Josh Coffman’s Top 10 Games of 2026 So Far
Josh shares his favorites from the year so far.
10. Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles
Fresh Paint and great quality of life improvements made this one a lot more enjoyable
I Final Fantasy was a household name growing up in the Coffman home. We were no strangers to Tactics either. However, unlike my childhood, I thorughly enjoyed this remaster of it because it made the bad parts even better. No longer was there the grind of finding battles when you needed them and hitting one every single step you took. Plus the ability to restart the battle or saving in between mega levels made this tale much more enjoyable.
9. Astro Bot
The greatest Platform ad you’ll ever see from Sony
Before Sony signed their death warrant to physical media, I had the pleasure of enjoying this walking ad platformer. It took the best parts of Astro’s playroom, and gave it more life and a bit of story. And of course, what would Astro be without the hundreds of bots, made in the shapes of various PlayStation characters, and various features of the dual sense controller being forefront of the gameplay.
8. Tales of Hearts R
Blew the dust off the Vita for this gem
After finding my Vita in the various abandoned piles in my storage basement, I decided to clean it up, swap out the battery, and dabble into the greatest hits of the Vita. My first choice was this gem and needless to say, I fell in love with it. The fact that this is a remake of a DS game, shows how much love and dedication was put into it. The voice acting is superb and it truly feels like a console Tales game.
7. Final Fantasy 13
I hated this as a kid…
My first ever preorder game when it released back in 2010, this Final Fantasy lost me with it’s linear story and confusing crystallium (probably spelled wrong) system. I never finished it and honestly gave up on this trilogy. As I am trying to go through all mainline titles, I decided to pick it up again. As an adult with more patience and lore reading, I am utterly ashamed that I gave up so quickly. The story is well written, the characters all grow (except Snow) and develop as the story progresses, and the enemy design is top notch. There is a reason this grew into a trilogy and I cant wait to finish this and move onto 13-2 & Lightening Returns.
6. Hollow Knight
This tiny bug played so well on a big screen
Another game i quit way to early on, but that was more because of our streaming of it and lack of understanding the map. But in preparation to play Silk Song, I decided to play this again on the PS5. I’m not sure why, but it was much easier and enjoyable to play it on a 55 inch screen then it was for the 24 in monitor or the Steam Deck. The movements are fluid and the early juggles seemed easier and bosses were going down in the first fight. I think I truly understand the hype of this one now.
5. MIO: Memories In Orbit
My yearly Metroidvania is present
Robocop MIO was a surprise hit for me as Nick got it and said I should try it. It captured my heart as the Metroidvania of the year so far and might even take the year. The enemy design is top notch, the upgrade system is well thought out, and exploring this world made me long for another 2D Metroid. It does have it’s flaws with bugs and some enemies feel impossible to beat unscathed or even alive. But overall, this is one I would recommend to all of my fellow MVs out there.
4. 007: First Light
Hitman with the license to kill
Honestly, not much to say on this one. I have loved the recent Hitman games and this scratches the urge of wanting more. Now that isn’t me saying this is the same thing. 007 does a great job of differentiating itself by it’s characters, objectives, and overall story.
3. Code Vein 2
Anime Souls games is the better souls game
Soul like games have a common theme for me, they make me realize that I am a terrible gamer and force me to go to therapy to talk about my anger problems. That being said, Code Vein 2 is the apology letter I have been waiting for since Demon Souls. Shocked at how little I have seen from the gaming community on this title, I decided to give it a try and loved this way more then it’s predecessors. The world is beautiful, the enemies are deadly, and honestly has the most Anime story ever, but I love it.
2. Resident Evil 9 Requiem
Why is it always orphanages and creepy children?
With With the release of RE9, most of my early year months went to enjoying every second of it. Grace does a great job of bringing in the newer 1st person horror we have grown to appreciate. While Leon ties in the ways of the old, not just with gameplay, but a as a bridge into the future of the franchise. Ending on a great high note for this arc, I cannot wait to see what the future brings.
1. Silent Hill F
No guns and all horror
Another game that had very little discussion in the community, but as a fan of the franchise/genre, I decided to do my due diligence. I was completely blown away by how much I loved everything in this entry. Even my dislike of not having a gun turned into an appreciation of all of the weapons and future abilities you receive. This rental from the library turned into a purchase and I highly recommend you all grab a copy as well before the next entry is out later this year.
