<p><strong>Episode 242</strong></p><p>2026 is looking to be an eventful year - between increasing hardware prices, the upcoming Steam hardware, and the ever-looming GTA VI, there's something to consider for just about everybody! Today, we take stock of the games industry in early 2026 and make some predictions for how the year will go. As always, we conclude with the games we're playing (Palworld, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak). This episode was recorded in January 2026. Intro and outro music composed for Gametalk by Dylan Chase.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn</p><p>Or email us at [email protected]</p><p><br /></p><p>Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/369MuzfFy8RB6vFULVY7Zy?si=26cb1639927c4cc8</p><p>YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodcastGametalk</p><p>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastgametalk</p><p>Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podcastgametalk</p><p>Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/podcastgametalk.bsky.social</p><p><br /></p><p>Timestamps:</p><p>0:00 - Opening Banter</p><p>6:41 - Hardware Inflation</p><p>16:21 - Increasing Domination of Free to Play Games</p><p>24:03 - VR's Dwindling Mindshare</p><p>35:10 - Nintendo's 2026</p><p>45:05 - Xbox's 2026</p><p>54:44 - PlayStation's 2026, GTAVI, and Other Upcoming Games</p><p>1:11:22 - Palworld</p><p>1:24:53 - Monster Hunter Portable 3rd</p><p>1:32:36 - Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak</p>