Predictions

0:00 The Odyssey is number 2 among the films of 2026 and, we think, the one that wins Best Picture; what follows is what we think happens next on every list here.

These are Vi.ki's own predictions and opinions, not reported facts. Each one says what we base it on and when it can be checked. We will mark each one right or wrong when it resolves.

Will GTA 6 be the best game of 2026?

We think Grand Theft Auto 6 finishes 2026 at number 1 on Top Games 2026, ahead of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Confidence: Likely. Check by: Jan 2027.

Rockstar's page gives the release date as Nov 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Zelda leads today with 95.5, from a Metascore of 96 and an OpenCritic average of 95 and no audience bonus (read Nov 11, 2026). Our rule adds 3 points for 10 million copies stated by the publisher, so GTA 6 needs a review average of only 93 with that statement to pass 95.5. It has no Steam version, so the bonus can only come from a Take-Two or Rockstar sales statement. We are wrong if GTA 6 is delayed again, if its two review scores average under 92.5, or if no sales statement of 10 million arrives by the end of January 2027.

Will Avengers: Doomsday pass $2 billion?

We think Avengers: Doomsday will pass $2 billion worldwide and finish above The Odyssey, but below Spider-Man: Brand New Day, on the final 2026 chart.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Mar 2027.

It opens on Dec 18, 2026, the same day as Dune: Part Three. The Odyssey stands at $1,804,356,298 and Spider-Man: Brand New Day at $2,523,147,515 (Box Office Mojo, read Nov 11, 2026). A Marvel film has already shown this year that the audience is there, and we think a shared opening day with Dune costs Doomsday its first two weekends but not its total. We are wrong if Box Office Mojo shows Avengers: Doomsday under $2 billion, or above Spider-Man: Brand New Day, when its run ends.

Will The Odyssey win Best Picture?

We think The Odyssey will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards held in 2027.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Mar 2027.

It is the best reviewed of the five 2026 films past $1 billion, at 94% from 515 critics on Rotten Tomatoes (read Nov 11, 2026), and the second highest grossing film of the year at $1,804,356,298. Rotten Tomatoes also lists a theatrical re-release for Dec 11, 2026, which we read as an awards-season push. We are wrong if any other film is named Best Picture.

Will Housewife by Tate McRae reach No. 1 on the Hot 100?

We think Tate McRae's Housewife reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 by the end of January 2027, once the holiday songs leave the chart.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Feb 2027.

Housewife has led the Billboard Global 200 for all three of its weeks on that chart, through Nov 14, 2026, and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, where it is No. 4 in its third week. Of the six other songs that led the Global 200 for three weeks or more in 2026, four also reached No. 1 in the US this year (The Fate of Ophelia, DtMF, Swim, hate that i made you love me); Dai Dai and BbY WOW did not. The obstacle is Choosin' Texas, which has taken the top back six times. We would be wrong if no Hot 100 chart dated on or before Jan 31, 2027 has Housewife at No. 1.

Will Choosin' Texas win a big Grammy in 2027?

We think Choosin' Texas wins Record of the Year or Song of the Year at the 2027 Grammy Awards.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Feb 2027.

It is the longest-running No. 1 in the history of the Hot 100 at 27 weeks, and it was the most-streamed song in the US in the first half of 2026 with 570.9 million on-demand audio streams (Luminate, Jan 2 to Jul 2, 2026). It entered the Hot 100 on the chart dated Nov 1, 2025, so it falls in the year the 2027 awards cover. A country song rarely wins either award, which is why this is Possible and not Likely. We would be wrong if it is not nominated in either category, or loses both.

Will The Diplomat season 4 be one of the top shows of 2026?

We think The Diplomat season 4 enters the top 10 of our list on the full-year recount, the highest new entry from the second half of the year.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Mar 2027.

It premiered on Oct 15, 2026 and was the number 1 streaming original in Nielsen's week of Oct 19 to 25 with 1,194 million minutes (read Nov 11, 2026). Critics have it at 97% from 29 reviews, which is already 3 of our 3 critics points. It needs a place in Nielsen's full-year top 20 originals or Netflix's yearly top 10 to add viewing points. We are wrong if it is in neither list.

What will be the top show of 2027?

We think The Pitt season 3 leads the 2027 list if it is released in the first half of 2027, and that Widow's Bay season 2 finishes in the top 5.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Dec 2027.

The Pitt has won the drama Emmy for its 2026 season with the year's best review score, and a show that scores on all three of our measures once tends to repeat on at least two. Widow's Bay took the comedy series, lead actor, both supporting, writing and directing prizes on Sep 14, 2026 with 98% from 109 reviews, and Rotten Tomatoes carries a season 2 renewal video for it; an Emmy sweep usually brings a larger second-season audience, which is the one thing it lacked in 2026. We have not confirmed a date for either season. We are wrong if neither show has a season out in 2027, or if both miss the places named.

What will be the most played MMORPG of 2027?

We think Old School RuneScape leads our 2027 list, ahead of Aion 2.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Jul 2027.

Aion 2's 397,905 was a launch day: SteamDB's 24-hour peak was down to 193,796 by Nov 5, 2026 and Steam's Most Played chart showed 180,875 on Nov 11. Old School RuneScape's own counter read 131,947 at one ordinary moment on Nov 11, 2026, and MeinMMO reported over 250,000 in April 2026. A 2027 list counts only 2027 peaks, so Aion 2 starts the year without its launch. We are wrong if Aion 2's best Steam day in the first half of 2027 is above the highest Old School RuneScape count anyone records in the same months.

Will Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold break the game's Steam record?

We think no: Evercold lifts Final Fantasy XIV to a Steam peak between 60,000 and 90,000, short of its all-time 95,102.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Mar 2027.

Evercold is dated Feb 23, 2027 on Steam, with early access four days before. The game's all-time Steam peak is 95,102 and its best month of 2026 was 36,882, in May. An expansion has to more than double the year's best month to reach the record. We are wrong if Steam Charts or SteamDB shows a peak above 95,102 in February or March 2027.

Will the Wordle TV show bring players back to Wordle?

We think the NBC Wordle game show airs in 2027 and the publisher's next yearly Wordle figure still comes in under the 5.3 billion plays of 2024.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Feb 2028.

NBC ordered the show, hosted by Savannah Guthrie, for a 2027 debut (PocketGamer.biz, May 12, 2026). A Media Operator reported on Aug 3, 2026 that Wordle fell from 5.3 billion plays in 2024 to 4.2 billion in 2025, and that the Times hopes the show will bring back lapsed players. We think a weekly TV show reminds people the game exists without changing a habit that has been fading for a year.

We are wrong if the show does not air in 2027, or if a published full-year Wordle figure for 2026 or 2027 is 5.3 billion or more.

What will win Best of CES 2027?

We think a robot wins Best Overall at the official Best of CES 2027 awards: a humanoid or a home robot, not a phone, TV or laptop.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Jan 2027.

In 2026 every jury had a robot category and none gave a robot its top prize: the official awards chose Boston Dynamics Atlas as Best Robot and the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold as Best Overall (CNET), Engadget chose the SwitchBot Onero H1 as best robot and Lego Smart Play as Best in Show (Engadget). TIME's 2026 list then gave robotics its own category with four entries, among them the 1X Neo and the Unitree GD01 (TIME). The 2026 Best Overall also aged badly: Engadget reported in March that Samsung was ending TriFold sales after about three months (Engadget), which we think pushes the jury toward something other than a phone. We are wrong if the official Best Overall of CES 2027 is not a robot.

Who will win Miss Universe 2026?

We think Miss Universe 2026 goes to a delegate from Latin America or the Caribbean.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Dec 2026.

The 75th final is on Nov 24, 2026 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with 120 candidates. The reigning Miss Universe, Fátima Bosch, is from Mexico, the 2026 host is Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic's Joheirry Mola won Miss World 2026 on Sep 5. The region has the momentum and the home stage. We would be wrong if the winner crowned on Nov 24 represents a country outside Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sources

• rockstargames.com: Nov 19, 2026
• metacritic.com: 96
• opencritic.com: 95
• boxofficemojo.com: Dec 18, 2026
• boxofficemojo.com: $1,804,356,298
• rottentomatoes.com: 94% from 515 critics
• billboard.com: Nov 14, 2026
• billboard.com: Hot 100
• billboard.com: 570.9 million
• nielsen.com: 1,194 million minutes
• rottentomatoes.com: 97% from 29 reviews
• abc7news.com: Sep 14, 2026
• rottentomatoes.com: 98% from 109 reviews
• dlcompare.com: 193,796 by Nov 5, 2026
• store.steampowered.com: 180,875 on Nov 11
• oldschool.runescape.com: 131,947
• mein-mmo.de: over 250,000 in April 2026
• store.steampowered.com: Feb 23, 2027
• steamcharts.com: 95,102
• pocketgamer.biz: for a 2027 debut
• amediaoperator.com: from 5.3 billion plays in 2024 to 4.2 billion in 2025
• cnet.com: CNET
• engadget.com: Engadget
• time.com: TIME
• engadget.com: Engadget
• tribune.net.ph: Nov 24, 2026
• hola.com: 120 candidates
• khaleejtimes.com: Miss World 2026