PlayStation Has Its First Major GOTY Contender for 2026

PlayStation officially has its first major contender for Game of the Year in 2026. Up until this point in the year, there have already been a number of fantastic games released on PS5 platforms. Despite this, the games that have generated the most buzz, such as Nioh 3, Resident Evil Requiem, and Pragmata, have all come from third-party publishers rather than PlayStation’s own first-party studios. Now, this is poised to finally change within the coming week.

As of today, reviews for Saros have started appearing online, and they’re largely fantastic. Coming by way of Housemarque, Saros is a PS5 exclusive action game with roguelike elements similar to 2021’s Returnal. When compared to its predecessor, though, Saros has actually garnered more acclaim. At the time of this writing, Saros boasts an aggregate review score of 88/100 on Metacritic, which is excellent, to say the least.

In fact, reviews for Saros have been so positive that it has immediately become one of the five highest-rated games of 2026 so far. The only games that it currently trails based solely on Metacritic score are Resident Evil Requiem and Pokemon Pokopia. As far as titles that are exclusive to PS5, though, it’s by far the best-reviewed in 2026 up until this point and shows that PlayStation’s own studios are still some of the best in the industry.

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Looking forward, it’s hard to know if Saros will remain in the running for Game of the Year once 2026 is all said and done. There are still plenty of games that have yet to be released this year that seem like they’re going to be quite acclaimed upon their arrival. Forza Horizon 6, Marvel’s Wolverine, Gears of War: E-Day, Fable, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, and, of course, Grand Theft Auto 6 are just some of the many games left to release in 2026 that could end up competing for GOTY as well.

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Regardless of what eventually wins Game of the Year for 2026, it’s clear that Saros is very much worth playing. If you’re looking to get your hands on it for yourself, you’ll be able to do so next week when it comes to PS5 on April 30th. For those trying to play Saros even earlier, purchasing the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game will grant 48 hours of early access, which will unlock on April 28th.

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