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Although I thoroughly enjoyed the recent developer-focused presentation was a delight to watch, my main revelation was not the intended one: I am convinced that 2026 will be the unrivaled era for frogs in video games.

A surprising total of five of the highlighted projects—Frog Sqwad, Stretchmancer, Unshine Arcade, Awaysis, and Big Hops—incorporate these leaping protagonists. Given that a band of frogs is called an army, it seems they are staking their claim.

A Legacy of Leaping

Amphibians have been anything but new to the gaming landscape. Looking back at titles like Frogger to the iconic froggy chair in Animal Crossing, they have enjoyed a cult following. Yet, their popularity has seemingly increased in recent times.

A quick search for "frog game" on Steam yields an absolute deluge of results. While, some of these are novelty titles, a great many are legitimate Frog Games.

Tracking the Tadpole Trend

To quantify this trend, I undertook a detailed review into the recent history of amphibian-themed gaming on Steam. My methodology was somewhat arbitrary, focusing on games with frogs in the title or prominently displayed in screenshots.

The findings tell a compelling story: a steady increase from under 20 titles in 2020 to almost 60 in 2025.

This notable escalation prompts the question: where is this interest coming from? The amphibian's growing prominence in the broader culture is somewhat apparent elsewhere, for example the revival of Frog and Toad as Gen Z icons. But, the trend in gaming appears uniquely powerful.

Designing for a Sticky Tongue

In my opinion, this is a trend I can fully endorse. Frogs have inherent creative potential for game developers.

• Unique Characters: They are ideally shaped to be designed as quirky characters that often become a highlight in any game.
• Dynamic Mechanics: Their stretchy limbs and prehensile tongues lend themselves to a wide array of unique mechanics.

A number of the showcased games smartly employ these traits. Examples include the tongue-grappling in Big Hops and the elasticity-based puzzles of Stretchmancer.

The Leap Into 2026

So, what can we expect in 2026? Given five frog games already announced before the year has officially commenced—and the possibility for more—the trajectory is clear for it to be the biggest year yet.

Should these games are received positively—and based on past trends, games from this showcase tend to succeed—we could very well be on the verge of a full-blown amphibian entertainment revival.