"One major AAA release will be built with AI-generated assets as a core selling point and succeed" — ChatGPT's bold 2026 gaming predictions

Don’t let the constant chatter on X about “gaming being dead” fool you — 2025 was one of the strongest years in recent memory when you look at the sheer number of great games that launched.

Add in the massive debut of the Nintendo Switch 2 (which sold 3.5 million units in just four days), the grand opening of Super Nintendo World in Orlando, Florida, and the genuinely surprising return of Acclaim as an indie games publisher, and you’ve got a year packed with standout releases and jaw-dropping industry moments.

That said, 2025 wasn’t all worth celebrating. Mass layoffs hit major developers and publishers, several highly anticipated titles were canceled (Monolith Productions’ Wonder Woman was going to be biblical — I just know it), and Grand Theft Auto VI slipping out of the year and into fall was a genuine gut punch.

It’s only January, but I’m already wondering what the gaming industry has in store next. So I decided to let ChatGPT play crystal ball and asked it a simple question: “Come up with some grand predictions about the video game industry you think will come true in 2026.”

What came back were some wild guesses — a few that caught me completely off guard, and others that lined up surprisingly well with predictions I’d already been kicking around myself.

ChatGPT predicts a major AAA game will use AI-generated assets — and still be a hit

The first prediction that completely caught me off guard was ChatGPT confidently stating that “one major AAA release will be built with AI-generated assets as a core selling point—and succeed.” It expanded upon that wild projection by noting that the game’s promotion won’t just prop up AI-assisted tools, “but marketing openly touts AI-created environments, NPC dialogue, or quests. The backlash happens, but sales prove most players care more about results than process.”

I just can’t see that happening. It’s one thing when gamers find out about a critically acclaimed game having some form of AI after it’s already garnered huge sales (Arc Raiders’ automated voice acting and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s placeholder AI-generated textures come to mind).

But it’s a whole other thing to see a game prop up the fact that it’s going all in on AI — I can’t imagine gamers being all that welcoming to a major publisher/developer going that route with its game promotion.

Other predictions include a handheld-only hit and a top-tier game from an unexpected publisher

Two of ChatGPT’s other 2026 gaming industry predictions that took me for a loop were the following:

• A breakout hit will be designed primarily for handheld-first play, not consoles or PC. Whether on Steam Deck–class devices or a new portable, a top-10 global title will clearly optimize for short sessions, lower power draw, and flexible input
• A non-traditional publisher (a tech or media company) lands a genuine Game of the Year contender — not a licensed cash-in, but an original IP that seriously competes with established studios, signaling accelerated talent migration.

In today’s market, it’s hard to imagine a publisher going all-in on a handheld-first release. For third-party studios, the safer move is to launch on as many platforms as possible, fully optimized for each. An exclusive title built only for devices like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally just doesn’t feel like the smart play.

As for the next prediction ChatGPT threw my way, it didn’t really stick out as something that could become a reality. While it would be cool and unexpected to see a major tech company like Apple or a major media corporation like Comcast release a highly lauded game, I just can't see that happening anytime soon.

ChatGPT also predicts a studio will admit its project went through development hell

Another one of the predictions that stood out to me was this one: “One top-tier studio publicly admits a major game took over 7 years and still missed internal targets.” While most video game development studios don’t go as far as speaking about falling short of fulfilling goals while creating their next project, they do tend to let gamers know just how long it took to get their game out the door, a few months after finally launching it.

I feel like this ChatGPT prediction is a safe bet—my gut is telling me that the dev teams behind upcoming releases, such as Grand Theft Auto VI, Crimson Desert, and Pragmata, will let everyone know about the lengthy process it took to finish making their major AAA titles.

The takeaway

ChatGPT’s 2026 gaming predictions landed somewhere between “that could realistically happen” and “that feels far less plausible,” especially when you look at how the industry has shifted over the past few years. Safer calls — like live-service fatigue peaking and two high-profile live-service games shutting down early — are easy to imagine. Predictions such as a studio openly marketing a AAA game built with AI-generated assets and still finding financial success feel much harder to buy.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on how the industry evolves this year and revisiting this list to see whether ChatGPT ends up being surprisingly accurate — or way off the mark.

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