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PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted is cutting its countdown from 25 games to 20
PC Gamer is already booking the next stop on its showcase calendar. Less than a week after the Tokyo Direct, the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted has been confirmed for December 3. The central countdown is getting smaller this year, dropping from 25 games to 20 so the titles that make the cut have more room to breathe.
By Maëlle 
Five fewer games in the main countdown
Most Wanted will once again be structured around The Council’s selection of anticipated upcoming PC games, but the headline list is being reduced from 25 entries to 20.
PC Gamer says the change is intentional and is meant to give each selected game more space during the broadcast. That does not mean the entire show is limited to twenty titles, since announcements outside the ranked list remain part of the format.
It is a modest change, but a sensible one for a showcase format that can quickly turn into a high-speed trailer conveyor belt. Cutting five ranked slots gives the production at least a little more opportunity to explain why a game made the list instead of immediately sprinting toward the next logo.
World premieres are still part of the deal
The December broadcast is also set to include world premieres, DLC announcements, updates, release dates and developer interviews. The Council ranking is therefore the backbone of the event rather than its complete contents.
Last year’s edition still used a 25-game countdown and paired it with more than 15 world premieres plus trailers, updates and announcements for many additional games. The 2026 announcement suggests the broad variety remains, while the ranked portion gets tighter.
Most Wanted itself has become a regular part of PC Gamer’s calendar since debuting in 2023 as a second annual PC Gaming Show format built specifically around upcoming games and The Council’s votes.
The Council returns, but the full ballot is still secret
PC Gamer says the voting group again includes its own staff alongside game developers, streamers and celebrities. The complete 2026 lineup of Council members has not yet been detailed in the announcement.
The publication also plans to reveal the full longlist of games considered for the ranking later. Until then, the actual Top 20 remains hidden.
The host or hosts have not been announced either. PC Gamer explicitly says that information will come later, so December’s presentation team should not yet be assumed from previous editions.
December follows a very busy Tokyo Direct
The announcement arrives just days after the September 20 PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct. That broadcast featured more than 30 games and 13 world premieres, drawing heavily on material from Tokyo Game Show.
Most Wanted will shift the emphasis back toward the end-of-year ranking format. Instead of another rapid tour through one trade show, December’s event is designed around what The Council considers the most exciting PC games still ahead.
PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2026 airs on December 3. PC Gamer has not yet announced a broadcast time in its September 25 reveal.