Whether it’s a beat-the-buzzer quiz-a-thon or a high-stakes cook off, just about everyone loves a good game show or competition series, and it seems like networks and streaming services are always coming up with zany new concepts to test out or classic series to reboot.
2026 is no exception. Here are the most exciting new game shows and competition shows slated for release this year.
You can watch game and competition shows on the Game Show Network, Food Network and your favorite streaming services with DIRECTV’s MyEntertainment™. Get started today!
New Game Shows in 2026
Check out these new game shows to get ready for in 2026.
‘The Greatest Average American’ (ABC & Hulu)
Premiere Date: Wednesday, February 25 @ 9 p.m. ET
Host: Nate Bargatze
For those who feared they would never have the chance to compete on a game show, The Greatest Average American may be just the one for you. The new game show, hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze on ABC, is all about being perfectly average. Each episode features contestants competing in a series of trivia questions and challenges designed around how the average American thinks.
After multiple rounds, one contestant is crowned The Greatest Average American and takes home a fittingly average grand prize: the average U.S. annual salary of $67,920.
New Competition Shows in 2026
Here are the newest competition series to watch in 2026.
‘Baking Championship: Next Gen‘ (Food Network)
Premiere Date: Monday, January 5, 2026
The all-new Baking Championship: Next Gen is taking kids’ cooking competitions to a whole new level. In the series, 12 pairs of siblings aged 8–14 go head-to-head in baking challenges like never before. Hosted by Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown—who double as mentors and judges—the sibling teams will compete for a $25,000 prize and the coveted title of Next Gen Baking Champions.
‘Trainer Games’ (Prime Video)
Premiere Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026
In the new Prime Video fitness competition series Trainer Games, ten elite athletes compete to become the next global fitness star. While athleticism is key, leadership, character and drive will also be essential components to winning the grand prize.
‘Star Search’ (Netflix)
Premiere Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
In the Netflix reboot of the 1983 reality series, Star Search, host Anthony Anderson and judges Chrissy Teigen, Jelly Roll and Sarah Michelle Gellar will attempt to find the next big superstar across a variety of live, onstage acts. This competition series will feature a live voting component that fans can participate in.
‘Fear Factor: House of Fear‘ (FOX)
Premiere Date: Wednesday, January 14 @ 9 p.m. ET
Fear Factor is back and more terrifying than ever. House of Fear will be hosted by Johnny Knoxville and will bring back the extreme stunts many remember while also adding a new social element. This time around, contestants must live in a house together in a remote location while competing for the final prize.
‘Bachelor Mansion Takeover’ (HGTV)
Premiere Date: Monday, March 2 @ 8 p.m. ET
Previous competitors from the Bachelor franchise will come together in HGTV’s new spinoff competition, Bachelor Mansion Takeover. While these contestants won’t be competing for a chance at love, they will take on a variety of renovation challenges to update the Bachelor Mansion ahead of the new season of The Bachelorette.
America’s Culinary Cup (CBS & Paramount+)
Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 4 @ 9:30 p.m. ET
Padma Lakshmi will host the brand-new America’s Culinary Cup, a competition series in which the best chefs in the industry compete across a variety of cooking challenges in hopes of taking home the inaugural Culinary Cup.
Returning Game Shows in 2026
‘LOL: Last One Laughing Quebec’ (Prime Video)
Premiere Date: Friday, January 16, 2026
New Season: Season 4
‘Scrabble‘ (CW)
Premiere Date: January 22 @ 8 p.m. ET
New Season: Season 2
‘Trivial Pursuit‘ (CW)
Premiere Date: January 22 @ 9 p.m. ET
New Season: Season 2
‘Extracted‘ (Fox)
Premiere Date: January 26 at 8 pm ET
New Season: Season 2
‘American Idol’ (ABC)
Premiere Date: January 26 @ 8 pm ET
New Season: Season 24
‘Next Level Chef‘ (FOX)
Premiere Date: January 29 at 8 p.m. ET
New Season: 5
‘The Voice‘ (NBC)
Premiere Date: February 23 @ 9 pm ET
New Season: Season 29
‘Survivor‘ (CBS & Paramount+)
Premiere Date: February 25 @ 8 pm ET
New Season: Season 50
‘Celebrity Jeopardy‘ (ABC)
Premiere Date: February 27 @ 8 pm ET
New Season: Season 4
‘The Bachelorette’ (ABC)
Premiere Date: March 22 @ 8 pm ET
New Season: Season 22
Game Shows Released in 2025
‘Hollywood Squares‘ (CBS)
Premiered: January 16, 2025
Is it 1965 again? The iconic game show Hollywood Squares is back thanks to a revival effort by CBS. Drew Barrymore occupies the center square, while Nate Burleson hosts the show. The reboot maintains the traditional tic-tac-toe format of its predecessors, with two contestants taking turns selecting squares occupied by celebrities.
Each celebrity responds to a question—often with a humorous remark—and the contestant must agree or disagree with the answer. Correct judgments place their symbol (X or O) on the board, with the goal of aligning three in a row.
‘Bingo Blitz’ (Game Show Network)
Premiered: April 14, 2025
Hosted by Valerie Bertinelli, Bingo Blitz pits two contestants against each other in a frantic combination of bingo and trivia. Players answer questions to receive bingo balls, which they then use to play bingo. Power-ups and golden balls add dynamic gameplay elements that give each player strategic advantages.
‘Tic-Tac-Dough‘ (Game Show Network)
Premiered: April 14, 2025
Another revival, Tic-Tac-Dough is a beloved 1960s game show that the Game Show Network brought back in 2025. Similar to Hollywood Squares, this game combines trivia with tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer a variety of questions to earn their X or O on the board, striving to complete a line horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
The 2025 version introduces new question categories, interactive elements and modern technology to enhance the viewing experience.
Watch Game & Competition Shows on DIRECTV
You can watch all of these game and competition shows, and much much more, on DIRECTV!
Don’t have DIRECTV? Let’s fix that today.
Whether it’s a beat-the-buzzer quiz-a-thon or a high-stakes cook off, just about everyone loves a good game show or competition show, and it seems like networks and streaming services are always coming up with a zany new concept to test out.
2025 is no exception. Here are the most exciting new game shows and competition shows slated for release this year.
You can watch game shows and competition shows all day long on DIRECTV. Sign up or switch over today.
New Game Shows in 2025
First up, let’s take a look at the game shows coming to TV in 2025.
‘Hollywood Squares’ (CBS)
Premiered: January 16, 2025
New Episodes: Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET
Is it 1965 again? The iconic game show Hollywood Squares is back thanks to a revival effort by CBS. Drew Barrymore will occupy the center square, while Nate Burleson hosts the show. The reboot maintains the traditional tic-tac-toe format of its predecessors, where two contestants take turns selecting squares occupied by celebrities.
Each celebrity responds to a question, often with a humorous remark, and the contestant must agree or disagree with the answer. Correct judgments place their symbol (X or O) on the board, aiming to align three in a row.
‘Bingo Blitz’ (Game Show Network)
Premiered: April 14, 2025
Hosted by Valerie Bertinelli, Bingo Blitz pits two contestants against each other in a frantic combination of bingo and trivia. The players answer questions to receive bingo balls, which they then use to play bingo. Power-ups and golden balls add to the dynamic gameplay to give each player advantages.
‘Tic-Tac-Dough’ (Game Show Network)
Premiered: April 14, 2025
Another revival, Tic-Tac-Dough is another beloved 60’s game that GSN is bringing back for 2025. Similar to Hollywood Squares, this game combines trivia with tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer a variety of questions to earn their X or O on the board, striving to complete a line horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
The 2025 version introduces new question categories, interactive elements and modern technology to enhance the viewing experience.
‘Match Game’ (ABC)
Premiered: July 23, 2025
New Episodes: Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET
Martin Short and ABC are bringing back one of the funniest — and often most risque — game shows of all time: Match Game. Watch as contestants attempt to answer obscure fill-in-the-blank questions in a way that — you guessed it — matches what celebrity guests have written. After four years off the air, our answer is: Yes Please!
‘Scrambled Up’ (Syndicated)
Premieres: September 8, 2025
Scrambled Up is a race against the clock for contestants to correctly identify jumbled-up phrases or words as they slowly unscramble, becoming easier the further the unscrambled progresses. Players must beat each other to the buzzer to answer correctly as they vie for a $10,000 prize.
‘The Perfect Line’ (Game Show Network)
Premieres: September 8, 2025
A trivia game with a twist, The Perfect Line will challenge contestants to arrange objects, events or people in the correct order in response to a given question. If a contestant gets the right answer, they earn prize money or split it with other contestants who also answered correctly and move on to the next round. The last player remaining plays a final round for a chance to win a grand prize.
‘Celebrity Weakest Link’ (Fox)
Premieres: September 15, 2025
A star-studded incarnation of the long-running trivia show The Weakest Link, Celebrity Weakest Link brings the familiar format and tough-talking host Jane Lynch back, with some of the most recognized names in entertainment, music and sports going head-to-head to avoid being labeled the “weakest link.” All winnings from this version of the game show will go to charity.
’99 to Beat’ (Fox)
Premieres: September 24, 2025
99 to Beat pits 100 contestants against each other as they play a variety of games until just one remains to claim the grand prize. The games themselves are usually pretty zany in nature, from slinky balancing and pencil bouncing to donning a frozen T-shirt and guessing the exact weight of a llama.
New Competition Shows in 2025
And now, check out the latest and greatest competition reality TV shows coming to a screen near you soon.
‘Extracted’ (Fox)
Premiered: February 10, 2025
Extracted is a new competitive survival show, similar to the History Channel’s Alone. Twelve amateur survivalists are dropped off in the wilds of British Columbia and tasked with surviving for as long as possible with limited resources. Back at a safe headquarters location, their family members observe their trials on a 24/7 video feed. They have to decide whether to send in supplies to help their loved one continue on or pull them out of the competition.
The last survivor standing gets $250K.
‘WWE LFG’ (A&E)
Premiered: February 16, 2025
Ever wanted to step into the ring as a pro wrestler? WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats) is your chance! This new reality competition pairs amateur wrestlers with legendary WWE superstars as they train and compete in various wrestling-related challenges for a chance to sign with WWE’s NXT.
Related: Guide to WWE LFG Season 2
‘House of Knives’ (Food Network)
Premiered: March 18, 2025
House of Knives is a high-stakes culinary competition that brings together talented chefs from diverse backgrounds to compete in intense cooking battles.
Each episode presents unique challenges, such as creating gourmet dishes with unconventional ingredients or under time constraints. A panel of esteemed judges evaluates the dishes based on creativity, presentation and taste. The show emphasizes innovation, technical skill and the high-pressure environment of professional kitchens.
‘Destination X’ (NBC)
Premiered: May 27, 2025
Hosted by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Destination X is a travel-based competition where contestants embark on a journey without knowing where they’re headed!
Traveling on a blacked-out bus, participants are unaware of their destinations and must rely on challenges, clues and their intuition to deduce the location. Each correct guess brings them closer to a grand prize, while incorrect answers may lead to elimination.
‘Back to the Frontier’ (Magnolia Network)
Premiered: July 10, 2025
Back to the Frontier transports participants to a meticulously recreated historical setting, challenging them to live and compete as pioneers. Contestants must perform tasks essential to frontier life, such as farming, building shelters and crafting tools, using only period-appropriate methods. They face environmental hardships, limited resources and the necessity of community cooperation. The show examines survival instincts, adaptability and the contrast between modern conveniences and historical realities, offering viewers an immersive historical experience.
‘LEGO Masters, Jr.’ (Fox)
Premiered: August 18, 2025
Five junior LEGO duos team up with celebrity partners to tackle unique LEGO building challenges. Hosted by Kelly Osbourne, the winning team earns a $50,000 prize, a trophy and the title of LEGO Masters Jr. Champions.
‘Next Gen Chef’ (Netflix)
Premieres: September 17, 2025
This culinary competition series features 21 young chefs under 30 competing at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. The chefs face a series of challenging culinary tests, with the winner being crowned the leading chef of the next generation of gastronomic visionaries.
‘America’s Culinary Cup’ (CBS)
Premieres: TBD
Hosted by Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef fame, this new cooking competition series features “the nation’s most decorated chefs” competing in challenges that test creativity, endurance, presentation, leadership and more. It will be a high-stakes culinary contest that combines the excitement of a live sporting event with the best of America’s culinary minds.
Looking for more new shows and episodes of your favorite shows? Here’s our daily-updated list of what’s new on TV each night!
Watch Game & Competition Shows on DIRECTV
You can watch game and competition shows on the Game Show Network, Food Network and your favorite streaming services with DIRECTV’s MyEntertainment™. Get started today!
Frequently Asked Questions
What new TV game shows are coming out in 2026?
'The Greatest Average American' is a new game show premiering on ABC on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 9 p.m. ET.
DIRECTV Insider brings you our views on what’s happening in streaming, t.v., movies and sports. Companies and persons mentioned are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. We will disclose sponsored content on our site when we show it to you, and some of the links on the site may be ads or affiliate links which means DIRECTV may earn compensation from your purchases.
