Gamescom 2026 was filled with surprises, from reveals of never-seen-before video games throughout Opening Night Live to the announcement of a remaster for one of the best games of all time. Past the opening showcase, although, Gamescom can be a commerce present and shopper gaming occasion — principally, the substitute for E3 — held in a sprawling conference corridor with tons of of video games to play. Polygon was on the ground this 12 months, and whereas there, we went hands-on with a ton of these video games, from AAA behemoths like Fable to under-the-radar indies like Wilderings: The Misplaced Spring.
However what had been the best possible video games we performed whereas we had been out in Cologne, Germany? Here is our record of the highest 17 video games we performed at Gamescom 2026, in no explicit order.
1
Fable
We would be remiss to not begin with probably the most anticipated AAA releases of the entire occasion, proper? You may learn extra about Fable in our dedicated preview, however the gist of it’s as follows: tight, satisfying fight with fluid mechanics that will let you change between melee, ranged, and magic with ease. Our fighting-focused demo concerned following the very British Humphry (voiced by comic Matt King, of Tremendous Hans fame from Peep Present) by an outdated mine, the place undead foes arose round each nook. It then culminated in a incredible boss battle in opposition to a ferocious spirit in a misty lavatory, and though Fable goes to be a shorter game than we had been anticipating, I can not wait to play extra. —Ford James
2
Worms Galactic Techniques
Techniques video games are on a comeback proper now, and Worms Galactic Techniques is making an attempt one thing much-needed for the style: to make it much more accessible. Though techniques video games are pretty easy compared to different technique sub-genres (anybody who can get their head round a 4X recreation is a wizard in my e-book), they do have considerably of a studying curve. With Worms Galactic Techniques, it is implementing roguelite mechanics and treating it as, basically, one other Worms recreation. The one distinction is that this time, the enjoying area is 3D. I solely had a fast blast on the demo however this can be the perfect tackle the turn-based Worms system but. —Ford James
3
Closing Fantasy 7 Revelation
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is, if nothing else, a revelation. Even simply 45 minutes revealed probably the most spectacular open-world feats I’ve ever seen: It builds its open world on high of your entire recreation of FF7 Rebirth. You may fly your airship, the Highwind, to actually any area from FF7 Rebirth — Junon, Gongaga, the Gold Saucer, you identify it — decamp, parachute down, and simply land, fully seamlessly. Closing Fantasy 7 Revelation provides some cool fight tweaks, within the type of two new characters and a class-swapping system referred to as FITS, however the true draw right here is its grandeur. If the unique recreation made you’re feeling such as you had been exploring a planet, Revelation makes that feeling a actuality. —Ari Notis
4
Alien Deathstorm
Alien Deathstorm is without doubt one of the most video-gamey video video games I’ve performed in a very long time. There are numerous aliens, a devastating storm, and demise such as you would not imagine. The 20-minute demo caught me in a late-game mission the place I wanted to restore a reactor, and the sandbox nature of the extent meant there have been a number of paths to attain this. Do I examine the management room, the core, the substation, or someplace else fully? Every location had totally different leads and issues to be solved, however I used to be additionally being stalked by aliens, with solely an SMG to defend myself. Oh, and the aliens react to your conduct: go in weapons blazing and also you’re gonna entice a hell of much more. That is one to observe for 2027. —Ford James
5
Exodus
For 4 years, Exodus has been heralded because the second coming of Mass Impact. It is regarded the half your entire time. And now that I’ve gone hands-on with it, sure, by each measure, it holds as much as that lofty comparability. The narrative RPG options third-person fight in a space-based sci-fi setting, but in addition options no scarcity of advanced ability bushes, attention-grabbing celebration members (who you may date), an impactful morality system, historical alien relics, and an interstellar thriller that might have an effect on all of humanity. —Ari Notis
6
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
I’ve been hungry to get my palms on The Expanse: Osiris Reborn just about for the reason that second it was revealed. Now that I’ve, the one factor I’m dissatisfied about is that I’m not actually enjoying the complete recreation proper this very second. Few sci-fi universes are better-realized than The Expanse, with its strict physics and grounded method to human interplanetary growth. And it seems Osiris Reborn is a lot greater than the third-person shooter it’s been promoted as. Primarily based on the 90 minutes I performed, the sport additionally captures the subterfuge, private machinations, and political turmoil that made so many followers fall in love with the supply materials. We genuinely may very well be getting among the best book-to-game variations of all time. —Ari Notis
7
Valor Mortis
“First-person Darkish Souls” is a fairly compelling elevator pitch. “First-person Darkish Souls set throughout the Napoleonic Wars” is much more compelling. “First-person Darkish Souls set throughout the Napoleonic Wars and developed by the makers of Ghostrunner, one of many tightest first-person video games ever?” Yeah, little shock right here that Valor Mortis completely guidelines. Valor Mortis particularly provides two olive branches to onboard new gamers. The parry is nearly imperceptibly extra forgiving than something spawned out of the halls of FromSoftware. And the checkpoints come a bit extra incessantly. This compels one to maintain making an attempt, making an attempt, and making an attempt once more, in the end capturing the live-die-repeat essence that made Ghostrunner and its sequel such breakout hits. —Ari Notis
8
Stuntman: Hollywood
When the information broke that the unique Stuntman was being revived within the type of Stuntman: Hollywood, followers of this cult-classic PlayStation 2 recreation went wild. We performed 5 of the sport’s ranges earlier this year at Summer season Recreation Fest, however when the chance arose to play a completely totally different set of 5 ranges, we could not say no. Stuntman: Hollywood is precisely what you’d anticipate: driving sequences that final a couple of minutes every, filled with over-the-top, cinematic results and stunts it’s good to get inch-perfect to land the best rating doable. One stage I performed was themed after Jurassic World; I dare you to not really feel immense pleasure as you experience a bike excessive of a dinosaur then slide below the lengthy neck of one other. —Ford James
9
Tides of Annihilation
The place seemingly each new motion recreation nowadays swerves left into “parryslop,” Tides of Annihilation goes proper. Sure, there is a parry, however the fight is extra akin to conventional character motion video games. Past your customary assaults, you cycle by two outfitted knight avatars, every of whom have totally different talents that make it easier to in fight. Pair that with some God of Warfare (2018)-like spectacle and unexpectedly wealthy exploration parts (a bow that permits you to create ziplines, a groundpound that you just use to open up new pathways) and Tides has develop into one in all my most-anticipated motion video games. —Ari Notis
10
Wilderings: The Misplaced Spring
Wilderings: The Lost Spring is basically Hades meets Pokémon with a touch of Animal Crossing thrown in for good measure. That is as a result of at its core, it is a roguelike: you embark on runs, step by step getting stronger over time, defeating enemies and taking down bosses, all whereas exploring the world round you. Nevertheless, there’s additionally a creature-collecting aspect, the place you acquire small critters often known as “hantu.” These lovable animals every have their very own expertise and may be leveled up, permitting you to have a celebration match on your playstyle. The explanation you are doing all of this? To revive the world to its pure magnificence, with various biomes which have dying ecosystems that want you to avoid wasting them. Oh, and it’s also possible to develop vegetation again in your airship base, for a bit of extra healthful taste. —Ford James
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