An exceptional, breathtaking world that players will be kept busy in for years, Forza Horizon 6 is one of 2026's best games of the year and one of the best racing games ever created.

Almost a full decade on from Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games has returned in full form. Mina the Hollower is a joyously ambitious modern take on classic action-adventure games, blending carefully executed mechanics with a world that isn’t afraid to bite back, making for an experience that continuously empowers the player and rewards curiosity at every turn.

If you’re looking for a hidden object puzzle game to revisit that childlike wonder without sacrificing substance and finesse, Lost and Found Co. is the one to find.

Schrodinger’s Call is a beautiful yet haunting visual novel touching upon the human condition. We explore love, grief, human connection, and the memories that haunt, harm, and heals us. Be it the little white lies we tell ourselves or the the strength we find to face the truth. It is at its core a visual novel which means the game play will feel minimal for many. It’s strength is in the story. It is how it causes us to reflect upon our selves. Schrodinger’s Call will call out to players, wanting them to connect with those important to them. It reminds you that you are not alone, you are loved, you are important, and you matter. There is someone out there waiting to hear your voice. Call them before it’s too late.

Pokémon Pokopia is a smashing homerun. Whether you’re looking for a game with an emotional mystery story of what happened, a game to build your wildest creations, or even just a game to get to spend time with some of your favorite pocket monsters, there is a game here for everyone. The game just oozes sweetness, and I already know that this is one that I am going to drop over 100 hours into this year alone. Simply put, whether you’re already a fan of Pokémon, a newcomer to the series or just a fan of cozy games, Pokémon Pokopia is absolutely a worthwhile buy, and is everything that I wanted Animal Crossing New Horizons to be and more. It is an early game of the year contender for me and a reason to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2.

The next evolution of the Resident Evil series has officially arrived and it delivers on nearly every front. From the visceral, gory combat to the tense, compounding sense of dread that accompanies every darkened hallway, Requiem feels like a love letter to every Resident Evil fan. The dual-protagonist addition works to near perfection, with Grace thriving on tense, survival horror driven moments of terror, while Leon deploys the heavy firepower and one-liners to bring up the rear. Its environments and settings have a sense of familiarity to the horrors hiding just out of sight, while feeling like a brand new monster entirely. Though the story does falter towards the end, I feel confident in saying that Requiem is one of the strongest entries in the series as a whole. It does just enough to honor the past, while pushing full steam ahead towards the future.

007 First Light isn’t just a great Bond game – it’s one of the best action-adventure games released this decade. Witnessing the birth of the 007 legend through Bond’s eyes from the beginning is a tale that was long overdue for a video game adaptation, and IO Interactive has pulled it off flawlessly. Tie this origin story in with gameplay systems that prioritize the precision and creativity that 007 is known for, and you have what amounts to one of the best iterations of James Bond that we have seen in recent memory.

Saros is a triumph for Housemarque and a reminder that some of the most exciting games being made today don’t need to rely on cinematic spectacle to leave a lasting impression. It takes everything that made Returnal special and builds upon it in meaningful ways, from its improved progression systems to its breathtaking world design and its roster of unforgettable boss encounters. The story is heavy, the gameplay is addictive, and the world of Carcosa will stick with you long after the credits roll. If Returnal was Housemarque announcing themselves to the world, Saros is them planting their flag. Don’t sleep on it.

Mintrocket have advertised the In the Jungle DLC as the largest and most ambitious DLC for Dave the Diver yet; a huge celebration of the title's third birthday. It's safe to say that the team have absolutely delivered on a spectacular birthday blow out for Dave and the gang, with tonnes of new content, a fun mystery to solve and a host of delicious new dishes to salivate over.

Woolhaven is everything you would want in a DLC. It only adds to what makes Cult of the Lamb special, with the visuals and characters all being as charming as ever. All the hard work you put into raising your cult is put at risk if you cannot calm the storm. A little piece of me died whenever a follower perished. You are forced to adapt to the new climate; it’s hard but not punishing.

Vampire Crawlers is a wonderful follow-up to a game I hold dear. It translates seamlessly from the bullet-heaven genre into the deck building genre. While there are a few frustrating levels and as of now a lack of endgame content to keep me going, there’s enough here to justify playing this for hours on end and keep you engaged. If you’re a fan of Slay the Spire or Balatro, Vampire Crawlers is absolutely a must grab, even if you have no prior experience with Vampire Survivors.

While Nioh 3 was a very big learning curve, with lots of different stats and combos to keep track of. I’m not going to tell you how long some of the bosses took me, but once I had it semi-figured out, it was fantastic fun.

OPUS Prism Peak feels at times a lot less like a game and more like a work of art. That is if you can handle the joy, the loss, the pain, or in other words, life. It is cathartic, it is real, it is beautiful, and it is sad.

PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse is a fantastic story that may even make you wish the game was slightly longer. For those who want a mystery that transcends a lifetime set in a beautiful fishing village backdrop, this is for you. While not puzzle heavy, when they appear, they are well thought out and clever. When focused on the narrative, the story is well paced. The writing is smart enough to reiterate the things you need to know without feeling too repetitive. After this entry into the series, I hope Square Enix knows they have something precious in their hands and continues to revisit this series in the future.

Despite some technical issues, I had a great time with Demon Tides, from my first double jump to my last spin rush. The beautiful world and fun character designs, the amount of customisation to both move set and character appearance, as well as the bumping soundtrack, mostly made up for any frustrations and metaphorical skinned knees I went through.

Even though I'm not familiar with the story or history of BlazBlue I had a very fun time with Entropy Effect X. It is genuinely fun to play, offering a loop of combat that is as challenging as it is visually stunning. The large Roster of very different characters and the interplay of the Legacy system make every run feel like a new experiment in breaking the game's limits. And the Entropy system unlocked upon winning a run lets you push the difficulty as hard as you can.

To summarize my previous ramblings, I honestly loved what I was presented in Dead in Antares. It truly did feel as though each of the decisions that you made had some level of impact on the rest of your gameplay and didn’t just feel like going through the motions because we had to. Coupled with the gorgeous artwork, ambient soundtrack, and interesting story, Dead in Antares was a solid entry in my gaming logs and has definitely nudged me to check out the other properties from Ishtar Games.

Coming from someone who is completely new to extraction shooters, Marathon is a triumph. The excellent visuals, audio design and gameplay creates a game and world that wants you to have “just one more run”. Hell, I’m only writing this during the server maintenance downtime, otherwise I’d struggle to tear myself away! Bungie have succeeded in creating a world that is begging to be explored and experienced even if the lore and storytelling feels slightly secondary. It may feel overwhelming at first, but a little perserverance, and not much at that, will open up a game that is incredibly well made and demonstrates a lot of love and work. Marathon is a game that has defied my expectations, embraced the weird and wonderfulness of its creative team, and should absolutely be celebrated.

Under the Island is a fun and often wacky adventure game that wears its heart on its sleeve and does right by its inspirations.

Hyper Games has successfully captured the unique duality of the Moomin stories - the whimsical charm of helping neighbors balanced against the slight, beautiful melancholy of a lonely Scandinavian winter.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight creates a clever throughline between the imagination of the brick-building video games and the mechanical genius of Rocksteady’s Arkham series, resulting in the strongest LEGO game yet. Full of endearment to its source material and approachable for audiences of almost all ages, regardless of whether your childhood Batman was Adam West or Robert Pattinson. It may not be quite the hardcore video game comeback we wanted from the Dark Knight, but it’s a surprising win nonetheless.

Reimagined is overall a good game. However, it certainly doesn’t feel like a game created for those who grew up with Dragon Quest. This is because we’ve grown, and Dragon Quest 7’s gameplay is still, in its own way, very much stuck in the past. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as now, this is a game I would love my kids to play, so they can fall in love with Dragon Quest and JRPGs in general.

If there’s anything to take away from this review, it’s the deep emotion connection I felt during and after the climb. I felt frustration, happiness, sadness, despair, relief, and guilt. For a mostly solitary and quiet game about climbing a mountain, I learned much about myself. I may be exaggerating, I don’t know. But I loved this game.

Hank: Drowning on Dry Land provided a very unique take on the time-travel puzzle genre and managed to couch it in its own unique world that is ripe for expansion. But does the game have extensive replayability? Not really. It’ll be a game that you play once, maybe twice, and will more than likely never revisit. This is not to belittle the work that went into this project – it’s just my honest take-away. That being said, though, at a price point of $2.99, and what I laid out interests you, give it a shot! My sincere hope is that we eventually see more of these titles released as part of a series. I think, to my dismay though, that it will be some time until we see this.

Swan Song is an adorable and worthwhile cosy puzzle title, offering unique gameplay that fans of the genre will enjoy. What on the surface could appear to offer limited tricks succeeds in finding new mechanics that will keep players mentally engaged from start to finish.

Planet of Lana II is a sequel that takes all the good things about it's predecessor and builds upon them, adding new well thought out mechanics and engaging additions to the gameplay all housed within a breathtaking, captivating world.

Coffee Talk Tokyo is a wonderful narrative in a short and sweet packaged form. While narrative driven stories are not for everyone, those who enjoy a good glimpse into different characters will enjoy their time with Coffee Talk Tokyo. One full playthrough will only take about 6-7 hours which allows players to squeeze this into their busy schedule. Does Coffee Talk Tokyo do anything overly new and original? No. However what it does, it does exceedingly well. It brings characters to life, it gives a wonderful soundtrack, and it makes characters quite relatable no matter what age or life stage. For those who want excitement, this may not be the game for you. For those who are looking for interactive fiction, an enjoyable visual novel narrative, this is definitely one to take a sip of.

Developer DigixArt went bold and unique with Tides of Tomorrow and it has paid off. With characters you can get heavily invested in, a surprisingly deep story and a gorgeous world, there is a lot to like here.