Aksys Games used Anime Expo 2026 to map out a Switch-heavy slate across RPGs, otome sequels, visual novel adventures, shoot ’em ups, and puzzle games. Here are the confirmed platforms, release windows, and the niche releases to watch.
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Aksys loads the 2026 and 2027 calendar, but Switch gets the spotlight
Aksys Games’ Anime Expo 2026 panel produced a broad new release slate, and the clearest throughline is platform focus: nearly every announced title is confirmed for Nintendo Switch, while Switch 2 appears in the RPG lane and other platforms remain selective or unannounced. According to Aksys’ July 3 press release distributed through Games Press, the company revealed details about its upcoming lineup during its Anime Expo panel in Los Angeles, spanning otome, RPG, shoot ’em up, visual novel, and puzzle adventure releases.
The confirmed new titles include Another Eden Begins, Bounty Sisters, Cthulhu Mythos Adventures, Illusion of Itehari -trail-, Olympia Soirée -Catharsis-, and UNDERGROUNDED. Siliconera and Anime News Network also reported panel updates for previously known Aksys releases Over Requiemz and Tristia: Chronicles, placing them alongside the newly revealed games in the publisher’s 2026 schedule.
That gives Aksys a staggered cadence rather than a single announcement burst: Over Requiemz is listed by Siliconera for August 20, 2026; Tristia: Chronicles for September 17, 2026; Bounty Sisters and UNDERGROUNDED for Fall 2026; Cthulhu Mythos Adventures for Holiday 2026 according to Aksys’ press materials and Anime News Network; and the two otome follow-ups, Illusion of Itehari -trail- and Olympia Soirée -Catharsis-, for Spring 2027. Another Eden Begins has a different wrinkle: Aksys’ panel materials describe a 2027 physical version for Switch and Switch 2, while Anime News Network notes the game is scheduled to debut digitally on September 17 for Switch, Switch 2, and PC.
The release map is useful, but several blanks remain
For players tracking Aksys new games, the practical picture is clear in some places and deliberately unfinished in others. Bounty Sisters is confirmed by Aksys for Nintendo Switch in Fall 2026 as a physical and digital release. Cthulhu Mythos Adventures is listed for Switch in Holiday 2026, also physical and digital, with additional platforms still to be determined according to Aksys’ press release and Anime News Network. Illusion of Itehari -trail- and Olympia Soirée -Catharsis- are both set for Switch in Spring 2027 in physical and digital formats, per Anime News Network and Otaku Study.
UNDERGROUNDED is the one with a narrower public availability note in the supplied reporting. Otaku Study says a physical version is planned for Nintendo Switch in Fall 2026, while Siliconera lists the game for Switch in Fall 2026. The source material does not confirm a price, digital availability, file size, performance target, or any Switch 2-specific version for it.
The biggest timing distinction belongs to Another Eden Begins. Aksys’ Anime Expo listing, as reproduced by Games Press and Anime News Network, frames the 2027 release as a physical version only for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Anime News Network separately states that the game will debut digitally on September 17 for Switch, Switch 2, and PC. That leaves physical collectors with a later window than digital players, and it leaves open the usual retail questions: edition contents, price, upgrade path between Switch and Switch 2, and whether PC will receive any comparable physical or special treatment. None of those details are confirmed in the provided sources.
Another Eden Begins is the RPG anchor, especially for collectors
Another Eden Begins is the largest-scale RPG announcement in the Aksys Games Anime Expo 2026 lineup. Aksys describes it as a time-traveling RPG from Masato Kato, with a story that moves across past, present, and future. The publisher’s materials also cite a fully voiced main story and music from Yasunori Mitsuda and Procyon Studios. Anime News Network identifies Wright Flyer Studios as the developer, while the Aksys copyright line in the Games Press release says the game is developed by WRIGHT FLYER STUDIOS, licensed to and published by Aksys Games.
The mechanical hook Aksys is selling is not only the era-hopping premise. The press release says players can complete the main story, carry powered-up characters into New Game+, and find more than 10 endings based on their actions. For an RPG audience, that suggests a postgame structure built around routing, consequence, and replay rather than a single credits roll. The sources do not spell out combat systems, party size, performance targets, or how the Switch 2 version differs from Switch, so those are still open questions.
The physical release window is also part of the story. Aksys lists the physical version for 2027 on Switch and Switch 2, while Anime News Network reports a September 17 digital debut on Switch, Switch 2, and PC. Anyone primarily interested in playing soon should watch the digital launch. Anyone buying Aksys releases as shelf pieces, or waiting for a Switch 2 cartridge, is looking at 2027 based on the current publisher listing.
The otome announcements are framed as continuations, not throwaway extras
Aksys’ strongest visual novel announcements are Illusion of Itehari -trail- and Olympia Soirée -Catharsis-, both coming to Switch in Spring 2027. Siliconera’s panel report emphasizes that these follow-ups can read closer to sequels than standard fan discs, because both are built around post-original story movement rather than only side material.
Illusion of Itehari -trail- continues after the True Ending of Illusion of Itehari. Anime News Network describes it as a sequel featuring an After Story and a short story collection, with old and new characters appearing in the familiar visual novel format. Otaku Study adds that the characters are rendered using Live2D. The setting remains the walled sky garden that has endured centuries of isolation, but the sequel’s premise points toward political and moral uncertainty after the original game’s revelations. That makes this one a clear sequel watch for players who finished the first game and want consequences, not a reset.
Olympia Soirée -Catharsis- is also confirmed as a sequel. Otaku Study places it two and a half years after the rainbow rainfall, with Tennyo Island changing under a younger generation led by Akaza. The story centers on Olympia as her long-anticipated wedding approaches, only for an Outsider to wash ashore bearing the hair color of the White bloodline. Siliconera notes the setup follows the Akaza storyline and still involves choosing who Olympia marries from past love interests. For otome readers, that means the emotional stakes are tied directly to prior routes and continuity. Newcomers should treat it as a follow-up and consider playing Olympia Soirée first.
Cthulhu Mythos Adventures is the visual novel wild card
Among the visual novel announcements, Cthulhu Mythos Adventures has the sharpest systems pitch. Aksys describes it as a two-in-one collection built around a 2D visual novel and a TRPG-inspired structure where dice rolls decide the player’s fate. Anime News Network identifies Gotcha Gotcha Games as the developer and lists the release for Switch in Holiday 2026, with additional platforms still to be determined.
The collection includes Lunatic Whispers, where players attempt to escape an abandoned hospital, and The Isle of Ubohoth, where the objective is to break a curse placed by a mysterious entity. That pairing gives it a different rhythm than the romance-led otome half of the lineup. The tension here comes from uncertainty, chance, and confinement: a hospital escape, a curse, and tabletop-style dice outcomes inside a visual novel shell.
For niche adventure fans, this is one to keep on the radar precisely because it sits between formats. If the dice-driven TRPG layer is substantial, it could give choice-heavy VN players a more volatile route structure than a conventional branching script. If the implementation is lighter, it may play closer to a horror-themed narrative collection with occasional checks. The sources confirm the concept and included titles, but not how many routes, how fail states work, or how much player agency the dice system adds.
Bounty Sisters and UNDERGROUNDED give the lineup motion and texture
Aksys did not limit the panel to reading-heavy releases. Bounty Sisters, developed by PIXEL Co., Ltd. according to Anime News Network and Aksys’ press materials, is a vertically scrolling shoot ’em up coming to Switch in Fall 2026 as a physical and digital release. Aksys describes it as a slapstick adventure about three bounty-hunting sisters facing a band of villains.
That genre placement matters because it changes the pacing of the lineup. Where the visual novels are built around route pressure and character continuity, a vertical shooter lives or dies on enemy waves, screen readability, scoring tension, and the rhythm of dodging under pressure. The provided sources do not confirm modes, co-op, difficulty options, or performance details, so players who care about arcade precision should wait for hands-on impressions or storefront specifics before buying.
UNDERGROUNDED, meanwhile, is positioned as a puzzle adventure set against nostalgic landscapes of America’s past. 8bit/Digi describes the premise as a young man searching for his ring through an underground maze beneath the streets of Manhattan, and Otaku Study reports that the game uses an ability tied to retro games. A physical Switch version is planned for Fall 2026 according to Otaku Study. It is the quieter announcement, but its setup has the clean shape of an adventure game: a personal object, a buried city, and a journey through spaces that can turn memory into level design.
Which Aksys announcement should be on your radar next
If you follow Aksys primarily for visual novel announcements, the safest short-term watch is Cthulhu Mythos Adventures because it arrives sooner, has a Holiday 2026 window, and brings a TRPG dice layer to the format. If your priority is otome continuity, Illusion of Itehari -trail- and Olympia Soirée -Catharsis- are the heavier long-range bets for Spring 2027, but both appear best suited to players familiar with their original games.
For RPG players, Another Eden Begins is the headline release, especially because Aksys is tying the physical version to both Switch and Switch 2 in 2027. The digital release timing reported by Anime News Network creates a practical split: play digitally on September 17 if platform access is your main concern, or wait for the physical version if collection value matters more.
For action-oriented Switch owners, Bounty Sisters is the one to monitor for footage, control feel, and mode details. For puzzle adventure fans, UNDERGROUNDED has the more unusual premise, but it also has fewer confirmed practical details in the current reporting. Across the full Aksys lineup, the main open questions are exact dates inside the Fall, Holiday, and Spring windows; pricing; additional platforms for Cthulhu Mythos Adventures; and any Switch 2-specific advantages beyond Another Eden Begins being listed for Nintendo’s newer hardware.