The list is short on purpose. It covers only games that launched on PC in 2026 and have been properly reviewed by critics, so a dozen entries is what the year has produced so far, and the page is updated as new releases land and scores settle. Early access launches are only considered when outlets reviewed them as such. Scores quoted are the PC figures where they could be found, and they can move a point or two as reviews arrive.

1. Mina the Hollower#

Yacht Club Games released this top-down action adventure on 29 May 2026 for PC and consoles, after roughly six years of development. Mina, a mouse with a whip called Nightstar, explores a Game Boy Color styled Victorian horror world that mixes Zelda-like exploration with Castlevania-like dread. Metacritic put it between about 90 and 93 depending on the snapshot, making it one of the best-reviewed games of the year, and it is Steam Deck Verified, a natural fit for a pixel-art game built for small screens. Critics praised the secret-packed map, sharp combat, and generous difficulty options. At 19.99 dollars it is also the cheapest game here. The weakness is that its deliberately retro navigation and presentation are an acquired taste, and the horror is softer than the setting promises.

2. Forza Horizon 6#

Playground Games moved the open-world racer to Japan for its sixth entry, launching on 19 May 2026 on Xbox and PC with PlayStation following. Metacritic reports roughly 92 on Xbox and 89 on PC, with OpenCritic around 91, and outlets highlighted the map, from mountain passes to dense city streets. The PC version stands out for its options: ray-traced reflections and global illumination, plus DLSS, FSR 3.1, and XeSS upscaling, and it drew more than 280,000 concurrent Steam players at its peak. The caveat is familiarity. The festival, collectible, and upgrade loop is well established, so this is a refinement rather than a reinvention, and the top graphics settings will demand serious hardware. Reports on Steam Deck performance were not found, so anyone planning to play handheld should check before buying.

3. Resident Evil Requiem#

Capcom's ninth mainline Resident Evil launched on 27 February 2026, alternating between newcomer Grace Ashcroft's puzzle-heavy survival horror and Leon Kennedy's more confident action. Metacritic sits at roughly 88 to 89, with coverage calling it the series' best mainline reception in about two decades. Critics singled out the Rhodes Hill care centre and its layered, lock-and-key layout as the highlight. On PC it reached about 344,000 concurrent Steam players, a series record, and it was praised for how well it is optimised. Valve lists it as Playable rather than Verified on Steam Deck, and some players reported micro-stutters and crashes that many blamed on Denuvo. The story caveat is pacing: the second half leans toward action, and Grace fades next to Leon.

4. Mewgenics#

Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel spent about five years on this turn-based tactical roguelite, released on PC on 10 February 2026, with console versions arriving later. The player breeds a household of cats, assigns classes, and sends a four-cat squad into dungeons where combos decide the outcome. Metacritic reports 88 and OpenCritic gives an 89 average with 94 percent of critics recommending it, with scores such as 92 from PC Gamer and 9 out of 10 from IGN. It began life as a PC game, and menu-heavy breeding and tactics screens are the kind of design a mouse pointer serves well. Critics praised build depth and the way breeding keeps runs personal. The weaknesses are complexity and tone: the systems take hours to absorb, and McMillen's gross-out humor is deliberate and not for everyone.

5. Pragmata#

Capcom released this sci-fi shooter on 17 April 2026. Hugh shoots and dodges while the android Diana hacks enemy systems in a real-time puzzle layer, so every fight asks for aim and puzzle-solving at once. Metacritic shows 88 on PC and 85 on PS5, and OpenCritic sits around 87 with 95 percent of critics recommending it. It is a showcase for the RE Engine on PC: one performance review measured roughly 75 to 85 fps at native 1440p with full ray tracing, and about 40 fps on Steam Deck using FSR. The complaints are structure and stability. The old-school level design is conservative next to the core mechanic, and some players reported Denuvo-related crashes and needing Proton workarounds on Deck.

6. 007 First Light#

IO Interactive released its James Bond origin story on 27 May 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S. It blends Hitman-style sandbox stealth, cinematic set pieces, and a bluffing mechanic that lets Bond talk his way out of trouble. Metacritic reported roughly 87 to 88 and OpenCritic 88, the studio's best figures to date, and it became IO's fastest-selling game, with about a third of its 1.5 million day-one sales coming through Steam. Critics enjoyed the gadgets and globe-trotting spectacle. The weaknesses that kept it from a higher place are average driving, forgiving enemy AI, and a slow opening. It is also more linear and story-first than the open sandbox of Hitman, which some PC players may expect.

7. Nioh 3#

Team Ninja's samurai action RPG launched on 6 February 2026 on PC and PS5. The Style Shift system lets the player swap between a heavy Samurai stance and a fast Ninja stance mid-fight, and the series moves from missions to open field areas without losing its tight level design. Metacritic reports about 86 and OpenCritic about 85, with GameSpot describing a return to the top of its game and PC Gamer saying Team Ninja is giving FromSoftware a run for its money. It set a Steam concurrency record for its publisher, above 88,000 players. The honest caveat is twofold: the depth of gear, stances, and skill trees is intimidating, and reports point to PC optimisation shortcomings and a Steam Deck that struggles to hold even 30 fps.

8. Cairn#

The Game Bakers, known for Furi and Haven, released this survival climbing game on 29 January 2026. Professional climber Aava attempts the unclimbed Mount Kami, placing each limb by hand rather than pressing one climb button, an approach shaped by consultation with real climbers. Metacritic shows 86 and OpenCritic ranks it in the 95th percentile of scored games, with Checkpoint Gaming calling it the studio's magnum opus. It is Steam Deck Verified, although the snow effects are demanding and the Deck will not hold more than 30 fps throughout, and the developers addressed Deck issues after launch. Critics found the climbing both intuitive and nuanced, with Aava a strong emotional anchor. The caveat is narrowness: a slow, methodical game built around one activity, whose tension depends on patience.

9. Esoteric Ebb#

Christoffer Bodegard's single-player computer role-playing game, published by Raw Fury, launched on 3 March 2026 and is a PC release. It follows a political conspiracy in the city of Norvik, with tabletop-style dice rolls and a goblin companion, and it was widely called the most comprehensive Disco Elysium descendant yet, filtered through Dungeons and Dragons nostalgia. Metacritic reports 85 from 38 critics and OpenCritic around 89, in the 98th percentile of scored games. The writing and meaningful choices drew the strongest praise, and one reviewer called it among the finest CRPGs ever made. The caveat is that it is dense and text-heavy, built on the same dialogue-first design that inspired it, which makes it a poor fit for anyone wanting action.

10. Mortal Shell II#

Cold Symmetry's soulslike sequel launched on 20 August 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S. Critics widely described it as a big step up from the 2020 original, refining nearly every element while expanding the scope. Metacritic reports about 84 on PC and 88 on PS5, and OpenCritic averages 85 with 92 percent of critics recommending it, well above the roughly 76 of the first game. Early consensus places it among the stronger non-FromSoftware soulslikes of recent years. The caveats are the genre and the timing: it is a refinement of a demanding, punishing formula rather than a departure from it, and scores are still settling given its recent release.

11. Onimusha: Way of the Sword#

Capcom's revived samurai action series returned on 4 September 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and Switch 2. Metacritic reports 85 on PS5 and 82 on PC, while OpenCritic averages 86 from 83 outlets with 94 percent recommending it. IGN gave a perfect 10 out of 10 and Forbes a 9, praising combat, boss encounters, storytelling, and presentation, and suggesting it may be the best Onimusha yet. It closes this list because its PC score is the lowest here and critics flagged limited enemy variety, repeated mini-bosses, and repetitive side quests. Its recent release also means there is little PC-specific performance coverage yet, so players should check patch notes and early user reports before buying.

This list will grow as more 2026 PC releases arrive and as review scores settle. Games that debuted strongly early in the year will be re-weighed against later releases, and the order reflects critic consensus at the time of writing, not a permanent verdict.