3 Up, 3 Down – February 2026
February 2026 was an insanely great month for video game releases. There were nine games that scored 90 or above, which might be a COGconnected record. The games that won’t be featured in this article are Demon Tides, The Disney Afternoon Collection, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Mewgenics, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, and Ys X: Proud Nordics. Don’t sleep on any of them. Without further ado, here are The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games February 2026:
The Good
Nioh 3
***click here for our review***
Nioh 3 is a Soulslike developed by Japanese third person action experts Team Ninja. Team Ninja is most famous for the modern Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive games. They’ve also created other modern greats like Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Nioh 3 has more open world gameplay, inspired by Elden Ring. Our reviewer concluded “Nioh 3 is the most ambitious and densely featured entry in the series, with a vast world to explore and extremely satisfying systems and combat to master”. Nioh 3 is one of two humungous releases in The Good section of The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games February 2026.
Resident Evil Requiem
***click here for our review***
The most humungous game in The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games February 2026 is Resident Evil Requiem, and it was also the highest scoring. It has a mix of the first-person survival horror gameplay from Resident Evil: Biohazard/ Resident Evil: Village, and third person action shooting gameplay of Resident Evil 4 Remake. Our reviewer called it “A masterpiece in horror, and an early Game of the Year contender”. Resident Evil Requiem is a must-play.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
***click here for our review***
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a JRPG that’s a vast improvement upon all other games in its series. It’s an action JRPG with life sim and farming sim elements. Our reviewer wrote “It’s got crafting, farming, cooking, city-building, marriage and kids (!) and so much more as well. The amount of sheer content is staggering”. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma was an underdog release on The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games February 2026 that scored 92 in a month of incredible games.
The Bad
Dark Auction
***click here for our review***
Dark Auction is a visual novel about Nazi Germany. It has some issues with slow pacing and tedious gameplay. It’s biggest problem though, is that it portrays Adolf Hitler as a magnetic character. Our reviewer warned “As the last real-life Holocaust survivors pass away, treating Hitler and his regime as gothic intrigue risks simplifying a complex and tragic history”. But at the end of the day, Dark Auction still isn’t a great visual novel, and easy inclusion in The Bad section of The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games February 2026.
Dread Meridian
***click here for our review***
Dread Meridian is a VR survival horror game based on HP Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness”. It’s just too buggy and janky to be released in its current state. Our reviewer wrote “Dread Meridian may turn out to be a good, heck, maybe even a great game in time. The developers have been actively fixing bugs and releasing new versions. Good for them, but also proof that the game needed more development and testing time”. A game as unpolished as Dread Meridian is easy inclusion on a list like The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games February 2026.
Reigns: The Witcher
***click here for our review***
Reigns: The Witcher is a Witcher-themed spin-off of Reigns, which is a game all about making decisions. The gameplay involves short bits of text, and swiping left or right on choices to fill meters. Runs are short, and involve frequent deaths. Our review just found the narrative to be uninteresting, and the gameplay to be shallow. They wrote “While the scenarios are interesting and there are plenty of branching paths, the experience often feels disjointed, as decisions lack real impact”. A game lacking any impact on a reviewer is sure to be found in The Bad section of an article like The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games February 2026.
Do you agree with our The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from February 2026? What were your favorite games that didn’t make our top 3? Let us know in the comments.
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