New PS5 Console Exclusive Game is Getting Great Reviews

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The new PlayStation 5 exclusive game, Cairn, has launched to rave reviews and is currently the highest-rated game of 2026 across all platforms. Although it’s also available on PC, initial sales suggest most players are experiencing it on the PS5.

From the creators of games like Furi, Haven, and Squids Odyssey, comes Cairn, a new survival climbing game. Players must carefully plan their routes and manage resources as they ascend the challenging and beautiful Mount Kami. Cairn launched on PlayStation Store and Steam this Thursday, January 29th, just over a year and a half after it was first revealed at Day of the Devs 2024.

Cairn Debuts To Outstanding Reviews

Reviews for the new game Cairn were released just before it launched worldwide at noon Eastern Time / 6 PM Central European Time. Within four hours, OpenCritic had collected 40 professional reviews, averaging an impressive score of 87 with 90% of reviewers recommending it. This earned Cairn a “Mighty” rating on the site and makes it the highest-rated game of 2026 so far. Despite being early in the year, this strong positive response confirms Cairn’s status as one of the most anticipated releases of January.

Cairn Review Roundup

  • OpenCritic: 87 avg. score, 90% recommendation rate
  • PS Store: 4.64-star player rating
  • Steam: no user rating yet

I’ve been following the early buzz about Cairn, and honestly, everyone seems to agree the art is incredible. It’s not just about technical specs; it’s a really unique style that mixes simple designs with realistic nature, but then takes both and makes them totally its own through color and other artistic choices. It really feels like the work of Mathieu Bablet, the French comic artist who led the art direction and writing. He’s famous for his beautiful, colorful illustrations and these huge, dramatic landscapes, and you can definitely see that influence all over the game.

Top 10 Highest-Rated Games of (January) 2026, According to OpenCritic

# Game Platform(s) Avg. Score % Recommend
1 Cairn PC, PS5 87 90%
2 Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven PC, PS4/5, XSXS, Switch 1/2 86 100%
3 Escape from Ever After PC, Switch, XB1, XBXS, PS5 84 91%
4 Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights Switch 83 100%
5 The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon PC, PS4/5, Switch 1/2 83 91%
6 TR-49 PC 83 100%
7 MIO: Memories in Orbit PC, PS5, XSXS, Switch 1/2 83 82%
8 Pathologic 3 PC, PS5, XBXS 81 82%
9 Arknights: Endfield PC, PS5 80 83%
10 Earth Must Die PC 79 67%

Although official sales numbers aren’t available yet, the fact that Cairn has already received thousands of reviews on the PlayStation Store is a positive sign. Usually, only a small percentage of people who view a game actually buy it, and it often takes many purchases for each review submitted. Therefore, Cairn getting around 3,500 PlayStation Store reviews so quickly after release suggests it could be one of the best-selling games in January 2026, even though it launched late in the month.

For a limited time, you can get Cairn at 10% off, making it $26.99. This launch discount is available on both Steam and the PlayStation Store until February 12th.

Based on initial player feedback, Cairn had a relatively quiet launch on Steam, receiving just over 100 user reviews within its first three hours. These early reviews are generally positive, mirroring the game’s critical reception, with Valve currently labeling them as “Very Positive.” Data from the Steam API shows that over 82.6% of the current reviews for Cairn are positive, even though the total number of reviews is still low. This promising start contributes to the growing popularity of games focused on movement and exploration, like Death Stranding and Baby Steps.

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2026-01-30 04:08