Metacritic presented the top 20 best games of the first half of 2026

The list included not only major games but also indie projects.

Recently, Metacritic decided to recall projects that were released on PC and consoles in the first half of 2026. The selection included new releases; to be included in the list, a game had to receive at least 7 reviews from professional critics.

The list includes both projects based on well-known franchises and indie hits. For example, Mina the Hollower from the developers of Shovel Knight managed to break into the top 3. The list also included the beaver strategy game Timberborn, the roguelike Saros, the soulslike Nioh 3, and more.

Top 20 best games of the first half of 2026 according to Metacritic (for the period from January 1 to June 30):

• 20th place — Phonopolis (PC) — 84 out of 100 points
• 19th place — Wax Heads (PC) — 85 points
• 18th place — Pragmata (PlayStation 5)
• 17th place — Esoteric Ebb (PC)
• 16th place — Timberborn (PC)
• 15th place — Cairn (PC)
• 14th place — Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (PlayStation 5)
• 13th place — Mixtape (PlayStation 5)
• 12th place — OPUS: Prism Peak (PC)
• 11th place — Nioh 3 (PlayStation 5)

• 10th place — Titanium Court (PC)
• 9th place — Hermit and Pig (PC)
• 8th place — Saros (PlayStation 5)
• 7th place — 007 First Light (PlayStation 5)
• 6th place — Mewgenics (PC)
• 5th place — Resident Evil Requiem (PlayStation 5)
• 4th place — Pokémon Pokopia (Nintendo Switch 2)
• 3rd place — Mina the Hollower (PC)
• 2nd place — Schrödinger's Call (PC)
• 1st place — Forza Horizon 6 (Xbox Series X)