January Games Review: Best And Worst Performing Games Of The Month

January Games Review: We are back with another game review. And since January just got over, this games review is going to be a collective discussion on all the games that did well and didn’t perform up to the mark in the month of January 2026. If you are looking for an overall performance review for the month to make your new ‘to be played’ game list, then the January games review mentioned below will help you a lot. Find out audience verdict, ratings, release date, and available platforms of these games below.

 

January Games Review: Top 5 games that performed well the previous month!

Cairn

The gameplay of Cairn involves a unique climbing adventure that felt different than the type of adventure games that are currently releasing. The survival game did exceptionally well with the audience and critics even after not having a huge hype around its release. This made Cairn one of the best performers of January 2026.

Release date: January 29, 2026

Genre: Simulation, Adventure

Ratings: 89% recommended

Available platforms: PC and PlayStation 5.

Number of players: Singleplayer

 

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon

The combat style in this Japanese RPG made The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon a hit among players. Since it was a Japanese game, it was predicted that the storyline would be strong and compelling. This also influenced player reaction and landed the game in the list of best games released in January 2026.

Release date: January 15, 2026

Genre: Japanese RPG

Ratings: 84/100 on Metacritic

Available platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, Nintendo Switch & Switch 2

Number of players: Singleplayer

 

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

Remakes of popular franchises usually do well. And Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade proved it again. The game was already one of the highly anticipated games of the month. Its release on various platforms also increased its player count. Resulting in crazy fan reactions and favorable ratings with a huge player count.

Release date: January 22, 2026.

Genre: Action RPG

Ratings: 87% positive on Steam and 4.7/5 on PlayStation Store

Available platforms: PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox (Microsoft Store)

Number of players: Singleplayer

 

Code Vein II

The sequel to a cult-favorite action RPG, Code Vein II received a lot of attention and created buzz for the game’s launch. While the game doesn’t belong to the exceptionally well performing games of the month. It still did well enough at the month’s end to land itself on the list of well performing games of January 2026.

Release date: January 29/30 January, 2026

Genre: Action RPG

Ratings: 70/100 on Metacritic’s critic metascore and 56% positive user reviews on Steam

Available platforms: PC, PS 5, and Xbox Series X|S

Number of players: Singleplayer

 

MIO: Memories in Orbit

A small game that received attention only after its release. But its gaming content ensures the game gets all the appreciation and love. MIO: Memories in Orbit was loved by the players and critics for its art direction and exploration mechanics. The game is now known as a stylish indie Metroidvania in the world of gaming.

Release date: January 20, 2026

Genre: Action-Adventure, Metroidvania

Ratings: 83/100 Metascore

Available platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2

Number of players: Singleplayer

 

January Games Review: Games that couldn’t leave a mark

Code Violet

A game in January 2026 that was known for bad design, shallow characters, confusing gameplay, technical issues, and an overall lack of polish-ness, is Code Violet. Although no developer purposely does that to their game, it was still not viewed as a game worthy of playing by the players and critics. With very low scores, the game was considered as one of the worst games of early 2026.

Release date: January 10, 2026

Genre: Survival horror, action, third-person shooter

Ratings: 27/100 on Metacritic from critic reviews and 2.6/10 on Metacritic from user ratings

Available platforms: PlayStation 5

Number of players: Singleplayer

 

Highguard

If there’s a January 2026 release that stands just below Code Violet in terms of lack of polish, basic gameplay, and poor optimization, it’s Highguard without a doubt. The major reason for its failure has been cited as the game not living up to the expectations set by its high-profile team and preview hype. Therefore, despite having a good opening, the player count of Highguard dropped rapidly, resulting in its low performance.

Release date: January 26, 2026

Genre: PvP raid shooter

Ratings: 45% positive user reviews on Steam

Available platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

Number of players: Multiplayer

 

Games that received mixed reviews in January!

Terra Invicta

The grand strategy game, Terra Invicta, falls under the category of mixed reviews by its audience. Those who are a fan of sci-fi grand strategy games were the ones who loved the game a lot. Players who are not a fan of this genre didn’t like the game much. And that is where the game received mixed reviews from everywhere.

Release date: January 5, 2026

Genre: Grand Strategy, simulation

Ratings: 6.2/10 on Metacritic user score

Available platforms: PC

Number of players: Singleplayer

 

The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin

Although the game was surrounded by huge hype before its release as it is based on a Japanese series. The anime, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, still received mixed reviews because many users complained about gameplay elements like controls, combat pacing, and user interface being clunky or unpolished. But overall, the game did fine with the audience and based on the ‘average performing game of January 2026’ title.

Release date: January 28, 2026

Genre: Open-world action RPG, adventure

Ratings: –

Available platforms: PlayStation 5, PC, iOS, Android

Number of players: Singleplayer and co-op

 

Conclusion!

No major big release in the gaming industry during January 2026, yet the review calendar shows a house full of new games that kept gamers across the world entertained. Do let us know which games you have played out of the ones mentioned above, and how well you like them?

And with that, we wrap up our January games review session for you. We hope these details will help you understand which games to pick next for gaming. To find out about these games and their gameplay in detail, stay tuned to mgcbuzz.com. We will inform you about their gameplay, storyline, gaming mechanics, and everything else that is there for you to know.

 

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