Top 8 Best Games Releasing In January (2026)

Goodbye 2025 and hello 2026. We are back for the beginning of the new year with a fresh list of what we think are the best games releasing in January. Similar to December, January seems to be starting us off with some lighter titles, though don’t underestimate a few of these. Last month, we finally got to play Metroid Prime 4 and experience the adventures of the legendary bounty hunter in all-new hardware. We had a few horror games released, like Blumhouse’s SLEEP AWAKE, that brought chills down our spines. There was also the release of Routine that had taken just over 13 years to release from its teaser debut. Then there was Code Violet….oh wait, that Dino Crisis-like survival horror was delayed to this month (10th January), so hopefully that will be a fun time. 

Now we’re in January with our first list of eight games we think you should have on your radar. January delivers a good batch of indies like a Paper Mario-like adventure in the world of fairytales. Some horror game sequels and new entries release hoping ot give us an early year scare. A brand new F2P shooter from the creators of Apex Legends & Titanfall. We’re also starting a new initiative in 2026 to put the spotlight on upcoming DLC or Updates. We’ll be highlighting one each month, so look out for that as you scroll through. Enough of my rambling, let us get down to business and show you what we believe are the best games for January (2026).

Due to the influx of many big game releases over the last few months, you might need to catch up on what came out. If so, then check out last month’s list, Top 8 Best Games Releasing in December (2025). Have you got any other games you’ve been eyeing during January that are missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below!

1. I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival

It’s finally time to chill out and stop worrying about job tasks and inflation!

Our first pick in 2026 is the relaxing apocalypse survival game, I Am Future. You are the last survivor on Earth, fresh from the sweet, long cryogenic sleep. In this single-player survival game, you’ll play as either Robin or Chris as you help them live and thrive in a flooded post-apocalyptic city. Customise their look to reflect your unique idea of the last person on Earth. I Am Future invites you to build a rooftop base of your dreams, explore a mysterious world, start a farm, hire a team of cute robot minions, and make new friends, all while enjoying the chillest post-apocalypse ever. 

Start from scratch on an abandoned rooftop, build, decorate and expand to create the cosiest camp ever. Unlock new buildings and furniture, set up electrical grids, and neatly organise your new life. Find ancient artefacts from a bygone era, like kettles, TVs, and microwaves. Discover new locations, bring something valuable back to the base, and, step by step, uncover the mystery behind the end of the world. You may be the last human on Earth, but that does not mean you can’t still make new friends. Meet quirky robot inhabitants of this new world, like Earl the Fridge or Bombshell Barbara, and grow your bond with them. If you are a fan of games like Stardew Valley, Coral Island, Sun Haven, My Time at Portia/Sandrock, Dave the Diver, or Palia, we are pretty sure I Am Future will become your next cozy adventure.

2. Pathologic 3

Step by step, you’ll get closer to developing a vaccine that could change everything.

Next up is the psychological horror game, Pathologic 3, where you play as a doctor with only 12 days to save a town from a mysterious plague. You play as Daniil Dankovsky, a physician who is researching the nature of death. Their studies have brought them to a remote town in the eastern steppe, looking for a man said to be immortal. Sadly, an outbreak has swept through the town, causing the immortal man to die. Luckily, you have access to time manipulation technology that can return you to the beginning to fix your mistakes and save the town.

Pathologic 3 will have you making ruthless decisions that will directly shape the town’s future. Ensure the town’s survival by imposing your own rules: enforce quarantines, confiscate precious medicine, vaccinate the population, suppress riots, deploy patrols, and declare curfews. Observation and knowledge are your greatest tools; work with patients face-to-face to examine the sick and make the correct diagnoses. Each patient provides a unique story as well as a new medical mystery to solve. They may lie, omit the truth, or hide their motives. You must separate fact from fiction and identify the real symptoms. Time is your tool for navigating a narrative web filled with moral dilemmas and branching paths. Rewind if you think you could have done better. How far will you go to find the truth?

3. Quarantine Zone: The Last Check

One wrong choice could let the infection slip past your post.

In the mood for a little power trip with a side of strategy, then Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is the game for you. Quarantine Zone will have you put in charge of a critical checkpoint during a zombie outbreak in a collapsing city. Armed with advanced screening tools and your own instincts, you must uncover signs of infection among terrified survivors. Identify contraband, forbidden items, and even rare collectables as you work to keep your checkpoint secure. Send those with suspicious symptoms to quarantine for observation, to the lab for additional screening, or save healthy survivors by sending them to the living block.

As the survivor population swells, you’ll be relied upon to provide essentials such as power, food, and medicine. When the alarms are raised, pilot armed drones to ensure the infected don’t breach the compound. The better you manage your ever-expanding base, the more resources, tools, and weapon upgrades you’ll unlock. You’ll also study the infection from the survivors you quarantine, including the ones that become undead predators. Harvest and prepare samples from the quarantined undead to exchange them for new tools, staff XP, and long-term upgrades. Individuals with unknown symptoms can also be analysed, but these tests are always fatal to the subject. Will you choose to preserve life? Or will you pursue knowledge at any cost?

4. BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW

Experience the terrifying third entry in the BrokenLore series

Time for something spooky with the newest entry in the BrokenLore series, BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW. In this first-person psychological horror game, you play as Anne, a victim of bullying trapped in a surreal nightmare where she must solve a dark mystery and confront sinister creatures. Anne must come to terms with the most painful choices of her past. However, many horrible creatures wander around and follow her every step. Will Anne be able to get out? 

BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW delves deeply into pressing social issues, shedding light on the insidious influence social media has on people. Its themes are profound, exploring the intricacies of mental health, body dysmorphia, and the horrors of bullying. Its cast features The Sphere Hunter, Akidearest, Elsie Lovelock, Sharla in Japan, Knite, Kin Ryan, and more! BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW‘s gameplay will have an emphasis on Anne’s smartphone, which features numerous functions throughout. Each monster that you come across symbolises a different trauma that Anne has experienced, making the battle for survival even more personal. There will also be choices for Anne to make that will lead her down multiple paths, resulting in different endings. 

DLC/Update Spotlight – Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven

Last of the lambs, Woolhaven’s fate rests in your hooves.

In our first DLC/Update spotlight, we take a look at Cult of the Lamb‘s new major expansion, Woolhaven. In this expansion, you are summoned by the forgotten God of the lambs, Yngya, to restore the flock and reclaim what time has erased. Venture into a new realm battered by bitter storms, crawling with creatures corrupted with the Rot lurking beneath the snow. Battle through two vast new dungeons, where the echoes of the past refuse to rest. Every soul redeemed on the mountain defiles it further, threatening all of The Lands of the Old Faith. Can you undo the sins of the past?

Return the lost souls of Woolhaven to their spiritual home and learn the long-forgotten history of lambkind. Rebuild the fallen town to its former glory and reclaim the mountain to restore Yngya’s depleted power, but beware; there is always a price to be paid. Endure harsh blizzards and freezing temperatures that threaten your Cult’s survival. Build new structures to keep your Cult warm and protect your Followers from frostbite and famine. Unlock ranching and breed rare animals that provide wool, warmth and when desperate, precious meat. Tame, ride and let your Followers care for these majestic creatures. Word of warning, this content is only accessible near completion of the base game. 

5. Escape From Ever After

Face off against hordes of wacky enemies in snappy turn-based gameplay!

For anyone looking for some classic RPG shenanigans, Escape From Ever After is the game for you. Inspired by classic Paper Mario games, Escape From Ever After is an adventure RPG where fairytale and storybook characters must fight back against capitalism. You play as Flynt Buckler, a classic fairytale adventurer who, after storming the castle of his evil dragon arch nemesis Tinder, finds the once intimidating fortress converted into corporate offices by Ever After Inc. Now, Flynt must team up with Tinder to infiltrate and take down Ever After Inc. from the inside. Explore vast storybook worlds brimming with sidequests, treasures, and secrets. Engage in office banter, help your storybook coworkers, and decorate your office as you climb the corporate ladder.

Dive into storybook worlds packed to the brim with colourful characters, captivating locales, and electrifying secrets. One moment you’ll be chased by Lovecraftian terrors while solving a noir murder mystery, the next you’ll be up against villainous versions of The Three Little Pigs as they try to bulldoze a fairy tale forest for their real estate developments. Engage in a fun, fast-paced battle system that rewards experimentation and strategic thinking. Lead a party of quirky characters, each with unique skills that can be equipped and upgraded throughout the journey. Escape from Ever After contains a jazzy, big-band soundtrack that keeps the energy pumping throughout the journey. 

6. Highguard

Battle rival Warden crews in this all-new breed of shooter

Probably the most divisive game on our list is the Game Awards’ end-of-show reveal, Highguard. From the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall, Highguard is a PvP raid shooter where players will ride and fight as Wardens, arcane gunslingers sent to fight for control of a mythical continent. You’ll engage in battles between rival Warden crews, all for the possession of the Shieldbreaker.

After whichever team claims the Shieldbreaker, the shape of the game changes. The raid component begins where either you’ll push your crew to break into and destroy an enemy base to secure territoy or you’re on the defensive. Outside of this setup, you can expect a blend of futuristic weapons and medieval-looking mounts/vehicles, an array of powers to wield, and a degree of destructibility within environments. Considering when Apex Legends dropped, it became very popular quickly, Highguard could repeat that magic. If not, hopefully it doesn’t suffer as Concord did. 

7. Cairn

Discover what Aava is willing to sacrifice to achieve the ascent of a lifetime.

Our next pick is from the creators of Furi and Haven, a survival climbing game called Cairn. In this game, you play as Aava, who embarks on a perilous journey to climb up the unforgiving Mount Kami. Along the journey, meet unexpected companions and hear from those left on the ground. Discover the mountain’s history and decide what Aava is willing to sacrifice to achieve her dream. Cairn’s realistic simulation allows intuitive climbing. Find the best holds and place your hands and feet seamlessly with simple controls. Adapt your posture, effort and balance since one false move can lead to a deadly fall. Climbing is a challenge with every wall feeling like a boss fight; luckily, you can adjust the difficulty to customise your experience. 

You are free to climb anywhere. Explore the mountain, read the rock face from the ground and plan your route carefully to reach the top. Solve problems while on the wall to navigate difficult sections. You can climb on anything, so choose your path wisely. Manage your resources like pitons, chalk, finger tape, food, water, and medicine to survive the long ascent. Set up bivouacs and explore the mountain to find resources to reach the summit. Featuring music and sound design by the team behind Limbo, Inside, Control and Cocoon, alongside art and story by renowned comic-book artist Mathieu Bablet. 

8. Code Vein 2

battles against powerful enemies and uncover an epic story that transcends time.

Finally, we have the anime-style soulslike game, Code Vein 2. In the sequel, humans and Revenants coexist in harmony. However, after the sudden appearance of the Luna Rapacis, Revenants began to transform into mindless monsters called Horrors. In Code Vein 2, you play as a Revenant hunter who is charged with halting the world’s inevitable collapse. To prevent the world’s destruction, you travel to the past in search of clues with the help of Lou, a mysterious girl who possesses the power to manipulate time. Alter the fates of key Revenant characters you encounter in the past, while uncovering lost histories and the hidden truths of the world.

Dive into adrenaline-fueled battles where reading enemy moves and mastering your deadly arsenal are key to survival. Unleash powerful skills, adapt on the fly, and conquer relentless foes in fights that deliver both intensity and triumph. Experience Code Vein 2‘s unique gameplay mechanic of draining blood from enemies to unleash a variety of skills. With the sequel’s new build system, you can freely customise weapons and skills to suit your own battle styles. Explore the world with trusted and powerful allies who can fight alongside you or enhance your abilities. Each partner brings unique abilities and deep connections that shape your journey.