Key information
According to PC Gamer, recent titles are increasingly exploring granular and basic movements from real life rather than traditional power fantasies. Games like Death Stranding and Snowrunner explore simple mechanics such as balancing packages or escaping mud, while 2025's Baby Steps treats the act of walking without falling over as a high-end execution of a fundamental action.
Designer Gabe Cuzillo explained at GDC 2026 that Baby Steps was inspired by a grueling custom map for Mirror's Edge called Stratocubulus. Cuzillo noted that the experience focused on ambiguous elements of movement that pushed players to experiment with level geometry and try new ways of navigating the game world.
Several titles this year utilize movement to stand out, including Cairn, which turns mountain climbing into navigation puzzles with resource management, and Big Walk, where players find that simple actions like mantling over a knee-high surface can present significant challenges. Other titles like Control Resonant, Vholume, Doom: The Dark Ages' Revelations DLC, and Cicadamata also feature distinct arena acrobatics and gravity mechanics.
The author suggests that this movement experimentation stems from the long history of 3D games and acts as a reaction against blockbuster titles from past decades that trivialized movement by requiring minimal input to climb or traverse environments.
