Months before 2026 even began, there was a palpable feeling in the air that it was going to be a significant year for games. Grand Theft Auto 6, Resident Evil Requiem, and Marvel’s Wolverine alone seemed like a generation-defining trio in the making. But truly special gaming years aren’t entirely defined by their biggest blockbusters; it’s often the surprises between those tentpole moments that give us the best games of the year.
That’s certainly held true so far in 2026. Three months in and we’ve already had so many gems, big and small, that we could put together a pretty killer year-end list today and be happy with it. Don’t worry, we’ll save that task for December. In the meantime, here are the best games of 2026 (so far), organized in reverse-chronological order.
How we pick the best games of 2026. For consideration, a game has to be out for at least a month, so we know it’s not just a flash in the pan. We also select games that are beloved not just by their reviewer but also widely across the team. We’ll update this article periodically throughout 2026.
1
Titanium Court
Release date: April 23
Where to play: Windows PC
The less you know about Titanium Court before playing it, the better. This year’s Seumas McNally Grand Prize winner is at its best when it’s delivering unpredictable absurdism within its genre-fusing match-three roguelike tower defense strategy gameplay. “It might seem like it’s just screwing with you at first, testing your game design literacy,” I wrote in my Titanium Court review, “but play along with it and you’ll discover an inventive work of comedy that’s a joy to outwit.” All I’ll tell you is that Titanium Court is what would happen if Shakespeare got really into Candy Crush while writing A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How’s that for a pitch?
2
Pragmata
Release date: April 17
Where to play: PS5, Switch 2, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
No one is having a better 2026 than Capcom, and Pragmata is proof of that. What looks like a generic sci-fi shooter at a distance is actually a delightfully inventive take on the genre with a heart of gold. Its main draw is its unique bot-hacking twist, where you need to complete a quick maze puzzle while aiming before you can do any real damage to enemies. Austin Manchester praised the system and how it comes together with Pragmata’s weighty shooting in his review: “While these two elements may seem trite on their own, together, in the flow and intensity of combat, they make Pragmata feel like nothing I’ve ever played before.”
3
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Release date: April 16
Where to play: Switch
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream shines when you approach it less like Animal Crossing and more like a reality TV show. Nintendo’s wacky life sim gives you a wealth of creative tools that let you turn anybody you want into a Mii and toss them into a living Mad Lib. An absurd joy arises from drawing a pack of Marlboros and slotting them into the simulation, watching in delight as your newborn baby starts waving around a pack of cigs. “Tomodachi Life is a program to be outsmarted, not controlled,” I wrote about the game’s filterless fun. “Every funny screenshot you can snap is a point scored against the machine.”
4
Marathon
Release date: March 5
Where to play: PS5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
Marathon is the kind of game that creeps up on you. Your first few play sessions are bound to be overwhelming as you’re inundated with confusing loot, bizarre UI, and a bevy of underexplained systems. The more you stick with it, though, the more you’ll discover an engrossing extraction shooter that puts all of Bungie’s best qualities into one tense experience. “It’s not about rushing your goals, but about pushing outward into the boundaries of the playable space around you in tactical ways that guarantee your survival,” Corey Plante wrote about its high-risk joy. “You have to pick your battles or else you run the risk of losing everything.”
5
Pokémon Pokopia
Release date: March 5
Where to play: Switch 2
We always expected that Pokémon Pokopia would be a fun time. Who wouldn’t trust the developers behind Dragon Quest Builders 2 to deliver a great sandbox? What we didn’t anticipate was just how much it would take over our lives. The cozy life sim has a way of winning you over by being very sincere. It doesn’t just want you to catch ‘em all in a new way, but to think of Pokémon as creatures you truly want to protect. As I wrote in my review, “You are collecting homes as much as you are collecting Pokémon, and that significantly changes your relationship to monsters you’ve caught hundreds of times.”
6
Resident Evil Requiem
Release date: February 27
Where to play: PS5, Switch 2, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
Resident Evil Requiem is two excellent horror games in one. First, you have a return to the series’ roots with Grace Ashford’s terrifying escape from a creepy Care Center. Then, you have Leon S. Kennedy returning to the ruins of Raccoon City to face his past and slay hordes of zombies in the process. That divide is a meaningful one: “It returns to the Raccoon City incident, both in its classic survival horror gameplay and story, to allow its characters to finally unpack decades of grief, regret, and survivor’s guilt,” I wrote in my review. It makes for a mournful but always exciting horror game about the different ways people confront trauma.
7
Reanimal
Release date: February 13
Where to play: PS5, Switch 2, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
It’s not that Tarsier Studios’ Reanimal is doing anything too radically different from Little Nightmares, the small-scale horror series that the indie studio built its name on. It’s more that it is fully realizing that idea’s potential in extraordinary fashion. The co-op horror game is an atmospheric tour de force, taking players through a nightmarishly surreal journey that goes to some truly dark but magnificent places. “Horror games have no business being this beautiful,” Marloes Valentina Stella wrote in her review. “No, scratch that; horror games have every business being this beautiful.”
8
Mewgenics
Release date: February 10
Where to play: Windows PC
As far as passion projects go, Mewgenics is one hell of a creative swing. The cat-breeding tactics-roguelike from Super Meat Boy co-creator Edmund McMillen is so full of wacky ideas that you’ll start to feel like there’s no bottom to it. It’s so easy to get mesmerized by it as a result. “I’ve found myself consumed by this game, dreaming about combat grids and sinking hours into trying to create the strongest cats this world has ever seen,” Deven McClure wrote in her review. “It’s a true feat for a game to walk the line between juvenile and complex, and Mewgenics does it deftly.”
9
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined
Release date: February 5
Where to play: PS5, Switch 2, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
In an age where we’re flooded with video game double-dips, few remakes are as delightful as Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined. The new version of Square Enix’s classic RPG isn’t out to provide players with a faithful remake, but a completely new experience that puts the series’ childlike heart at center stage. Joyful visuals and a breezier pace turn a daunting RPG into one that players of all ages can fall in love with. Michael McWhertor put it best in his review: “With an infectious enthusiasm, the game beckons a new generation of players to find their inner hero, to save the world through the eyes of those who long for adventure and aspire to make their own destiny.”
10
Cairn
Release date: January 29
Where to play: PS5, Windows PC
Cairn is an incredibly challenging game, but maybe not in the way you’re expecting. Yes, the free-climbing adventure can be traditionally hard as its protagonist, Aava, tries to scale slippery mountains while gusts of wind and sudden rainstorms try to thwart her journey. But Cairn’s challenge is more found in its tough lessons. “There’s a gentle suggestion here that focus and determination come at a human cost, and that all ascents aren’t inherently noble,” Oli Welsh wrote in his review. “This is a survival game that’s more about walking away from comfort and ease than trying to reclaim it. Cairn is hypnotic and rewarding, but it can be tough and bitter, too.”
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