🔗 Share this article The Year 2026 Dubbed the Age of the Croaking Craze. While I found the recent indie games event was highly engaging, my biggest takeaway was a personal epiphany: I am convinced that 2026 will be the peak period for frogs in video games. A surprising total of five of the featured titles—Frog Sqwad, Stretchmancer, Unshine Arcade, Awaysis, and Big Hops—prominently include these hoppy characters. Given that a collection of frogs is called an army, it appears they are staking their claim. A Legacy of Leaping Croaking characters are anything but new to the world of games. Looking back at titles like Frogger to the beloved froggy chair in Animal Crossing, they have long held a special place. But, their prevalence has markedly increased in recent times. A quick search for "frog game" on Steam unveils an overwhelming flood of results. Although, some of these are novelty titles, a great many are serious titles centered on frogs. Charting the Croak Comeback To quantify this trend, I conducted a detailed review into the past five years of amphibian-themed gaming on Steam. My criteria was admittedly subjective, prioritizing games with frogs in the title or featured in screenshots. The results tell a compelling story: a consistent increase from under 20 titles in 2020 to almost 60 in 2025. This significant surge prompts the question: what's driving this craze? The amphibian's rising status in the broader culture is somewhat evident elsewhere, like the popularity of Frog and Toad as nostalgic figures. Yet, the wave in gaming appears particularly pronounced. Designing for a Sticky Tongue In my opinion, this is a shift I can get behind. Frogs possess natural creative potential for game developers. Charming Creatures: They are incredibly easy to be designed as endearing characters that often become a highlight in any game. Unique Gameplay: Their long tongues and sticky tongues facilitate a wide array of unique mechanics. Several the showcased games directly leverage these traits. Examples include the tongue-grappling in Big Hops and the elasticity-based puzzles of Stretchmancer. On the Cusp of a Croaking Renaissance So, what can we expect in 2026? Given five frog games confirmed for release before the year has even begun—and the possibility for more—the evidence suggests for it to be the largest year yet. If these games find success—and traditionally, games from this showcase tend to succeed—we may indeed be entering a true croaking cultural moment.