GTA 6

The fairly huge elephant in the room is, clearly, Grand Theft Auto 6. However no GTA sport, or, for that matter, no Rockstar sport, has ever received IGN’s total sport of the yr prize. That features all of these PS2 classics from Vice Metropolis to San Andreas, and more moderen creations, comparable to 2013’s GTA 5, which misplaced out to The Final of Us, and Crimson Useless Redemption 2 (my favorite sport of all time), which acquired edged out in 2018 by God of Conflict. Sadly for me, the vote doesn’t all come all the way down to my opinion, so I assume I’ll simply need to recover from it. At some point.

So, does GTA 6 have a shot at taking dwelling our greatest prize? Clearly, it does. It’s arguably the most anticipated sport of all time, a feat achieved by Rockstar’s current development of receiving 10 out of 10 evaluate scores, and we count on (or not less than hope) the studio builds upon these successes with no matter it releases this November. If Rockstar can keep away from implementing a delay but once more, we received’t have to attend too lengthy after that launch date to see if the IGN employees (and the voters behind different award ceremonies) decide it as the biggest sport of 2026.

Probabilities: May Rock, and in addition take the Star prize.

Resident Evil Requiem

Equally, Resident Evil is one other collection that has by no means received IGN’s sport of the yr. It did come very near doing so, although, when the Resident Evil 2 remake narrowly missed out on the 2019 award, coming in as our runner-up to Treatment’s Management. The soonest to launch on this record of contenders, Resident Evil Requiem might have a shot at profitable this yr, although, if it fulfills the promise of its many teaser trailers. Combining the traditional third-person action-horror magic of the likes of Resident Evil 4 with the extra trendy first-person scares from the likes of Village might show an ideal cocktail to swimsuit everybody’s tastes. We’ll discover out simply how good it’s when it comes out on February 27, however then face a 10-month wait to see if something rises above it for the relaxation of 2026.

Probabilities: Scarier issues have occurred.

Management Resonant

Talking of the 2019 awards, might Management go back-to-back on sport of the yr wins when its sequel, Management Resonant, arrives this yr? You’ll be able to all the time financial institution on one thing attention-grabbing coming from Finnish developer Treatment Leisure, and it doesn’t appear like it is resting on its laurels both, with the follow-up to Jesse Faden’s supernatural-powered action-adventure mixing issues up fairly a bit by placing us in management of her brother in a wide-open Manhattan. A swap to melee-focused fight definitely has us excited, as does a narrative that appears deeply rooted in the occasions of Alan Wake 2, as Treatment continues to construct out its linked universe, however will or not it’s sufficient to safe one other sport of the yr win?

Probabilities: Could possibly be simply the Treatment wanted after FBC: Firebreak.

Marvel’s Wolverine

Insomniac has delivered persistently wonderful video games, however the studio has by no means fairly secured one of our total sport of the yr awards. Each Marvel’s Spider-Man video games made the shortlist of their respective years, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Aside additionally impressed in 2021, however will the angriest of the X-Males have a greater likelihood? Sure, whereas it doesn’t but have a launch date locked in, Marvel’s Wolverine is the Sony studio’s undertaking for 2026, and it seems to be extremely spectacular from the little we’ve seen up to now. It’s truly been an entire eight years since a PlayStation unique received the IGN sport of the yr award, so might Wolverine be set to claw again that report?

Probabilities: We wouldn’t lose sleep if Insomniac got here out on prime.

Saros

Sony can have multiple alternative this yr, although, as Saros arrives in April. Housemarque’s follow-up to its critically acclaimed looper shooter, Returnal, hopes are positively excessive for this PS5 unique. Returnal made our shortlist again in 2021, however finally misplaced out to Xbox, unique (at the time, anyway) Forza Horizon 5. If Saros shows the beautiful shooter design expertise that Housemarque has honed all through Tremendous Stardust, Resogun, and plenty of extra over the years, in addition to an exciting story and fascinating world, then it might properly have the juice to assert the primary spot in 2026.

Probabilities: The Home(marque) all the time wins, however will it right here?

Fable

It could have received our award again in 2021, however Playground Video games definitely received’t be resting on its laurels in relation to Fable. A reboot of the long-dormant RPG collection initially developed by Lionhead Studios, the Forza Horizon developer will probably be taking over a wholly completely different sort of open world on this fairy tale-infused universe. May or not it’s the greatest sport of 2026, although? Effectively, fantasy RPGs have historically executed very properly in relation to sport of the yr, with Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Elden Ring, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and, of course, most just lately, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 all profitable the IGN vote since 2014. That observe report bodes properly for Playground, and we will’t wait to see its tackle Fable at the upcoming Xbox Developer Direct.

Probabilities: Could be a Fairy Story ending to Fable’s improvement.

007 First Gentle

There’s little question that IO Interactive is aware of how one can make a unbelievable murderer sport, however how about spies? Effectively, we’ll discover out in 2026 when the Hitman studio turns its consideration to James Bond in 007: First Gentle. Will this stealth action-adventure mix the greatest of Agent 47 with spectacle worthy of Uncharted? If it manages to, perhaps it would discover itself in sport of the yr consideration.

Probabilities: 007 to 1 odds.

Nintendo

An enormous query mark for 2026 is what video games Nintendo has cooking because it approaches the Change 2’s second yr in the wild. Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza set the console off to begin, however neither fairly had what it took to win sport of the yr. So, what might stand an opportunity? Hearth Emblem: Fortune’s Wealth is the upcoming 18th entry into the tactical RPG collection, and whereas we all know little about it but, FE has historically set a top quality marker. There’s additionally Change 2 unique, The Duskbloods, and if there’s something Hidetaka Miyazaki and the staff at FromSoftware find out about, it’s profitable sport of the yr awards. Let’s see if this upcoming PvPvE motion RPG can do one thing comparable.

Whereas it might be fanciful to count on a brand new mainline Zelda anytime quickly, it has been a few years (far too many, should you ask me) since a new 3D Mario sport. Nothing is hinting at one arriving in 2026, however we will dare to dream, as a result of if historical past is to go by, when that plumber begins leaping, he as a rule enters the sport of the yr dialog.

Probabilities: A shock Nintendo hit would Change issues up properly.

Half-Life 3

Haha, it might occur, couldn’t it? Not that the rumours have ever really died, however over current months, whispers have began to get louder and louder about the arrival of a brand new Half-Life sport. A brand new Steam machine is due out early in 2026, and it will be the good launch sport, in spite of everything. We received’t critically contemplate Half-Life 3 a sport of the yr prospect till we have now it in our fingers, although, and who is aware of if that may ever occur. If Valve does resolve that the time is now, then it’s definitely a robust contender, as we gave Portal 2 our greatest award again in 2011, in addition to Half-Life 2 in 2004.

Probabilities: Hahahaha

Potential Breakout Hits

As I discussed at the starting, it’s not all the time the video games you count on at the begin of the yr that find yourself taking dwelling the sport of the yr prize. So let’s have a look at a number of which can be a little bit extra underneath the radar than these listed above. Changed has obtained so much of buzz and is a 2.5D action-platformer from Ukrainian developer Coatsink. Its stunning pixel artwork depicting a sci-fi metropolis with a distinctly Blade Runner-like look might shock a number of that aren’t acquainted with it when it arrives on March 12.

Then there’s Mixtape, the new coming-of-age retro journey from Australian studio Beethoven & Dinosaur, who made a number of sport of the yr shortlists again in 2021 with the psychedelic The Suave Escape. Its nostalgia-laced story, supported by a soundtrack of ‘80s favourites, might hit good if all of it comes collectively like the trailers recommend it’d. And eventually, Mewgenics is an upcoming roguelike tactical RPG from the creators of Tremendous Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac that has been in improvement for a lot of, a few years. The thrill is excessive for it because it lastly seems to be set for a February 10 launch. May the cat get the cream come December time?

Probabilities: All of us love an underdog story. However what about an undercat?

Verdict

So, who do I feel will truly win? Effectively, it’s not possible to disregard the behemoth that’s GTA 6, however seeing as I’m nonetheless not 100% satisfied that it’s arriving this yr, I’m going to go together with Saros as my choose. I feel that Housemarque’s fame has solely grown over time, and increasingly more individuals have gotten round to enjoying Returnal since its 2021 launch, and would love to present the studio its flowers in 2026 if Saros seems to satisfy its potential.

What do you assume will win IGN’s sport of the yr 2026 award? Will or not it’s a sport that hasn’t even been revealed but? Tell us in the feedback!

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can primarily be discovered skulking round open world video games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Observe him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.