Level-5 held its Vision 2026 “Craftsmanship” showcase on April 10, 2026, with president and CEO Akihiro Hino walking through the studio’s upcoming slate. The headline news: Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is confirmed for a worldwide simultaneous release on Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Windows later in 2026 — the first time a Layton game has ever appeared on PlayStation or PC. On the other side of the ledger, Decapolice quietly lost its 2026 date and is now listed as “In Development.”
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam
Level-5 confirmed the game is on track for a late 2026 worldwide simultaneous launch. The three confirmed platforms are Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Windows — a significant expansion from the series’ Nintendo-exclusive history. Switch 2 support also includes mouse support, which could make puzzle-solving noticeably smoother on that hardware.
What the Game Contains
The story reunites Professor Layton and his assistant Luke after a year apart, this time in Steam Bison, America during an industrial revolution era heavy on steam technology. A phantom gunman is terrorising the streets, and twins Elida and Elinora Allinston are at the centre of the mystery — Elida has been kidnapped, and the investigation leads Layton and Luke straight into the industrial city’s conspiracies.
Level-5 is promising the biggest puzzle collection in the series to date. The puzzle design is being handled in collaboration with QuizKnock, a Japanese media company known for quiz and puzzle content. Alongside the usual puzzle formats, New World of Steam adds escape-route plotting and side-scrolling platforming segments. Full 3D cutscenes and a Coin Radar feature round out the quality-of-life upgrades.
The game was originally announced with a 2025 window, slipped to 2026 in September 2025, and is currently targeting late 2026. Whether that holds is an open question.
Decapolice: Date Pulled, Platform Shifted
Decapolice, Level-5’s detective RPG, appeared in the showcase but in a reduced state. The trailer now carries an “In Development” label, and the official website no longer states a 2026 release date — though it hasn’t been updated to remove the year entirely.
The more concrete detail: Decapolice now shows Switch 2 as its platform rather than the original Switch. That platform upgrade is a reasonable explanation for the delay. The game has had a turbulent development history — its battle system has changed visibly between multiple showings, including variations between a shared party HP gauge and individual character HP. It doesn’t look like a game close to launch.
The Rest of the Showcase
Akihiro Hino also introduced two other titles in the same sizzle reel:
- Inazuma Eleven RE — a remake of the original Inazuma Eleven game, the football RPG that built Level-5’s legacy in Southeast Asia. No 2026 date was reiterated despite previously being a 2026 title.
- Holy Horror Mansion — the next Yo-Kai Watch series entry. No release window given.
What SEA Players Should Know
Professor Layton has a genuine fanbase in the region. The DS-era games — Curious Village, Diabolical Box, Unwound Future — were fixtures in gaming cafes and school bag collections across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. New World of Steam landing on PS5 and PC alongside Switch 2 is the first time the franchise has been genuinely accessible to players who don’t own a Nintendo handheld.
Inazuma Eleven also has deep roots in the region — the original series had strong audiences in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines via localised broadcasts. The remake is one to watch, though the missing release window is a concern.
The Level-5 Vision 2026 showcase streamed on the official Level-5 YouTube channel with full English and Traditional Chinese subtitles, making it directly accessible to SEA audiences.
What to Watch For
Late 2026 is a crowded release window. New World of Steam is confirmed for it, but Level-5 has slipped before. Keep an eye on any Tokyo Game Show or Nintendo Direct appearances for a hard date. For Decapolice, the honest answer is: wait for a gameplay trailer that doesn’t look like a work-in-progress.
