Per usual, I’m wrapping up the last couple weeks of GAMA Expo 2026 coverage with my take on what games and trends made my short list at GAMA Expo 2026. This year, there was a lot to take in as the floor featured a robust exhibit hall with hundreds of game lines (see “Attendance Record“). However, there were a few trends that seemed to be consistent across the floor as well as a few game lines that looked like potential hits at retail. Let’s begin with the trends:
Bigger Isn’t In. The most consistent trend on the floor this year was that big box games were not in favor. This trend was highlighted by the number of publishers, who usually showcase $60 to $80 games, that have switched mid-stream to offering up games that are around $20 to $40. This trend is likely driven by production and shipping costs rising steadily into 2026, but it also has a little to do with game consumers wanting more casual, inexpensive, and faster-to-play games at the moment. For the time being, the smaller box games are in.
IP Polyamory. Licensing has been a big deal in the games industry, especially in the post-pandemic era. The licensors used to be particular about the game companies they got in bed with. But lately, IP holders seem to be coupling with multiple publishing partners at the same time (see “Licensees“). One of the main perpetuators of this trend in the games space appears to be Paramount Consumer Products; TMNT and Avatar: The Last Airbender are just everywhere.
Collectible Cardboard Critical Mass. The most obvious trend on the floor was the number of companies that are either producing TCGs, looking to produce a TCG, or offering TCG accessories is just exploding. Everyone wants a piece of the multi-billion dollar pie built by Pikachu, Jace, and more recently, the Straw Hat crew. TCGs are clearly approaching critical mass in the games space, but unfortunately, we won’t know where the top end of this category’s sales are until the trend reverses. As of now, there is really no sign of the trend slowing down.
That about does it for trends. Here are what the hot games were on the floor (broken out by category):
Miniatures. In general, the miniatures space isn’t in great place right now. Tariffs raised prices and put the hurt on a bunch of different publishers. All that said, the hottest game on the floor was a miniatures game. Gundam Assemble, a miniatures game that uses Gunpla models to play (see ” ‘Gundam Assemble’ Initial SKUs“), was the talk of the show. Gunpla were already a hot commodity on their own, but now that you can use them to play a game, that adds a whole other dimension popularity to the product line.
TCGs. The top pick in this category is Cyberpunk TCG. Initially, I was incredibly skeptical of the popularity of the Cyberpunk license as a viable TCG license after the botched Cyberpunk 2077 video game launch in 2020 (see “Sony Pulls ‘Cyberpunk 2077’“). But since then, the license has gained incredible amounts of steam; fueled by the Netflix series, the release of the Phantom Liberty DLC, and Dark Horse’s comics line. At the show, Weird Co. previewed the game for ICv2, and the card treatments are gorgeous. The crowdfunding campaign, upon launch the other day, has already broken records, so I’m confident this one is a winner (see “$10 Million“).
Board Games. Many publishers in this category were in a state of flux at GAMA this year (moving from big box to small box; also, still releasing games pending from 2025). There weren’t too many games that were apparent potential hits. The best big box board game I saw was Gunsen: The Battle For Toshi Ranbo (see “Office Dog’s ‘L5R’“), but I might be a little biased based on my history with the L5R IP and my deep love for Clan War. The Dungeon Crawler Carl Unstoppable game from Renegade Game Studios also looks like a surefire winner as in the deck-builder category. As for smaller games, Flip 7: With A Vengeance will probably sell well.
RPGs. All one really needs to know about RPGs for 2026 is three words: Dungeon Crawler Carl (see “‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’“). This is the game that merges LitRPGs into the TTRPG audience, and it will be epic. Aside from all that, the zine scene is on the upswing, but this is a volume game for retailers, similar to comics sales (can’t stock just a few; having a sprawling variety of different zines is key to generating solid sales).
Well, that’s it until next year. Off to Gary Con!
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