How did the global wave of new game releases perform in July 2026? We look back at the fierce competition for the top spots based on Metacritic scores.
July was defined by the thrilling run of the train action game 'Densha Attack!'
The star of July is undoubtedly 'Densha Attack!'. With its exhilarating train-themed mechanics, responsive controls, and solid overall polish, it achieved a Metacritic score of 88 across 102 reviews, proving the true potential of indie development.
Two remakes also drove the momentum in July. Ubisoft reimagined the classic naval combat of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag as Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Rethinked, earning a 83 score from 160 reviews. Meanwhile, Microsoft released Halo: Campaign Evolved, a reconstruction of the original Halo: Combat Evolved using Unreal Engine 5, which secured a 81 score from 120 reviews.
Two Korean titles also performed well. Kusan: City of Wolves, a top-down hardcore shooter developed by Circle From Dot, recorded a score of 80 with 19 reviews, while Ascend to Zero, an action game centered on time-manipulation combat developed by Flyway Games, earned a 82 score from 13 reviews.
🕵※ A Quick Note: Metacritic scores are tracked per platform, and the displayed score is not a global aggregate but rather the score from the platform with the highest number of reviews. For example, Stellar Blade has 138 reviews on PS5 (81 score) and 32 reviews on PC (84 score); the PS5 score is the one displayed due to the higher review count.
Score
Image
Game Info
Release Date
Review Count
89
Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations
Bethesda Softworks
2026.07.07
33
88
Densha Attack!
Fireshine Games
2026.07.15
102
85
The Mermaid Mask
SFB GAmes
2026.07.16
16
84
The Incident at Gallery House
Evil Trout
2026.07.14
10
83
Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Rethinked
Ubisoft
2026.07.09
160
83
Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Endless Narok
Cygames
2026.07.08
53
82
Ascend to Zero
Flyway Games
2026.07.13
13
82
Heave Ho 2
Devolver Digital
2026.07.16
24
81
Caz
Hakuro
2026.07.13
10
81
Moonlight Peaks
XSSED Games
2026.07.07
31
81
Halo: Campaign Evolved
Halo Studios
2026.07.28
120
80
Kusan: City of Wolves
CIRCLEfromDOT
2026.07.30
19
80
Corsair Cove
Hooded Horse
2026.07.31
14
79
Moss: Forgotten Relics
Polyarc
2026.07.16
30
78
Palworld 1
Pocket Pair
2026.07.10
19
78
The Alters: Final Variable
11 bit studios
2026.07.13
10
77
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Fighting Games
PM Studios Inc.
2026.07.23
40
77
Meow Meow Post Office
Maracas Studios
2026.07.09
9
76
Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle
15industry
2026.07.08
9
76
Fading Echo
New Tales
2026.07.21
14
74
Midnight Moment
Happy Volcano
2026.07.30
7
70
Ditopia
Annapurna Interactive
2026.07.14
54
69
Wait, Truck-kun is Cheering Me On in Another World?!
Frosty Pop Games
2026.07.29
15
66
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu
Nacon
2026.07.15
39
64
Echoes of Aincrad
Bandai Namco Games
2026.07.10
60
53
The Relic: First Guardian
Perp Games
2026.07.31
19
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of NC AI. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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