The best April Fools’ Day 2026 jokes from gaming companies

April Fools’ Day is here, meaning you can trust even less of what you read on the internet today. Plenty of corporations are getting in on the fun, including game developers and publishers. Some are obvious parodies, while others are ideas we wouldn’t mind becoming a reallity, like how the Palworld dating sim started as a joke and now will be an actual game.

Here are some of our favorite April Fools’ Day jokes from video game companies, starting with one that needs to become a real thing pronto.

Nier: Cosmic Horror announced

Because of time zone differences around the world, April 1 began in Japan while those of us in the United States were still in March. Those time differences caused some slight confusion when Nier’s Japanese X account seemingly announced a new Nier project, Nier: Cosmic Horror. Part of the confusion stemmed from the fact that a Nier cosmic horror game sounds dope AF and fans have already been teased that there might be more Nier on the way. Alas, we got got.

The Witcher 3’s Project ROACH

Another announcement we honestly wouldn’t say no to is CD Projekt Red’s Project ROACH (Ride On A Controller Horse), a controller built from a toy horse for immersive riding in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. You can head here for more details on the Roach controller, named after Geralt’s trusty steed.

Pragmata is a Mega Man game (JK)

Capcom had some fun with the fan theory that the upcoming third-person shooter Pragmata is secretly a Mega Man game. A short video on the game’s official X account showed child-like android Diana running to stand next to Mega Man, with the next shot replacing his face with that of Paragmata‘s astronaut Hugh. Surely, this will quell any further speculation from fans that Pragmata is a Mega Man game.

Bubsy’s OnlyPaws

While you wait for Bubsy 4D‘s launch in May, you can check out his OnlyFans-like site. That’s right, welcome to OnlyPaws, baby, AKA BubsyPaws. A whole gallery of paw pics awaits for the paw fetishists among us — as well as a donation link to The Wildcat Sanctuary. Bubsy publisher Atari is looking to raise money for a non-profit in Minnesota that provides sanctuary for wild cats (and their paws).

Lords of the Fallen’s Helmet Vision

Taking immersion to a new level, Lords of the Fallen‘s X account teased a joke update that would add a Helmet Vision mode to the game, limiting your field of view to what the openings on in-game helmets look like. Some players are actually expressing their desire for it in replies to the post, because apparently Soulslike games aren’t hard enough.

Lies of P patch notes

Speaking of Soulslikes, the team behind Lies of P shared some fake patch notes on Reddit to mark the occasion. If these tweaks were real, they’d make the game far more difficult, like not being able to heal during the final boss fight. Another proposed “tweak,” Ergo Inflation, would make the cost of leveling correspond with real-world inflation. The game’s subreddit has also been taken over by Disney’s Pinocchio.

Men are underrepresented in games

The X account for Satisfactory, a factory-building game, lampooned the idea that men are underrepresented in games. Set to Linkin Park’s “Somewhere I Belong,” it shows a flip-flop-wearing, beanie-clad, gun-toting man doing Cool Man Things, like shootin’, walking away from an explosion, and choosing the coolest, manliest vehicle of them all: a Cybertruck.

Crusader Kings mocks DLSS 5 AI upscaling tech

Nvidia’s new DLSS 5 technology caused quite a stir earlier this month, as it essentially adds a Snapchat beauty filter over a game’s graphics. The social accounts for Crusader Kings 3 got in on the fun with a video showcasing the power of “all-new CKSS technology” that would AI slop-ify the game’s graphics. One commenter on YouTube joked that the developers should fire their artists, to which the Crusader Kings 3 account responded with, “They are packing their belongings as we speak!”

A Warhammer 40,000 musical

Chalk this up as another bit that doesn’t sound half bad: Warhammer jokingly announced a Warhammer 40,000 musical, The Emperor Protects. The fake trailer showcases a variety of songs and features performers clad in elaborate costumes, which some YouTuber commenters theorize are actually Warhammer community cosplayers.

Sanic Hegehog merch

Sega is selling official Sanic and Shedew T-shirts for April Fool’s. Sanic Hegehog is an intentional misspelling of Sonic the Hedgehog and originated from a YouTube video where someone drew Sonic in MS Paint. Sanic fanart has become popular in its own right, and now Sega is selling new merch inspired by the meme — for today only.

Meet the Owlbrick

Owlcat Games, makers of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader and the upcoming The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, has unveiled the Owlbrick, a Steam Machine with the face of an owl. Designed for CRPGs, it helps you with in-game romances and will even play through combat for you. It promises up to 60 FPS in 8K* resolution (*upscaled from 360p). Sign me up!