Method

Scope

A game qualifies when players in Canada can get it on at least one mainstream platform during the edition. Older games qualify when they are still widely played and actively supported, because the index follows what people really play, not only release calendars.

Step one — the reader panel

An open questionnaire asks readers which games they played most, which they finished and which they abandoned. The questionnaire for this edition ran from January to August 2026. For this edition 2,418 readers took part, from 13 provinces and territories.

The panel is self-selected. Readers choose to answer, so it is not a statistically representative sample of the country and we never present it as one. We use it to see what is being played and to test our own impressions.

Step two — the longlist

Games that the panel mentions often go on the board next to the releases, major updates and long-running favourites the desk has tracked all year. The longlist is deliberately wide, from large studio productions to one-person projects.

Step three — played in full

Each contender is played by at least one desk member, to the credits where a game has them or long enough to see its whole structure where it does not. A game we could not play properly is dropped rather than guessed at.

Step four — the score

Every finalist is scored out of ten on four criteria, and the four scores are averaged into the desk score shown in its file. When games are close, the desk discusses them side by side and settles the order by consensus.

The four criteria

• World — art direction, sense of place, story and atmosphere.
• Feel — controls, pacing, challenge and the moment-to-moment experience.
• Polish — performance, sound, stability and care in the details.
• Access — difficulty and assist options, readability, remapping and how easy it is to begin.

What the score is not

The score is an opinion. It is not a sales figure, a forecast or a promise that you will enjoy a game. Prices, age ratings, requirements and availability are always stated by the official site.

Corrections and updates

The order is fixed for an edition. We update platforms, links and factual corrections as they happen and note any change that affects a game’s place.