Category: Game Recommendations

Insomniac’s Spider-Man games nailed a specific feeling: the freedom of moving through a city like it’s a playground, snapping into combat that flows just as smoothly, all wrapped in a story that takes its hero seriously. When you’ve run out of those, the hunt is for that same blend of traversal, rhythm and spectacle. These nine come closest, and a few get there from completely different directions.

The picks

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The obvious one, but it earns the top slot: it’s the purest “more of that, sharper” follow-up. Two Spider-Men, a bigger map and the symbiote arc give the combat new tools without losing the swing. If you somehow played the first game and Miles Morales but skipped the sequel, start here. The knock is that it plays it safe structurally. It’s a refinement rather than a reinvention, and the story’s back half rushes.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Shorter and more focused than the mainline games, and better for it if you bounced off open-world bloat. The venom powers add a real wrinkle to combat, and the wintry New York is gorgeous. Treat it as a tight, single-weekend story rather than a full sequel and it’s one of the best-paced things Insomniac has made. The catch: it’s noticeably brief, and the map is recycled from the first game.

Batman: Arkham Knight

This is the closest thing to Spider-Man’s DNA, because Spider-Man borrowed heavily from it. Gliding and grapnel-boosting across Gotham gives that same flow-state traversal, and the freeflow combat is the system every superhero game since has chased. The downside is the Batmobile: the game leans on tank sections far more than anyone wanted, and they drag. Push through them for the best superhero combat on the list.

Batman: Arkham City

If the Batmobile in Arkham Knight sounds like a dealbreaker, this is the leaner classic to play instead. A dense, hand-crafted slice of Gotham, the tightest version of the combat-and-gadget loop, and a story that still holds up. It’s older, so the graphics show their age and the open area is small by modern standards, but as a pure design exercise it has arguably never been topped.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

No web-swinging here, but it captures the other half of what makes Spider-Man work: a Marvel story with genuine heart and snappy dialogue. You control only Star-Lord while directing the team in combat, which keeps fights chaotic and fun. It surprised almost everyone who tried it. The caveat is that it’s linear and combat is the weakest part. You’re here for the characters and the writing, which are excellent.

Sunset Overdrive

Insomniac made this years before Spider-Man, and you can feel the traversal DNA forming. Grinding rails, bouncing off cars and chaining movement without touching the ground is the most Spider-Man-like flow outside an actual Spider-Man game. It’s loud, irreverent and tonally the opposite of a serious superhero story. If you mostly miss the pure joy of moving, this is the hidden gem to grab. Just know the humor is very much a love-it-or-hate-it thing.

inFamous: Second Son

Sucker Punch’s open-world Seattle gives you superpowers and a city to tear through, with traversal that genuinely competes with web-swinging, and the neon and smoke-dash powers feel fantastic. Combat is more about powers than melee finesse, and the morality system is dated black-and-white stuff. But for the specific feeling of being a superhuman loose in a city, it’s a strong, underplayed match on PlayStation.

Gotham Knights

A more divisive pick, so here’s the straight read: it’s a solid co-op superhero game built around four Bat-family characters, with decent traversal and RPG-style gear. It also runs at 30fps on consoles, the open world feels emptier than the Arkham games and the loot grind isn’t for everyone. Recommended mainly if you want to play co-op with a friend and can look past the rough edges. Solo, the Arkham games beat it handily.

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

The left-field choice. It’s not a superhero game, but it delivers the same open-city-plus-flowing-melee combo that Spider-Man fans tend to love. The hand-to-hand fighting is clearly Arkham-inspired and feels great, and its version of Hong Kong is one of gaming’s most underrated open worlds. No traversal powers, and it’s a decade-plus old, so expect older systems. But it’s cheap, complete and criminally overlooked.

Frequently asked questions

What game is most like Marvel’s Spider-Man?

The Batman: Arkham games, especially Arkham Knight, because Insomniac’s combat and traversal openly build on what Rocksteady created. For traversal feel specifically, Sunset Overdrive and inFamous: Second Son are the closest.

Is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 worth it if I played the first?

Yes, with one caveat: it’s a refinement rather than a reinvention. The combat and traversal are the best in the series, but don’t expect a dramatic structural change.

Are any of these on Xbox or PC?

Several are. The Batman: Arkham games, Guardians of the Galaxy, Sunset Overdrive and Sleeping Dogs are widely available; the Spider-Man and inFamous games are PlayStation-first, though Spider-Man has come to PC.

Related reads

• Marvel’s Wolverine Hits PS5 on September 15: What We Saw
• The Best New Games of 2026 (Updated Monthly)

That’s the spread, from near-clones of the formula to games that nail just one piece of it brilliantly. Which part of Spider-Man do you miss most: the swinging, the fighting or the story? Tell us in the comments and we’ll point you at the right one.

November 19, 2026 is a long way to sit still. That is the day GTA 6 finally arrives, and the wait is the hard part. The good news is that the genre GTA built is stacked right now. These ten games cover every reason you love Rockstar’s sandbox, whether that is the crime story, the open city, the dumb fun or the driving.

The picks

Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online

Start with the obvious. The game you are waiting on a sequel to is still one of the best in its class, and GTA Online keeps getting updates. If you never finished the story, or you bailed on Online years ago, this is the cheapest, surest way to sit in Rockstar’s world until the new one opens. The downside is familiar. You have probably played it, and Los Santos is a decade old now.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar’s other masterpiece, and the one to play if you want the studio’s craft rather than its chaos. The world is slower and heavier than GTA, built for getting lost in rather than blowing up. Arthur Morgan’s story is the best writing Rockstar has ever shipped. Be ready for the pace, though. The realism that makes it special also makes the opening hours a slow burn that loses some people before it grips them.

Cyberpunk 2077

Night City is the most convincing open city since GTA 5, full stop. After years of patches and the Phantom Liberty expansion, the launch disaster is ancient history, and what is left is a dense first-person RPG with a city that feels genuinely lived in. Play it if you want scale and atmosphere over crime-spree sandbox freedom. It leans more RPG than GTA, so do not expect the same anything-goes physics playground.

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

An undercover cop buried too deep in a Hong Kong triad. That premise carries one of the most underrated open worlds out there, with melee combat that borrows from the Batman: Arkham games and a city that nails its setting. It is more than a decade old, so the systems feel dated next to modern open worlds. The story and the sense of place hold up beautifully, and it is usually cheap.

Saints Row: The Third Remastered

GTA’s loud, dumb, gleeful cousin. Where Rockstar plays its crime stories mostly straight, Saints Row goes for full cartoon chaos, and the third game is where the series found its identity before it lost the thread. Grab it when you want the sandbox without the seriousness. The humor is broad and very 2011, which lands or grates depending on your mood.

Mafia: Definitive Edition

If the GTA you love is the crime saga and not the rampage, this is your pick. It is a tight, linear remake of the 2002 original, a 1930s mob story with a real beginning, middle and end rather than an endless sandbox. The driving and shooting are solid without being standouts. You come to this one for the story and the period atmosphere, both of which are excellent.

Watch Dogs 2

The first Watch Dogs was grim and forgettable. The sequel fixed almost everything: a sunny, playful San Francisco, a likeable crew, and hacking that turns the whole city into a toy. It is the lighter, more inventive side of the open-world formula. The story is throwaway and the shooting is the weakest part, so lean into the gadgets and the traversal rather than going in guns first.

Like a Dragon: Yakuza

A dense slice of a Japanese city, stuffed with crime drama up top and total absurdity underneath. One minute you are in a tense story beat, the next you are running a cabaret club or singing karaoke. Yakuza 0 is the usual starting point and it is fantastic. The catch worth knowing is scale: these are compact, hand-crafted districts rather than sprawling maps, so it trades GTA’s size for depth.

Just Cause 4

Pure, uncut chaos. There is barely a story here and the writing is forgettable, but no other series lets you grapple a helicopter to a fuel tanker and parasail away from the explosion. Fire it up when you want a physics playground and nothing more. It gets repetitive if you treat it as a long campaign, so play it in short, ridiculous bursts.

Forza Horizon 5

Maybe it is the driving you miss most. Forza Horizon 5 is the best open-world racer going, a gorgeous open Mexico built entirely around the joy of going fast through it. No crime, no story stakes, just the cleanest driving feel on the list. It is not trying to be GTA, so if you need the full sandbox this only covers one craving. For that one craving, nothing does it better.

Frequently asked questions

When does GTA 6 come out?

November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with a PC version expected later. Our GTA 6 guide tracks everything Rockstar has confirmed.

What game is most like GTA?

GTA 5 itself, which is still active and updated. Outside the series, Saints Row: The Third comes closest to the chaotic sandbox feel, while Red Dead Redemption 2 is the better game if you want Rockstar’s depth.

Is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing in 2026?

Yes. After years of updates and the Phantom Liberty expansion, it is one of the strongest open worlds available, as long as you go in expecting an RPG rather than a crime sandbox.

Related reads

• GTA 6 Release Date: Everything Rockstar Has Confirmed
• The Best New Games of 2026 (Updated Monthly)

Six months is a long wait, but it is a good time to have an open-world habit. Start with GTA 5 if you want the literal fix, or Red Dead if you want the better game. What are you replaying until November? Tell us in the comments.

Trying to work out what’s actually worth playing in 2026? This is our running pick of the year’s best new games, updated every month as more launch, with a take on each: what it is, who it’s for and the one thing to know before you buy. No hype, no filler, just the games we’d actually tell a friend to play.

Last updated: June 2026. Prices are U.S. list prices as of June 2026. Sales and regional pricing vary.

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If you only play one right now: Resident Evil Requiem. It’s the most critically praised game of 2026 so far and a genuinely great entry point if you’ve been curious about the series. Just know it’s full-blooded survival horror, not a casual evening.

April 2026

Saros

PS5 · April 2026 · $69.99 · From the Returnal studio

Saros is Housemarque’s follow-up to the cult favourite Returnal, trading its predecessor’s alien jungle for a hostile mining colony on a distant planet, where you play investigator Arjun Devraj. It keeps the studio’s trademark blend of slick, bullet-hell-adjacent combat, gorgeous effects work and moody sci-fi atmosphere, all running buttery-smooth. If you loved the tense “one more run” feel of Returnal, this is squarely for you. The caveat is the same as ever with Housemarque: it is hard, and that difficulty won’t suit everyone.

February 2026

Resident Evil Requiem

PS5 · Xbox Series X/S · PC · February 2026 · $69.99 · 2026’s best-reviewed game so far

Requiem follows Grace Ashcroft, a young FBI analyst pulled into a case tangled up with her own mother’s death. It’s classic Resident Evil tension: scarce resources, creeping dread and set-pieces that genuinely earn their scares, wrapped in Capcom’s now-reliable modern presentation. The standout is its pacing: it knows exactly when to let you breathe and when to pull the rug out. Critics have been overwhelmingly positive, and it lands for series veterans and total newcomers alike. The only real caveat is the obvious one: it’s properly frightening, so horror-averse players should sit this one out. It’s also discounted often. We’ve seen it as low as $55.99 in storefront sales, so a little patience can save you money.

Survival horror lives and dies on its sound design, and a decent headset makes a real difference for catching every creak behind you. Something like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova line is a popular pick. Check price on Amazon.

Nioh 3

PS5 · PC · February 2026 · $69.99 · Team Ninja’s deepest action-RPG yet

The Nioh series has always been for players who want soulslike challenge with far more combat depth, and Nioh 3 leans into that hard with its stance-based, loot-driven brawling. Mastering its rhythm, switching stances mid-fight, managing ki, punishing enemy openings, is the whole appeal and it’s deeply satisfying once it clicks. If you’ve finished Elden Ring and crave something with even more systems to chew on, this is it. New players, though, should expect a genuinely steep climb and keep an eye out for sales; it dips into the $50 range regularly. Loved it? See our guide to games like Elden Ring.

More of 2026’s best so far

A few more standouts worth your attention this year:

Forza Horizon 6

Xbox Series X/S · PC · 2026 · $69.99 (included with Game Pass) · The friendliest open-world racer, now in Japan

Forza Horizon 6 moves the series’ sun-soaked festival to a gorgeously varied digital Japan, from neon-lit cities to fog-wrapped mountain passes and cherry-blossom backroads. As ever, it’s endlessly approachable: dial the assists up and just cruise or turn them off and chase serious driving mastery. It’s one of the easiest games to recommend to literally anyone with a controller, and if you have Game Pass, it’s included at no extra cost. The only knock is familiarity: if you’ve played a recent Horizon, you already know the rhythm.

Mina the Hollower

PC · consoles · 2026 · $19.99 · Retro action-adventure from the Shovel Knight team

From Yacht Club Games, Mina the Hollower is a top-down action-adventure that fuses classic Game Boy-era aesthetics with Zelda-like exploration and a dash of soulslike bite. It oozes the same craftsmanship and personality that made Shovel Knight a modern classic, right down to its chunky pixel art and catchy chiptune-adjacent score. At $19.99 it’s deliberately priced to be an easy yes. The studio has said as much, and it’s ideal if you love tight, characterful retro design with modern polish. Players hoping for cutting-edge visuals should know the throwback look is the whole point.

Mixtape

PC · consoles · 2026 · $19.99 (on Game Pass) · A heartfelt, music-driven coming-of-age story

Mixtape follows three friends on the night before they graduate and go their separate ways in a small ’90s California town, with a hand-picked soundtrack driving the whole experience. It’s short, personal and far more about mood and memory than mechanics or challenge. If narrative gems like Life is Strange are your thing, this is an easy yes at twenty bucks and it’s on Game Pass too. Players after long runtimes or tough gameplay should look elsewhere: this is a vibe, not a grind.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

PC · consoles · 2026 · $69.99 · Arkham-style action with the charm of Lego

This one swaps the usual lighthearted Lego formula for something closer to the Batman: Arkham games, complete with one of the most detailed open-world Gotham cities the brand has ever built. It’s a great pick for families and for Batman fans who want stylish action with a sense of humour. As with most Lego games, expect plenty of collect-a-thon repetition if you chase full completion.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game of 2026 so far?

By critical reception, Resident Evil Requiem is the standout of 2026 to date. If horror isn’t your thing, Forza Horizon 6 is the most broadly accessible pick on this list.

How often is this list updated?

Monthly. We add the notable new releases each month and refresh the top pick, and we re-check the prices while we’re at it, so it’s worth bookmarking and checking back rather than hunting down a fresh article each time.

Are these games on Game Pass or PS Plus?

Some are. Forza Horizon 6 and Mixtape are on Game Pass right now. Subscription line-ups change constantly, though, so check the current Game Pass and PS Plus catalogues before paying full price.

Related reads

• The Biggest Reveals from Summer Game Fest 2026
• Hidden Gem Indie Games You Probably Missed
• 12 Games Like Elden Ring to Play While You Wait for the Next FromSoftware Hit

That’s the year so far, and it’s only going to grow. We’ll keep this list updated every month as the big releases land, so bookmark it and check back. What’s been your favourite game of 2026? Tell us in the comments.

Everyone’s played the big indie breakouts. But a layer below them sits a collection of smaller games that slipped past most players despite being genuinely brilliant. If you’ve already worked through the usual recommendations, here’s where to look next. Eight games that reward curiosity more than reflexes, each doing something you won’t easily find anywhere else.

Why these and not the usual suspects

These aren’t the megahits everyone already owns. They’re the quieter releases that earned devoted followings without dominating storefronts. The kind of games people press into a friend’s hands and say “just trust me.” Most run on PC and the major consoles, and several rotate through subscription services, so they’re easier to try than you’d think.

The games

Return of the Obra Dinn

At a glance: PC & consoles · Detective deduction · Best for puzzle and mystery lovers.

You play an insurance investigator boarding a ship whose entire crew has vanished. Armed with a watch that shows the moment of each person’s death, you piece together who everyone was and how they died. Pure deduction, no combat. Its stark monochrome art and ingenious detective structure make it unlike anything else, and the moment a deduction “clicks” is enormously satisfying. Best for patient players who love a real puzzle; not for anyone wanting action.

Outer Wilds

At a glance: PC & consoles · Space-exploration mystery · Best for explorers who love discovery.

A space-exploration mystery built around a time loop, where your only real progression is knowledge. Each loop you learn a little more about a doomed little solar system until understanding itself becomes the key to moving forward. It’s best played knowing as little as possible, so the less you read about it, the better. That first full loop of revelations is something players remember for years. The one caveat: the loop structure and gentle piloting aren’t for everyone.

A Short Hike

At a glance: PC & consoles · Cozy exploration · Best for a relaxed afternoon.

A small, warm game about climbing to the top of a mountain to get cell service. That’s the whole premise, but the loose exploration, gentle characters and complete absence of pressure make it one of the most quietly lovely afternoons in gaming. You can glide, climb, fish and chat at your own pace. Perfect when you want something cozy and brief, less so if you crave challenge.

Citizen Sleeper

At a glance: PC & consoles · Narrative RPG · Best for story-first players.

A narrative RPG set on a decaying space station, built on tabletop-style dice mechanics. You play an android refugee surviving day to day, and the writing carries it. Sharp, humane and genuinely affecting, with characters you come to care about. The dice system makes every day feel like a small, tense gamble. A cult favorite among people who love story-first games; combat-focused players should look elsewhere.

Chants of Sennaar

At a glance: PC & consoles · Language puzzle-adventure · Best for deduction fans.

A puzzle-adventure where you decipher unknown languages one symbol at a time to help different peoples understand each other. It turns the simple act of working out what a word means into a deeply satisfying mechanic, all wrapped in beautiful, colorful art. The slow dawning of comprehension, realizing you can suddenly “read” a sign you couldn’t an hour ago, is the whole magic. If you enjoy deduction, this scratches an itch few games reach.

Tunic

At a glance: PC & consoles · Secrets-rich action-adventure · Best for curious explorers.

At first glance it’s a cute top-down adventure starring a little fox. Underneath is a dense world full of secrets, a clever in-game manual written in an invented language you slowly learn to read, and puzzles that reward serious curiosity. Finding and decoding those manual pages reframes the whole game as you go. It’s far deeper than its art style suggests. Though that hidden depth means it can be cryptic if you’re not in the mood to experiment.

Pentiment

At a glance: PC & consoles · Historical narrative mystery · Best for narrative & history lovers.

From Obsidian, Pentiment is a hand-drawn narrative mystery set in 16th-century Bavaria, styled like an illuminated manuscript come to life. You play an artist caught up in a series of murders, and your choices, who you trust, what you investigate, what you let slide. Ripple across years. It’s a quietly bold game about community, faith and consequence. Reading-heavy and combat-free, so it’s for players who want story and atmosphere over action.

Cocoon

At a glance: PC & consoles · Surreal puzzle · Best for puzzle & atmosphere fans.

From a lead designer behind Limbo and Inside, Cocoon is a surreal puzzle game built around worlds contained inside orbs you carry on your back, and nest inside one another. It sounds abstract, but it unfolds with remarkable elegance, teaching you its logic without a word of text. It’s tightly paced and gorgeous. Light on story and on the shorter side, so go in for the clockwork-puzzle craft rather than a sprawling adventure.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a game a “hidden gem”?

For this list, it’s a game that’s critically loved but under-played. Not a megahit everyone already owns, but something that earned a devoted following and rewards seeking out. Quality first, hype second.

Are these on Game Pass or PS Plus?

Several rotate through Game Pass and PS Plus, and most are frequently discounted. Subscription catalogues change often, though, so check what’s currently included before buying.

Which one should I start with?

For the most memorable experience, start with Outer Wilds or Return of the Obra Dinn. If you want something cozy and short instead, A Short Hike is the easy pick.

Related reads

• The Best New Games of 2026 (Updated Monthly)
• The Best Free-to-Play Games That Are Actually Worth It
• 12 Great Budget Games You Can Get for Under $10

None of these will show up on every “best indies” list, which is exactly why they’re worth seeking out. If you only try one, start with Outer Wilds or Return of the Obra Dinn. Both are the kind of experience that sticks with you for years. What’s the best hidden gem you’ve stumbled onto? Share it in the comments so others can find it too.