The Best Games of 2026 So Far, Ranked by Critics

The best games of 2026 so far include Big Walk, the highest-rated new game of the year with a Metascore of 91, plus Forza Horizon 6 and Mina the Hollower (both 90), and Resident Evil Requiem, Pokémon Pokopia and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave (all 89).

Below are all 29 new games released in 2026 with a Metascore of 85 or higher, ranked, along with the best picks by genre, hidden gems that most lists miss, the best remasters and expansions, and the big games still to come before the end of the year. We update this list every month until January.

Last updated: October 26, 2026.

How did we rank the best games of 2026?

We wanted a list you can trust, not one person's favorites, so the ranking is based on critics' scores:

• Scores: each game's Metacritic Metascore, checked on October 26, 2026.
• At least 15 critic reviews, so one or two glowing reviews can't push a game to the top. Great games with fewer reviews are in our hidden gems section.
• New games only: games first released in 2026, including full 1.0 launches after Early Access (such as Valheim). Remasters, ports, collections and DLC have their own section.
• Ties are broken by the number of critic reviews.
• Where we've reviewed a game ourselves, we say so, even when we disagree with the critics.

The top 10 games of 2026 at a glance

What is the best game of 2026 so far?

By score, it's Big Walk (91 from 30 critic reviews), the co-op walking adventure from the makers of Untitled Goose Game. If you only count games with lots of reviews, Forza Horizon 6 (90 from 83 reviews) and Mina the Hollower (90 from 74) are the best-reviewed, and Resident Evil Requiem holds an 89 from 141 reviews, more than any other game in the top ten.

Among the big-budget releases, Resident Evil Requiem, Forza Horizon 6, Pokémon Pokopia and SAROS have the strongest scores, so expect them in the Game of the Year conversation.

The best games of 2026, ranked

1. Big Walk: 91

Metascore: 91 (30 critic reviews) · Released: August 4, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Switch 2 · Genre: Co-op adventure

From House House, the studio behind Untitled Goose Game, Big Walk is an online co-op "walker-talker": you and your friends set off across a big open world, solve puzzles together and stay in touch with an odd collection of tools and toys, including moments where you suddenly can't speak at all. It's as much about hanging out as getting anywhere, and it's the highest-rated new game of the year so far.

2. Forza Horizon 6: 90

Metascore: 90 (83 critic reviews) · Released: May 19, 2026 · Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS5 · Genre: Open-world racing

The Horizon Festival finally goes to Japan. Playground Games' open-world racer has more than 550 real-world cars and is the series' biggest map yet, from neon city streets to mountain roads.

3. Mina the Hollower: 90

Metascore: 90 (74 critic reviews) · Released: May 29, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2 · Genre: Action-adventure

The new game from Yacht Club Games, the makers of Shovel Knight. You play Mina, a Hollower sent to save a cursed island, whipping enemies, burrowing underground and exploring a hand-crafted pixel-art world. It's on almost every platform going.

4. Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter: 90

Metascore: 90 (27 critic reviews) · Released: September 17, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Switch, Switch 2 · Genre: JRPG

Nihon Falcom's new version of the classic second chapter of the Trails saga. Estelle Bright sets out across Liberl to find out why Joshua disappeared and to take on the Ouroboros organization. It's a remake of an older game, but as a full new release rather than a port, we've counted it.

5. Resident Evil Requiem: 89

Metascore: 89 (141 critic reviews) · Released: February 27, 2026 · Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2 · Genre: Survival horror

The latest Resident Evil splits the story between FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, who brings pure survival horror, and Leon S. Kennedy, who brings the action. With 141 critic reviews, it's the most-reviewed game in the top ten, and it's our pick for the best horror game of 2026. Read our early look: Resident Evil Requiem gameplay unveiled.

6. Pokémon Pokopia: 89

Metascore: 89 (121 critic reviews) · Released: March 5, 2026 · Platforms: Switch 2 · Genre: Life sim

A cosy Pokémon life sim from Koei Tecmo and The Pokémon Company. You play a Ditto who copies other Pokémon's moves to rebuild a withered, abandoned world into a home for Pokémon, one step at a time. It's a Switch 2 exclusive.

7. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave: 89

Metascore: 89 (106 critic reviews) · Released: September 17, 2026 · Platforms: Switch 2 · Genre: Tactics RPG

Four heroes, linked across time, compete in the Heroic Games for the chance of a single wish while trying to stop the demon god Balor. Expect classic grid-based tactics, plus a city to explore between matches, a world map and dungeons. Another Switch 2 exclusive.

8. Valheim: 89

Metascore: 89 (26 critic reviews) · Released: September 9, 2026 · Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, Switch 2 · Genre: Survival

Five years after it took over Steam in Early Access, Iron Gate's Viking survival game hit 1.0 this year and arrived on PS5 and Switch 2. You build, battle and sail through a procedurally generated Norse afterlife with up to 10 players. It's the highest-rated survival game of 2026.

9. Schrödinger's Call: 89

Metascore: 89 (21 critic reviews) · Released: May 28, 2026 · Platforms: PC, Switch · Genre: Visual novel

A picture-book style visual novel about one question: when the world is ending, who would you want to speak to one last time? It's short, quiet and emotional, and one of the year's surprise critical hits.

10. Star Wars: Galactic Racer: 88

Metascore: 88 (76 critic reviews) · Released: October 6, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S · Genre: Racing

Podracing-style speed meets a run-based structure. In the lawless Outer Rim after the Empire's fall, you race in the Galactic League, an underground circuit bankrolled by syndicates. Our critics' roundup puts the consensus at 8.7. Read our Star Wars: Galactic Racer review roundup.

11. Mewgenics: 88

Metascore: 88 (58 critic reviews) · Released: February 10, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 · Genre: Roguelike tactics

From Edmund McMillen (The Binding of Isaac) and Tyler Glaiel, Mewgenics has you breed a cat army, draft abilities and send your cats into tough turn-based runs, with traits passing down the generations. Strange, dark and very hard to put down.

12. Denshattack!: 88

Metascore: 88 (48 critic reviews) · Released: July 15, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 · Genre: Arcade platformer

Skateboarding, but with trains. You flip, trick and grind a train through a colorful Japanese dystopia, outdoing rival gangs and taking on a shady megacorp. A real indie breakout.

13. Phantom Blade Zero: 88

Metascore: 88 (35 critic reviews) · Released: October 29, 2026 · Platforms: PS5, PC · Genre: Action RPG

S-GAME's wuxia action RPG casts you as Soul, a warrior with just 66 days left to live. Reviews are already in ahead of launch on October 29, and it's one of the best-reviewed action games of the year. Read our Phantom Blade Zero release date and launch time guide.

14. SAROS: 87

Metascore: 87 (144 critic reviews) · Released: April 30, 2026 · Platforms: PS5 · Genre: Third-person shooter

Housemarque's follow-up to Returnal. As Soltari Enforcer Arjun Devraj (played by Rahul Kohli), you fight across the planet Carcosa under a looming eclipse, and every death reshapes the world while giving you new upgrades. The most-reviewed game on this list, and our pick for best PS5 exclusive.

15. 007 First Light: 87

Metascore: 87 (101 critic reviews) · Released: May 27, 2026 · Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2 · Genre: Action-adventure

IO Interactive, the Hitman studio, tells James Bond's origin story: a young, sometimes reckless recruit working his way through MI6's training programme to earn his 00 number.

16. Gears of War: E-Day: 87

Metascore: 87 (78 critic reviews) · Released: October 6, 2026 · Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC · Genre: Third-person shooter

The Coalition goes back to the start: Emergence Day, the brutal first night of the Locust war. Read our Gears of War: E-Day review roundup.

17. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve: 87

Metascore: 87 (72 critic reviews) · Released: October 2, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S · Genre: Flight combat

Bandai Namco's return to the skies, with a story-driven campaign, squad bonds and big aerial set pieces. It sold over a million copies within days of launch. Read our Ace Combat 8 review roundup.

18. Nioh 3: 86

Metascore: 86 (105 critic reviews) · Released: February 6, 2026 · Platforms: PS5, PC · Genre: Action RPG

Koei Tecmo's dark samurai series moves to an open field, and lets you switch between Samurai and Ninja combat styles as you fight yokai.

19. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection: 86

Metascore: 86 (63 critic reviews) · Released: March 13, 2026 · Platforms: Switch 2, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S · Genre: RPG

The turn-based side of Monster Hunter. You play a Rider, raising and bonding with monsters, in a story built around twin Rathalos born in a twist of fate.

20. Final Fantasy Resonance: 86

Metascore: 86 (52 critic reviews) · Released: October 22, 2026 · Platforms: Switch 2, Switch, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S · Genre: JRPG

A brand-new pixel-art Final Fantasy that builds on the classic 2D games, with companions bound by fate and summon-like Visions in battle. It only launched last week and is already one of the best-reviewed RPGs of the year.

21. Cairn: 86

Metascore: 86 (43 critic reviews) · Released: January 29, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Switch 2 · Genre: Survival climbing

From The Game Bakers (Furi, Haven), Cairn is a "survival-climber": you climb anywhere on the unclimbed Mount Kami, planning your route and managing pitons and supplies to stay alive. It's an unusual entry in our survival niche, and one worth playing.

22. Mixtape: 86

Metascore: 86 (41 critic reviews) · Released: May 7, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 · Genre: Narrative adventure

Annapurna's coming-of-age adventure follows three friends on their last night together, playing through a mixtape of memories set to the soundtrack of a generation.

23. OPUS: Prism Peak: 86

Metascore: 86 (32 critic reviews) · Released: April 16, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Switch, Switch 2 · Genre: Narrative adventure

A photographer stranded in the strange Dusklands travels with a girl who has lost her memories, using his camera to uncover what happened. From SIGONO, the studio behind the earlier OPUS games.

24. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4: 86

Metascore: 86 (25 critic reviews) · Released: October 23, 2026 · Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2 · Genre: First-person shooter

War breaks out on the Korean Peninsula in Infinity Ward's new campaign, and it's also on Switch 2. Critics have been kinder than we were: our beta review gave the multiplayer 5/10, mainly for its very fast time-to-kill and messy spawns, and we'll update our verdict now the full game is out. Read our Modern Warfare 4 beta review.

25. PRAGMATA: 85

Metascore: 85 (110 critic reviews) · Released: April 17, 2026 · Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 · Genre: Sci-fi action

Capcom's long-awaited new series. Hugh, a stranded investigator, and Diana, a young android, try to escape a lunar base taken over by a rogue AI.

26. Onimusha: Way of the Sword: 85

Metascore: 85 (107 critic reviews) · Released: September 4, 2026 · Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 · Genre: Action

Capcom revives Onimusha with a samurai who wields the Oni Gauntlet, defending Kyoto from the Genma in gritty, bloody sword fights.

27. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls: 85

Metascore: 85 (89 critic reviews) · Released: August 6, 2026 · Platforms: PS5, PC · Genre: Fighting

A 4v4 tag-team Marvel fighter from Arc System Works, the studio behind Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ.

28. Silver Pines: 85

Metascore: 85 (24 critic reviews) · Released: October 8, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2 · Genre: Survival horror

A survival horror metroidvania set in small-town America. You fight nightmarish creatures, solve puzzles and manage scarce resources as you uncover the town's secrets. A great pick for survival horror fans.

29. Titanium Court: 85

Metascore: 85 (16 critic reviews) · Released: April 23, 2026 · Platforms: PC, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, iOS · Genre: Strategy

A surreal strategy game from AP Thomson, published by Fellow Traveller. Its own store page jokes that it's "a clever ploy to trick gamers into reading my book". Critics loved how strange and clever it is.

The best games of 2026 by genre

Hidden gems: great 2026 games with fewer reviews

These scored just as well but have fewer than 15 critic reviews, so they didn't make the main ranking. Many are small indie games worth seeking out:

• Desktop Explorer (89, 7 reviews, PC): dig through an inherited old PC, its strange programs and its former users to solve a missing-person mystery.
• Well Dweller (89, 12 reviews): a dark fairy-tale metroidvania about a tiny bird armed with a matchstick, from the creator of Crypt Custodian.
• Fields of Mistria (89, 10 reviews, PC): the nostalgic farming and life sim left Early Access with its 1.0 release in August.
• Enshrouded (88, 12 reviews): Keen Games' survival action RPG hit 1.0 on October 15. See our Enshrouded 1.0 review roundup.
• Hermit and Pig (87, 7 reviews, PC): a story-rich RPG where an old man and his pig take on an evil corporation, and "cringe damage" can be deadly.
• Welcome to Elderfield (87, 12 reviews, PC): a cosy horror RPG of farming, romance, mysteries and Old Gods.
• Dressmaker (86, 8 reviews): a calm crafting game about choosing fabric, cutting patterns and sewing dresses.
• Timberborn (85, 12 reviews, PC): the city builder starring beavers reached 1.0 in March.

The best remasters, ports and expansions of 2026

These scored at least as well as the new games but aren't brand-new releases, so we've listed them separately:

• Resident Evil 2: Deluxe Edition (93, October 16)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered (92, September 29). Read our Witcher 3 Remastered guide.
• DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations (91, July 7), a new campaign expansion
• Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition (90, August 28) on Switch 2
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (89, January 22). It also joins Xbox Game Pass on October 29.
• Resident Evil 4: Gold Edition (89, October 16)
• Kingdom Hearts Collection I ~ III (88)

Our own verdicts on 2026 games

Most of this list is based on critics' scores, but we've played and reviewed some 2026 games ourselves:

• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy: we gave it 9/10, higher than its Metascore of 78 on PS5. Its story and visuals stayed with us long after the credits. Read our Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy review.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4: we gave the beta 5/10 for its time-to-kill and spawns, while critics scored the full game 86. Read our Modern Warfare 4 review.

We've also rounded up critics' verdicts on Hellraiser: Revival, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam.

Which big games are still coming in 2026?

The year isn't over, and a few huge releases could still shake up this list:

• Phantom Blade Zero: October 29. Already reviewed and ranked above.
• Football Manager 27: November 10. See everything we know about Football Manager 27.
• GTA 6: November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. See our GTA 6 release date guide.

For every upcoming date, with countdowns and calendar alerts, see our Release Radar.

More on iGame Magazine

• Star Wars: Galactic Racer review roundup: one of the top-rated racing games of the year
• Enshrouded 1.0 review roundup: the best survival game of October
• GTA 6 release date, price and editions: the biggest launch still to come
• All our reviews and critics' roundups

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