Aphelion (video game)

Lore & Background

Aphelion is set in the 2060s, when Earth is becoming uninhabitable. The European Space Agency discovers a new planet named Persephone and enlists two astronauts, Ariane and Thomas, to scout it as humanity's potential new home. After crash landing, they are hunted by a mysterious lifeform called the Nemesis, and must find a way to survive the uncharted planet. The game consists of at least 11 chapters, with the two playable characters having distinctly different gameplay: Ariane's segments are more action-oriented with a focus on traversal and platforming, while Thomas' segments focus on survival and investigation.

The game was developed by the Don't Nod team that created Tell Me Why, in collaboration with the European Space Agency. The planet Persephone was inspired by Planet Nine, and the team was influenced by science fiction films such as Interstellar, The Martian, Ad Astra, and Arrival. Unlike Don't Nod's climbing game Jusant, traversal in Aphelion was designed to be accessible for players, while encounters with the Nemesis were designed to be challenging, inspired by the Alien franchise. The game was formally revealed during the Xbox Game Showcase in July 2025, and released digitally on 28 April 2026, with a physical version set for July 2.

Reader's Guide

Aphelion received 'mixed or average' reviews from critics according to Metacritic, and OpenCritic determined that 33% of critics recommended the game. Despite a production cost of €8.5 million, the game was a commercial disappointment for Don't Nod. Its significance lies in being a linear, third-person action-adventure title with stealth elements from the developer of Tell Me Why and Life is Strange, featuring a sci-fi narrative inspired by real astronomical concepts (Planet Nine) and notable films. The collaboration with the European Space Agency added a layer of authenticity to its setting. The game's mixed reception and commercial underperformance marked a notable outcome for Don't Nod, contrasting with the accessibility-focused traversal design and the challenging Nemesis encounters inspired by the Alien franchise.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
• The planet Persephone was inspired by the hypothetical Planet Nine.
• The production cost for Aphelion was €8.5 million.

Source Context and Scope

The source material available for this encyclopedia entry originates from a Wikipedia index page that catalogues video game releases scheduled for the year 2026. Rather than a dedicated article focused on a single title, the source presents a comprehensive chronological listing organized by quarter of the calendar year. The page functions as a reference document compiling release information across the entire gaming landscape, with each entry potentially noting the responsible developer, the publishing entity, the target operating system, the genre classification, and the specific type of release. This broader contextual framing means that any individual title appearing in the listing would be situated within a much larger ecosystem of simultaneous and sequential launches spanning all four quarters of the year.

Chronological Organization and Structure

The index is structured into four quarterly sections covering January through March, April through June, July through September, and October through December, with an additional category reserved for unscheduled releases that do not yet carry a confirmed date. This quarterly breakdown mirrors the practical reality of the video game industry's release calendar, where publishers and developers tend to cluster their launches around specific windows to maximize market visibility and reduce direct competition. The chronological sorting by release date allows readers to trace the progression of new titles throughout the year in a straightforward linear fashion. The inclusion of a dedicated unscheduled category acknowledges that some projects remain in active development or have not yet committed to a firm launch window, preserving the index's accuracy while still capturing titles known to be in the pipeline.

Categorical Data and Reference Standards

Each entry in the index is designed to provide structured metadata where available, encompassing the responsible developer, the publishing company, the intended operating system or platform, the genre classification, and the specific type of release. This multi-faceted approach to cataloguing enables readers to quickly identify the nature and scope of each title without needing to consult separate reference sources. The page also employs a formal reference system in which primary sources are distinguished within the body text by a double dagger symbol, setting them apart from secondary citations. This typographical convention follows established academic and encyclopedic standards for source attribution, lending a measurable layer of verifiability to the information presented. The notes and references sections at the conclusion of the page further support the index's credibility by documenting the origins of each data point included.

Broader Industry Context

The index page explicitly directs readers to a separate summary article covering the year 2026 in video games as a whole, indicating that the chronological listing is intended to complement rather than replace a narrative overview of the industry's activities during that period. This cross-referencing structure suggests that the index functions as a factual, data-driven companion to more analytical or journalistic treatments of the year's broader developments. By separating the raw listing of individual titles from the contextual discussion of industry trends, the Wikipedia structure allows different types of readers—those seeking specific release dates versus those wanting an interpretive summary—to locate the information most relevant to their particular needs. The page thus occupies a utilitarian niche within the encyclopedia, prioritizing completeness and organizational clarity over commentary or critical assessment of individual releases.