By September, IGN had scored 55 games at 8 or higher this year, six of them perfect tens. GamesRadar's "30 best PC games to play in 2026" is freshly updated too. Cross-reference the two lists and the 2026 releases that keep getting named boil down to a short stack; the rest of the slots are decade-old evergreens holding their places.
Here are the consensus picks first, then where the padding hides.
The 2026 releases every list names
Resident Evil Requiem. GamesRadar puts it at the top of its 2026 picks and IGN scored it high. The dual-protagonist structure splits cleanly: FBI analyst Grace's investigation line and Leon's action line, horror and combat in separate lanes, neither diluted. If you are catching up on exactly one big release this year, this is the consensus choice.
Forza Horizon 6. Number 22 on GamesRadar's list. The series moves to Japan and adds Car Meets, a social feature built around the local tuning culture. It has no real competition in racing this year.
Palworld. The 1.0 release came out of early access in July; IGN scored it an 8. The catch-and-build loop is filled out by the breeding system, and while the story and empty stretches of map are the weak points, the one-more-hour pull is intact.
Mortal Shell II. IGN 8. The shell-possession mechanic expands into a full action RPG, and the new active shell abilities widen the build space considerably. For players willing to chew on hard combat.
The Sinking City 2. IGN 8. Cthulhu survival horror that reads as a competent Resident Evil homage, which is no small thing in a year with an actual Resident Evil on top. The detective work is the weak layer.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. IGN 8, released in May. The most polished execution of the Lego formula this year, and the friendliest entry on this list.
Orbitals. A two-player co-op puzzler released in September, IGN 8. Ghibli-styled art and a friendship story; the only co-op consensus pick of the year so far.
Where the padding hides
Scroll further down GamesRadar's thirty and you hit Hollow Knight (2017), Disco Elysium (2019), Outer Wilds (2020), The Sims 4 (2014), and Helldivers 2 (2024). Those are not 2026 releases; they are the backlog a new PC player is expected to clear eventually. The two lists are answering different questions: IGN's is "what scored well this year," GamesRadar's is "what should a PC owner play, period." Read the list's premise before reading the ranking, or you will mistake an evergreen for a new release.
How to pick
Map by genre: big narrative release is Requiem, racing is Horizon 6, creature-collecting grind is Palworld, hard action is Mortal Shell II, survival horror backup is Sinking City 2, family co-op is Lego Batman, two-player is Orbitals. The heavy hitters still to come (GTA 6 and company) are not on these lists because lists only cover what has shipped.
Sources: IGN's "Best Video Games of 2026 (So Far)" (updated Sept 16, 55 games at 8+); GamesRadar's "30 best PC games to play in 2026". Scores are the outlets' own; read the full reviews before buying.