The year has gotten off to a flying start, and looking ahead, there are many highly anticipated games coming in 2026. How well will they score when they arrive? That remains to be seen, but, as in previous years, we’ll keep track of all the games that hit a review score of at least 8 and list them below. That doesn’t mean that games that fall below that threshold aren’t worth your time, as they can still entertain you for hours on end if you can overlook some of their flaws.
We’ll also be keeping track of those titles below, but for now, the focus here is on must-play games. 2025’s best games included Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Silent Hill F, alongside entries from smaller studios like The Seance of Blake Manor, Dispatch, and Blue Prince.
As a reminder, GameSpot does standard game reviews, reviews in progress, and we’ll sometimes publish updated reviews of ongoing games if there have been major changes to them. Most of our reviews are also adapted for video, so if you’d like to hear the soothing voices of our producers tell you exactly why a game is worth your time, you can hit up our YouTube page.
To keep things simple, we’ll be listing the games below alphabetically, based on their scores.
Cairn — 9
Cairn represents a new peak for mountain-climbing games, as it fuses a vivid sense of wonder with a feeling of true peril. It’s you against the world as you guide the protagonist Aava up steep cliffs and search for that one handhold that won’t spell certain doom when you shift your weight. With equilibrium being a key component of the experience, Cairn also knows exactly when to let players breathe, offering moments of quiet reflection as a counterbalance to when you hit a metaphorical–and literal–wall on your ascent.
Read our Cairn review, and watch the video review here. Available for PC and PS5.
Big Hops — 8
What happens when Super Mario meets The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? You get Big Hops, one of the first great games of 2026. A 3D platformer with plenty of charm and heart, Big Hops keeps things simple and polished as it confidently hops into vibrant worlds. That makes it an approachable game for all ages, and with its well-executed gameplay, it’s a constantly satisfying adventure.
Read our Big Hops review. Available for PC, PS5, and Switch.
