendar, we’ve allowed ourselves to look out at the encroaching mists of 2026. These are the games we hope will emerge from the fog .

Oodles of games are coming out in 2026, and many look impressive. There’s the new Resident Evil, yet another reimagining of Tomb Raider 1, and a 007 game that reminds me of the often-forgotten cartoon series James Bond Jr. All will probably be decent, and some might even dictate my guide writing duties.

That said, when thinking of the games I wanted to highlight here - the precious few that I might make a concerted effort to play around my workload - I decided to narrow it down to a handful of mostly lesser-known experiences that may escape mainstream notice. Sorry, Bond, Lara, and Leon Kennedy - you lot have enough attention already.

The Sinking City 2

Release date: First half of 2026 From: Steam

I like Frogwares as a development studio. Not only are they a Ukranian team working hard to make games while their country’s being invaded, but their 2019 effort The Sinking City remains the most expansive Call of Cthulhu-inspired videogame ever. I’ll always remember meandering through the flooded streets of Oakmont by boat, musing at the dialogue of Dagon-spawned fishman NPCs while investigating crime scenes.

The Sinking City 2 , originally due for a winter 2025 release but pushed into 2026, exchanges its predecessor’s open world scope for the realm of straight-up survival horror. The early builds that I’ve seen promise something not dissimilar to the recent Resident Evils, albeit with all of the dark, mind-corrupting flavours of Lovecraftian terror that make the Cthulhu mythos what it is. While the sprawling map and the more erudite investigations of the first game might be out, narrowing the scope of the sequel may be a good thing. Frogwares games are admirable but janky, and a tighter focus could work wonders at eliminating needless bugs. Also, we could use more third person Cthulhu survival horror experiences that aren’t titled Alone in the Dark.

Phantom Blade Zero

Release date: 9 September 2026 From: Steam

This is probably the highest-profile game here, as Phantom Blade Zero has been in the conciousness of everyone who likes Character Action Games since a trailer for it first came out two years ago and kicked ass with what the devs are calling a “kungfu punk” aesthetic. But since there are a fair number of Chinese games localised for international release these days, I do fear that some may ignore Phantom Blade Zero as yet another Soulslike riding the coattails of Black Myth: Wukong.

Luckily, impressions by our very own Edwin indicate that this wuxia romp takes more inspiration from Ninja Gaiden. You play as a warrior wearing a cool conical hat who has 66 days to live and must use a vast array of gut-slicing moves to fend off assholes who want to kill him, looking stylish all the while. Expect to wield cool weapons like snake-themed dual blades, a chakram, and a whip sword as you slaughter your way through enemies who look like they stepped out of the 1993 Hong Kong flick The Heroic Trio. As anyone who read my Advent Calendar entries this year will know, I dig Ninja Gaiden . I also dig HK cinema, so the inspirations here are more than enough to rise this martial arts epic above its lookalike peers in my eyes.

Mortal Shell II

Release date: 2026 From: Steam

I’m one of those folks who thinks Elden Ring’s a little too immense, and would much rather have a smaller, more focused Soulslike that I can actually finish. Mortal Shell II seems to be larger and longer than the first game, but developers Cold Symmetry are still calling it a “compact” open world, which makes me hope it’ll be more in the vein of say, The Witcher II as opposed to III. There also seem to be around eight shells to choose from this time around as opposed to four, which is a jump but not something too overwhelming. Fingers crossed that this will be a focused Souls game as opposed to a bloated one, and will yet again demonstrate how a small team can emulate the greats while simultaneously showcasing their own talents.

The Dark Rites of Arkham

Release date: TBA From: Steam

Look, it’s another Cthulhu game! But this one’s a pixelated mystery inspired by yesteryear as opposed to survival horror, and it’s also being made by Postmodern Adventures, a one-man Spanish developer who has secretly put out some of the best adventure games in the last few years. His previous effort, An English Haunting , took us on a creepy trip through Edwardian-era England and Scotland, and made my 2024 Selection Box .

The Dark Rites of Arkham looks to be just as good, putting players in the role of your archetypal Cthulhu-era private detective as he wanders through Arkham and finds some shadowy connection to the Salem Witch Trials. Many of Postmodern Adventures’ games have contained slavish details to real-world historical occult events, and I’m looking forward to seeing how 1600s witchcraft combines with eldritch horror. Most of all, it’ll be interesting to see how The Dark Rites of Arkham holds up alongside The Sinking City 2, which also takes place in Arkham. Despite the obvious graphical differences, it’s entirely possible that I might prefer this indie effort over the big budget one - if this year’s top 100 games proved anything, it’s that I do love my point and click classics.

Wolfhound

Release date: TBA From: Steam

This sidescrolling Metroidvania crossup between Wolfenstein, Metal Gear Solid, and Metal Slug made our list of most anticipated games for 2025 , but never saw a release last year. A 2026 debut for Wolfhound does seem more likely, and the game continues to look grand, if the latest PAX West trailer is anything to go by.

What we have here is a pixelated wonder that’s clearly channeling SNES and Mega Drive feels, though the chiptune music and tilesets at work remind me of something like the Virtual Boy, but in glorious colour instead of a garish mashup of red and black. Starring a jarhead named Chuck Rossetti who resembles the Wolfenstein guy if you squint, Wolfhound tasks you with infiltrating an Axis base in the Bermuda Triangle, which is of course filled to the brim with a horde of Hitler’s most twisted experiments. Run and gun action against Nazis mutated into tentacled monstronsities awaits. Plus, there’s at least one mech visible in the trailer! Here’s hoping that I’ll be able to put this one on my Advent Calendar or Selection Box for this year instead of having it drift off into 2027.

Mortal Shell II

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Phantom Blade 0

PS5

The Dark Rites of Arkham

PC

The Sinking City 2

Video Game

Wolfhound

Video Game

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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