The Best Games of 2026 (So Far)

We're barely into the second quarter of 2026, and already, the year has been yet another one for the books as far as video games are concerned. The industry finds itself in a bit of a precarious position, with studio closures, arbitrary price hikes, and widespread layoffs abundant, but you'd never know it from the quantity and quality of the releases we've seen just over the last few months. Much like 2025, 2026 has already given us a few genuine Game of the Year contenders before we've even hit the halfway point, and we still have the release of Grand Theft Auto VI to look forward to in just a few months — something that will surely be a major cultural event. For now, let's take a look at the best of what 2026 has had to offer so far.

• Release Date — March 5, 2026
• Developer — Bungie
• Publisher — Bungie
• Genre — FPS, Extraction Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Before it ever launched, Marathon had the deck stacked against it. Between Bungie's Halo and Destiny legacy and the recent success of competing extraction shooters like ARC Raiders, Marathon was unfairly compared to a ton of other games before it released in earnest. But then, players got to get their hands on the full game, and slowly but surely, Marathon has cemented itself as an incredibly exciting extraction shooter experience that emphasizes high-stakes competitive play and has an incredibly steep learning curve. And, as you might expect, it has that trademark buttery smooth and ultra-satisfying Bungie movement and gunplay. Marathon is already great, and it's just beginning its journey as a live-service extraction shooter.

• Release Date — March 31, 2026
• Developer — Clover Bite
• Publisher — Kwalee
• Genre — Metroidvania, Soulslike
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

We've had no shortage of incredible Metroidvania games in just the first few months of 2026, almost as if developers finally felt safe to open the floodgates on their in-development projects now that Hollow Knight: Silksong has come and gone. One of the most unique of the bunch is GRIME II, the sequel to the excellent GRIME that builds upon its predecessor in some pretty impactful ways. Combat in GRIME II is still slow and methodical like the original, but the new options players have as far as builds go add some much-needed variety to the encounter design, even if you'll still be parrying to your heart's content. And in terms of the visuals and atmosphere, there's simply no other Metroidvania out there like GRIME II (except for, of course, GRIME).

• Release Date — February 13, 2026
• Developer — Tarsier Studios
• Publisher — THQ Nordic
• Genre — Horror, Adventure, Cinematic Platformer
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

The cinematic platformer was once an incredibly niche and, for the most part, dead genre that developers like Playdead helped revive with games like Limbo and INSIDE, and Tarsier Studios picked up that torch and ran with it with this year's Reanimal. While Reanimal does share some obvious similarities with Tarsier's Little Nightmares games, it places a much heavier emphasis on platforming, puzzles, and stealth sequences like the best cinematic platformers do, all while being genuinely more terrifying than the comparatively creepy Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II. Much like INSIDE, Reanimal's gameplay and story build to a crescendo in the final act that will stick with you long after the game ends.

• Release Date — April 16, 2026
• Developer — Fumi Games
• Publisher — PlaySide Studios
• Genre — FPS
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

I don't want to jinx it, but it feels like the era of the single-player FPS is back, and Mouse: P.I. for Hire is proof positive. Many players have had their eye on Mouse since it was first announced a couple of years ago, thanks to its incredibly cool and unique 1930s "rubber hose" animation visual style, but nothing could have prepared us for how excellent the gameplay is to serve as the foundation for that eye-catching presentation. Mouse is, for all intents and purposes, a black-and-white, cartoon DOOM that embodies the best aspects of classic boomer shooters in its fast and frenetic FPS gameplay, but it also happens to tell an incredibly interesting and well-written noir story packed with humor, intrigue, and mystery that's worth replaying to unlock all the secrets.

• Release Date — January 20, 2026
• Developer — Douze Dixièmes
• Publisher — Focus Entertainment
• Genre — Metroidvania
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

Of the many great Metroidvana games released so far this year, the one that stands out the most as being in the same league as games like Hollow Knight and its sequel Silksong is MIO: Memories in Orbit. MIO is a tough-but-fair Metroidvania game with some interesting combat, harrowing platforming segments, and an absolutely massive and intriguing world to explore, but it also has something else beneath all of that: a heart. As far as story-driven, atmospheric Metroidvania games go, MIO is one of the first we've had in a long time to scratch a similar itch as the Ori games, and its true ending is well worth completing one of the hardest platforming challenges in gaming to see.

• Release Date — February 5, 2026
• Developer — Square Enix, HexaDrive
• Publisher — Square Enix
• Genre — JRPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

As the first 3D game in the series, Dragon Quest VII has long held a special place in the hearts of series fans. So when Square Enix announced it was remaking the game using modern visuals and plenty of quality-of-life updates aimed at streamlining what's a notoriously long and cumbersome RPG experience, fans were understandably excited. Still, nothing could have prepared us for how good Dragon Quest VII Reimagined truly is, setting a high bar for other remakes of games in the Dragon Quest series and even serving as a perfect template for other developers to follow in reimagining their older RPG classics. Thanks to features like auto-battling and speed-up, Dragon Quest VII goes from a 150-hour behemoth to a much more manageable (and enjoyable) 60-ish hour game.

• Release Date — March 3, 2026
• Developer — Christoffer Bodegård
• Publisher — Raw Fury
• Genre — CRPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC

Speaking of the year's best RPGs, it'd be impossible to talk about the best games of 2026 so far and not mention Esoteric Ebb. Essentially this year's Disco Elysium with a fantasy setting, Esoteric Ebb is an incredibly cool and unique CRPG experience that's heavy on dialogue and role-playing choices, but it also features some pretty enjoyable turn-based combat that makes you consider how to strategize your stat allocation and progression. It's honestly insane to think that this game is largely the work of a solo developer, because it's as good or better than some AAA RPG experiences out there and a surefire contender for both RPG of the year and Game of the Year.

• Release Date — January 29, 2026
• Developer — The Game Bakers
• Publisher — The Game Bakers
• Genre — Simulation, Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5

Of all the games released so far this year, to say that there's been nothing else like Cairn is a bit of an understatement. This meditative climbing simulator offers something that really hasn't been done before in a piece of interactive media, which is to offer up a true approximation of the physicality and dangers of scaling massive cliff faces and mountainsides. All the while, it delivers an atmospheric and reflective experience about the lengths one will go to pursue their dream, even at great risk to physical and mental health. Cairn is a game that's just as much about the journey as the destination, and that they were able to take what could have been a cumbersome and challenging control scheme for its climbing and make it fun is truly impressive.

• Release Date — April 17, 2026
• Developer — Capcom
• Publisher — Capcom
• Genre — Action, Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

It's barely even a week old at this point, but Pragmata already feels like a sleeper hit contender for Game of the Year and is yet another win for Capcom in a year that's been stacked with them. It feels like a forgotten hidden gem from the 7th generation in terms of its willingness to experiment and try something new, all while having visuals and presentation that are firmly rooted in modern game design techniques. Pragmata mixes the old and new eras of Capcom's game design to deliver an experience that emphasizes fun and non-stop action above all else, but it also manages to deliver an incredibly charming and heartfelt story that will tug on the heartstrings of all but the most hardened and disillusioned players out there.

• Release Date — March 13, 2026
• Developer — Capcom
• Publisher — Capcom
• Genre — RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

Speaking of Capcom's winning streak in 2026, it's time to talk about Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. As the third entry in a spin-off series of one of Capcom's most popular franchises, you could have almost forgiven the developer for taking the easy route and somewhat phoning in Twisted Reflection as a way to make some easy money. Instead, Capcom went harder than ever before with the Monster Hunter Stories franchise, giving us both the best game in the series and one of the best creature-collecting JRPGs ever made in the process. With Monster Hunter Stories 3, the spin-off series has gone from being an interesting Pokémon-like to being a genuine contender with Game Freak's legendary run of creature-collecting RPGs.

• Release Date — February 6, 2026
• Developer — Team Ninja
• Publisher — Koei Tecmo
• Genre — Action RPG, Soulslike
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5

2026 has been the year of trilogies, I suppose, because another third entry in a beloved franchise got its best entry yet this year: Nioh 3. The Nioh games have gotten progressively better over time, helping to carve out a unique niche within the burgeoning Soulslike space for Team Ninja and setting the bar for all non-FromSoft titles that take inspiration from Dark Souls and the like. But for the third entry, Team Ninja went above and beyond, ditching the first two games' mission-based structure in favor of an open-world setting that both feels like a natural fit for the Nioh franchise and transforms the experience into something much more evenly-paced and enjoyable. And, like previous games, once you finish the main story, there are hundreds of hours of potential endgame gameplay in Nioh 3 for those who like to go crazy with min-maxing builds.

• Release Date — March 5, 2026
• Developer — Mega Crit
• Publisher — Mega Crit
• Genre — Roguelike, Deckbuilder
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A (Early Access)
• Platforms — PC

Even in its current Early Access state, Slay the Spire II is already a contender for being the best roguelike deckbuilder ever made; no surprise when its predecessor is the other candidate for that title. Much like the first Slay the Spire, Slay the Spire II has an almost perfectly balanced progression and reward loop that provides adequate challenge on successive runs and always leaves you feeling like you're right on the curve with the game's difficulty instead of far ahead of it. And, the new characters and card synergies on display are irresistible for any fan of roguelike deckbuilders looking to try out different strategies and experiment with particular builds. Whether you've sunk 10 or 100 hours into Slay the Spire II, it remains interesting and rewarding — a sign of a great roguelike.

• Release Date — February 10, 2026
• Developer — Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
• Publisher — Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
• Genre — Roguelike, Turn-Based Tactics
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC

The other great Early Access roguelike to arrive early on in 2026 is Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel's Mewgenics, which should come as no surprise to fans of McMillen's previous work, The Binding of Isaac. While Mewgenics has a similar art style and aesthetic to The Binding of Isaac, it's much more jam-packed with oddball humor and cute cats instead of weird, biblically-inspired mutants, and its turn-based tactical gameplay is an absolute treat for fans of the genre. Battles are tightly paced and never run too long, which makes for some incredibly satisfying and rewarding runs where unlocks are doled out at a steady clip, incentivizing you to do it all over again. Just talking about it has me wanting to dive back in for another couple of dozen hours.

• Release Date — March 5, 2026
• Developer — Omega Force, Game Freak
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Genre — Simulation, City-Builder
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — Switch 2

Nintendo could have easily slapped a Pokémon coat of paint on Animal Crossing and called it a day, but instead, it did something remarkable with Pokémon Pokopia. Rather than have Game Freak handle the development of this city-building and life-sim hybrid in-house, Nintendo contracted out Dragon Quest Builders developer Omega Force for Pokopia's development, and the result is one of the best games of its ilk in many years. A city-builder/farming simulation/life simulation game featuring collectible Pokémon from across the series' history is a surefire win for fans of either, and Pokémon Pokopia is easily the first "must-have" Switch 2 exclusive, arriving at a time when the new handheld was in desperate need of one.

• Release Date — February 27, 2026
• Developer — Capcom
• Publisher — Capcom
• Genre — Survival Horror
• Review Aggregate Score — 92% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

From the moment you boot it up until the first time you roll credits, one thing is very obvious about Resident Evil Requiem: this is a game for the fans. No other title in the series' history feels like a celebration of the franchise's legacy quite like Requiem, which blends some of the best third-person action in the series with some of its most tense and terrifying first-person segments to great effect. That back-and-forth present throughout the adventure results in Requiem feeling better-paced and more satisfying than either Resident Evil 7 or 8, and it sets up the franchise for an even more exciting future. Resident Evil is back, baby, and Requiem is most surely 2026's front-runner for Game of the Year thus far.