I love video games. I’ve played a lot in 2026! Looking back, it’s so easy to track major moments in my life this year to the video game I was playing at the time – whether as stress relief, as part of my job, or just to experience something new.
Games can be so transformative. They hold your hand through new adventures, through new worlds. They can let you be creative in a sandbox of discovery. They can teach you life lessons and skills, couched in fantasy and imagination. For even a moment, they can give you a reprieve from the real world and remind you why play and art are both so important.
As we all barrel towards the end of 2026, it’s worth looking back on all the excellent games that have released to date. That’s despite the current circumstances of the games industry, plagued as it is by unending layoffs, workforce casualisation and increased pressure on commercialisation. Circumstances are dire, but with each new game released, the reason to keep pressing onwards makes itself very known.
Why make games? It’s simple. Games are very, very good.
In 2026, I played a host of excellent, inspiring, exciting and relaxing games, all of which have made an impact on me. It might be too early for a Game of the Year list, but it’s certainly never too early to talk about all the games you’ve enjoyed and how they’ve changed you.
Here’s everything I’ve played and loved in 2026 so far.
Leah J. Williams’ 2026 games of the year – quick links
Control Resonant
As a massive fan of Remedy Entertainment’s Control, I was sceptical of Control Resonant and particularly its decision to spotlight new protagonist (and former antagonist) Dylan Faden in the lead role, over the iconic, powerful Jesse Faden. Not even an hour into this game, all trepidation was blown away. Dylan is a fantastic protagonist and elevates Control Resonant as a bold, creative and frequently mind-boggling adventure.
Remedy Entertainment is truly a standout in the field of creating games that absolutely dazzle you. Control Resonant is an artful, ambitious triumph buoyed by its every facet – its brain worm-filled soundtrack, its audio design, its central narrative, its surprises. It’s a transportive experience, and one of my favourite video games of the year.
007: First Light
007 First Light is an excellent new origin story for James Bond, and I honestly think the filmmakers working on his next big screen adventure should take leaves from this story and how it modernises the iconic spy. Patrick Gibson mo-caps and voices a delightful new Bond with plenty of winking charm. He’s roguish and a bit lighter-hearted than we’ve seen in past Bond flicks, making for an entirely endearing turn as he conquers cool stage after cool stage.
ScreenHub: 007 First Light review: a perfect, pulse-pounding Bond reboot
If any of the games on this list are in line for a future replay, 007 First Light is on top. With its consistently impressive set pieces and its approach to delivering pure cinema, this game is an incredible joy, filled with highs.
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Blood of the Dawnwalker is a notable achievement for studio Rebel Wolves. While the team is comprised of veterans of CD Projekt Red and other experienced game developers, this was the first game from their newly-formed studio unit. And what a game it is! The Blood of the Dawnwalker is a very strong, layered vampire fantasy adventure that works seamlessly within its scope. It’s not as big as other open world adventures, but it cleverly makes use of its resources, telling a character-focussed tale about overthrowing blood-sucking rulers.
ScreenHub: The Blood of Dawnwalker review: a tightly-focused vampire RPG with bite
Coen is also a very likeable and layered protagonist here, balancing his duty to his family and village with the temptations of being a powerful half-vampire. Given the end credits of this game (released ahead of time, so not a spoiler) suggests there will be more to come, I’m very much looking forward to seeing where Coen goes next.
Pokémon Pokopia
Pokémon Pokopia really is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only is it a fun creature collecting game where you make friends and manage little towns, it’s also got an enormous, robust storyline to follow that ties the whole thing together with a neat bow (and some small tears).
ScreenHub: Pokémon Pokopia review: a big, wholesome sim with bouncy, bright ideas
This game could’ve been one thing – a cosy management game – and been extremely delightful and enjoyable. Instead, it chooses to be many things, offering vast worlds to explore and create in, funny moments with Pokémon pals, and so much more. The best part is there’s still more to come, as Pokémon Pokopia‘s expansion pass includes at least two future updates introducing new Pokémon and new activities.
Resident Evil Requiem
Playing Resident Evil Requiem and Pokémon Pokopia around the same time really was incredibly fun. It revealed just how different games can be. One inspired great relaxation and a desire to create. The other one had me shallow breathing and imagining every dark corner as filled with monsters. Both experiences were so, so wonderful.
ScreenHub: Resident Evil Requiem review: a tale of two horrors
Resident Evil Requiem is two games in one: the tale of scaredy-cat Grace, and the tale of action hero Leon S. Kennedy. Both halves gel well together, for a game that has you gasping one moment, then bravely striding forward, guns blazing in the next. While occasionally over-the-top and ridiculous, Requiem is a hard-hitting and just plain cool adventure.
Dressmaker
Dressmaker is a game that feels like no other. Given the response, it’s clear that people really, really wanted a game like this, even if they didn’t know it. Across multiple story-based chapters, it invites you to create a menagerie of designer dresses, using well-designed mechanics to cut, sew and decorate your creations.
ScreenHub: Dressmaker game is a remarkable sewing simulator with lush attention to detail
Dressmakers works best as a dip in, dip out sort of cosy game. Set some time aside in your evening, express your creativity by making a few beautiful dresses, and feel the cosy vibes wash over you. Dressmaker is a lush experience, backed by clever ideas worth celebrating.
KuloNiku: Bowl Up!
KuloNiku: Bowl Up! really surprised me. I love food and therefore I love food-themed games. But the depth of its cooking mechanics, paired with its fun and bouncy story really engrossed me. Add in a fun cast of characters, stylish design and a real sense of progress with each new recipe, and this is one food-themed game that really hits the spot.
ScreenHub: KuloNiku Bowl Up! review: a stylish, energetic cooking adventure simulator
Come for the lovingly designed meatball soup creation system. Stay for the chance to best your rivals and make a name for yourself as you compete to become the best chef in town.
Big Walk
My first Big Walk travel group dissolved almost immediately after our initial hours-long playing session together. But that’s part of what makes the game so good. You can travel with friends, put the game down, start a new crew, and still find plenty of joy in its adventure and discovery. This is a game that’s perfect to play alongside any and all friends, as you wander an Australian-inspired landscape to solve environmental puzzles of many shapes and sizes.
ScreenHub: Big Walk is a friendly sandbox of joy and discovery
Big Walk is a game that asks you to play. To forget your troubles and strife, and simply take your next steps forward, through a world of great mystery and intrigue. You’ll feel silly at times, but that’s all part of the pleasure of its cute, odd little journey. It’s a bonus that this game evokes the feeling and sounds of the Australian outback so well, reminding me strongly of school camps as a kid.
Star Wars Zero Company
Star Wars Zero Company is fairly derivative of action-strategy games that have come before it. But even wielding familiar mechanics, it’s a real blast. This is an XCOM-like that’s done very well, complete with an interesting story about a space infection and the attempts of a plucky space crew to stop it.
ScreenHub: Star Wars Zero Company is a tight, tactical adventure with roguish charm
Lead character Hawks is a highlight as the roguish (and desperate) leader of a group of down-on-their-luck outlaws, and you’ll also meet a raft of cool, bright-eyed characters to bring with you on the journey. While some of your new friends may die along the way, it all adds to the game’s sense of drama and flourish.
Servant of the Lake
Servant of the Lake is the latest game in the long-running Rusty Lake series, which is heavily influenced by the work of David Lynch, particularly Twin Peaks. I found this series as a Twin Peaks fan, and fell in love with it for its own merits. In each title, you get a string of increasingly bizarre, horrific little puzzles, all of which speak to an eldritch terror that haunts from behind the scenes.
ScreenHub: Servant of the Lake review: a haunting point-and-click puzzler full of mystery
Servant of the Lake is an exceptional entry in the franchise, with a host of robust and interesting locked-room puzzles, all of which inspire a lovely, creeping dread as you attempt to figure out exactly what’s going on – for example, why a shadow being may emerge from a single egg. The answer will shock you!
Lost and Found Co.
Lost and Found Co. is a game I played for fun, rather than as part of my standard review process. It was, by all accounts, a breath of fresh air. Cosy games are often discounted in the race to declare a game of the year winner, but with its endlessly relaxing vibes and cute little story, Lost and Found Co. made a significant impact on me.
In this game, you play a duck who’s been transformed into a human, and must set about finding lost items for people in service of an ancient goddess. The story isn’t the main attraction though. Instead, it’s the breezy, lightly challenging item search mechanics which will have you scouring cartoon landscapes for delightful hours and hours on end. Each new landscape is bright and creative, and filled with a new lot of tiny items to find, and environmental puzzles to solve.
Dave the Diver: In the Jungle
Dave the Diver: In the Jungle is a DLC that’s basically the size of a fully-fledged sequel. In it, you play as the titular Dave, journeying to a new jungle region to investigate strange occurrences while delivering the gift of seafood meals to a new cohort of friends. It’s Dave the Diver again, but made fresh with a host of new and moreish mechanics, including a turn-based combat system.
ScreenHub: Dave the Diver: In the Jungle review – a return to the wild blue yonder
In the Jungle is a welcome return for Dave the Diver, with its many, many new activities encouraging you to explore for even more hours on end, searching after brand new fish and a new array of mouthwatering dishes.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Licensed games have always been difficult to pull off. They’re designed to trade on brand recognition and fan loyalty, with a licensor someimtes looking over developer shoulders or implementing strict budgets and timelines that lead to lower quality products. Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight defies that fear entirely, with a lovingly-crafted story and adventure that pays homage to the entire history of the Batman franchise, from the video games to the films, comics and beyond.
ScreenHub: Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight review: fan service at its finest
It’s a game so clearly made by people who know and love Batman, with references galore in its many stages. The game also makes the clever choice to crib from the Arkham games for its combat and exploration, so this really does play as a worthy sequel to this beloved series.
Mixtape
Mixtape is an ode to the act of growing up and maturing, backed by a well-curated, free-flowing soundtrack that transports you directly into the lives of its three protagonists. While it presents an idealised, Americanised version of youth that many players won’t know, it allows you to dream within its world with so many artful, imaginative set pieces that elevate you emotionally and spiritually.
ScreenHub: Mixtape review: Aussie game is a powerful ode to music and the freedom of youth
Mixtape is a game that you feel in your bones. It won’t be for everyone, with its cinematic approach, but it reminded me so much of my own interests and ambitions growing up, as someone who loved to make a playlist and then bask in its glory. It inspired me to start again, and I made a playlist for the first time in a long time after playing Mixtape.
Moves of the Diamond Hand
Moves of the Diamond Hand is an extremely Cosmo D game. That is, it’s wildly imaginative, uncanny to look at, and entirely gripping. In this narrative RPG, you’ll chart a city made strange, drawn to life with odd textures, and ideas of exploration and personal journey. Every success is determined by a dice roll. Every failure leads you somewhere new.
ScreenHub: Moves of the Diamond Hand early access preview: stranger than fiction
While still in early access, Moves of the Diamond Hand is robust and artful in its early stages. Its intentional uncanny valley feeling helps to transport you elsewhere, into a world of strange politics where swordfish-men attempt to push you back into the trenches of society. This game is weird in all the right ways, and I can’t wait to see what it becomes.
Lil Gator Game: In the Dark
Lil Gator Game: In the Dark is another robust DLC that nearly adds on another whole game to its base. Here, you play as an intrepid little crocodile wandering through an underground realm while in pursuit of a nasty little pig child who only wants to dominate playtime and have their will imposed.
ScreenHub: Lil Gator Game: In the Dark review: another kind-hearted journey
Lil Gator Game: In the Dark is so, so impactful if you’re someone who ever had similar experiences as a child, navigating a playground where bullies roamed. In breezy, exploration-focussed gameplay you’ll have fun playing around and discovering hidden secrets – but you’ll also spend time getting to know the playground bully and working out why they are the way they are. It’s sad, but entirely sweet and loveable.
Marvel’s Wolverine
I loved Marvel’s Wolverine. I know not everyone did, to the point where early reviews and subsequent player feedback really surprised me. I love how it twists and pulls at X-Men lore, reimagining the back stories of its main heroes and villains in new ways. I enjoyed the lean into Wolverine’s berseker rage story, and how it pulls in Apocalypse with new twists. It combines many of my favourite comic stories together into an entirely new form, with fun combat and strong performances to round it out.
ScreenHub: Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t the X-Men game you expect
I don’t appreciate every choice in this game. I think Mystique isn’t perfectly handled, and I don’t understand why Tyger Tiger was chosen as her beau over the comics-accurate Destiny. Jean and the Morlocks have odd new ties. But I do love what the story does with Nathaniel Essex, and I think Troy Baker does a great job. Liam McIntyre is a solid, growly Logan. Jean’s story brims with potential, and I like where they leave it.
It’s not perfect, but I loved Marvel’s Wolverine and I do hope its world has a chance to expand.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
If I could name two games that hauled me into returning to gaming as an adult, after a childhood playing Spyro the Dragon, Ape Escape, MediEvil and Crash Bandicoot, one would be Alan Wake and the other would be Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. I have so much nostalgia for this particular adventure and how it opened my eyes to the world of gaming in the modern era, and what journeys it could take me on. The Resynced remaster brought me right back.
ScreenHub: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced review: return to glory
This game delivers a version of Black Flag that isn’t so different from its predecessor, with a new lick of paint and shiny graphics to invite players into the digital Caribbean. While it’s missing some of the extraneous ‘modern day’ storyline from the original, I feel that works to elevate what made the game great: the wild, emotional story of rugged pirate Edward Kenway (played by an always-committed Matt Ryan) and his merry band of pirates.
Playing this remaster was like coming home to good friends.
