PocketGamer Highlights the Most Anticipated Mobile Games Coming in 2026

Every year, the mobile gaming calendar fills up with ports, spinoffs, and original titles that never quite materialize on time — which is exactly what makes a curated watchlist worth bookmarking. PocketGamer's Jupiter Hadley updated the publication's "Best upcoming mobile games in 2026" guide on March 18, putting together a resource that aggregates announced release windows, pre-registration links, and publisher information for the most notable titles expected to land on smartphones and tablets before the year is out.

The guide doesn't pretend the present is lacking — as Hadley acknowledges, there are already so many great games on mobile that you'd never be able to play every single one. But keeping one eye on the horizon is its own kind of pleasure, and the 2026 pipeline has enough variety to justify the anticipation.

Dragon Quest Smash/Grow: The Roguelike Spinoff Square Enix Fans Didn't Know They Needed

The entry that arrives with the most detail — and the most immediate action to take — is Dragon Quest Smash/Grow, listed as number four on PocketGamer's roster. It's a roguelike mobile spinoff that pulls traditional Dragon Quest elements into a framework built around fast-paced, run-based gameplay. Rather than the methodical turn-based progression longtime Dragon Quest players expect, Smash/Grow plants you in the middle of enemy encounters where screen-covering attacks, movement decisions, and ability management determine whether your run survives or ends.

The loop will feel familiar to anyone who has spent time with mobile roguelikes: each run drops you into a sequence of enemy group encounters, and your toolkit of abilities and your spatial awareness carry more weight than grinding or preparation. The "screen-covering attacks" detail in the game's description suggests spectacle is part of the design philosophy, which makes sense for a franchise that has always leaned into visual drama during combat.

Critically, pre-registration for Dragon Quest Smash/Grow is already open. If missing a launch-day notification is the kind of thing that would genuinely bother you, this is the moment to act. Pre-registration details are accessible through PocketGamer's guide, though specific platform availability (iOS versus Android) and an exact release window weren't confirmed in the current version of the listing.

Neverness to Everness: The Name Everyone Is Watching

Listed at number five, Neverness to Everness carries significant anticipation weight in the mobile community even with minimal detail confirmed in PocketGamer's current entry. The guide names it without an accompanying description in the March 18 update, which itself says something: this is a title whose name alone is enough to earn a spot on a most-anticipated list.

For anyone tracking the broader mobile landscape, Neverness to Everness has been circulating in conversations about ambitious upcoming releases. The lack of a detailed entry in the guide suggests either that information is still limited or that the listing is being held for a future update as specifics become available. It's worth checking back as PocketGamer refines the entry.

Don't Starve Together and Unending Dawn: Two Titles Driving the Hype

The guide's own promotional framing calls out Don't Starve Together and Unending Dawn by name as titles the piece is "looking forward to," positioning them as headline draws for the list. Don't Starve Together's potential mobile arrival would bring Klei Entertainment's beloved cooperative survival game to a platform where its quirky gothic-wilderness aesthetic and collaborative mechanics could reach an entirely new audience. The prospect of managing a shared camp and surviving the darkness alongside a friend on a phone screen has been a genuine talking point in the community.

Unending Dawn is the other named highlight, though like Neverness to Everness, the current research captures the title itself without a full breakdown of genre, developer, or release window. Its presence alongside Don't Starve Together in the guide's own lede framing suggests PocketGamer considers it among the more prominent draws of the year.

What the Guide Tracks and Why That Matters

PocketGamer's approach to this kind of roundup is worth understanding because it shapes how useful the guide actually is as a planning tool. According to the guide's own scope, it aggregates three specific types of information: announced release windows, pre-registration links, and publisher information. That combination means it's built for readers who want to move beyond passive awareness and take concrete steps — whether that's setting a calendar reminder, hitting a pre-register button, or knowing whose social channels to follow for launch updates.

The guide explicitly covers titles expected to arrive "on smartphones and tablets later in 2026," which narrows its focus away from early-year releases already on shelves. If something shipped in January or February, it's more likely to appear in PocketGamer's companion coverage of the best mobile games of 2026 so far, a separate resource updated as of March 2026. The upcoming guide lives in a different lane: it's forward-facing, tracking what hasn't landed yet.

The Broader 2026 Mobile Picture

The mobile platform is in a particularly interesting moment for ambitious releases. The appetite for games that would previously have been console-exclusive — co-op survival titles, open-world RPGs, franchise spinoffs with genuine mechanical depth — has grown alongside hardware improvements in mid-range and flagship devices. Dragon Quest Smash/Grow is a clear example of a major franchise taking mobile seriously as a design space rather than treating it as a secondary port destination.

For players who want to stay current with what's coming, PocketGamer's guide is a live document: the March 18 update reflects the state of announcements as of this week, and it will presumably expand as developers confirm dates and open pre-registration windows for additional titles. Hadley's roundup sits alongside PocketGamer's other 2026 coverage, including a top games like World of Warcraft list and a curated Netflix games guide, suggesting a sustained editorial focus on helping mobile players navigate an increasingly crowded release calendar.

The one certain move right now is Dragon Quest Smash/Grow's pre-registration, which is open and waiting. Everything else on this list is worth monitoring as 2026 unfolds.