There have only been a couple AAA critical blockbusters in the first two-thirds of 2026 here, and now, we have a #1 game that is smaller than almost all of those. The game has the highest Metacritic score of the year, technically tied with one other, but with more reviews in. So it wins by a hair.

The game is Big Walk , a co-op adventure with funny little guys (not sure how else to describe them) where you solve challenges and puzzles in an open world. Plus, you have to figure out how to communicate when you are speechless. Finally, you can just…hang out with a friend and goof around.

Big Walk has a 94 score on Metacritic on the platform with the most reviews in, PC. Here’s how it ranks alongside the other top-scored games of the year, both large and small:

  • Big Walk – 94
  • Sektori – 94
  • Forza Horizon 6 – 90
  • Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations – 89
  • Mina the Hollower – 90
  • And Roger – 90
  • Schrodinger’s Call – 89
  • Pokemon Pokopia – 89
  • Resident Evil Requiem – 89
  • Denshattack! – 88
  • Mewgenics -88
  • 007 First Light – 87
  • SAROS – 87

So, of the “big” games there, I’d consider those Forza, Pokopia, Resident Evil and First Light. The Doom one is an expansion, so you can count that or not. I find it somewhat amusing that the biggest surprise success story of the year, Crimson Desert, is currently ranked in 124th place for the year with its 77 Metascore. Fans did not agree.

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As for Big Walk , I think once again this signifies a desire for more co-op games like It Takes Two and Split/Fiction before it, something we only rarely see from the industry these days. Here are some of the perfect scores that helped elevate Big Walk to the top:

  • Insider Gaming (10/10) – “Not since Astro Bot in 2024 have I played a game that has made so much of an impression on me, and the hours I've put into completing Big Walk with a friend have not only provided endless entertainment, but also further solidified that friendship, even if, at times, my co-op partner was left incredibly frustrated by my brainless moments.”
  • Eurogamer (5/5) – “A funny, exciting, and deeply rewarding multiplayer adventure that combines knockabout fun with some surprisingly big ideas.”
  • PCGamesN (10/10) – “ Big Walk is a triumph. It's a wonderful exercise in hanging out with your mates and getting those grey cells working at the same time, all wrapped up in a quirky and beautiful environment.”

Big Walk is available on PC, PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2, skipping Xbox, which does not really need the narrative that the highest-scoring game of the year is not on its platform. As you might expect of a game this size, it’s also cheap, just $20, $50 cheaper than the big releases this year. There’s little reason not to at least try it.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy .