John Wick Video Game Announced: Everything We Know So Far
Lionsgate and Bithell Games gave us John Wick Hex back in 2019. It was a timeline-based strategy game.
February 28, 2026 · 8 min read
Mom of two, gamer for life. I find the best games you can actually finish between school runs and bedtime stories.
Lionsgate and Bithell Games gave us John Wick Hex back in 2019. It was a timeline-based strategy game. It was fine. But let's be honest: nobody who watches John Wick leave a nightclub littered with 47 bodies thinks, "You know what this needs? Turn-based tactics." The franchise deserves a game that matches the raw, technical intensity of the films. And based on what's been announced, we might finally be getting one.
A new John Wick game is officially in development, and the early details suggest something far more ambitious than Hex. Here's everything we know so far, what the announcement tells us about the direction, and why this could either be incredible or a disaster.
What's Been Announced
John Wick Hex
Bithell Games · Good Shepherd Entertainment
Oct 8, 2019
John Wick Hex is the first John Wick PC/console game inspired by Lionsgate’s hit action franchise. From acclaimed Game Director, Mike Bithell (Volu…
The announcement came with a brief teaser and a handful of confirmed details. The game is being developed as a third-person action title with a heavy emphasis on close-quarters combat and gunplay. That alone is a massive departure from Hex's overhead strategy approach. This time, you're in the action. You are John Wick, not a chess player moving him around a board.
Platforms confirmed include PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. No Switch 2 announcement yet, though that could change depending on the scope of the final product. The teaser showed brief glimpses of environments that looked like the Continental hotel and what appeared to be a subway station fight sequence. Very on-brand.
No release date has been pinned down. The announcement positioned the game as "in active development," which in industry terms means anywhere from 18 months to three years out. My best guess, based on the state of the teaser footage and typical announcement-to-release timelines, is late 2027 or early 2028. Don't hold your breath for a 2026 release.
The Developer Situation
The studio attached to this project hasn't shipped a game of this scale before, and that's worth paying attention to. In the action game space, execution is everything. You can have the best concept document in the world, but if the combat doesn't feel right at 60fps, none of it matters.
That said, the team reportedly includes veterans from studios with strong action game pedigrees. When I see resumes that include work on character action games and third-person shooters, I get cautiously optimistic. The talent exists. The question is whether the studio structure, budget, and timeline give that talent room to deliver.
Compare this to how Hex was developed. Bithell Games is a small, focused studio that made a game within their wheelhouse. John Wick Hex wasn't trying to be a AAA action spectacle. It was a clever, lower-budget interpretation of the franchise that leaned into strategy. It had good ideas. The presentation was stylish. But the actual moment-to-moment gameplay felt disconnected from what makes John Wick, well, John Wick. You were always one step removed from the action.
This new project is clearly swinging for something bigger. Bigger scope means bigger risk.
What the Gameplay Needs to Get Right
Here's where I put on my competitive player hat, because this matters more than anything else about this game. John Wick's combat in the films is defined by a few very specific things: gun fu that blends martial arts with firearms, environmental improvisation, and a relentless sense of flow. Wick doesn't stop moving. He transitions between targets with surgical precision. Every reload is a tactical decision. Every piece of furniture is a potential weapon or piece of cover.
Translating that to a game is genuinely difficult. Most third-person shooters treat melee and gunplay as separate systems. You're either shooting or you're punching, and the transition between them is clunky. A John Wick game needs those systems to be one continuous language. You should be able to grab an enemy, use them as a shield, pop two targets with a pistol, throw the empty gun at a third, and pick up a shotgun off the floor without ever breaking stride. That's a massive design challenge.
The closest any game has come to this feel is probably the Sifu and Max Payne combination. Sifu nailed the martial arts flow and the sense of learned mastery through repetition. Max Payne nailed the slow-motion gunplay and cinematic violence. A John Wick game needs to merge those sensibilities and add its own identity on top. If the combat has a skill ceiling that competitive players can push against, where perfect play looks like a choreographed movie scene, this game will have legs. If it's just another cover shooter with a Wick skin, it's dead on arrival.
What About the Story?
The films have built a surprisingly deep world. The Continental, the High Table, the coins, the rules. There's genuine lore here that a game could explore in ways the movies haven't had time for. The teaser hinted at a story set within the existing timeline rather than a sequel or prequel, which opens up some interesting possibilities.
Personally, I'd love to see a game set during Wick's prime years, before the events of the first film. The mythology around his "impossible task" has been referenced but never shown. Letting players experience the job that built his legend could be compelling, and it would free the developers from having to work around the films' plot points.
That said, story is secondary for this kind of game. Nobody played Devil May Cry 5 for the narrative. The story needs to be good enough to provide context and motivation, but the gameplay loop is what will determine whether people are still playing six months after launch. Give me tight mechanics, escalating challenges, and a scoring system that rewards stylish play. The story can be a nice bonus.
The Competitive Angle
One thing the announcement didn't address is multiplayer, and I think that's a missed opportunity if it stays that way. The John Wick universe is full of assassins competing for contracts. A multiplayer mode where players hunt each other across Continental-style environments, with the same deep combat system, could be electric.
Imagine a ranked mode where two players stalk each other through a hotel, using the environment, setting traps, and engaging in close-quarters fights that test mechanical skill. The potential for a competitive scene is there. Whether the developers see that potential or focus exclusively on single-player remains to be seen.
Even without multiplayer, a robust challenge mode with leaderboards would go a long way. Let me compete for the cleanest, fastest, most stylish run through a level. Give me grades. Give me replays. Give me a reason to optimize my play beyond just finishing the story. Games like Hitman have proven that single-player titles can build thriving competitive communities around score-chasing and creative problem-solving.
Reasons for Optimism
The timing feels right. The action game genre has had a renaissance over the past few years. Studios have proven that combat-focused games can sell well and build dedicated audiences. The appetite for skill-based, mechanically rich action is higher than it's been in a decade. A John Wick game that delivers on the fantasy of being the Baba Yaga could carve out its own space in a crowded market.
The IP itself is also at peak cultural relevance. Four films, a spin-off series, and a fanbase that spans casual moviegoers and hardcore action enthusiasts. The audience is there.
Reasons for Concern
Licensed games have a rough history. For every Spider-Man from Insomniac, there are a dozen forgettable tie-ins that coast on brand recognition. The fact that the developer is relatively unproven at this scale is a legitimate concern. Action games live and die on feel, and feel takes iteration, time, and experienced hands.
There's also the question of monetization. A single-player action game in 2026 will face pressure to include live-service elements, cosmetic stores, or season passes. If the business model starts dictating game design decisions, the final product will suffer. I'd rather pay $70 for a complete, polished experience than get a $50 game that nickel-and-dimes me for weapon skins.
We're still early. The teaser showed promise, but teasers always show promise. The real test comes when we see sustained gameplay footage, hear about the combat designers' philosophy, and get our hands on a demo. Until then, cautious optimism is the right call. John Wick deserves a great game. Let's hope this is the one that delivers.