New Year, New Save File: Six Games Worth Starting Again in 2026

A new year is finally upon us and with 2025 being another incredible year of gaming, we hope that 2026 can follow suit.

However, before 2026 brings us some incredible releases such as Resident Evil Requiem, Grand Theft Auto VI, Pragmata, Paralives, Phantom Blade Zero, and more, the first few days of the new year is the perfect time to replay some favourites.

So here at GAMINGbible, we have compiled a list of six games we think would be the perfect way to bring in the new year.

Whether you have played them before or just want an excuse to dive into another playthrough, let this be your reason as we share some incredible releases of the last decade.

Stardew Valley

Ok, let’s just get this one out of the way.

Yes, Stardew Valley was first released almost a decade ago and yes, every Stardew Valley probably already has thousands of hours in the game.

However, if you tried out the farming simulation game at launch and weren’t quite convinced, you should know that a myriad of updates have been added since and now may be the perfect time to try again.

Despite trying on multiple occasions, I could not personally get into Stardew Valley as I found the gameplay cycle just too monotonous.

However, thanks to all of the recent (and free) updates, I may just give it another shot in the new year and I encourage you to do the same.

GSC Game World

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

This one is definitely another case of “hear me out”.

Released in November 2020, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl marked the fourth main instalment in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R survival horror series.

However, upon its launch, Heart of Chornobyl was littered with bugs, poor optimisation and performance issues across all platforms, making it practically unplayable for the majority of players.

Needless to say, since its launch, developer GSC Game World has been working tirelessly to bring players numerous updates and fixes, including free content.

Now with improvements to optimisation, performance and core mechanics, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is looking the best it ever has and is definitely worth a second chance if you can get around to it this year.

Fallout 4

With its Anniversary Edition launching just last month, Fallout 4 is back in the limelight despite first being released over a decade ago.

Featuring all six official DLCs such as Far Harbour and Nuka World as well as 150+ Creation Club items, there has never been a better time to head to the Commonwealth.

Not only that but with Fallout Season 2 in full swing over on Prime Video, more and more fans are discovering the Bethesda RPG franchise for the first time.

With Fallout 5 on the very-distant horizon, this might just be the only Fallout-related content we can look forward to in 2026.

Ball x Pit

When asked which games my colleagues would play for the first time all over again this year, our very own Lewis Parker had just one answer:

Ball x Pit.

In a one-man campaign to get us all to try the 2025 roguelike, many of us have not given in out of spite but that does not mean you can’t.

Released in October, Ball x Pit is a “ brick-breaking, ball-fusing, base-building survival roguelite” where players will need to battle hordes of enemies with ricocheting balls.

By gathering the riches left in the pit, you will be able to expand your homestead, generate resources, and even recruit brand-new heroes.

Claimed to be one of the best indie releases of 2025, fans of balls will love this hidden gem.

Devolver Digital

The Last of Us Part II

Despite featuring a controversial storyline, The Last of Us Part II remains one of my favourite games of all time and thanks to the addition of a brand-new mode, players who originally gave up with it may just be interested in giving it another chance.

Added back in July, Naughty Dog released a ‘Chronological Mode’ for The Last of Us Part II which allowed players to “gain even deeper insight into its narrative”.

With this mode enabled, players could now experience the game in timeline order as opposed to hopping between Ellie and Abby’s stories through flashbacks.

Instead of beginning as Ellie, you will now begin as Abby for example.

It makes a huge change and with some fans criticising the original timeline, now could be the perfect time to try out The Last of Us Part II once again courtesy of this game-changing mode.

Baldur’s Gate 3 / Divinity 2

A wombo combo here for you. It goes without saying that Baldur’s Gate 3 was one of the best game releases in the past decade, allowing fans to truly experience the RPG genre in a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired setting.

Since its launch, Larian Studios has added heaps of new content to Baldur’s Gate 3 and with no two playthroughs being the same, it is safe to assume that a 2026 playthrough will be a lot different to your original back in 2023.

At the same time, following the news that Larian Studios are currently working on Divinity, now could be the perfect time to check out Divinity 2.

Divinity: Original Sin II launched back in 2017 as the fifth main instalment in the Divinity franchise.

Since the announcement of the upcoming Divinity, the 2017 RPG has welcomed multiple sales on online storefronts so if you want to check out what Larian was doing before the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, Divinity II may be the perfect place to start.

These are just some of the titles that we will be playing again to celebrate the new year (like we need an excuse).

In the meantime, we at GAMINGbible wish all of our readers a Happy New Year!