Bubsy 4D Preview from PAX East 2026

It is 2026, and I'm about to talk about how much I enjoyed my time with Bubsy 4D at PAX East 2026. What a world we live in.

Honestly, though, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as one of the unofficial (unintentional?) themes of PAX this year was a good comeback story. Backyard Baseball was the talk of the show, but nestled by the front escalators at the Atari booth, constantly drawing a crowd, everyone was blown away that the newest Bubsy game was surprisingly fun.

“Everyone loves a good comeback story, right?” Jason Polansky, Lead Producer for Bubsy 4D, tells me. He's right; everyone does love a good comeback story, and Bubsy is primed for one later this year.

It's nice to see Bubsy recover after what was a divisive game in Bubsy 3D. "I mean, it wasn't divisive, right? Divisive would mean that some people liked it," Polansky jokes.

I Promise You that Bubsy 4D is Good

Polansky also tells me that Bubsy 4D is not an open-world game, despite everyone believing that it is. I understand why people assume that; you're thrown into a non-linear sandbox with no real direction or purpose. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, and honestly, this is intentional. Bubsy 4D wants to give players the freedom to play as they want. Speedrun straight to the end of the level? You got it. Take your time and collect everything you can? Not a problem.

I can see why people feel this way, though. Our PAX East demo level takes place in an open environment filled with various objects made of wool and yarn. There's no immediate goal or objective in place, and the HUD is quite minimal. This lets me take my time and explore my surroundings, climbing various objects, picking up some collectibles I see, and get my lay of the land.

Thankfully, you'll have a full slate of tools at your disposal to accomplish this. Bubsy controls like a dream, somewhat floaty, but honestly, this feels by design as well. He's a cat who can glide, after all, and it allows players to pull off some impressive platforming, intentional or not. It's honestly some of the most impressive 3D platforming I've seen since Super Mario Odyssey. It's something that will undoubtedly blow people away the first time they play Bubsy 4D, especially since they're most likely expecting something completely different. Polanksy is aware of this, too, and it sounds like he's banking on it.

The memes and all the things some people come into this with certain expectations, and it allows them to be even more surprised and delighted when they try it and go like, "Wow, it's good." It feels awesome to play, and the number of people who played the game and are like, "This feels great."

Bubsy 4D Leans Into What Makes Modern Platformers Great

Not only have I felt it while playing Bubsy 4D, but I've noticed it at the Atari booth as well. There is genuine buzz around a Bubsy game in the year of our lord 2026. It feels like everyone's in on the joke about Bubsy's infamous past, from fans, developers, and the game itself. That said, Bubsy 4D is poised to move past that and deliver a memorable platforming experience.

Remember when I mentioned that Bubsy 4D feels like an open-world game? That's because it leans into the open-ended stage design that subtly guides players on the "correct" path without forcing it upon them. If you want, you can venture down the beaten path to the stage's end, but you'll miss out on so many platforming perks that show off Bubsy's complete moveset. He can triple jump, fly through the air, turn into a rolling ball, the whole nine yards.

Over time, I realized that the game was subtly suggesting I follow that beaten path, and wouldn't you know it, it eventually led me to the end goal. Did I collect everything the demo stage had? No, but that's okay; I was able to play the game my way. The person who played after me took a different approach, taking their time and exploring their surroundings. This wasn't an issue for any of us, though, because again, Bubsy has all the tools he needs to let you play the game as you see fit.

I came away thoroughly impressed not just with Bubsy's arsenal of moves, but also with what it allows me to pull off as I'm playing the game. Again, it's, at times, reminiscent of Super Mario Odyssey. There were no limitations as to how I could play the game other than my imagination. That's what has me most excited about Bubsy 4D, and I can't wait to see if Atari can stick the landing later this year.