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My key observation from the recent Day of the Devs showcase was a delight to watch, my biggest takeaway was perhaps unexpected: I am declaring that 2026 will be the definitive year for frogs in video games.

A surprising total of five of the featured titles—Frog Sqwad, Stretchmancer, Unshine Arcade, Awaysis, and Big Hops—in some way feature these hoppy characters. Given that a gathering of frogs is called an army, it seems they are staking their claim.

A Legacy of Leaping

Croaking characters are not at all new to the gaming landscape. From the arcade classic Frogger to the beloved froggy chair in Animal Crossing, they have long held a niche presence. But, their prevalence has markedly increased in recent times.

A quick search for "frog game" on Steam reveals an staggering number of results. Although, some of these are low-budget titles, a significant portion are legitimate titles centered on frogs.

Tracking the Tadpole Trend

To understand this trend, I conducted a deep dive into the last half-decade of frog-related gaming on Steam. My approach was admittedly subjective, focusing on games with frogs in the title or clearly visible in screenshots.

The data reveal an unmistakable trend: a steady uptick from under 20 titles in 2020 to nearly 60 in 2025.

This significant surge prompts the question: what's driving this craze? The frog's growing prominence in the public consciousness is also apparent elsewhere, for example the resurgence of Frog and Toad as nostalgic figures. But, the explosion in gaming seems uniquely pronounced.

The Allure of Amphibian Mechanics

Frankly, this is a shift I can get behind. Frogs possess natural appealing traits for game developers.

• Weird Little Guys: They are ideally shaped to be designed as memorable characters that often become a fan favorite in any game.
• Innovative Systems: Their stretchy limbs and sticky tongues facilitate a myriad of innovative control schemes.

Several the announced projects smartly employ these traits. For instance the tongue-grappling in Big Hops and the extra-long limb puzzles of Stretchmancer.

What the Future Holds

So, what is the outlook for 2026? Given five frog games publicly revealed before the year has officially commenced—and the chance for more—the trajectory is clear for it to be the most significant year for amphibian gaming.

When these games find success—and traditionally, games from this showcase tend to succeed—we could very well be on the verge of a true amphibian entertainment revival.