Women-Led Games 2026 Showcase

Oh god, it is that time of year again, time to watch a Women-Led Games showcase and have loads of comments poo-poo all over it because men are fragile. This year’s showcase was hosted by Briana White, who’s only really done one big part in a small game series no one has really ever heard of: Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth. Of course, she’s the one who played Aerith Gainsborough, and for the men who didn’t bother playing, she’s the wispy one with the flowers.

We started the showcase off with “games to play right now,” which will be funny in a second, but the first game up was actually a really interesting dark deck-building Rogue-Like based around Blackjack, Black Jacket. The press release last month said, “Trapped in the underworld, the player awakens among other lost souls. The only path to freedom runs through the Ferryman—a price keeper who demands payment in soul coins for passage back to life.” Available on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC now, you can try Black Jacket on Steam with the demo that’s out now too.

So the second game shown was Warframe, but it wasn’t a gameplay trailer and it wasn’t really showing anything off, but apparently it was about the Warframe “Jade Shadows: Constellations” thing. Which doesn’t release until June 17th. Now I’m not saying this is why, but the show is co-hosted by Rebecca Ford (Warframe Creative Director) and Megan Everett (Digital Extremes Community Director). Sure, whatever makes you happy.

Also available now is Luna Abyss, an FPS bullet hell platformer with very dark sci-fi themes. Also available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, I still look at it and say “nah, I’m fine.” If you’re still to be sold, though, there is supposed to be a demo.

Following that, we got a showcase of a creative sandbox sim from Henry Driver, Rianna Suen, and Halime Karaca: Treeplanter: Plant Real Trees. Basically, the premise in selling this one is that with each copy of the game sold, a real tree will get planted. The team has joined up with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust to bring new biomes to the game in the future, which is a good idea, but no time was given on that. Treeplanter is available now with a discount, but normally it is $3.99.

After that, we got a look at something else by Digital Extremes that, well, also isn’t out now. Indeed, I am also confused. The only two notes I have before I realized it was another game by Digital Extremes were two comments on the trailer: “Oh, ex-preggo” and “Riding a wolf into battle is a bold choice.” Instead of a sci-fi-centered world, Soulframe is more central to a fantasy action RPG world, with all the tropes you expect to see. No release date, no platforms, just included in that “games that are out now” segment for a reason I can’t explain.

Going from one thing I don’t understand to something I’ve repeatedly stated I don’t understand, On-together. Released back in January, this is a desktop companion/life-sim game that is centered around “playing” with friends who are also supposed to be doing work. Personally, the whole point of working from home is that you don’t kill your co-workers, but that’s just me.

However, it wasn’t just another showcase of the muted pastel colors and weird ideas that I, as an old man, don’t understand; there is also a “Summer Studies” DLC, so instead of being outside and reading a book in the park lying on friends, you can do that in a game. Which is out now… I don’t feel so good Mr. Stark.

From bright but muted pastels to something rather horror-shaped. Released just last week, Acrobatic Chirimenjako’s Schrödinger’s Call is a play on the Schrödinger’s Cat theory in the form of a millennial’s worst nightmare: A phone call. Being serious for a moment, it is about those calls you didn’t make to those whom you wish you did/could one last time. Schrödinger’s Call is a nice idea, but as someone who is selective of visual novels, I’m still on the fence.

The final game of the “Games out now,” albeit with a Digital Extremes-style asterisk, was Rhell: Warped Worlds & Troubled Times. I’ll keep this one short: Rhell is a puzzle-based Metroidvania out now on Steam with a demo also available. However, this showcase was more about the latest update back in May, the “randomizer update” lets you randomize your start, what currency is required, and even locations of major areas in-game. An interesting idea for a puzzle game.

Following that, we got a look at “Games designed to keep you smiling,” and we started with another game that released last week, Trackastrophe! Put simply, it is Snake for anyone who is autistic. Is that offensive? Possibly. Is it entirely wrong? No. Colorful, bright, and a little interesting, this wholesome version of the Nokia classic (kinda) certainly has me in two minds to pick up Trackastrophe! or its demo.

Going from wholesome to a health risk of priapism, I nearly knocked the table over seeing a bit of Spooky Rabbits’ Model Kit Studio. Published by Mythwright (that’s for my editor) this hobby sim model kit building game doesn’t have a set release date, but does have a 2027 release window and requests are open to playtest right now.

If the prior one didn’t blow out my editor’s eardrums when I saw it, the email I got before seeing Letter Lost got its release date certainly did so. Previously being delayed from a May 27th release date I didn’t know about (thank you, PR people), the new release is June 10th, and I can’t be happier. FlatNine Games’ Letter Lost sees you manage a post office alone, and you can totally leave whenever you want, just so long as you figure out how to. A bit of a mystery-horror, there is a somewhat obvious theme, but I do like the aesthetic.

Another that we’ve seen before is Arcane Eats, but once again we’ve got a demo for this one that has been updated to add a second week to complete. Arcane Eats is that weird little deck-building cooking game where you feed fantasy characters such as goblins, fairies (we can’t call them that anymore; it’s June), elves, and so on. Completing the two second weeks lets you face off with a new judge, Julia Cragchild. No release date yet for Arcane Eats, but we do see a “2026” window on the Steam page.

The next one really disappointed me, because I thought it was going to be a fun, short, but light RPG-ish thing that I would enjoy. Then it was another Survivors-like, and I was ready to shout some very rude words about the fantastically named Dungeons & Daddies: BDSM. The trailer showcases the cast of the D&D podcast Dungeons & Daddies season 1 on a road trip with their kids, when suddenly the kids are kidnapped by mythical monsters, and the titular daddies have to BDSM: Bad Dads Survive Monsters. No release date, and the trailer notes to wishlist on Steam, but there is no Steam page.

What does have a Steam page, however, is Thogli Studios’ Horses of Hoofprint Bay. A horse management/caring game with a very hand-drawn art style, you will maintain, train, and keep your horses entertained in this 2D point-and-click title. No release date, but there is a demo available right now for those of us (myself included) who aren’t entirely sold yet.

From one horsey game to another, Barbie’s Horse Ride & Rescue, which I didn’t know was releasing in two weeks on the 16th. Right in the middle of the World Cup. Some of us are horse girlies and football fans. Doesn’t matter anyway, that’s just for mobile; Barbie Horse Ride & Rescue will release on PC and Switch 2 in 2027. Also, just for those that seem to be pushing this, you might have seen on social media that this is the same game with horse bollock physics from Red Dead Horse 2, which is the horse plop-plops, because it is reportedly just the same physics engine.

The next one I liked mostly because of the presenter, which can go mostly unspoken as to why, but also the game itself. Reliable Plumbing Services’ Fallosophy is a pinball philosophy game, kinda. It is a two-button, single-player or co-op pinball game on maps that explores the history of Western philosophy. Just a release window of Q3 2026 and a demo out now, but of course you can wishlist this one on Steam too.

From there, after a game that can be played in multiplayer, we move to games with a somewhat multiplayer focus, starting with Mixed Realms Pte Ltd’s 13Z: The Zodiac Trials. 13Z is a team-focused (but can be played in single-player) action Rogue-like hack & slash with a beautiful anime art style to it. The focus of 13Z is for you to effectively become the 13th Zodiac in eastern mythology. Believe it or not, even I am looking at this one ahead of its Q4 2026 release, but its demo is also available right now until the 25th.

I won’t spend too much time on this next one because it is out now, it is free, and it is a very basic update for it. Draw, Draw, Pass! is a kind of Pictionary-esque thing that is free-to-play, sure, but also has a paid NSFW DLC for perverts. The latest update, in collaboration with Women-Led Games, adds a bunch of new stuff to the avatar creator. Because that’s highly important, of course.

However, the team at Lucky Roll Studio also noted its next project from them, The Witches’ Whisk. One part cooking sim to one part Diner Dash, you play as a witch whose whisk is her wand. No release date, no demo at the time of writing, but it has reportedly been in development since 2024. Honestly, I don’t know how this one falls in the multiplayer thing, but sure.

Moving back to something that is ostensibly a multiplayer-focused thing, We Were Here Tomorrow is the next game from Total Mayhem Games. Total Mayhem are the devs behind co-op asymmetrical adventure series We Were Here, with previous titles Together, Forever, Too, and simply We Were Here back in 2017. The latter of which is free. No release date just yet, though there is a 2026 release window, but there is a June 15th release for the demo, which will presumably disappear again on the 25th, so be quick about it.

Away from something that I would actually play for a little bit, we got another look at Roboto Games’ Stormforge. No solid release date for this one other than coming to early access in 2026, but you can request access to the playtest on the Steam page. Stormforge is a 1-8 player survival crafting game set in a hostile fantasy world that is actively going to try and frustrate you.

Following that, we got another look at a game that was only promoting a demo for the 15th, Hawthorn. That is the really pretty anthropomorphic sandbox RPG by the ex-Bethesda dev. Really pretty, really nice, but I want to play in the Hundred Acre Wood proper when I do play it. Still no release date yet.

The penultimate multiplayer showcase is Wala Interactive’s couch co-op party game, Spook-a-Boo. Top-down cartoon Ghostbusters. There is no better way to explain it in whole. No release date just yet, but there is a demo available now. However, when Spook-a-Boo does release, it will be on Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and of course, PC via Steam.

If that was underwhelming to have no release date, Loftia won’t make you any happier. This was just a trailer showcasing the cozy life-sims MMO-ish thing. It was quite literally built to “Wishlist on Steam.” Thanks, your 12 billion other showcases didn’t do that enough. There is a 2026 release window, but a release window is like a promise from a politician.

After that, we finally got to see Rebecca Ford (Warframe Creative Director) and Megan Everett (Digital Extremes Community Director), our co-hosts, as they introduced the next grouping: “Powerful narratives and unforgettable storytelling,” to which I need to point out that I always forget Warframe is a thing until these showcases. I’m not getting invited to the Digital Extremes Christmas party, am I?

Next up was an odd one for a women-led showcase, but much like an Avril Lavigne love interest in 2002, I will be a burger Boi in Maschief Makers Studio’s Burger Bois. No release date for you to take over Patty’s life owning a failing burger van, but you can play the demo that’s out now.

Following that, we got a short trailer showcasing the decoration mode (not a story element) for Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker. Thankfully, this one does have a release date of June 9th, this Tuesday coming. There is also a demo available right now of Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker.

This next one I couldn’t really understand as being a story-driven experience, mostly because it seems to be a collect-a-thon-thing. Portabellows is the first game from developer Let Us Cook Games where you are exploring a whimsical island to make a pie. However, you are doing so as a little old granny, and I mean very little, as she’s smaller than some fruits and berries in-game. Set to release sometime in 2026, you don’t have to wait that long, as Portabellows also has a demo available right now.

I swear, Pixel Chest Storyworks, if you kill off that old woman one of those weeks, I am going to write a strongly-worded and tear-soaked letter to your publisher telling them how you should be getting all the money. Up next was one of those well-lit voxel/pixel art styles for Every Wednesday, a story game where you play as Hideki and possibly fall in love with the lovely young woman featured all throughout the trailer. Sadly, no demo for this one, and even more sad, we have to wait until February 2027 for Every Wednesday.

Three guesses why I instantly showed my editor, Alexx, this one. Duck ‘n’ Run Games’ first title, Light of Atlantis is a 2D puzzle metroidvania where you move through levels as different robots. Oddly enough, though again will make my editor very happy, this one is set to release in November of 2026. It is very pretty. I’m excited to see more from Light of Atlantis, but if you can’t wait, there is a demo available right now.

From that to what I’ve described is a “story-driven chat game with gay men.” I mean, they all dress like a Final Fantasy character or a particular type of They/Them in A Date with Death 2: Remnants, so it is fair. The sequel to the free-to-play A Date with Death, it is more of that visual novel dating sim thing. Only a release window of Q1/February 2027, there is also a demo available right now.

I am just waiting on those people who got angry at Palworld to say this one was stealing the Axolotl from Pokémon. Still TBA on the release, Dungeons and Dinner Tables is a cozy dungeon-crawling action Rogue-lite about a charming little Axolotl building a home. There is, however, a demo available right now for Dungeons and Dining Tables.

Ok, I’ll do my best to quote my note for Toada Brava: “‘eff me! Mickey is taking the divorce hard.“ Also featured in the Latin American Games Showcase as Asteristic Game Studio and Mateus Grazina are based in Brazil. This is a weird and wonderful little turn-based RPG with timed attacks (Mario, who?) with a lot of influence from classic turn-based RPGs, especially in the soundtrack. We’ll have to see this one in the future, as there is no release date for Toada Brava.

This is a theme that continues with our next offering, Vale’s Echo. You play as Vale, who is on the train to death’s HQ, but sadly for her, there is no replacement bus service when she’s thrown off the train and into the forest of the underworld. Vale now needs to make it to the HQ of Death herself it seems while confronting all the repressed stuff she’s buried inside herself before now. Oddly enough, this one is described as a “cozy horror adventure.” No release date yet, just a 2027 window, though there is a demo.

I can’t make heads nor tails of this next one, and it doesn’t have a release date, so we’re both in the dark on it for as long as it stays like this. Positive Impact Games’ The Regreening is one of those eco-friendly farming sim-ish things where you try to rebuild the ecosystem after we’ve ruined it by driving sports cars and eating cheese. There is a playtest you can sign up for on Steam, but the release date is TBA at the moment.

The final game of the segment is something that Alexx covered a few weeks ago, and I still don’t really like it. I like the idea of Purple Ray Studio’s Koshmar: The Last Reverie, but the logo annoys me because of the stylization on the H. But also the art style: there are screenshots and gameplay footage where the game looks too dark, and all the dark colors blend together to make the overall thing look uninteresting. Then elsewhere it looks really interesting. Koshmar: The Last Reverie is a weird one with no release date and no demo.

After talking about sponsors, we moved on to more horror, with a dedicated horror segment. Starting with Unseal, something else with no demo or release date, but does have you play as a child with a lot of bright ideas. That’s a joke that you only get if you actually look at the game. Developed by the creatively named The Unseal Team, you can wishlist Unseal now on Steam and request access to the playtest too.

Did you ever have those nightmares where you were left alone somewhere as a child? Yeah, nah, me neither! Ant Parade Interactive’s first game, Rest Stop, is a horror game about being left at a rest stop on the highway at night in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. Yeah, sorry, my underpants are telling me that I need to go somewhere else when Rest Stop releases on December 28th. Oh what a holy jolly time you’ll be having, alone, without me, doing whatever it is you’ll be doing, alone, completely alone.

From something I have absolutely no interest in, to “give it to me now!!!!!” Lily’s World XD is something I’ve been screaming about for ages, and it finally has… a demo. Yeah, I’m as sad as you. In Lily’s World XD you play as someone who has discovered Lily’s laptop, and you go through the teenage woman’s diary, messages with friends, and piece together all the horrible details of the events that lead to the psychological horror climax of the story. All in a very colorful and pink-tinted version of Windows XP. I love it!

Another that’s presented to be a psychological horror, but set in 1920s England (what a dump!) House of Saturn is a more typical horror in that vein. It is another one of those faux-PS1-style horror games that uses the dated look to bring about the mystery more than anything else. I like the style, but I think I need to see something else to really sell me on it. More importantly, no release date yet, but you can request playtest access on Steam.

Up next was Curse of the Eastern European Idol, kinda. I’ve had Inkblood on my wishlist for a while now, and we’ve finally got a 2026 release window, so I can’t wait for this weird horror-themed investigation with very off-putting art. It is great, I love it. As I say, no specific release date and no demo yet.

One that’s more David’s speed as I look at the screenshot of the gaping anus that thousands of bodies have been thrown down. Inferius is another card-based Rogue-like that’s very dark fantasy, mostly because of the Lovecraftian tag that it brands itself with. One half card game, another half first-person stealth dungeon explorer- I don’t know who this one is really aimed at, if I’m honest. It is weird and has no release date, but it does have a demo so you can throw another couple of bodies down the gaping anus of whatever hell this happens to be.

After that horrible image and thought, we move on to the games that were made with the Girls Make Games program and go with only games that are out now, too. First up was Find me, released in 2020, this is a platformer where you play as a shadow avoiding the light so that you can be reunited with your person.

Also released in 2020, Shredded Secrets is a 2D platformer where you encounter a load of people in middle school who are going through their own battles. “Be kind; Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,” as the blurb notes. Probably one that’s been passed over for how simple it looks, but it is a cool idea.

The third and final one of this bunch comes from 2022: What They Don’t Sea. A platformer (again) about exploring the ocean and seeing the wonders that others don’t see… self-explanatory, that one. All three of these Girls Make Games published and co-developed titles are available now on Steam and Itch.io.

The third from the end bundle is one that I think everyone will enjoy, the pets one. “Play as 10-year-old Jimin as you navigate elementary school social dynamics, middle child struggles, and more,” noted the press release I got after the show talking about Come to my Party! A visual novel-style game about a kid’s experience inviting other kids to their party. Set in Korea in the 90s, this coming-of-age piece is solo-developed and adorable. Come to my Party! is set to release sometime in Q4 of 2026 and has a demo out now.

From animals that are loveable, and colorful to a title that’s less inviting, RatScum. In RatScum, you play as an adorable little rat who has fallen into the sewers and must find your way back home, but to do so you have to sniff and scurry your way there as you piece together the larger plot. It is a really nice idea with a lot going for it, but it is one you’ll just have to wishlist for now as RatScum doesn’t have a release date and doesn’t have a demo either.

Going back to the PS1 wannabe art style, Milmotes’ Darkbound sees you play as a cat in a hospital that you and others must escape from. Oh how cozy, a survival horror with adorable cats. No release date for Darkbound yet, but there is a demo out now on Steam.

I won’t mince words, Among Cats. Meowstery Wisp is a multiplayer social deduction game that is 1000% just Among Us but with cats. Set to release into early access in Q3 of 2026, you also don’t have to wait that long to confirm Meowstery Wisp is Among Cats as there is a demo out now.

Let’s keep that theme going of keeping things short, as Puppergeist got a release date, and I am so glad because I don’t want to talk about it again anytime soon. Releasing July 16th, this “journey through the Doggie Underworld” is a “heartwarming rhythm visual novel.” I don’t have much time for rhythm games at the best of times, never mind visual novel variants. Go buckwild on PC, Xbox, and Switch too.

My first note was very much a roller coaster of emotions: “Work simulator, why isn’t this in the horror section? Oh, it is one of them!!!” Last year I got into the whole desktop companion thing with Idle Waters – which is fantastic by the way – so I am a little more receptive of these things when they are their proper purpose, and by jove, Tiny Capsule Collector is just that. Developed by Playing Mantis, you place little gumball machines with mystery-box capsule things and passively generate in-game money to buy more by cute animals also buying the capsules. No release date, but there is a demo it is good.

From excitedly talking about a game to not so much about Jade Meadows’ upcoming Blue Ridge Hunting. A “co-op horror game set in the Appalachian Mountains.” As I said last year (I think), co-op and horror don’t work because I am trying to entertain the other person; thus, the horror isn’t proper horror. Blue Ridge Hunting will be releasing into early access this August though, but if you can’t wait that long, there is a demo.

The next one simply got the note quoting the blurb: “’A cozy life sim set in the mystical afterlife of Ancient Egypt,’ Ok, paint Alexx intrigued.” That boy will snort anything you give to him that’s got a hint of Egyptology, and Fields of Aaru is a cozy life sim set in the bloody thing. No release date yet for Fields of Aaru, though Alexx will probably keep you posted on that front, but there is a demo available now on Steam and it looks quite nice.

I might need two or three paragraphs on this one because I’ve got a feeling it will be delayed or come with a hefty warning about something. Taste of Heaven is set to release in “early 2027,” but one of the character designs is a little circumspect. My note simply reads, “So you’ve gone with a very black character with thick reddish-purple lips? Florence Kate Upton would like a word about her racist depiction of Black folks being used without her permission.” An allusion to a character of Upton’s books that is characterized by its minstrel show-like depiction.

Listen, I get it, not everyone knows that particular problematic characterization, especially now as people sweep their parents’ and grandparents’ racism under the rug. Both Robertson’s and Cadbury sold products with that depiction into the 80s, though. Sure, not everyone knows about that particular anti-black caricature, but it is the response and acknowledgment to that sort of depiction that matters now, more than never acknowledging it. This isn’t to say developer Chromatic Dream or publisher Thousand Generation have ill-intent with that character, but it would be easy for someone upon release to draw that conclusion.

As for what Taste of Heaven is, well, it is a 2D cooking RPG “with a pinch of Rogue-lite.” Other than a questionable depiction, there isn’t really much to say against it. Taste of Heaven looks like it could be quite good, and the demo released last November has decent reviews. At the time of writing, I am going to try to reach out to both the developer and the publisher to get a comment on this.

Drastically changing tone back to normal, Short Short Fiction is a series of short stories in a game that creates a larger narrative. An interesting concept, but it tries to mimic the early GameBoy era and might put some off. Short Short Fiction is set to release sometime this year, but there is a demo out now.

Something about games having in-world reality TV that characters are competing in is a fun idea to me. Even if Melbot’s co-op action hack & slash Rogue-lite, GodsTV, isn’t for me. No demo and no release date. Have fun with that one!

You know this one went straight on my wishlist and won’t be removed for love nor money. DigiTales Interactive showed off its 2027 detective adventure game, From Ruins – A Detective Adventure. Yeah, it was sort of in the name that one. Very pixel-y, that isn’t usually my thing, but oh my god it looks so good for it. No demo, which makes me a sad detective, but I am hoping we get to see more of this one in the future, and we get hands-on next year.

Another mystery, this time in Northern China. Developed by Lofty Sky Entertainment, Hope in the City is a puzzle mystery game where you play as 17-year-old Hope Song, who returns home to find the apartment trashed and her parents missing. No release date here, nor a demo. We’ll just have to wishlist Hope in the City in the meantime.

The final stint of games, these were characterized by being visually interesting games. First up was Abigail, a handmade world that’s really made out of anything. No release date for Hapshapen Games’ upcoming title, but absolutely something you will want to wishlist if you like weird-looking games.

No release date for Frieda is Changing either, I’m afraid. There are only three games releasing this year, as far as I know. A “fun-horror point & click adventure” where you play as a 14-year-old, this is what I think a Tracy Beaker game would look like. That is a reference for about three people, and I am sticking with it because I’ve been working on this for hours. There is a demo out now for Frieda is Changing.

There is also a demo for the next game, but also a Q3 release window for this year, for our next game. Burn With Me is the game from Nozomu Games, a “story-centric deck builder filled with cozy dread and occultic mysteries.” Indeed, there are some witchy goth women who just had their fake pointy ears prick up.

I don’t know how to feel about the next one, mostly because the art made me think it was Spanish for some reason. Baba Yaga Games (hint that it is Eastern European) are developing Job Fit For a Devil, where a little devil-ish imp character does lots of little jobs at the service of Peter the Great. That’s your hint that it is Russian-developed, I guess. No release date, no demo, but certainly a distinct art direction you don’t often see.

Another that’s set to release sometime this year. Lucky Punk: A Push Your Luck Deckbuilder is a Rogue-like deck builder set during the apocalypse where you play as a punk who goes out to get supplies for the group. A fine idea with just a vague 2026 release window, there is a demo out now to try.

The penultimate game and the final game with a demo, Micromega by COVEN is a 2D physics puzzle adventure that I had wishedlisted before you even got the first letter of the title. From a weird art style to the gameplay being physics-based, it is everything I love. I don’t love the lack of a release window, but I’ll just stick with the wishlist for now.

The final game is another Pictionary game, but with junk from other objects. Perfect Day Studio’s We, Junk Artists is set to release in August of 2026 and it is a co-op “’collage-and-guess’ multiplayer game for up to 6 players.” Of course, no demo, but we told you that already.

That’s it, that’s the Women-Led Games summer showcase for 2026. A few interesting games, for one reason or another, but tell us below what caught your eye the most! We’ve also linked the full showcase below if you’re interested in seeing it.