Even with a lackluster story and an uncharismatic protagonist, Saros has secured its place among the best games of 2026 so far, thanks to its addictive, challenging, and frenetic gameplay, featuring fantastic battles that showcase all of Housemarque’s brilliance and expertise.

Aphelion offers a compelling sci-fi premise and an immersive soundtrack, but stumbles in its execution. What should be an emotional and epic journey ends up getting lost in a rushed pace and repetitive gameplay, which turns exploration into a tedious climbing (or mountaineering) simulator.

Pragmata is a blend of Vanquish-esque aesthetics, a dash of Resident Evil — minus all the horror — in the final stretch, a good but clichéd story, unique and highly entertaining gameplay, and two protagonists who serve as the essential glue holding it all together. The game shines in its simplicity, excitement, and fun.

Life is Strange: Reunion clings to nostalgia and doesn't allow its protagonists to mature beyond the dilemmas they faced in Arcadia Bay 10 years ago. It's a must-see for fans of the franchise, but it's also a bittersweet experience, delivering a predictable mystery shrouded in technical problems that, at this point, Deck Nine should have already overcome.

Marathon offers the best of what Bungie has to offer in terms of pure gameplay and a unique hardcore experience within the extraction shooter genre. However, pacing issues and its appeal to a niche audience make the barrier to entry too high for the vast majority of players.

The game removes some of the mechanics that made it even more terrifying, but it still stays true to the original and serves as an excellent introduction for a new generation of players.

Even in a genre as saturated as the Soulslike, nothing compares to the Nioh series, and Nioh 3 stands out as the best in the trilogy. The transition to an open world isn’t perfect, but the rewarding exploration, stunning landscapes, and thrilling optional boss battles more than make up for any minor issues. Add to that top-notch combat, an extremely customizable character creation system, a lengthy campaign with a deep New Game+ mode where the loot system really shines, and an auto-equip feature that’s a true godsend, and you have yet another Team Ninja hit that sits at the top of the Soulslike genre.

Right from the first month of the year, as far as I’m concerned, Code Vein 2 has all the makings of one of the most disappointing experiences of 2026. The story is predictable and monotonous; the combat, while decent, gets tedious due to the repetition of enemies and attack patterns; and the boss battles are unengaging—which is probably the biggest flaw in a Soulslike game.

Despite all its flaws, Tormented Souls 2 may still appeal to nostalgic players who miss the classic survival horror games. That said, it doesn’t make up for the game’s script flaws, its unintuitive gameplay, and its predictable jump scares, which get lost amid an excellent atmosphere.

ROUTINE is a unique space horror game with strong references to classic survival horror titles and 1980s science fiction cinema. With its sublime puzzles and well-paced gameplay, the game keeps you hooked from start to finish with an intriguing narrative skillfully woven together through documents, videos, diaries, and even the character’s hallucinations.

Crimson Desert offers a well-rounded experience, even if it has a few stumbles along the way. Its campaign leaves something to be desired, but the game more than makes up for it with a vibrant, detail-rich world. Its excellent combat, combined with stunning visuals and a powerful soundtrack, makes the battles fun and epic, but it was in its open world that I found the game’s greatest appeal and standout feature.

Pokémon: Pokopia revitalizes the franchise by combining the creativity of Minecraft with the charm of Animal Crossing in a deep narrative. Despite suffering from long loading times on the Switch 2 and a slow, real-time-based pace, the freedom to rebuild cities and manage habitats is extremely rewarding. It's an innovative and necessary addition that, even with technical flaws, delivers an exciting and authentic experience.

Resident Evil Requiem combines the best that the franchise has had through 30 years on top of excellent protagonism from Grace and Leon. Unfortunately, the game falters in action sequences which are reminiscent of Resident Evil 6, the worst title in the saga, and stumbles slightly with a narrative that isn't as brilliant and sublime as its horror and gameplay. However, it still demonstrates the mastery that Capcom has maintained with the franchise since RE7: Biohazard (despite the misstep in RE3 Remake).

Stuck in some survival horror tropes that are already tired in 2025, A.I.L.A embodies the terror of AIs with a frightening villain, macabre settings, and great puzzles. A little more polish would be very beneficial for the game, which has a solid narrative and an excellent variety of horror approaches for each experience in the plot.

Even though it's not the best beat 'em up released in recent years, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is another hit in this era of revival of the genre that was all the rage in arcades in the 1990s. The game from Tribute Games and Dotemu shines mainly with its huge variety of characters and, above all, play styles, offering an extremely fun campaign from start to finish. Although the levels often feel repetitive and the game offers a small variety of enemies given the length of the campaign, these minor issues do not detract from the creative merits of a game that feels like a real living comic book. At a time when several classic beat 'em up franchises have returned with great games, from Streets of Rage to Ninja Turtles, Marvel Cosmic Invasion joins this new wave of great successes even though it is not the pinnacle of the genre.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond delivers a solid adventure faithful to the series' legacy, combining good exploration and puzzles that carry the essence of the saga. The game, however, suffers in portable mode, featuring somewhat dated graphics unworthy of such a highly anticipated release, but shines when docked and played on a good TV. The presence of AI-controlled allies is more charming than useful, and although the Vi-O-La motorcycle helps make the journey through Viewros less tiring, it works more as a remedy for a pacing problem than a genuinely exciting element. The price differences between Switch and Switch 2 also raise the question of whether the improvements justify the additional cost, especially when some of them seem to merely mitigate technical limitations.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 slows down a little compared to its predecessor and responds to complaints from the community to deliver a good multiplayer experience in a year when everything is against it. Its campaign, however, highlights what has been sacrificed in the short development time and stands as a strong contender for the worst story in the franchise.

Dispatch is one of those games that is already among the best of the year and puts a smile on your face from the very beginning, even bringing tears to players' eyes — whether from joy or sadness. The writing is brilliant, the choices carry weight, the characters are captivating, and everything in the game just made me look forward to a second season even more. The absence of more interactive moments like in Telltale titles is a little frustrating, but it doesn't weaken the game at all.

With simple but fun and intuitive gameplay, Master Lemon: The Quest for Iceland is a pixel art RPG that delivers on its promises, with several exciting moments that make us reflect and many places to explore. In addition to being a touching tribute, the title shows that Brazilian indie games deserve more and more recognition within the industry.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment successfully expands on the story of Tears of the Kingdom in a satisfying way. The fun and chaotic gameplay is great and is the highlight of the game. Fortunately, thanks to the wide variety of characters, the game avoids the repetitiveness of its very similar objectives. Although it doesn't shine like the main titles, the narrative brings a new perspective to the War of Imprisonment. Learning more about each sage is charming, but even so, there is nothing that makes it a must-have title within The Legend of Zelda.

The Outer Worlds 2 is a fun return to the satirical universe created by Obsidian, maintaining its sharp humor and criticism of corporate capitalism. The game succeeds in offering freedom of choice, good dialogue options, and a setting that balances sci-fi aesthetics with a playful tone, delivering a solid campaign, charismatic characters, and varied missions that guarantee hours of exploration and laughter. However, technical issues still weigh negatively on the experience: bugs, glitches, and even crashes disrupt immersion, even with the promise of future fixes. The main story may not be as memorable as that of other Obsidian titles, but the work as a whole is still convincing.

After a 13-year hiatus, Ninja Gaiden 4 marks the franchise's grand return to 3D hack and slash. With agile, versatile combat that gives the new protagonist Yakumo a multitude of offensive tools, the game shines with its combo systems, good variety of weapons, and extremely responsive commands, as well as offering a good range of defensive options for moments of chaos and boss fights. Although it suffers from linear missions and repetitive enemies, the partnership between Team Ninja and PlatinumGames delivers the game that the franchise deserved and did not receive in Ninja Gaiden 3, with gameplay as sharp as a katana blade.

In a 2025 marked by the excellence of independent games, Absolum arrives to set a new standard of quality for the beat 'em up genre. The game takes the best of the roguelike genre to give a new face to modern beat 'em ups. With extremely varied gameplay and a combat system that encourages a high-risk, high-reward approach to overcoming enemies from common foes to bosses, Absolum presents a progression that requires a strategic approach to each fight, but always offers the player all the tools necessary to overcome these challenges. If beat 'em ups, even in their best recent games, have always been characterized by subtle innovations, Absolum emerges as a true beacon of creativity for the genre.

Creatively different, Pokémon Legends: Z-A sets a new standard for the series by combining the identity of the anime with decades of expectations. The intimate concept of Lumiose, while still highlighting Game Freak's repetitive problems, brings more life to the world in which humans and Pokémon share the disappointments and joys of metropolitan life disrupted by incessant innovative battles.

Without words, Keeper manages to have a touching narrative depth and features wonderful artistic feats. However, technical aspects make the experience unpleasant at certain points and detract from the enjoyment of such a surreal and beautiful world. Double Fine continues to be great at creating works that touch the heart, but perhaps it is time to review the optimization of the studio's works.

Battlefield 6 rides the wave of FPS gaming at the most opportune moment, thanks to the decline of the Call of Duty series, with a masterfully crafted core experience capable of reviving the franchise after years in the shadows. The disappointing and completely forgettable campaign weakens the game, but it is sustained by the foundations of the brilliant and concise multiplayer mode that offers one of the best experiences in the franchise.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is more than just a nostalgic trip down memory lane—it's a JRPG that knows exactly what it wants to be: grand, addictive, and exciting. With a story that blends mystery and epic, a brilliant digivolution system, and a vibrant Digiworld, it not only honors the franchise's legacy, but establishes itself as one of the best games of the year. An irresistible invitation for veterans and a magical gateway for those who have never experienced the universe of digital monsters.

Revenge is always personal, and Ghost of Yotei knows this all too well. You play as a woman who seeks to defeat all the criminals who ruined her life. This straightforward narrative hides secrets that are revealed in addictive gameplay set in one of the most beautiful and diverse maps of this generation. Atsu has an impactful, powerful journey that has everything it takes to earn her place as the legend of Ezo that Sucker Punch has created.