Six months passed by in the blink of an eye, and I, AndresPlays, take the time to think about the video games that have impacted me the most this 2026.
It’s that time of the year again. The one where AndresPlays has a micro-existential crisis because I just realized we’re halfway through the year. Wait, what? Oh yeah, I also take a walk down memory lane and think about all the incredible games that this year has given us so far already. And to think that there is so much more to come soon. Good luck to everyone in September.
I have discovered much about myself this year. Of course I played the big hitters like 007: First Light, Resident Evil Requiem, or Saros, but I found myself not enjoying them as much as I thought I would. They are excellent games by all accounts, but they did not move me like the games I am about to mention did. And at the end of the day, that is the most important thing. What, specifically, do you look for in games, and how do you approach them? This question has changed for me throughout the course of my life, and it is more evident than ever on this list.
Without further ado, here are my favorite games of 2026 so far:
Life Is Strange: Reunion
Life is Strange is by now a beleaguered franchise that has struggled to have a footing with its fanbase. The division mainly stems from the two camps that have originated: the fans of Life Is Strange 2 and True Colors that want to break away from the shadow of Max and Chloe to explore even more possibilities in its angsty paranormal universe and the ones who don’t.
For some, it might seem like Life Is Strange: Reunion was a Hail Mary for the franchise, a last attempt at relevancy in the modern gaming landscape, much like the first game revitalized emotional storytelling in games. While I cannot predict what the future of the series holds, I know that this entry has a lot of heart.
Not only is the writing vulnerable, but it also pays homage to our cringy lesbian heroes who once said, “Ready for the mosh pit, shaka-brah!” But it does so with a surprising amount of reverence to it. As a lifelong fan of the series, I teared up about three times during my playthrough. The way the narrative is handled does veer deeply into fanservice, but when it is this well structured, I really do not mind it.
Life Is Strange: Reunion, against all odds, lands its emotional beats throughout. When even the naysayers concede that this is a game that perfectly captures that melancholic Life is Strange vibe, you know they did something right.
Tokyo Scramble
A couple of days ago, I was listening to a podcast with Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien. In it, he said how kids nowadays do not have this sense of “guilty pleasure” when it comes to music. He says they are listening to everything with no remorse, from rock to K-pop, free from any judgment. In turn, he remembers that when he used to listen to Madonna in the 80s, he felt a sort of betrayal to his rock roots. I want to evoke this young energy concerning Tokyo Scramble.
Before deciding to write this list, I asked deep inside of me, which games did I enjoy playing, even if they were rough around the edges? Tokyo Scramble is the first that came to mind. A stealthy, campy dinosaur adventure with less-than-stellar graphics should not be on my list, but it is. And I am tired of pretending it should not be.
The game’s clever mechanics of luring or paralyzing the increasingly deadly dinosaurs hunting for a young woman with her phone apps are fun. Each level, carefully planned out like a puzzle, does not leave much room for error. But running around trying to figure it out—and dying plenty of times in the process—is fun. I acknowledge that this might just be fun for me, but I guess I just yearned for one of those older, janky PS3-era games.
Its cheesy plotline and final, bombastic act make Tokyo Scramble one of my most memorable games of the year so far for me. Even if it is not always for the right reasons, I should not feel guilty for championing it. And neither should you for playing.
Dungeon Bodega Simulator
Have you ever heard how a certain actor might have a better chance to win an Oscar if there is a story behind their performance? How, for example, did Leonardo DiCaprio win his Oscar for The Revenant? Because he had paid his dues. In the end, his powerful acting led to an incredibly emotional acceptance speech. Much like it, Dungeon Bodega Simulator hits like a brick when you have the context of how it was made.
As a recently laid-off adventurer, you are stuck selling useful items to other adventurers in a small shop. By reading letters to your ex-coworkers, you find out your character was surprised by the corporation’s decision to lay you off. Slowly accepting your fate, you become a reliable bodega owner whom your customers count on. But the uncomfortable truth that you wanted to be an adventurer lingers.
The kicker? The developer of Dungeon Bodega Simulator, who goes by Moss, was laid off from Xbox just last year.
Letter Lost
I did not notice when writing down this top 10 list that Dungeon Bodega Simulator is moderately similar to Letter Lost. At least, on the surface. As a post office worker, you are tasked with handling letters and packages, sending them in and around a mysteriously forsaken island. What is not mentioned about this eerie premise is that you are quite literally trapped in your job, destined to grind forever. That is, unless you find a way out.
Eventually revealing itself to be more of an escape room than a sim, piecing the clues in and around the office helps identify the true endgame. Some customers will also have ulterior motives that may have life or death consequences. As the game tells you early on, any decisions you make will have lasting repercussions. Maybe as long as a game has an intriguing narrative arc, I don’t mind the busywork.
Perfect Tides: Station to Station
I was young once. I made plenty of mistakes. Cheated on a woman, crashed my car, picked fights when talking things out would have sufficed. On the other hand, I lived fully. Fell in love hard. Sang my heart out. Laughed until my lungs gave out. Perfect Tides: Station To Station is a generational game in more ways than one, but in this specific instance, it so sincerely captures a moment in time. Even if your life differs from its protagonist Mara’s, you will still understand her struggles.
Set in a fictionalized version of New York in 2003, this point-and-click adventure is so well written you will want to devour every bit of dialogue it has to offer. Almost every detail can be clicked on, from a cereal to a movie poster or a university professor; Mara’s slick quips as an up-and-coming writer never get old. Once things get more dramatic and she has to face the consequences of her actions, you can feel the needle drop effusively.
The importance of a story of this kind is twofold: in the way it highlights the struggles of a young adult and how that period formed certain types of current millennials. Being an adult honestly feels so much better after being reminded of such a chaotically formative period, with the lingering regret that I maybe could have lived it fuller. And possibly, that I still can.
Deer & Boy
Deer & Boy is the most recent game on this list, but it simply had to be here. I love when the veneer of an outwardly inoffensive aesthetic is wildly rugpulled to reveal a much more profound message. Both the runaway boy and his fawn companion are struggling to find their place in the world to no avail. That’s when the story imbues surreal themes to great effect.
What I remember most fondly about this poetic tale is how pitch-perfectly paced it is. In its 6 to 8 hour runtime, no scene is wasted. Sporadically, you will see the kid shivering in fear. In certain moments, the deer will have a brush with death that will raise your heartbeat. In the kindest of situations, to see them grow together and warmly hug may also renew your faith in humanity.
Every puzzle is straightforward enough to not leave you scratching your head cluelessly. Its final chapter, just as the deuteragonist teaches life lessons to the titular boy, parts with a heart-wrenching scene that more than one will need to wipe up their tears as the credits roll.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
In an effort to destabilize Latin America, the CIA supported Operation Condor in the 1970s. It irreparably damaged the lives of hundreds of thousands of people suffering through the military dictatorships of Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and others. Many dissidents simply vanished overnight, never to be heard from again. Zero Parades: From Dead Spies is firmly rooted in a similarly hostile environment, where nowhere is safe.
Embodying the tired soul of a spy codenamed CASCADE, she returns to an isolated island akin to Cuba, where six years ago the worst blunder of her career caused her early retirement (and the demise of countless others). What ensues is a series of deeply unserious situations, but portrayed through sensible, somber writing. Your point of contact suddenly goes comatose, the paranoia is raised, and a TV show sends hypnotizing messages to the population. To wrap up, the remnants of your mistakes come back with a vengeance.
The delicious unraveling of its intricate plot harkens back to the classic works of John le Carré. If this genre is close to your heart, there really is no other way about it.
Fishbowl
We all coped in various ways during the pandemic. I regressed into being more of an introvert after years of making progress as an outgoing electronic DJ. I also distanced myself from family, and not long after, I found my way back home. Some people lost loved ones. Others had raises in their jobs and spent more time with their families. Whatever the case, Fishbowl is set during this complex time, doing justice by presenting many perspectives, and all worth learning about.
Imissmyfriends.studio is conformed by a gentle couple from India: Rhea and Prateek. Together, they made what is one of the most vulnerable games of the year. Alo is a young woman who just moved to Mumbai for a new job. Working as a video editor, she is mourning the loss of her grandmother on the side. Because how true it is that a game portrays how capitalism doesn’t stop for anyone. Even if they are struck with grief.
What ensues is spending a whole month with Alo, helping her cope during this period, or not. Featuring a mental health bar above her head, you can choose to lend her a hand to get out of her slump. Drinking water, taking a bath, eating well. All these little things that improve our days. You can also pick *not* to. And that’s okay too. Because Fishbowl is more than a game.
It serves as an important reminder of several important lessons. Recovery from grief is not a linear path. Community will be there to support you through thick and thin. And finally, show vulnerability in the face of arrogance. It takes more courage to move through this harsh world with your heart open. But it is worth it.
LOVE ETERNAL
It has been approximately five months since that fateful night I played LOVE ETERNAL. Yet no other game has given me the euphoria it once did. It is as if I am possessed, taken over by a supernatural entity that puppeteers my every thought and move. Coincidentally, that is one of the plot points in the game. But I digress.
Playing as Maya, the game’s gimmick is the ability to turn gravity upside down while platforming. This means using momentum to reach areas plagued with continually more spikes. It is no secret that it is insanely hard. Like, hair-pullingly so. However, pushing forward ensures a most satisfying relief that even if you do not have the skills that you used to, you will still keep going even when all hope is lost.
What makes LOVE ETERNAL so memorable is its flawless balance of weirdness and challenging platforming. There is also an unexpected pivot in the third act so unapologetically aggressive that I cannot help but recognize its audacity. I dare not steal that magical moment from anyone who dares to enter.
Demon Tides
For what seemed like forever, Nintendo had a monopoly on 3D platforming. From Sunshine to Odyssey passing through Galaxy 2, Mario’s movement felt second to none. The sliding, dashing, and wall-jumping were ingrained in many of us all the way back to the Nintendo 64. To see what is possible in that classic era, just watch a Games Done Quick speedrun. But then, unassumingly and ready to take the crown, comes Demon Tides.
I had been aware of this game for quite a while now, but every time I watched a trailer, I would not really believe that its incredibly smooth & fluid movement was actually possible. Then I started playing. There’s a learning curve that takes some time getting used to. This is NOT Mario, after all. But in the many inspirations it takes from the plumber, it becomes its own masterful being.
Protagonist Beebz is a rebel demon searching for her father. This serves as an excuse to explore an archipelago full of creative levels, each with their own intricacies and a verticality not yet seen in a platformer of its kind. There is much to love about Demon Tides, from its groovy music to its silly ensemble.
Nevertheless, it is obvious that the star of the show is its slick movement. Shapeshifting to perform four distinct moves, mixing these combos creates a uniquely fluid movement. If I were the Big N right now, I’d be paying attention to whatever developer Fabraz is doing. And so should you.
People of Note
I have played independent games for a long time now. And I love them. As this list reflects, they are experiences that cannot be replicated elsewhere. But I also need to be honest with myself. Most of them are lacking in some regards. Be it the gameplay, UI, music, voice acting, or accessibility settings, there is always something that I have to concede. Not in the case of the musical turn-based RPG People of Note.
Cadence is a talented singer whose time in the limelight just will not arrive, but she is going to do everything in her power to make it happen. What the game does impeccably is develop the tame quest of trying to win a song contest into a full-blown catastrophe. Caught in the middle of a world-ending plotline, she recruits three other musicians from their respective music-based cities to help her.
Exploring themes of self-doubt, the courage to do the right thing, jealousy, and even substance abuse, People of Note covers a lot of ground. And it does so deftly. What keeps the narrative engaging is how the party continues to feel more comfortable with one another. This is evident in how certain turn-based attacks in unison with other members are unlocked after pivotal moments. Strengthening your bonds is as great as it is going to feel.
Full disclosure, I spoke to People of Note’s creative director Jason Wishnov about the game’s development for my Little Victories podcast. That means I may be biased now that I know the ins and outs of what composing this masterpiece entailed. Even then, as time keeps going, I still feel strongly about this being my favorite game of the year so far. I spent about 35 hours laughing at its puns, solving its ever-so-complex puzzles, and grinding to my heart’s content all the way to the enthralling final boss fight. And that’s when it hit me.
Conclusion
In the process of making a game full of passion inspired by the classics, a new icon was born. Sure, if you love JRPGs and musicals, you will find so much to enjoy here. But even if you’re not, the flexibility given on display, from completely turning off the combat and the puzzles and just vibing to the musical numbers, gives People of Note a confidence I have not seen in any other game. Get lost in its vibrant world, and expect to come out the other side better for it.
And there you have it. As uncertain as the future of gaming looks, the near future looks more exciting than ever. Games like LUCID, Control Resonant, Grave Seasons, Final Fantasy Resonance, and Neverway have a fair shot at appearing in my top ten games of the year list. Just thinking about it makes me giddy, if I am being honest.
The fact that this incredible art form continues churning on despite the seemingly endless apocalyptic setbacks that we see almost every week deserves praise. To all the developers waking up every day who choose to follow their creative endeavors instead of giving in to despair: I see you. And to you, for taking the time to read our work at Pixelbyte: gracias.
