If you’re looking for low-stakes escapism, Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth is an easy recommendation. It’s everything you could want in a cosy game, blending just enough player agency with what is, without a doubt, an incredibly relaxing and playful experience.

We’ve been spoiled with what could be the best year for gaming since 2023, and now Saros is the latest banger of 2026. It plays like a dream, has a fun gameplay loop, looks stunning, has a superb voice cast and a mysterious story that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Saros is a game that I can’t stop thinking about, and it’s so good that it’s made me want to give Returnal another chance. We’ve said this a lot already this year, but Saros is yet another strong game of the year contender.

This all culminates in an experience that does an effective job at emphasising the connection between people, achieved in a way that feels particularly clever and responsive to how your own actions affect others, as theirs do unto you. Tides of Tomorrow delivers on making you feel like you’re part of a greater whole, while also providing a story that is wholly individual and intimate.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is an interesting AA detective game, with fun investigation mechanics and a gripping premise, but quickly falls apart in the second half of the story. It’s disappointing, because there are occasional sparks of ingenuity in some of the game’s later chapters, and it’s a shame to see the final quality so inconsistent.

Pragmata truly is a triumph. The mix of hacking and shooting forces you to find a rhythm in combat and depending on what enemies are on the field and what equipment you have, the tempo can vary significantly. Combat never felt like it was outstaying its welcome nor did it feel repetitive. The Cradle is an excellent setting both in terms of story and environment variety so while backtracking for collectibles felt like a pain at times, it was still rewarding to revisit those areas to see what I originally missed. Hugh and Diana really are a dynamic duo and it was a pleasure to see their friendship develop; the humanity both of these characters bring to the plot is essential for the narrative to work and it was refreshing to have protagonists that aren’t carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders at all times. It made for higher stakes when the pair were in genuine danger and levity during the story’s quieter moments.

A Storied Life: Tabitha offers a formula that unfortunately should work better than it does in practice. Players become stuck between creatively crafting Tabitha’s life only to end up with a nonsensical outcome or adhering to a rigid, predetermined path, resulting in a better ending but less joyous experience. Even still, there are some delightful puzzling elements within this short, bite-sized experience that is really exquisitely presented. I enjoyed A Storied Life: Tabitha despite its shortcomings, but it didn’t tug on the heartstrings as I perhaps expected it might.

After many hours playing Screamer

Crimson Desert is by no means a perfect game. It’s an amalgamation of perhaps slightly too many ideas, and that makes for a weirdly paced experience that demands a lot of the player without offering much in the way of help. And yet, it left me in awe more times than anything else I’ve played in recent memory with its dazzling open-world. Crimson Desert may not be the best game you'll ever play, but it’ll certainly be up there as perhaps the most memorable.

It does sadden me that the game turned out this way, as I fear a certain dark corner of the internet will use the game’s negative reception to push an unwarranted agenda, namely that the game’s failure is tied to the assumed relationship of the two female leads which, of course, is not the case. It’s difficult to overlook 1348 Ex Voto’s flaws though. While there are some charming performances on display, it’s ultimately let down by a dull and problematic combat system and poor optimisation that doesn’t really give you any incentive to push on with what is, sadly, a slog.

I tip my hat to the developers for how they are continually able to improve every year. Sure, it’s not a perfect game, but objectively, I believe that WWE 2K26 is the best wrestling game ever made, and that’s the bottom line, because I said so.

Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf is a new all-time favourite of mine. It’s a near-perfect package, offering a moving and captivating adventure infused with solid platforming and smart, varied puzzle design. Its cliffhanger ending may have us all holding our breaths for yet another instalment, but returning players won’t be disappointed by what’s on offer here. Reuniting with Lana and Mui is a treat, and I hope we all get the chance to do it again.

There’s no one reason why Pokémon Pokopia is so special; this game is a sum of its parts, without a single weak link in the chain. It’s a title that offers a unique spin on the cosy formula, made all the more magical by the familiarity of this wonderful franchise. Pokémon Pokopia is a true adventure that boasts a refreshing sense of freedom. Totally devoid of grind, this experience rewards the curious with heaps of content on offer. You’ll be hard pressed to put it down, and it's certainly a title that we’ll all be discussing when this year’s GOTY discussion rolls around.

As a horror game in its own right, Resident Evil Requiem is a very solid nine out of 10, but as a passionate fan of the series, it earns an additional bonus point thanks to the attention to detail and craft that’s gone into every pore of this game.

Reanimal is a game that I sense may be divisive. Its confusing world and short runtime don’t exactly set it up for universal success, but it’s hard not to come away from the game feeling entertained and impressed. It’s a jarring adventure but one that is held together by some utterly brilliant set pieces that make it a worthwhile co-op experience. I sense that Tarsier Studios has something fascinating to say with this one. I just wish I could work out what it was.

Mario Tennis Fever kicks off Mario’s 40th anniversary year in triumphant style. It’s a sports entry that delivers enough variety to be of appeal to all fans of the famed plumber, no matter their genre of preference. With its surprisingly charming Adventure Mode and more match variations than you could possibly imagine, Mario Tennis Fever is a bountifully delightful release that conjures up the pure, whimsical escapism that only Nintendo so wonderfully nails.

Starsand Island is exactly what I’ve claimed it to be in previous previews. It’s the very best of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and The Sims, with a flavouring of Studio Ghibli thrown in, but it’s also something completely original. Starsand Island’s depth of offering places it leagues above its competitors making it, for me, the new poster child of the cosy gaming space. I’ll be championing it until the rest of the world catches on, but I have a feeling that won’t take very long. [Early Access Score = 100]

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a worthwhile remake that follows on from the great work achieved in the original Kiwami and Kiwami 2. The game feels fresh in all areas that it needs to be, without losing the identity of what made this game popular in 2009. The combat is fluid and fun, the graphics are sharp, the camera is not restrictive, and there are some new elements, such as cut-scenes, modes, and mini-games that help make the game feel somewhat fresh. Simply put, if you’re already in love with the Yakuza series, then you’re gonna love Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties.

Cairn has now become one of my favourite games of all time. I absolutely love the game’s reactive climbing mechanics, the tough-but-fair difficulty, and its entire presentation is simply gorgeous. Even though there aren’t really any changes between playthroughs, this is a game I’ll be regularly coming back to, if only to continue experiencing the thrill of the climb over and over again.

All of this is to say that I think Inkle is on to another banger here. Narrative has always been one of the studio’s strongest points, but I absolutely love the way it unfolds here, where much of the backstory can only be pieced together by you. It’s a great method to tell a story in a way that only video games can, by emphasising the interaction between the player and the game, and is now one of the finest examples of doing this.

It doesn’t do much to reinvent the wheel, there’s nothing massive here that separates it from a game like Hollow Knight, but it doesn’t need to, either. I liked that it kept its features and ideas down to the simple fundamentals of the Metroidvania genre, where its appeal rides by on vibes alone. Even after reaching the end of the game, I’m excited to go back and see what I’ve missed, because I’ll bet there’s quite a lot of content I’ve still not seen yet.

Platforming fans will be hard-pressed to come away from Big Hops though with anything other than a smile on their face. It shows a strong sense of vision. Here is an end product that pays homage to the greats of the genre whilst carving out its own identity. With several varied worlds, creative gameplay, and a respectable 10 to 12 hour runtime, there’s very little else I could ask for from the title. Big Hops is a ribbiting, sorry, riveting adventure that’ll kickstart your 2026 in the best way possible.

Death Howl has been a fantastic time for me, and it’s been a wonder to slowly piece together how The Outer Zone managed to fit two rather opposing genres in a way that feels tangible and engaging.

Perhaps Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow isn’t the triumphant return the series needed, even if the game itself is somewhat fine. In essence, virtual reality fans may enjoy it, while long-time fans hoping for a comeback in the vein of the original series may be disappointed. I hope whoever at Eidos is in charge of the Thief brand doesn’t shelve it for another decade, because I’m still holding out hope that the franchise will have a decent revival worthy of the Looking Glass Studios titles.

With Disco Elysium being one of my all-time favourite games, I was eager to check out Rue Valley with all of its similarities and although it does not stand side-by-side with it, it does have its own merits. As such, I encourage you to give it a go and see how you can make your 47-minute time-loops make a difference in a town filled with drama, looming corporations, family feuds, and even a possible alien or two.

As the biggest Metroid Prime game to date yet it’s fallen into the trap that many open-world games succumb to, an overwhelmingly feeling of emptiness. The actual levels themselves are good, look great, but are dragged down by interfering NPCs and linear layouts that defeat the point of a metroidvania entirely.

With a RRP of £11.99, All Hands on Deck is an easy recommendation. It’s far from the strongest co-op title released within 2025 but with a respectable runtime, well-considered platforming and puzzler action, and a charming premise, you won’t be left feeling disappointed by what this indie gem has to offer.

By the time the game came to its conclusion, I was left with an overwhelming yearning for a better future, and a feeling that that is something wholly achievable. Duskpunk is the kind of game that makes me feel hope.

My gripes with Little Corners are mild. It’s a really simple title but what it sets out to do, it does largely pretty well. I’d have liked some more options when it comes to sticker placement and organisation, and I do feel it suffers slightly from being a game that begins to feel a tad repetitive after a while. Yet despite all of this, I’d say Little Corners is more than worth its meagre asking price of £5.99. It’s the type of game that you can dip in and out of, leaving behind your worldly woes for a whimsical sense of fun.