20 Best Video Games of 2026 So Far

By Christopher Cruz

Christopher Cruz

To put it lightly, 2026 has been rough for the gaming industry. Amid wall-to-wall layoffs and studio closures, highly anticipated titles like Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia revival have been canned and long-running live-service games like Destiny 2 have been shuttered, leaving dedicated communities without closure. Just this week, reports emerged that Xbox will dissolve multiple teams — including one whose new game was just announced days prior. And that’s all before getting to the ongoing ideological battle over generative AI, which isn’t just affecting game development but partially driving up prices for virtually every piece of hardware.

And while these problems are paramount, they’re also stacked on more mundane issues fans are facing. For yet another year, the specter of Grand Theft Auto VI hangs heavy, with swaths of releases scattering into increasingly cramped launch windows to avoid impact. Big games like the much-hyped RPG Crimson Desert and comic-book fighter Invincible VS failed to deliver on their potential. Rounding out its first year, the Switch 2 has already fallen into one of Nintendo’s routine lulls, with nothing to show for Mario’s 40th anniversary and mostly just a Star Fox remake on the horizon.

As has increasingly been the case in recent years, 2026’s biggest success stories are primarily rooted in the indie scene where small teams of passionate creators are working overtime to uphold the artistry AAA gaming is bleeding. Eerie pixel platformer Love Eternal blends haunting imagery and precision controls to perfectly fill an action fix. Forbidden Solitaire marries full-motion video sequences with a high-concept take on the world’s most meager card game to produce a mind-bending meta experience. Even classic IPs get their own off-kilter due, with Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes putting an appropriately stressful roguelike spin on outer space strategy.

And look, there have been some ace blockbusters this year, too. Capcom’s been putting in double duty to prove it’s one of the best third-party publishers there is, keeping household names like Resident Evil running strong while also making space for new franchises to emerge. Fans of James Bond got one of the splashiest comebacks in recent memory. Even Batman’s returned after an extended hiatus to show other superhero games how it’s done.

So let’s give credit where it’s due and showcase the titles that have stood out strongest this year. From meditative climbing sims to experimental fever dreams, these are Rolling Stone’s picks for the best games of 2026 so far.

• Cairn

  Image Credit: The Game Bakers

  The notion of challenge as meditation is baked into plenty of games; the flow state of Tetris or dextrous fingering of Guitar Hero are designed to keep players’ minds and bodies locked into the opaque space between stress and relaxation. Cairn strikes the same balance, albeit at a much slower, yet still pulse-pounding pace. It’s a rock climbing sim with one primary goal: get to the top of the mountain. No pressure at all.

  Players command Aava, a pro-climber who aims to be the first person to reach the peak of the fabled Mount Kami. Aided by an automated helper named Climbot, players must ascend each rock face one careful choice at a time — controlling the placement of each limb with measure. There’s stamina, hunger, and thirst to account for, as well as details like applying hand chalk or monitoring the condition of remaining pitons. Every step and stretch can induce anxiety, especially once the ambient sounds of nature give way to Aava’s panicked breathing and trembling legs, hundreds of feet from the ground. The subtle joy of Cairn is an intoxicating string of little victories, where the majestic scenery and meditative state of survival beget diabolical stress to overcome.