Metacritic's New Highest-Rated Game Of 2026 Is Your Next Obsession

16 hours ago 4

Published Feb 10, 2026, 3:31 PM EST

Kyle Gratton is an editor and writer based out of Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree, dual majoring in English and History with a minor in Film and Media Studies, and has been a senior staff writer and reviewer for Screen Rant's Gaming section since 2021, with roles in editorial, and various freelance projects.

A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history.

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The first game to score 90 or higher on Metacritic in 2026 is Mewgenics, a bizarre new tactical roguelike that may just become your new obsession. Few games manage to reach a score of 90 and earn the review aggregator's coveted Must-Play badge, and doing such can be an early indicator of a Game of the Year contender.

Mewgenics has just released for PC on February 10, and is the latest game from Edmund McMillen, creator of Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac, and Tyler Glaiel, who previously partnered with McMillen on The End Is Nigh. The game currently has a 90 on Metacritic, with reviews raving about how addictive it is as a unique blend of tactical strategy, roleplaying, management sim, and roguelike genres. Another common point of praise is just how deep Mewgenics is, managing to bring surprises even after many dozens of hours of playtime.

Mewgenics Is The Highest-Rated Game Of The Year So Far

Mewgenics screenshot showing the game's tactical combat.

Mewgenics is the highest-rated 2026 game on Metacritic by quite a wide margin. Tied for second place at 86 is Cult of the Lamb's Woolhaven DLC, Perfect Tides: Station to Station, and Nioh 3. Rounding out the top five with an 85 is Cairn. To put Mewgenics' achievement in context, only six new games reached an aggregate score of 90 or higher in 2025, four of which went on to earn a Game Awards nomination for Game of the Year.

Despite the immediate success of Mewgenics, McMillen and Glaiel's tactical roleplaying roguelike almost never came to fruition. McMillen began developing it in 2011, and originally revealed it as Mew-Genics in 2012, but with its eclectic mix of genres, the project grew too ambitious and scattered, and was eventually shelved in 2016. Two years later, it was revived as Mewgenics, but still took another eight years of development.

Edmund McMillen Delivers Another Addictive Roguelike

Mewgenics level up screen showing a cat named Gorge getting new abilities.

Despite Mewgenics' fate being uncertain many years ago, it's ultimately unsurprising to see McMillen release another hit. Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac were both huge hits in the early 2010s, with the latter's popularity frequently attributed with beginning the modern surge of roguelikes. Mewgenics may be on another level regarding depth, though. Numerous reviewers have cited novel mechanics and unexpected developments even after playing upwards of 100 hours.

Cats are usually cute additions to games, but Mewgenics makes them an often grotesque and frequently lewd central component. They battle and breed and come in all sorts of odd shapes and sizes. It's early in the year, but Mewgenics is likely to be a standout even 10 months from now. It's not often you find a game that can surprise you even after 100 hours, but Mewgenics' Metacritic score of 90 appears well-earned, and it might just take over all of your free time.