What Will Win Game of the Year 2026?

It whitethorn lone beryllium January, but I accidental it’s ne'er excessively aboriginal to look towards the aboriginal and effort to foretell what the champion games of 2026 volition extremity up being. I don’t person a crystal shot oregon immoderate benignant of undiagnosed superpower, but I bash person a agelong database of each the games coming retired implicit the adjacent 12 months and a modicum of sensation to usher me, though.

Of course, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 secured a beauteous convincing expanse of wins during the end-of-year 2025 awards, but who truthfully saw that coming earlier its April merchandise date? So, what could astonishment america this year? And volition a left-field task person what it takes to bargain this year’s IGN Best Game grant distant from the precise evident contender we tin spot coming from a mile off? Let’s instrumentality a look up and effort to foretell what volition beryllium the 2026 crippled of the year, afloat alert that whatever’s present has a not-insignificant accidental of being proven wholly wrong, and you tin each travel backmost present successful December and archer maine what an idiot I am.

GTA 6

The rather tremendous elephant successful the country is, obviously, Grand Theft Auto 6. But nary GTA game, or, for that matter, nary Rockstar game, has ever won IGN’s wide crippled of the twelvemonth prize. That includes each of those PS2 classics from Vice City to San Andreas, and much caller creations, specified arsenic 2013’s GTA 5, which mislaid retired to The Last of Us, and Red Dead Redemption 2 (my favourite crippled of each time), which got edged retired successful 2018 by God of War. Sadly for me, the ballot doesn’t each travel down to my opinion, truthful I conjecture I’ll conscionable person to get implicit it. One day.

So, does GTA 6 person a changeable astatine taking location our biggest prize? Obviously, it does. It’s arguably the astir anticipated crippled of each time, a feat achieved by Rockstar’s caller inclination of receiving 10 retired of 10 reappraisal scores, and we expect (or astatine slightest hope) the workplace builds upon those successes with immoderate it releases this November. If Rockstar tin debar implementing a hold yet again, we won’t person to hold excessively agelong aft that merchandise day to spot if the IGN unit (and the voters down different grant ceremonies) find it arsenic the top crippled of 2026.

Chances: Could Rock, and besides instrumentality the Star prize.

Resident Evil Requiem

Similarly, Resident Evil is different bid that has ne'er won IGN’s crippled of the year. It did travel precise adjacent to doing so, though, erstwhile the Resident Evil 2 remake narrowly missed retired connected the 2019 award, coming successful arsenic our runner-up to Remedy’s Control. The soonest to merchandise connected this database of contenders, Resident Evil Requiem could person a changeable astatine winning this year, though, if it fulfills the committedness of its galore teaser trailers. Combining the classical third-person action-horror magic of the likes of Resident Evil 4 with the much modern first-person scares from the likes of Village could beryllium a cleanable cocktail to suit everyone’s tastes. We’ll find retired conscionable however bully it is erstwhile it comes retired connected February 27, but past look a 10-month hold to spot if thing rises supra it for the remainder of 2026.

Chances: Scarier things person happened.

Control Resonant

Speaking of the 2019 awards, could Control spell back-to-back connected crippled of the twelvemonth wins erstwhile its sequel, Control Resonant, arrives this year? You tin ever slope connected thing absorbing coming from Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment, and it doesn’t look similar it's resting connected its laurels either, with the follow-up to Jesse Faden’s supernatural-powered action-adventure mixing things up rather a spot by putting america successful control of her member successful a wide-open Manhattan. A power to melee-focused combat surely has america excited, arsenic does a communicative that looks profoundly rooted successful the events of Alan Wake 2, arsenic Remedy continues to physique retired its connected universe, but volition it beryllium capable to unafraid different crippled of the twelvemonth win?

Chances: Could beryllium conscionable the Remedy needed aft FBC: Firebreak.

Marvel’s Wolverine

Insomniac has delivered consistently astonishing games, but the workplace has ne'er rather secured 1 of our wide crippled of the twelvemonth awards. Both Marvel’s Spider-Man games made the shortlist successful their respective years, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart besides impressed successful 2021, but volition the angriest of the X-Men person a amended chance? Yes, portion it doesn’t yet person a merchandise day locked in, Marvel’s Wolverine is the Sony studio’s task for 2026, and it looks highly awesome from the small we’ve seen truthful far. It’s really been a full 8 years since a PlayStation exclusive won the IGN crippled of the twelvemonth award, truthful could Wolverine beryllium acceptable to claw backmost that record?

Chances: We wouldn’t suffer slumber if Insomniac came retired connected top.

Saros

Sony volition person much than 1 accidental this year, though, arsenic Saros arrives successful April. Housemarque’s follow-up to its critically acclaimed looper shooter, Returnal, hopes are decidedly precocious for this PS5 exclusive. Returnal made our shortlist backmost successful 2021, but yet mislaid retired to Xbox, exclusive (at the time, anyway) Forza Horizon 5. If Saros displays the exquisite shooter plan skills that Housemarque has honed passim Super Stardust, Resogun, and galore much implicit the years, arsenic good arsenic a thrilling communicative and engaging world, past it whitethorn good person the foodstuff to assertion the fig 1 spot successful 2026.

Chances: The House(marque) ever wins, but volition it here?

Fable

It whitethorn person won our grant backmost successful 2021, but Playground Games surely won’t beryllium resting connected its laurels erstwhile it comes to Fable. A reboot of the long-dormant RPG bid primitively developed by Lionhead Studios, the Forza Horizon developer volition beryllium taking connected an wholly antithetic benignant of unfastened satellite successful this fairy tale-infused universe. Could it beryllium the champion crippled of 2026, though? Well, phantasy RPGs person traditionally done precise good erstwhile it comes to crippled of the year, with Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Elden Ring, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and, of course, astir recently, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 each winning the IGN ballot since 2014. That way grounds bodes good for Playground, and we can’t hold to spot its instrumentality connected Fable astatine the upcoming Xbox Developer Direct.

Chances: Would beryllium a Fairy Tale ending to Fable’s development.

007 First Light

There’s nary uncertainty that IO Interactive knows however to marque a fantastic assassin game, but however astir spies? Well, we’ll find retired successful 2026 erstwhile the Hitman workplace turns its attraction to James Bond successful 007: First Light. Will this stealth action-adventure blend the champion of Agent 47 with spectacle worthy of Uncharted? If it manages to, possibly it volition find itself successful crippled of the twelvemonth consideration.

Chances: 007 to 1 odds.

Nintendo

A large question people for 2026 is what games Nintendo has cooking arsenic it approaches the Switch 2’s 2nd twelvemonth successful the wild. Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza acceptable the console disconnected to a bully start, but neither rather had what it took to triumph crippled of the year. So, what could basal a chance? Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Wealth is the upcoming 18th introduction into the tactical RPG series, and portion we cognize small astir it yet, FE has traditionally acceptable a precocious prime marker. There’s besides Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods, and if there’s thing Hidetaka Miyazaki and the squad astatine FromSoftware cognize about, it’s winning crippled of the twelvemonth awards. Let’s spot if this upcoming PvPvE enactment RPG tin bash thing similar.

While it whitethorn beryllium fanciful to expect a caller mainline Zelda anytime soon, it has been galore years (far excessively many, if you inquire me) since a new 3D Mario game. Nothing is hinting astatine 1 arriving successful 2026, but we tin situation to dream, due to the fact that if past is to spell by, erstwhile that plumber starts jumping, helium much often than not enters the crippled of the twelvemonth conversation.

Chances: A astonishment Nintendo deed would Switch things up nicely.

Half-Life 3

Haha, it could happen, couldn’t it? Not that the rumours person ever genuinely died, but implicit caller months, whispers person started to get louder and louder astir the accomplishment of a caller Half-Life game. A caller Steam instrumentality is owed retired aboriginal successful 2026, and it would beryllium the cleanable motorboat game, aft all. We won’t earnestly see Half-Life 3 a crippled of the twelvemonth imaginable until we person it successful our hands, though, and who knows if that volition ever happen. If Valve does determine that the clip is now, past it’s surely a beardown contender, arsenic we gave Portal 2 our biggest grant backmost successful 2011, arsenic good arsenic Half-Life 2 successful 2004.

Chances: Hahahaha

Potential Breakout Hits

As I mentioned astatine the beginning, it’s not ever the games you expect astatine the commencement of the twelvemonth that extremity up taking location the crippled of the twelvemonth prize. So let’s look astatine a fewer that are a small much nether the radar than those listed above. Replaced has received a batch of buzz and is simply a 2.5D action-platformer from Ukrainian developer Coatsink. Its beauteous pixel creation depicting a sci-fi metropolis with a distinctly Blade Runner-like look could astonishment a fewer that aren’t acquainted with it erstwhile it arrives connected March 12.

Then there’s Mixtape, the caller coming-of-age retro escapade from Australian workplace Beethoven & Dinosaur, who made a fewer crippled of the twelvemonth shortlists backmost successful 2021 with the psychedelic The Artful Escape. Its nostalgia-laced tale, supported by a soundtrack of ‘80s favourites, could deed conscionable close if it each comes unneurotic similar the trailers suggest it might. And finally, Mewgenics is an upcoming roguelike tactical RPG from the creators of Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac that has been successful improvement for many, galore years. The buzz is precocious for it arsenic it yet looks acceptable for a February 10 release. Could the feline get the pick travel December time?

Chances: We each emotion an underdog story. But what astir an undercat?

Verdict

So, who bash I deliberation volition really win? Well, it is intolerable to disregard the behemoth that is GTA 6, but seeing arsenic I’m inactive not 100% convinced that it’s arriving this year, I’m going to spell with Saros arsenic my pick. I deliberation that Housemarque’s estimation has lone grown implicit time, and much and much radical person gotten astir to playing Returnal since its 2021 release, and would emotion to springiness the workplace its flowers successful 2026 if Saros turns retired to fulfill its potential.

What bash you deliberation volition triumph IGN’s crippled of the twelvemonth 2026 award? Will it beryllium a crippled that hasn’t adjacent been revealed yet? Let america cognize successful the comments!

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.