2026 is shaping up to be a great year for video game releases, and it’s already delivered some amazing ones for us to get stuck into, from a return to Raccoon City to breeding cats for roguelike warfare.
So far, IGN has scored a total of 14 games 8/10 or higher this year, with a range of genres covered, from co-op horror adventures to open-world soulslike punishment. And if 2025 is anything to go by, which ended up with 89 high-scoring games, there’ll be plenty more added to this page as we progress through 2026. These are IGN’s best video games of 2026.
This list will be updated as new releases receive qualifying review scores.
Review Score: 8 (“Great”)
These games leave us with something outstanding to remember them by, usually novel gameplay ideas for single-player or multiplayer, clever characters and writing, noteworthy graphics and sound, or some combination thereof. If we have major complaints, there are more than enough excellent qualities to cancel them out.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon
From our review: After its predecessor took a detour from advancing the Calvard saga in favor of a more interpersonal story, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon almost feels like an overcorrection as it weaves the plot-heavy stories of three different protagonists into a single adventure. However, splitting it into three distinct routes makes it all much easier to digest. While our main hero is overshadowed by the other protagonists early on, the story eventually finds a satisfying way to weave its paths together, and ultimately sticks the landing. The new mechanics in both the turn-based and real-time combat are welcome additions that continue to refine a battle system that was already a lot of fun. And while its cliffhanger ending will likely be divisive, Trails Beyond the Horizon has certainly built an exciting launchpad for what comes next. — George Yang
Menace (Early Access)
From our review: Menace is off to more than a running start already. The turn-based tactical action is some of the best I’ve played lately, and I love the distinct, voiced squad leaders, as well as both the variety of missions and enemy factions. The biggest missing piece is really story and context. It’s hard to get too invested in what’s going on in the Wayback when I’m not even really sure why we’re here yet. But for Early Access, this is a truly impressive effort, and there’s plenty of fun to be had already. — Leana Hafer
Scott Pilgrim EX
From our review: Scott Pilgrim EX is the latest in a long line of retro revivals from Tribute Games, and like all of its previous works, the developer has done an admirable job of producing a beat ‘em up that builds on its predecessor while adding much-appreciated gameplay depth and plenty of replayability. I love EX’s RPG systems (simple as they are), its world, and how there is always another interesting character to try when I get bored. But it’s also a game that grapples with the passage of time, even if it perhaps doesn’t mean to. The modern beat ‘em up exists because of the games that came before, but they were often far more limited. With the passage of time, we’ve returned to those ideas and refined them. Like Scott Pilgrim itself, those games have gone from something that was new to something that is now referenced. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, but a bittersweet one, and Scott Pilgrim EX understands that. You can go back in time, but you can’t go back to the way things were. All that’s left is to appreciate where you’ve been and enjoy what’s here now. And you know what? What’s here is pretty fun. — Will Borger
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake
From our review: On the surface, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake is everything a fan like me could want. It’s artistically stunning, its world and character designs are remarkable, it is memorable and terrifying, it does not hold your hand, and many of its gameplay additions are welcome. But by making a version of Crimson Butterfly that offers you more choice and makes you more powerful – that bends to the modern need for More™ in general – Team Ninja has also made it feel more artificial, and less intimate in its horror. The end result is still a great game, but a slightly different one than I remember. Video game remakes are almost always an attempt to recapture a specific feeling, like a photo captures a single moment in time. They seek to replicate that moment, to turn a work of art from what it is to the way we remember it. That Crimson Butterfly Remake succeeds probably as well as it could have is nothing short of miraculous. But as any photographer will tell you, a flawless photograph is rare. If Mio and Mayu’s story has any lesson, it’s that sometimes you have to be unafraid, raise the camera again, and aim for the perfect shot, knowing it may be forever out of reach, but that the attempt matters all the same, and that a beautiful but imperfect picture is still worthwhile. — Will Borger
Review Score: 9 (“Amazing”)
We enthusiastically recommend that you add these games to your to-play list. If we call a game Amazing, that means something about it seriously impressed us, whether it’s an inspired new idea or an exceptional take on an old one. We expect to look back at it as one of the highlights of its time and genre.
Cairn
From our review: Cairn would mean nothing without the journey, without the climb, without the moments where I faced everything Kami had to throw at me, from sheer cliffs to bad weather to climbing at night. Each time I was close to the top, I discovered the peak was farther off. And each time, I would tape up Aava’s hands, cook whatever I had, and keep going. I knew what she could handle, what she needed, how strong her grip would be, where I could take my chances. My reward was always something wondrous, and by the end I was as attuned to Aava’s body as my own. But what I’ll remember is the story of the mountain and the people on it. I’ll remember the climb. I’ll remember Aava. Kami asks Aava two questions: “Who are you? Why are you here?” Her answers are simple: “I’m a climber. I came here to live.” And through her, so could I. — Will Borger
Nioh 3
From our review: Even in a genre that’s become as saturated as the soulslike, there’s still nothing that hits quite like the Nioh series, and Nioh 3 stands out as the best of the trilogy. The move to an open world structure isn’t perfect, but the rewarding exploration, gorgeous landscapes, and thrilling optional boss battles mostly cover any minor issues. Strap on top of that best-in-class combat, hugely customizable build crafting, a lengthy campaign with a deep New Game+ mode where the loot system actually shines, and a godsend of an auto-equip feature before you get there, and you’ve got yet another Team Ninja banger that sits at the top of the soulslike genre. — Mitchell Saltzman
Mewgenics
From our review: More than once, I’ve looked up from playing Mewgenics and realized that it’s 1:30AM. It’s that kind of tactical turn-based roguelike, where every new run with a new set of mutant feline adventurers is full of potential for something you didn’t know could happen, even after dozens of hours of runs. Maybe you’ll earn a new ability for a character class you’ve used many times, or see some new devious enemies that never appeared in a zone before, or you’ll get a new piece of gear that completely upends the rules and chaos will ensue. You’ll definitely see something hilariously gross. There will almost certainly be times you’ll be sent back to your house with your tail between your legs and have to breed a new batch of cats to avenge their mulched predecessors, but you’ll do it to the tune of some outstanding original songs. — Dan Stapleton
Reanimal
From our review: Remember this, Reanimal says as it shows you something. All the pieces matter. It is a horror story, a journey through hell made up of the simple, elegant gameplay that Tarsier has honed to a feather’s edge over the last decade. There are occasional frustrations: a chase where the way forward is not obvious, a path that is easy to miss. What will keep you going is the story, the world, the characters, the sense that beyond all of this lies answers, the act of working together in a world where the scariest things are often not monsters, but other people, and what we are capable of inflicting on one another. What kept me going was playing it with another person, sharing that experience, and working together to discover what was at the bottom of that hole, and how that boy ended up in a boat, and his sister nearly drowned at sea. Going through hell together, wondering if it was something that happened to them, or the world they – we – had made. — Will Borger
Resident Evil Requiem
From our review: Like the result of an experiment conducted in an underground Umbrella Corporation lab, Resident Evil Requiem successfully splices two separate strains of survival horror together into the one highly infectious new mutation. It signals the return of a series legend and the arrival of a likeable new lead, amps up the gore to a new stomach-turning standard, and unleashes a scarier breed of zombie alongside some truly beastly boss fights. The lack of any meaningful side content like The Mercenaries mode is a touch disappointing, and I do wonder if a slightly more consistent balance could have been struck with the ebb and flow from jaw-clenching moments of tension to all-out assault, rather than frontloading the story with frights before giving way to a more bullet-riddled back half. Even so, from my first trembling steps into its shadows all the way to the tremendous, titan-sized takedown at its climax, Resident Evil Requiem kept me completely absorbed and consistently entertained whether it was all hair-raising or all guns blazing. — Tristan Ogilvie
Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes
From our review: Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes is a 2D fighter for people who love 2D Fighters, myself included. It’s incredibly deep, has a rich and well-rounded roster with some of the coolest looking characters around, features excellent teaching tools to give you everything you need to improve, and even comes with replay takeover for the truly hardcore that intend to watch their matches back and learn from their mistakes. A lot of those excellent features (as well as its great rollback netcode) may go completely unnoticed for the more casual audience, and the lack of context in story mode will no doubt make newcomers feel lost without a flashlight when it comes to navigating its dense lore. But as far as the most important aspects of a 2D fighter go, Under Night In-Birth 2 ranks up there with the best of them. — Mitchell Saltzman
Pokémon Pokopia
From our review: Pokémon Pokopia is a real treat: an enjoyable building and town simulator that capitalizes on the charming personalities of its monsters in a way that appeals to both the creative and collector alike. It’s packed with fun things to do and worthy rewards for doing them, and strikes a healthy balance between freedom and suggestion in its building mechanics (despite a few precision nitpicks). All of this is housed in an adorable adventure through an interesting and surprisingly deep setting that presses all the nostalgia buttons for longtime fans. And it all shines especially bright in its lovable protagonist’s blobby pink hands. — Rebekah Valentine
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
From our review: I loved every step of my obsessive, Monstie-collecting journey in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. It smooths over the mild frustrations and complaints I had with its already great predecessors, leaving only a finely-tuned loop of hunting, hatching, restoring, and upgrading that perfectly feeds into itself every step of the way. The joy of finding a new cool monster, figuring out how to build its stats and skills to best fit it into my team, and finally riding off into the sunset with it is unmatched. Twisted Reflection shines as another excellent spin off of one of my favorite series, but it also just stands as a fantastic monster-collecting RPG all on its own. — Casey DeFreitas
Minishoot’ Adventures
From our review: Minishoot’ Adventures may just be a Zelda game with twin-stick combat, but that description sells it short. It’s obvious SoulGame Studio has put an enormous amount of care and consideration into every detail, from upgrade frequency and enemy placement to boss behavior and world design. It takes all the right lessons from Nintendo’s beloved franchise and puts them to good use in a new package. Sure, the enemies might be forgettable visually and some of the upgrade paths might be a little slow, but this is a minimalist action-adventure game very much by design. It’s how that unique mix of formulas is combined that keeps Minishoot’ Adventures fun all the way until the credits roll and beyond. — Chris Reed
Slay the Spire 2 (Early Access)
From our review: There has been a towering pile of praise heaped upon Slay the Spire since it popularized the deck-building roguelike genre in 2017, and virtually all of it applies to the Early Access version of Slay the Spire 2, word for word. That might make it easy to dismiss as retreading the same ground, but while the broad strokes of its turn-based combat and how you choose your risks and rewards on the map are the same, the details have major, game-changing differences and expansions on the original’s ideas. Some of those forced me to rethink my strategies and approaches to the three returning characters, and made wrapping my head around the new pair a tough challenge. The ability to play in co-op is also a brand-new way to experience a classic game, and the relatively polished state it’s been released in make it one of those Early Access gems you don’t need to wait on. — Dan Stapleton
