Licensed mobile games have had a complicated history for every success story there are countless forgettable tie-ins that failed to capture what made the source material great. But 2026 is shaping up to be a stronger year than most, with several high-profile TV and film franchises making their way onto mobile platforms with serious development budgets behind them. It is a similar dynamic to what is happening across other areas of mobile entertainment, where darts betting tips and sports content are drawing in audiences who never previously engaged with those formats on their phones. Here is a look at the most anticipated franchise-based mobile games arriving this year and what they are promising to deliver.
Why Licensed Mobile Games Are Improving
For a long time, mobile games based on popular franchises were rushed to market to capitalise on a film’s release window, with little thought given to long-term player retention or gameplay quality. That has been changing. The success of games like Pokémon GO and The Walking Dead: Road to Survival demonstrated that mobile players will invest time and money into a well-made licensed game, and publishers have taken notice.
In 2026, several major studios are approaching mobile not as a secondary market but as a primary platform bringing proper development timelines, experienced studios and genuine IP respect to the process.
Stranger Things: Upside Down An Atmospheric Adventure
Netflix’s collaboration with an independent studio for a Stranger Things mobile title has been one of the more closely watched announcements of the past year. The game is reportedly taking an adventure RPG approach, letting players explore Hawkins and the Upside Down with original storylines that sit alongside the show’s canon rather than simply retelling it.
The decision to hire writers who worked on the original series suggests Netflix is treating this as a genuine extension of the IP rather than a marketing exercise. If the gameplay matches the production values, this could be one of the year’s standout mobile releases.
Dune: Spice Wars Mobile Strategy on the Go
The Dune franchise has seen a significant resurgence following the success of Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptations, and the PC strategy game Dune: Spice Wars has developed a solid fanbase. A mobile adaptation is expected to launch in mid-2026, with a streamlined interface designed for touchscreen play while retaining the core strategic depth that fans of the PC version appreciate.
Resource management, faction politics and the constant threat of sandworms make for a rich strategic environment, and if the mobile port handles the complexity well, it should find a ready audience among fans of both the films and the broader Dune universe.
The Last of Us: Outbreak Survival Mechanics on Mobile
Following the enormous success of HBO’s The Last of Us series, a mobile survival game set in the same universe is generating significant pre-release interest. Early previews suggest a focus on resource scarcity, stealth and the moral complexity that made the original game series so compelling applied to a mobile format that emphasises short, tense play sessions rather than extended campaigns.
The challenge with any The Last of Us adaptation is capturing the emotional weight of the source material. Whether a mobile game can do that remains to be seen, but the early signs from the developer are encouraging.
What to Watch For
Beyond these specific titles, 2026 looks like a year where the gap between console and mobile gaming continues to narrow both in terms of production quality and in how seriously publishers take the platform. Franchise-based games are at the forefront of that shift. The ones that succeed will be those that use their IP as a foundation rather than a shortcut, building games that stand on their own merits while delivering the atmosphere and characters fans already love.
