The video games industry is unpredictable. If you'd told us this time last year that a previously unknown French studio would claim game of the year, Battlefield 6 would knock Call of Duty off the top of the annual charts and that Saudi Arabia would buy gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA) we'd have been... sceptical. So you'd have to be very sure of yourself - or very foolish - to try and predict what's going to happen in the year ahead. Luckily, we're not in the crystal ball business here at BBC Newsbeat, but there are a few things we can be confident video game fans should keep an eye on in 2026. GTA 6: Will it actually arrive in 2026?

New consoles used to come out every five years - so where's the PlayStation 6? You used to be able to count the number of years between game consoles on one hand. The original Sony PlayStation came out in the UK in September 1995. Five years later, the PS2 was released and brought with it significant changes. It was a similar story for other consoles but, of late, things seem to have slowed down - which might explain why, as the PS5 hits its fifth anniversary, a potential PS6 is nowhere in sight.

Why does GTA 6 keep getting delayed? When Grand Theft Auto 6 was delayed on Thursday, the famous quote from the series perfectly captured the feelings of many video game fans. It's the second time maker Rockstar Games has told players they'll have to wait even longer for what is likely to be one of the biggest entertainment releases ever. The notoriously perfectionist developer has a history of holding on to its blockbusters until it's happy with them, so the news wasn't a complete surprise. But it has got millions asking what's taking so long, and why. Rockstar Games officially confirmed it was working on GTA 6 in February 2022 and an initial trailer, released almost 18 months later, said it would come out in 2025.

Assassin's Creed Shadows delayed again UbisoftFemale ninja Naoe is one of Assassin's Creed Shadows' two playable protagonists Video game giant Ubisoft has announced a further delay to its upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows. The long-running series is one of the French publisher's flagship franchises, with recent instalment, Valhalla, reportedly making more than 1bn. Assassin's Creed Shadows, set in 16th Century Japan, was due to be released on PC, PlayStation and Xbox last November before an initial delay to February 2025. Announcing the new release date of 20 March, executive producer Marc-Alexis Coté said a "few additional weeks are needed" to ensure the game's launch goes smoothly. Players complained that Ubisoft's major 2024 release, Star Wars Outlaws, was launched with bugs and glitches.

The release of GTA 6 is expected to have an impact on the wider games industry. "I think it will probably be one of those moments where the rising tide is going to lift all of the boats," says George Osborn, consultant and author of the Video Games Industry Memo newsletter. He says a big hit - especially one with the cultural resonance of GTA - can get more people "in the mood to buy video games" and publishers want to capitalise on that. There are other big releases planned for this year - Assassin's Creed Shadows from French publisher Ubisoft, Ghost of Yōtei from Sony and strategy game Civilization VII, to name just three. "The challenge for the developers is how do you keep yourself out of the Grand Theft Auto window?," says George.

After a slow month in the world of video game marketing, things are starting to pick up. The past week has given us a first look at the new Fallout TV show, a few release dates and a trailer for a little game called Grand Theft Auto VI -- and the Game Awards are still to come. What good timing for us to launch a weekly video game show to dig into the news. The Game Awards will go live on Thursday, December 7, at 7:30PM ET. Expect a few hours of game announcements, new trailers, awkward interviews and musical performances, including one by the fictional band from Alan Wake 2. Amazon dropped the first trailer for its live-action Fallout series -- and, man, it sure does look like Fallout.

A day earlier than teased, Rockstar has released the first official trailer of Grand Theft Auto VI, the next installment in arguably the biggest AAA game series. As indicated by a recent teaser image, GTA VI will be set in Leonida, Rockstar's take on Florida, and largely centered on Vice City, the series' stand in for Miami. The game will have a playable female character for the first time in the modern incarnation of the franchise, and we get swampy areas, inspired by Florida's National Park, and almost as swampy strip clubs. It is GTA, after all. The game will launch in 2025.