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While I found the recent indie games event was undoubtedly entertaining, my biggest takeaway was not the intended one: I am convinced that 2026 will be the unrivaled era for frogs in video games.

A surprising total of five of the highlighted projects—Frog Sqwad, Stretchmancer, Unshine Arcade, Awaysis, and Big Hops—incorporate these amphibious creatures. Given that a collection of frogs is called an army, it feels they are launching an invasion.

The Enduring Appeal of Amphibians

Amphibians have been not at all new to the interactive entertainment. Ever since the era of Frogger to the coveted froggy chair in Animal Crossing, they have long held a special place. Yet, their visibility has markedly surged in recent times.

A quick search for "frog game" on Steam yields an overwhelming flood of results. Granted, some of these are obscure titles, a sizable number are serious Frog Games.

Charting the Croak Comeback

To quantify this trend, I performed a detailed review into the last half-decade of amphibian-themed gaming on Steam. My methodology was based on clear indicators, focusing on games with frogs in the title or clearly visible in screenshots.

The data paint a clear picture: a marked rise from under 20 titles in 2020 to almost 60 in 2025.

This significant surge prompts the question: what's driving this craze? The creature's rising status in the cultural zeitgeist is partially apparent elsewhere, like the revival of Frog and Toad as beloved characters. However, the wave in gaming appears particularly strong.

Designing for a Sticky Tongue

In my opinion, this is a movement I can fully endorse. Frogs offer built-in design advantages for game developers.

• Weird Little Guys: They are incredibly easy to be designed as quirky characters that frequently end up as a standout feature in any game.
• Unique Gameplay: Their elastic legs and prehensile tongues lend themselves to a wide array of unique mechanics.

A number of the showcased games smartly employ these traits. Examples include the tongue-swinging in Big Hops and the extra-long limb puzzles of Stretchmancer.

The Leap Into 2026

So, what is the outlook for 2026? With five frog games already announced before the year has even started—and the chance for more—the evidence suggests for it to be the largest year yet.

Should these games perform well—and historically, games from this showcase tend to succeed—we may indeed be on the verge of a full-blown amphibian entertainment revival.