10 Of The Best Older Games You Should Play In 2026

Games come and go, and don't we know it: 2026 is absolutely packed in the latter half of the year, with games like Witchbrook, Marvel's Wolverine, and, of course, the lumbering giant of Grand Theft Auto 6, still yet to come. However, it's also been a year of reflection so far and there are some older games that have seen a well-deserved resurgence.

Take the recent update for Destiny 2, the Monument of Triumph, which essentially reinvented the game as part of its final update; or, folks once again revisiting Skyrim, sometimes for the first time, as we all hold out for Elder Scrolls 6 news (which unfortunately did not arrive at Summer Game Fest.)

10 Graveyard Keeper

Stardew Valley but you harvest organs from dead bodies delivered to your doorstep by a communist donkey? Welcome to Graveyard Keeper, a game everyone has been talking about since Lazy Bear Games announced the sequel arriving later in 2026.

It's the perfect time to revisit the original classic. Often described as an immensely satisfying cozy life sim but with cosmic horrors and corpse management, it often goes into Steam sales so you can pick the base game and its additional DLCs (of which I do recommend, mostly thanks to the automation you can do with your zombies), for a great price.

9 Fields of Mistria

Fields of Mistria is a cozy life sim that will leave early access and venture into 1.0 in August 2026. Fans have been waiting a long time for the 1.0 release, and as someone who has carefully avoided the game until getting to play it in its full glory, seeing it almost complete has had me so close to diving in just to see what it's all about before it properly releases.

It's a classic cozy sim experience, but the 1.0 release adds significant updates to the villagers (and romance), as well as the mines and dungeon, and a whole new town renown system. I know folks are recommending it now, but if you can just hold out for a little while longer...

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8 Escape The Backrooms

It's no surprise that the best Escape the Backrooms video game is having a resurgence, all thanks to the A24 horror film Backrooms which released this year. Although the concept of the "backrooms" originated on social media way back in the late teens, it has found a recent revival and breakthrough into the mainstream in 2026.

Escape the Backrooms is a one-to-four-player co-op horror game, and it's actually very good, much better than those Roblox spin-offs I used to have to write code pages for.

7 Dave The Diver

Dave the Diver was the definition of a breakthrough indie gem when it released back in 2023. You play as a sushi chef who also dives for all the fish they catch. There's a really satisfying gameplay loop as you dive deeper into the waters to uncover rarer (and more delicious) fish.

The game has received a recent uptick in players thanks to the new In the Jungle expansion pack, which adds the ability to actually hunt for animals on land in the jungle, which sort of doesn't make you a diver anymore, but whatever.

6 Valheim

Another early access indie gem here that has seen a resurgence of players thanks to the announcement that we're finally getting a 1.0 release for Valheim, which will feature an all-new biome, the Deep North. Originally released way back in 2021, there have been whisperings of a 1.0 release for a couple of years now, and it is actually going to happen in September this year.

Now is the perfect time for you to jump back in and experience the world of Valheim to get some experience killing boars, or to dust off your old Viking armor to ride once more out into Valhalla.

5 Fallout 76

Fallout 76 has seen a resurgence in the last couple of years because of the success of the Fallout television series and the fact that it's the most up-to-date and frequently supported Fallout game currently playable.

Since 2019, Fallout 76 has received 27 updates, with the most recent being Infestations, which added a new repeatable endgame quest. In truth, there hasn't been a better time to check out the game than right now, and I imagine support for this title will continue well into the future.

4 Cyberpunk 2077

I always tell myself that I'm going to replay Cyberpunk 2077 again when I see someone online saying that it's now considered one of the greatest modern RPGs, but I still haven't found the time. But maybe you should?

It's undergone a full redemption arc and I think it's safe to say most people are recommending it again in 2026, especially ahead of Grand Theft Auto 6's launch later this year. Got a gap in your schedule? Cyberpunk 2077 might be the game to fill it.

3 The Witcher 3

It's going to be a wild couple of years for The Witcher fans. Despite the sad outcome of The Witcher TV series, which I stopped watching after season two, the news that we're getting a Witcher 3 DLC later this year and more information about The Witcher 4 (which might release sooner than expected), it's going to be a good time.

The Witcher 3 is obviously an all-time classic and for anyone interested in the upcoming sequel or just excellent RPGs in general, hop in and see what it's all about.

2 Subnautica

Subnautica 2 released to massive fanfare this year, breaking records for an indie game, and this meant that many players have been flocking back to the original for a refresher on the story. I've played a good few hours of Subnautica 2 and while it isn't finished (it's only about 15 hours long right now), I can say that revisiting the original Subnautica ahead of playing the 1.0 release of Subnatica 2 is a good idea.

Not only will it teach you about the game's mechanics, it'll also prep you for any potential story crossovers we see in the sequel. No spoilers. Not yet.

1 Destiny 2

As I mentioned at the top of the article, I've enjoyed seeing the outpouring of love for Destiny 2 so much after Bungie released the final update for the game, Monument of Triumph. The internet has been awash with fans sharing their stories after almost a decade of the game, as well as general sadness that it's all coming to an end.

Of course, you can just continue to play Destiny 2 as much as you like, and most fans would argue now is better than ever: the Monument of Triumph feels like a proper goodbye, refining the game's loot system to make it a little fairer and a little more approachable.

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