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Gaming’s heavy hitters are dominating the conversation in 2026. Players have been spoiled with new entries in classic franchises with the arrival of Resident Evil Requiem, Forza Horizon 6, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced, and so much more. Naturally, that leaves a lot of room for other amazing games to fly under the radar.
From action-packed shooters to ultra-cerebral auto-battlers, there’s no shortage of games you might have overlooked this year. These titles might not have arrived to thunderous applause, but that doesn’t make them any less worth a spin for anyone in need of something new.
10 GuildRun
Leyline
Team building, itemization, and unleashing awesome powers are the name of the game in Guildrun. This roguelike auto-battler mashes the soul of Teamfight Tactics with the slick, loop-based progression of Hades to create a special concoction uniquely its own. One could easily sink a hundred hours into the game on their quest to master each character and composition, and the full game hasn’t even released yet.
While this is still technically in the demo stage, there’s more than enough content to keep you satisfied as you collect relics, chip through each difficulty rating, and fall deeper into a vibrant world filled with colorful characters. Being at the mercy of the RNG gods has never felt better than this.
9 Tides of Tomorrow
Digixart
Few games have ever swung for the fences quite like Tides of Tomorrow. This asynchronous multiplayer experience places the brave adventurers of Elynd on a journey through a plague-stricken land that is inherently affected by the choices of the players who have come before. Explore the vast oceans or soar through floating islands to meet NPCs who will react differently to each Tidewalker based on the actions of their previous visitors.
Every step is filled with reminders of the consequences of our actions, in ways that make the world much better, but also in our capability to make it worse. It’s a playground of choice, and this solo-but-shared experience will leave its mark on anyone who sees the journey through.
8 Romeo Is A Dead Man
Grasshopper Manufacture Inc.
No More Heroes developer Suda51’s latest effort is a surreal hack-and-slash adventure through time, full of Grasshopper Manufacture’s signature weirdness. You play Romeo Stargazer, a half-dead man sent through spacetime as part of the FBI’s Space-Time police force as you look for his missing love, Juliet.
The minute-to-minute gameplay can be repetitive, but the world and story of the game are constantly presenting its titular hero with something new and truly creative. Genres fold into each other end over end as each hour melds horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and romance into something greater than the sum of its parts.
7 Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf
A screenshot of the main character in Planet of LanaWishfully
Cinematic platforming at its finest, Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf never tries to reinvent the genre or aim beyond the scope of the first game in the series. What you’ll find instead is a refined, atmospheric world complemented by perfectly tuned controls and a world-class musical score to bring it all together.
The entire Planet of Lana series radiates a similar blissful peace as the open fields of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I've spent hours taking in the serene sounds and relaxing backgrounds. There are still challenging sections, of course. Each new biome brings new challenges and new adventures, and as Lana and Mui’s partnership grows, so too does the satisfaction of traversing one of gaming’s most refreshing worlds.
All in all, Wishfully has again delivered a can’t-miss addition to the platforming genre—one that deserves to be mentioned as one of 2026’s very best games, if you ask me.
6 REANIMAL
reanimal-2.jpgTarsier Studios.
Little Nightmares fans likely already know all about REANIMAL, but for everyone else, it seems to have slipped through the cracks. Tarsier Studios has built its reputation on a masterful control of atmospheric horror, and this dark cooperative adventure hits all the right notes one would expect from the masters of their genre.
Players control a set of siblings attempting to escape a horrible plague that is turning the local islanders into grotesque mutants. The hook here is just like the aforementioned Little Nightmares: observe, escape, and survive. Whether solving lethal puzzles or darting for safety to escape the clutches of a hellish abomination, every step into this wicked world feels like turning the page in a collection of twisted fairytales, only to find the next chapter is a little more disturbing than the last.
5 Solateria
Studio Doogal
There are so many high-quality Metroidvania titles out there, and with all that buzz at the top of the ladder, it’s understandable how one might fall through the cracks. Still, Solateria should have been a smash hit. The parry-based combat system is deeply rewarding, and every hand-drawn level radiates a love for the craft from Seoul-based Studio Doogal.
The story follows a fire warrior who has lost his memory. His world is coming down around him, and he desperately needs to find the king. His ensuing adventure through a beautifully interconnected world is a masterclass in pacing and intentionality. Each combat upgrade only makes the flow of battle more enjoyable and adds a sense of infinite repeatability. Hollow Knight: Silksong may be king of the hill in this genre, but Solateria isn’t far behind.
4 Screamer
Milestone
What do you get when you mix the soul and vibrancy of Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City, the arcade racing spirit of Burnout, and sleek anime visuals reminiscent of Akira? Screamer, apparently. It already sounds weird on the surface, and it's even weirder on the inside.
What makes this game unique, apart from its rich setting and unique appearance, is the twin-stick control system that is both rewarding and punishing. Handling the basic twists and turns of the city with the left stick, taking tight turns at breakneck speeds using the right stick’s pinpoint drift controls, and manually shifting gears to top it all off is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to being the ultimate racer here.
3 Luna Abyss
Kwalee Labs
Luna Abyss is a phenomenal take on the first-person bullet hell formula. Doom fans will recognize this gameplay loop right away. Start with a basic weapon, grab a few kills, and in the blink of an eye become a one-woman army tearing through waves of enemies as she masterfully platforms through each round of combat. Things get off to a relatively quaint start, but sticking it out through the first hour or so yields a massive payoff in a thrilling sci-fi world.
One piece of advice going into Luna Abyss: be prepared for a few grueling encounters along the way. My playthrough was quite smooth overall, but there are one or two tricky fights along the way where the game's difficulty overtakes the player's experience. Grind your way through those choke points, and it should be smooth sailing the rest of the way home.
2 Replaced
Sad Cat Studios
Yet another Cyberpunk-inspired entry, Replaced brings slick 2.5D action to a pixel-art alternate history vision of the United States in the 1980s. R.E.A.C.H is a sentient AI trapped in a human body, and that body is in some real danger. It’s the player’s job to get it safely out of reach of its corporate overlord, Phoenix Corporation.
Challenging and uber-creative combat is the center point here, but don’t overlook the stunning visual design. The lighting alone is worth giving the game a shot. That might sound absurd, but it’s true. Replaced is a standout option in the side-scroller genre, which has been woefully underserved in 2026.
1 Crisol: Theater of Idols
Vermila Studios
'Survival horror BioShock' should have sold brilliantly, but Crisol: Theater of Idols somehow flew past the broader gaming conversation earlier this year. I mean, this is a direct crossover of my interests, and I only learned about it a few days before its release. The whole game is dripping in gothic style, and it’s a feast for the eyes from the very first minute. The main character even trades in his blood to craft ammunition. That’s pretty hardcore stuff, and it's only the tip of the metaphorical iceberg.
If anything is to blame specifically for holding the game back, it might be the relatively short runtime. It’s a quick-hitting experience, good for 12–13 hours of tightly woven gameplay, and is packed to the ghoulish gills with terrifying enemies whose designs will stick with you well after the credits have rolled.