Hermit And Pig Has Surpassed Cairn To Become 2026’s Highest-Rated Game

The video game industry is starting to reawaken after its holiday break, and we already have some potential Game of the Year contenders. Cairn, Nioh 3, and Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined are all hits with critics. However, none of them has the highest aggregate review score of 2026 so far at this early stage. That honor currently goes to Hermit and Pig.

What The Heck Is Hermit And Pig?

What’s Hermit and Pig, I hear you ask? Well, I can’t hear you, but I assume that’s what you’re asking, as I had never heard of it until 24 hours ago. Hermit and Pig is a colorful, top-down RPG in which you, Hermit, embark on an exciting adventure with your pig sidekick, and it currently has an 88 on OpenCritic.

As well as doing all the things you would expect to do in an RPG, like battle enemies and search for items that will better prepare you for the tough road ahead, Hermit and Pig also has overarching elements that make it unique from other games in the busy genre. You’re not just battling against enemies, you’re also fighting social anxiety. Anxiety that’s likely brought on by the corporate conspiracy you’re attempting to unravel.

Heavy Lunch

With a score of 88, that’s clearly a recipe for success. It only has five reviews so far, which might be one of the reasons it has such a high score, and there’s every chance that score starts to drop once more people learn of this game’s existence and leave reviews of their own. However, as it stands, no outlet that has reviewed Hermit and Pig has given it lower than a 4/5.

How Hermit And Pig Stacks Up Against 2026’s Other Early Hits

Climbing game Cairn was previously the one leading the pack with a score of 87. Nioh 3 briefly took the lead when it debuted to a score of 88, but as more reviews have poured in for Team Ninja’s latest epic, its score has dropped to a still very impressive 85. That’s the same as Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, which is also right up there with the limited number of games we’ve seen so far in 2026.

As for where Hermit and Pig might fall by the end of the year, it almost certainly won’t be top forever, even if it keeps a hold of that 88. A score of 88 last year would have seen it make the top 20, though. That’s the same as Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, and a higher score than well-regarded games like Ghost of Yotei, Arc Raiders, and Dispatch.