{"id":1617355,"date":"2026-06-26T14:24:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T14:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pZ2ntFwCziRgeazUtkon6c"},"modified":"2026-06-26T14:24:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T14:24:31","slug":"looks-like-theres-no-firm-favourite-for-2026s-goty-just-yet-though-there-are-two-standouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/looks-like-theres-no-firm-favourite-for-2026s-goty-just-yet-though-there-are-two-standouts\/","title":{"rendered":"Looks like there’s no firm favourite for 2026’s GOTY just yet, though there are two standouts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We’re officially over the halfway line for 2026, and I’m in this weird limbo where it feels like nothing has come out\u2026 but also everything <\/em>has come out. Games like Mixtape<\/a> and Lego Batman<\/a> have emerged as breakout hits, while big-budget bangers like Crimson Desert have been unsurprising hits with gamers.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to the <\/em>Game of the Year so far? Well, the jury is still very much out, it seems. I polled you lovely readers earlier this month on what your current favourite is and it seems like you’ve all got different ideas.<\/p>\n

In fact, 29% of you weren’t happy with the choices laid out for you at all, <\/em>saying that out of the nine options I gave you, your GOTY was none of them. Whether that means you don’t have a GOTY locked down yet\u2014after all, we’ve still got another six months of releases to go\u2014or if a different 2026 release has dazzled you, make sure to let me know how you’re feeling down in the comments.<\/p>\n

As for the options I did <\/em>give you, the top two games perhaps aren’t all that surprising. Resident Evil Requiem<\/a> takes first place right now, with 16% of you staking your GOTY claim on Grace Ashcroft and uncle Kennedy. Not too far behind was Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert <\/a>with 12% of the overall vote. <\/p>\n

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The game was arguably a little divisive at launch\u2014a strange game of huge scale and ambition but with a slightly off-kilter execution. Pearl Abyss has been pumping tons of updates into the thing though, transforming it into an entirely different beast from the one I reviewed\u2014but fans who’ve been plodding away at the game for hundreds of hours seem to love the work the developer’s been doing.<\/p>\n

After that, it’s looking pretty even all the way down. 007 First Light<\/a> was rather fresh when the poll was active, but 9% of you are still declaring it your GOTY. Slay the Spire 2<\/a> and Forza Horizon 6<\/a> follow closely behind with 8%, Pragmata<\/a> with 7%, and Mewgenics<\/a> with just 5% of the vote. <\/p>\n

It’s a dead even split at the very bottom of the charts, both with 383 votes apiece: MMO expansion World of Warcraft: Midnight<\/a> is the first, which is perhaps not surprising considering the genre’s increasing venture into more niche territory. The one that does surprise me, however, is Bungie’s Marathon sitting right alongside it. <\/p>\n

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