Game of the Year Watch 2026 Begins | IGN GOTY Watch Livestream

"Resident Evil Requiem received almost twice as many votes as 007 First Light" in IGN's early fan poll for Game of the Year 2026, but the panel's conversation revealed a field far more fractured and interesting than any single frontrunner suggests. Host Damon Hatfield, along with panelists Aliek and Nick Limon, spent this special edition of Game of the Year Watch lining up candidates, debating their strengths and weaknesses, and revealing that the year's best games so far are defined less by consensus and more by sharp disagreements over what makes a game truly great.

The Frontrunner and Its Fault Lines

Resident Evil Requiem is the best-selling game of the year so far and the clear fan favorite, receiving nearly twice as many votes as its nearest competitor in IGN's poll. The panel largely agrees it's a strong contender, but the praise comes with a notable caveat. Nick describes it as "a delightful love letter to all things Resident Evil" and argues that its first half—particularly the Grace section in the medical ward—is "one of the finest Resident Evil environments ever." But he also identifies a structural problem: after the midpoint, the game switches location, tone, and pacing, and "that's where the game gets significantly weaker." The Leon sections in bombed-out Raccoon City, while full of brilliant set pieces, feel more like a Devil May Cry game than a Resident Evil