What Games Will You Play in 2026?

I recently asked the members of Raging Swan Press’s Patreon campaign what games or editions they were planning to play in 2026.

I’ve been somewhat shocked by the results. Here are the headlines:

  • Shadowdark is more popular than either edition of 5e! 18% of you voted for Shadowdark, 15% voted for 5e (2014), and 10% voted for 5e (2024).

  • 5e (both editions) is still more popular than Shadowdark: 25% plays 18%.

  • OSR and Shadowdark combined crush 5e (both editions): 36% plays 25%.

  • Pathfinder 1 and 2 are neck and neck: 7% plays 7%.

  • Other games are popular: 24% of you are playing something else!

In terms of “categories”, the voting stacked up like this:

  • 5e (Both Editions): 25%

  • Other Games: 24%

  • OSR: 18%

  • Shadowdark: 18%

  • Pathfinder (Both Editions): 14%

The clear winner here is Shadowdark. It is neck and neck with OSR games in general and beats either edition of 5e (but not both combined) in popularity. I’m not one to speculate why this is—I suspect a combination of factors—but it’s an amazing result and one I would not have foreseen.

It’s going to take time to “digest” these results, and I’m super glad I asked this question. I work on Raging Swan Press’s release schedule some time ahead, and I’ll shortly be beginning work on my sinister plan for 2026.

I think it’s a virtual certainty that we’ll start supporting Shadowdark. I’m unsure, though, how to support 5e. The editions are similar (mechanically) but different. The 2024 edition presents certain problems for our campaign worlds—Ashlar is ruled by half-elves, for example, and orcs are the enemy in many of our adventures and supplements. Our OSR and System Neutral books are also here to stay.

That leaves Pathfinder. Since I last asked this question, Pathfinder 2 has not increased its share of the vote at all in percentage terms, while Pathfinder 1 has lost over half its support. That saddens me, as Raging Swan Press started out way back in 2010, exclusively supporting Pathfinder 1. I need to think deeply about the poll’s implications, but what do you think of these results? Let me know in the comments.

QuestionCreighton BroadhurstPatreon, Poll1 Comment