By deftly combining its stealth-sim expertise from the Hitman franchise with big-budget, blockbuster sensibilities, IO Interactive has crafted a stellar action espionage romp. Most of all, it’s a reverence for the source material, and a willingness to tell new Bond stories, that elevates 007 First Light to greatness.

Replaced’s jaw-dropping pixel-art visuals elevate the slower plodding place of the 2.5D platforming, with a beautifully realised dystopian setting aiming for the high-concept of Bladerunner but perhaps landing on the enjoyable romp of Total Recall.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a brilliant, quirky experiment that proves being a dinosaur-shaped scientist can easily give traditional platformers a run for their money. If a cosy, unsupervised science fair full of "Eureka!" moments sounds like your jam, prepare your tongue for a new career in book-based ecology.

Legacy of the Dark Knight’s excellent combat and stealth systems, fun open world, and clear reverence for the World’s Greatest Detective bring it close to plastic perfection.

Mixtape’s style, soundtrack and unique storytelling flair all combine to elicit feelings both new and long forgotten. Simple moments make you appreciate life for what it is: a continuous evolution rather than a static state of being. Our adolescent selves relished in that freedom, and Mixtape seeks to recapture the magic.

Pragmata is a surprisingly great homage to late-2000s survival horror and platforming classics with enough identity and sauce to shoot for the moon.

Whether you're a fighting game veteran or someone who usually avoids the genre, Invincible VS offers an intuitive fighting experience that is hard to put down. It’s flashy, it’s bloody, and most importantly, it’s really fun to play.

Advancements in progression, narrative delivery, and player engagement, as well as refinements made to a near-perfect set of gameplay fundamentals, see Saros eclipse its predecessor and ascend to a throne above all others in the genre.

Easily the game with the highest meme potential of 2026, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s combination of zany (if repetitive) writing and player input makes for a memorable time. The open-ended play is balanced with a steady flow of bite-sized activities for structure, and while the game could have used a bit more substance, it’s surprisingly addictive nonetheless.

With its fusion of heartfelt narrative, giant robot combat and flexible flavour-driven cooking system, Dosa Divas serves up a hearty genre mashup that more than lives up to its ambitious premise. It’s a beautifully crafted journey where the only thing more satisfying than the snappy dialogue and deep character bonds is the undeniable joy of saving the world one home-cooked meal at a time.

Bungie successfully makes a grab at the extraction shooter crown with Marathon. Rook is a revelation for solos, and Cryo Archive is the best endgame experience in the genre. It is mean, yet fair, with more than ample flair. The biggest issue is that you’re currently not playing it, hence my matchmaking woes.

An addictive and lovingly crafted adaptation of Star Trek Voyager that will keep fans on the hook. Expect a lot of reading, menu diving, and a steep learning curve, but the payoff is an experience that puts you in the captain’s seat for one of the franchise’s most unique stories.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a loud, proud, and stylistically sharpshooter that shines brightest when you're tearing through hordes of gunk zombies with a group of friends.

Set in a vibrant cartoon world and exploring relatable themes, Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale is a hidden gem in the adventure genre that sees you saving the Kingdom of Yogurt while finding out more about yourself in the process.

Tight controls, excellent fighting-game-inspired mechanics and an anime aesthetic that can't be overlooked are all reasons to start the engine, so it's a shame Screamer's story mode is so stuck in first gear.

Nioh 3 makes minor updates to the formula that was so successful in Nioh 2 but transplants it into a time-travelling open-world adventure. Asset recycling is a little egregious, but it's a tough new Nioh outing that fans of the series will eat up.

With its gorgeous visuals and punchy character arcs, Twisted Reflection supercharges the Monster Hunter Stories formula into a whole different beast. This isn't just a sequel – it’s a total glow-up for the series, packed with dazzling world-building and more iconic monsters than you can shake your Kinship Stone at.

It’s all too easy for me to say that WWE 2K26 offers the best gameplay this series has ever seen. The moment-to-moment gameplay was already excellent, but the improved collision and physics manage to push the presentation even further. While not revolutionary, the new match types offer new ways to have fun and widen the suite for folks who are on the lookout for authenticity. While it’s wearing a little thin for me as a concept, this year’s Showcase is solid, and the MyRise and MyGM offerings continue to impress. Isn’t it a shame, then, that all I can think about when I look at WWE 2K26 is how much this game wants to nickel and dime me, just for being a wrestling fan.

Under The Island is a charming, puzzle-filled adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The balance between the game’s systems ensures that progress always feels meaningful, and while it would have been good to see some slightly more rounded out combat and extra polish, there’s enough substance here to make for a fun and memorable adventure.

Key Fairy’s striking hand-drawn visuals and quirky score are accompanied by tight and satisfying gameplay mechanics to create a truly unique experience.

Resident Evil Requiem is an intoxicating mix of the series’ DNA, blending exhilarating action and palpable horror to make not only one of the best Resident Evil games, but one of the best modern survival horror experiences.

Reanimal may come from the same flock as Little Nightmares, but in many ways it’s a different beast. The simple puzzle platforming won’t ask too much from you and your co-op partner, but it doesn’t need to when there’s such a strong focus on tone. Confronting themes and well-implemented spooky visuals help to create a mesmerising and horrific world that you’ll be equal parts happy to see the back of and devastated to leave behind.

Mario Tennis Fever lives up to the series’ tradition of fun pick-up-and-play sporting fun, while expanding on it with fun new mechanics and a range of entertaining game modes.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a successful retelling of one of the series’ less-understood titles, massaging it into something that's a touch homogenous but ultimately more agreeable. But some off-putting choices and a fumbled focus on Mine in both the main game and Dark Ties stop it from sticking the landing.

Thanks to a star-studded voice cast, Earth Must Die is a hilarious sci-fi romp that features plenty of laughs and crude jokes. And while its comedy won’t land for everyone, its meticulous and clever design, and stunning cartoon visuals make it an early contender for adventure game of the year.

Given a little more time to cook, Pathologic 3 would be an easy recommendation to players looking to see what this cult series is about. For those returning, tragic healers, these wobbles will hardly detract from the allure of another deadly vacation with gaming’s most neurotic medicine man.

MIO wears its tough-as-nails metroidvania influences proudly, but spends enough time contorting familiar ideas into punishing gauntlets and rewarding patience with dazzling artistic spectacle that it truly comes into its own.

Like its adorable amphibian hero, Big Hops is charming and scrappy in equal measure. For all of the issues I faced during my playthrough – some squashed by patch work and others more fundamental – it’s ultimately one of the most charming, playful, exhilarating and deeply funny adventures I’ve embarked on in some time.