Phasmophobia promises that 2026 will be one of its best years—but here I am just hoping the voices in the dark will finally talk back

Spooky season is way past us, and the jollymaxxing hasn’t ended yet (at least not in my very archaic Orthodox part of the world), but Phasmophobia never sleeps, and neither do its ghosts. The devs have now announced 2026 will be one of the game’s biggest years yet, with the 1.0 release fast approaching.

As announced by the game’s developers on X, Phasmophobia will finally launch in full in 2026, bringing its years-long early access program to a satisfying closure. Millions have already played the game, tested it, and helped develop it through their feedback, but more is coming ahead of the official 1.0 release.

This year will have many focuses, but key highlights are increased immersion, modernization, and better graphics. The game desperately needs the latter, and as you could tell from the outdated models, this was probably left for last. The atmosphere of each map and run is already top-notch, and these new finishes will just make the experience even better.

One of the most iconic maps, 6 Tanglewood Drive, is going to be reworked and brought in line with other reworked maps. A much-needed update will be given to the player models, which are frankly immersion-breaking at the moment. The new models will be significantly more realistic and pleasant to look at, which is always a plus.

Animations for both player characters and the first-person camera will be polished, updated, and refined to create a more immersive, grounded experience.

Though it wasn’t mentioned in the plans, I sincerely hope some more attention is given to the ghosts and their AI. A lot of the game revolves around communicating with forces unseen, and I’ve been ghosted (pun intended) way too many times, making me dread a return to a game that doesn’t respond. Demonologist drew me away because of that, even if it doesn’t have as good a vibe and depth as Phasmophobia. It’s just way more reactive, and I pray to see that improved by the time 1.0 comes around.

This update, aimed to release in the first quarter of this year, is a major step toward 1.0. The latter will also include the “reworked Horror update” once it arrives, bringing an end to what’s been one of the most popular, fun, and interesting early access programs in the history of indie games.

After 1.0, a lot more could be on the way, given that the devs will have made the game feature-complete and ready for further expansion based on a solid gameplay foundation.

The post Phasmophobia promises that 2026 will be one of its best years—but here I am just hoping the voices in the dark will finally talk back appeared first on Destructoid.

Hytale is about to go live on early access, and you can play the game if you’re on a PC.

The upcoming game was on the chopping block last year when Riot Games canceled the project. Since then, things have improved for the better as Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme managed to secure the publishing rights.

While the early access isn’t available for free, joining it is pretty simple.

How to join Hytale early access

Hytale‘s early access version won’t be available on Steam. While the game could appear on Steam in the future, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. If you want to start playing the early access on Jan. 13, your only option is the game’s official website.

There are three different editions available for purchase. All three editions guarantee you instant access to the game, along with a bunch of goodies. But that’s pretty much all you need to do. Go to the website, select your edition, confirm your purchase, and you’re good to go.

Hytale’s early access release date

Hytale is releasing worldwide on Jan. 13 (in early access). It’s only going to be available on PC, and you can only get your copy from the website. As of writing, there’s no confirmation about when we will be able to buy it on Steam (if it appears over there at all).

The main reason, perhaps, has to do with the possible state of the early access version. The official website already has a disclaimer about potential bugs and glitches. If Hytale does arrive on Steam, I believe it will only happen after the game exits early access state in the future.

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