Top 10 Best Metroidvania Games of 2026 (So Far)

The Metroidvania genre has had another packed year, with 2026 delivering everything from atmospheric sci-fi adventures and dark fairy tales to Soulslike combat and experimental retro experiences. The best part? Some of them are already available, meaning there is no shortage of games competing for your attention.

But which are the best Metroidvania games of 2026 so far? We have that figured out for you.

10 Emberbane

Released in February, Emberbane combines traditional Metroidvania exploration with a fantasy adventure built around four elemental forces: fire, ice, earth, and storm. Players take control of Ophelia and travel through forests, citadels, frozen locations, and deserts while unlocking new abilities and developing different combat combinations.

What makes this game interesting is how strongly its elemental system feeds into both combat and exploration. Different abilities aren’t simply attacks, but are also tools for navigating the world and solving environmental challenges.

9 Tearscape

Tearscape takes a very different approach. Instead of following the increasingly common hand-drawn Metroidvania aesthetic, it looks like an adventure game transported from the Game Boy era and then rebuilt with modern mechanics.

Released on PC in February before arriving on consoles later in the year, this game combines top-down exploration, dungeons, puzzles, stamina-based combat, and Soulslike elements. Its interconnected world encourages players to investigate every corner for secrets and new paths.

Admittedly, some of its mechanics can feel rough around the edges, but Tearscape deserves recognition for attempting something different with the Metroidvania space.

8 Akatori

Akatori is one of the year’s more energetic Metroidvania releases. Developed by Contrast Games, it follows Mako and her supernatural companion Akatori through a world affected by dangerous Amber Storms.

The game’s defining feature is its movement, with Mako able to use her staff for both combat and traversal, creating a system where attacking, platforming, and exploration frequently overlap. The adventure also incorporates multiple realms and ability-based progression.

Akatori doesn’t attempt to completely reinvent the Metroidvania formula. Instead, it focuses on keeping movement fast and combat responsive.

7 Alruna: End of History

Alruna: End of History is one of the more unconventional games on this list. Released in June, it presents a nonlinear Metroidvania filled with temples, dungeons, puzzles, platforming challenges, and an unusual dystopian fantasy setting.

The best part about this game is how well it experiments. Rather than simply reproducing the familiar formula of acquiring an ability and unlocking another section of the map, Alruna encourages players to approach its world more freely.

6 The Perfect Pencil

The Perfect Pencil is perhaps the strangest game on this list. It follows John through a surreal world populated by unsettling creatures and bizarre environments, combining traditional Metroidvania exploration with psychological horror and symbolism. The game immediately stands apart through its hand-drawn visual style.

John begins his journey in an extremely unusual state before eventually using a giant pencil as his primary weapon. Its gameplay follows familiar Metroidvania fundamentals, including exploration, combat, secrets, and ability-based progression, but the surreal presentation gives the entire experience an unmistakable identity.

5 Solateria

At the halfway point is Solateria, a hand-drawn Soulslike Metroidvania centered around Tott, a small Pyron warrior searching for a missing king while confronting the Shadow Plague.

Its biggest selling point is its combat. Parrying plays a major role, turning enemy encounters into tests of timing and pattern recognition. Boss battles are particularly important, with several demanding that players understand attacks rather than simply overpower their opponents.

4 Fallen Tear: The Ascension

Fallen Tear: The Ascension is one of the year’s most ambitious Metroidvanias. After spending time in Early Access, the game’s full release arrived on September 16, 2026, expanding its world, story, and even progression systems.

Players get to control Hira in the fantasy world of Roah, where relationships with other characters can directly influence combat and exploration. This makes Fallen Tear more than a straightforward action-platformer; its progression systems give players additional reasons to experiment with different approaches.

3 GRIME II

GRIME II takes everything that made its predecessor distinctive and pushes it further. Released on March 31, the sequel once again embraces an unsettling world filled with bizarre creatures, grotesque imagery, and strange interpretations of art and creation.

Its combat revolves around absorbing enemies and using their forms to expand the player’s options. The result is a system that rewards experimentation rather than forcing players into one rigid build. The game is comfortable being weird, and that commitment gives it an identity that separates it from the enormous number of Hollow Knight-inspired games released every year.

2 Well Dweller

Well Dweller arrived extremely late in the period covered by this list, launching on September 22, yet it immediately established itself as one of the year’s most notable genre releases. Created by Kyle Thompson, the developer behind Islets and Crypt Custodian, Well Dweller follows Glimmer, a tiny bird armed with a matchstick, on a journey through a grim fairy-tale kingdom.

His goal is simple: defeat the wicked queen and save his family. The contrast between its cute characters and disturbing worlds is one of the game’s biggest strengths. Its hand-drawn environments are packed with personality, while exploration gradually introduces new movement options and challenges.

1 MIO: Memories in Orbit

Taking the top spot is MIO: Memories in Orbit.

Released on January 20, MIO immediately established itself as one of 2026’s most polished Metroidvania experiences. Players control MIO, an android exploring the enormous Vessel, a derelict technological ark overrun by vegetation and malfunctioning machines.

The game’s greatest strength is how cohesively everything fits together. Its hand-crafted environments encourage exploration, while the game’s expanding abilities continually open new routes through the Vessel. Its presentation is another major highlight, as it combines beautiful environments with a haunting science-fiction atmosphere, creating a world that feels mysterious without relying entirely on exposition.

With everything it offers, MIO: Memories in Orbit is one of the most complete Metroidvania packages released so far in 2026. What’s your pick for the best Metroidvania game released this year? Drop your pick in the comments below!