The new exclusive game for the PS5 console is getting great reviews

New PlayStation 5 console exclusive Cairn has debuted to outstanding reviews, with its massive level of critical acclaim making it the currently highest-rated 2026 game on any platform. Although it's also available on PC, its early commercial momentum appears to be largely driven by PS5 owners, based on some circumstantial evidence.

The eighth title from French indie studio The Game Bakers – known for Fury, Portand Squid's Odyssey—Cairn is a survival climbing game with stunning views and unforgiving challenges. Set on the fictional Mount Kami, it tasks players with planning routes and managing resources while navigating increasingly dangerous terrain. Cairn was released via the PlayStation Store and Steam on Thursday, January 29, shortly after the 18-month anniversary of its original announcement on Day of the Devs 2024.

Cairn debuts to rave reviews

The Cairn the review embargo was lifted shortly before the game's global release, which took place at 12:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CET. Within four hours of The Game Bakers lifting their review restrictions, the game garnered 40 professional reviews tracked by OpenCritic, with an average rating of 87 and a 90% recommendation rating. In addition to giving it the elusive “Mighty” rating on the platform, these impressive metrics officially Cairn the highest ranked title of 2026 so far. While the year is still early, this reinforces the overwhelmingly positive reception Cairns previously established reputation as one of January's most exciting new titles.

Cairn Review Roundup

OpenCritic: 87 means. points, 90% recommendation rate
PS shop: 4.64 star player rating
Steam: no user rating yet

Looking beyond arbitrary numbers out of context, early Cairn the reviews are almost unanimous in their praise for the game's art style, which mixes minimalism with strong naturalistic influences, but heavily stylizes both while being guided by colorimetry and several other principles. This approach is consistent with the portfolio of Mathieu Bablet, a longtime French comic artist who served as both art director and writer for Cairn. Bablet is known for richly colored illustrations and impressive compositions, often framing landscapes in very dramatic ways – all techniques are evident throughout the game.

Top 10 highest rated games of (January) 2026, according to OpenCritic

#	Game	Platform(s)	Average Do	% recommend
1	Cairn	PC, PS5	87	90%
2	Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven	PC, PS4/5, XSXS, Switch 1/2	86	100%
3	The 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	Pathological 3	PC, PS5, XBXS	81	82%
9	Arknights: Endfield	PC, PS5	80	83%
10	Earth must die	PC	79	67%

Although it is too early for official sales figures, Cairn Already amassing thousands of user reviews on the PlayStation Store is an encouraging sign. Review-to-purchase ratios vary widely by genre, developer, region, and other factors, but are typically low—often requiring hundreds or even thousands of purchases per single user-submitted rating. As such, an indie title generating roughly 3,500 PS Store player reviews within hours of release is a circumstantial but meaningful indicator that Cairn can emerge as one of the strongest commercial performers in January 2026, despite the launch at the end of the month.

Cairn is currently available with a small 10% launch discount, bringing the price down to $26.99 until February 12th on both Steam and the PS Store.

Based on the same measurements, Cairn seems to have had a more modest start on Steam, with just over 100 user reviews three hours after launch. These early impressions are consistent with its critical reception, as Valve's system currently labels them “Very Positive.” According to more specific data pulled from the Steam API, more than 82.6% of current Cairn reviews on the platform – however few – are positive. Its encouraging debut contributes to the mini-boom of traversal-centric games, ranging from Death Stranding to The baby steps.