Game of the Year Archives

AppWizard

March 2, 2026

Resident Evil Requiem is currently Metacritic users’ top-rated game of all time

Resident Evil Requiem has achieved a 9.5 average user score on Metacritic, matching Clair Obscur Expedition 33, and has an average critic score of 88, positioning it as a top contender for Game of the Year. It shares the top spot on the 2026 charts with Mewgenics, both holding an average score of 89 on Opencritic. Requiem is currently ranked number one on Metacritic's 'Best Games by User Score' page, indicating strong public sentiment. The game has received close to 2,500 user reviews, while Expedition 33 has over 24,000. On Steam, it has an 'overwhelmingly positive' user score of 96%, based on 18,000 English-language reviews.

AppWizard

February 26, 2026

Mobile revenue remained flat across 2025, but PC gaming “sees another record year” | Sensor Tower State of Gaming 2026

Digital intelligence and analytics firm Sensor Tower's State of Gaming 2026 report reveals that mobile game revenue has remained flat, while PC and console gaming revenues have surged by 13%. In 2025, there were 52 billion downloads across all platforms, with mobile games downloaded at a rate of 95,000 per minute, although this represents a decline from 2024. Mobile game revenue increased by only 1%, indicating a shift towards retaining and monetizing existing players. In contrast, PC gaming, particularly on Steam, achieved record gains in units sold and revenue, driven by AA and AAA publishers. The shooter genre performed strongly, with Battlefield 6 as the best-selling game, followed by EA Sports FC 25 and 26. In the free-to-play category, Skate was the most downloaded title. Indie games like R.E.P.O. and Peak were recognized as top sellers. Data trends indicate that PC gamers are generally younger, while hypercasual gamers tend to be female. The strategy genre gained traction in mobile gaming, led by Last War: Survival and Whiteout Survival.

AppWizard

February 25, 2026

Death Stranding 2 was my Game of the Year for 2025, and it’s coming to PC with a major discount, too

The author expresses strong emotional reactions while playing Death Stranding 2, describing it as their personal Game of the Year after experiencing it on PS5. The game features Sam Porter Bridges, who is drawn back into action to connect chiral network terminals in Mexico after a tragedy. Players navigate diverse terrains and can unlock new vehicles and upgrades. The gameplay shifts towards a more action-oriented style, introducing weapons and the ability to capture BTs. The narrative is emotionally compelling, blending bizarre and poignant moments. The game is available for pre-order at Fanatical for .49 / £59.49, with a 15% discount using the code FANATICAL15. The author looks forward to experiencing the PC version and its graphics.

AppWizard

February 24, 2026

The impact of the Fallout series on Fallout PC game sales from 2024-2026

On February 24, 2026, G2A.com released an analysis on the Fallout franchise's television series and its impact on PC game sales. Key findings include: - Sales stabilized at a higher baseline in 2025 following an initial surge from Season 1 in April 2024. - Sales volume increased by 78% in the month before Season 2 premiered, demonstrating the 'Halo Effect.' - Interest in the franchise remained significantly higher than early 2024 levels even between seasons. - 'Complete' variants of games accounted for over 60% of total franchise orders on G2A. - Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition saw a 12.5% increase in market share during Season 2 compared to Season 1. - Interest in classic titles like the Fallout Classic Collection and Fallout 2 remained consistent. The analysis included sales data for various Fallout titles and their editions.

AppWizard

February 22, 2026

You’ll need an expansion pack for your brain to get all 20 questions right in our dastardly new DLC quiz

PC Gamer has released a new collection of quizzes focused on gaming trivia, including topics like health bars, currencies, and patch notes. The latest quiz centers on downloadable content (DLC) in PC gaming, featuring 20 questions that require participants to identify games associated with specific DLCs. The quiz starts easy and increases in difficulty, aiming to challenge even experienced gamers. Players can share their results and favorite DLCs after completing the quiz.

AppWizard

February 20, 2026

XCOM designer Jake Solomon announces surprise closure of his studio alongside a first look at its canceled life sim, ‘the game we poured our hearts into’

Jake Solomon, founder of Midsummer Studios, announced the studio's closure and shared a gameplay video of "Burbank," a life simulation game. The game aimed to empower players as storytellers and was described as a blend of "Life Sims + The Truman Show." Despite receiving an 88% review score and being a Game of the Year runner-up for "Midnight Suns," the studio struggled with sales. Midsummer Studios had secured funding from various venture capital partners and Krafton but was seeking additional funding rounds. The gameplay footage of Burbank featured a polished aesthetic, with plans to use generative AI for character voices while ensuring visual art was created by human artists.

AppWizard

February 20, 2026

2024 PC Game Now 100% Free for Everyone on Steam

Paragnosia is a new PC game released on October 24, 2024, available for free on Steam for a limited time. It is a horror-themed game where players act as a surveillance operator capturing images of paranormal anomalies. Developed by Sine Coda, the game has over 100 user reviews and a 92% approval rating, earning a “Very Positive” designation. It is priced at .99 and is compatible with the Steam Deck. This is Sine Coda's second game of 2024, following PathBlasters, and it is a strategic release to promote the upcoming sequel, Paragnosia: Museum. User reviews highlight the game's simplicity, replayability, and effective sound design, although there has been some negative feedback regarding AI-generated images.

AppWizard

February 18, 2026

Fan group makes Unreal Tournament 2004 available to play for free and in 4K, with Epic’s permission

Unreal Tournament 2004 is now available for free play, thanks to the OldUnreal group, following Epic Games' permission for the fan group to distribute the game at no cost. The OldUnreal team has launched the game with a new patch, the first significant update in over two decades, allowing it to run on modern PCs with optimizations and bug fixes. Windows users can download an auto-installing .exe file from the OldUnreal website, while Linux and macOS users must download installers from the OldUnreal GitHub page and manually apply the patch. The OldUnreal group has also made other titles available for free, including Unreal Gold and Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition. They are committed to releasing future patches to address existing bugs and new issues arising from modern systems. The group noted that some bugs are due to higher frame rates and others are legacy bugs. They are prioritizing fixes for significant gameplay issues, with many already addressed internally.

AppWizard

February 18, 2026

Steam Next Fest hasn’t even started, and its first must-play demo is already here

Titanium Court is expected to gain significant attention in the gaming world, potentially winning multiple game of the year awards. The game is a finalist at this year's Independent Games Festival and features a unique premise involving a court suspended in time and space. Its gameplay includes complex puzzles and a captivating aesthetic, drawing comparisons to acclaimed titles like Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn. A demo is available for players who want to experience it early.

AppWizard

February 17, 2026

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and The Witcher 3 are coming to Game Pass

Xbox has added several titles to its Game Pass lineup for February, including: - Available Now: - Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass across multiple platforms. - Avowed in the Game Pass Premium library. - Aerial_Knight’s DropShot, a single-player skydiving first-person shooter. - Upcoming Releases: - On February 24: TCG Card Shop Simulator in Game Preview. - On February 25: Dice A Million, a roguelike deckbuilder. - On February 26: Towerborne, a co-op action RPG transitioning from game preview and early access. - Notable Titles Coming on March 3: - Final Fantasy III and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, which received multiple nominations at The Game Awards.