{"id":12832,"date":"2026-07-21T19:14:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=12832"},"modified":"2026-07-21T19:14:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:14:05","slug":"the-best-games-of-2026-so-far-picked-by-nprs-staff-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=12832","title":{"rendered":"The best games of 2026 so far, picked by NPR&#8217;s staff : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-134429\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 3838;&#10;        --source-height: 1796;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/1000\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 1000w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/1300\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 1300w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/2000\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 2000w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/2600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 2600w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 1238px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 60px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 60px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/1000\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 1000w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/1300\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 1300w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/2000\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 2000w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/2600\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png 2600w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 1238px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 60px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 60px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/png\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3838x1796+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png\" class=\"img\" alt=\"games-we-love-20260716-2-cover\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The games industry is holding its breath for <em>Grand Theft Auto VI<\/em>, slated to arrive Nov. 19. <\/p>\n<p>That long-delayed titan has disrupted the 2026 release schedule, but the first half of the year was still crowded with new spins on old franchises, from <em>Resident Evil Requiem <\/em>to <em>Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia <\/em>to <em>007 First Light<\/em>. Early-access sequels like <em>Subnautica 2 <\/em>and <em>Slay the Spire 2<\/em> also found enormous audiences, alongside indies like <em>Mewgenics <\/em>and <em>Mina the Hollower<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>The broader industry, however, continued to struggle, with Xbox laying off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/09\/nx-s1-5884900\/microsoft-is-doing-a-hard-reset-of-its-xbox-gaming-division\" target=\"_blank\">thousands of employees<\/a>. French giant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c6200g826d2o\" target=\"_blank\">Ubisoft closed two studios<\/a>, canceled six games and delayed others. Small but promising development teams, like those behind <em>MIO: Memories in Orbit<\/em> and <em>Luna Abyss<\/em>, shuttered after disappointing sales. <\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>But many bright spots pierced the year&#8217;s gloom. NPR staff members have highlighted popular favorites and underrecognized gems, which you can discover through this interactive list.<\/p>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5897567-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5897567-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" -->\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The games industry is holding its breath for Grand Theft Auto VI, slated to arrive Nov. 19. That long-delayed titan has disrupted the 2026 release schedule, but the first half of the year was still crowded with new spins on old franchises, from Resident Evil Requiem to Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia to 007 First Light. Early-access sequels&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3193x1796+323+0\/resize\/1400\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F42%2F6a2c03bb4e68a595c9a6501165e2%2Fimage.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}