Winter 2026 brought back several popular anime with new seasons, and also introduced some exciting new shows. We also said goodbye to one long-running favorite. Here’s a ranking of the seven best anime series from this season, based on a variety of criteria.
Released in 2000, Vagrant Story is a truly unique action RPG from Square. Though it’s gained more recognition with recent re-releases, it didn’t receive much attention initially, which is unfortunate considering its exceptional design. It breaks from typical RPGs by removing things like townspeople to talk to or shops to visit. Instead, the game centers around customizing and crafting weapons, solving puzzles, and strategic combat. Vagrant Story is a fantastic RPG with beautiful graphics and a captivating story, but it was unfortunately overlooked due to the popularity of games like Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy IX, leading many to consider it underrated.
It’s still too early to say if the new Pokémon games will be amazing, and I don’t want to jump to conclusions based on just the first trailer. However, I’m more hopeful than I’ve been in a long time that they’ll be truly good. A big reason for this is the improved graphics, which are a significant step up from Scarlet and Violet and immediately caught my attention. I’ve seen some reports that the visuals don’t look as polished as they should, and that the games still feel like they’re running on older technology – something I’ve thought before. But I think those criticisms miss the bigger picture. Pokémon Winds and Waves demonstrates something that’s always been true for the Pokémon series, and for Nintendo games in general: impressive graphics aren’t essential to a great game.
The game South of Midnight, originally released on Xbox in 2025, recently came to PS5. While it didn’t perform as well commercially in 2026, it’s been well-received by players. It received positive reviews on Xbox and very positive reviews on Steam, and now PS5 users are also loving it. South of Midnight has been available on Xbox Game Pass since launch, which tends to lower review scores because the game is easily accessible to subscribers. Players buying the game on PS5, a year after its initial release, are generally more enthusiastic since they’ve paid full price. Currently, there are over 5,700 reviews on the Xbox Store, compared to 547 on the PlayStation Store. As more people review the game on PS5 – particularly those who purchase it on sale – the PlayStation Store score is likely to decrease.
Since the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 on February 4, 2025, players on the PS5 Pro have experienced problems with its HDR. This issue went unresolved for almost a year, but recent reports, including posts on the PS5 Pro Reddit page, indicate that it has now been fixed.
I was cracking up during that Black Snape sketch on SNL! Colin Jost asked Kam Patterson how his week was going, and he just launched into this amazing bit about Harry Potter being, well, a total racist. He called him ‘the Proud Boy Who Lived’ because apparently, this kid spent the whole year accusing the only Black teacher of being secretly evil! Jost tried to brush it off, saying maybe Harry was worried about the Sorcerer’s Stone being stolen, but Patterson hit back with the real point: why is Black Snape automatically the suspect? They didn’t even consider the guy with the turban! It was so perfectly offensive and that’s why the memes are killing it – it highlights exactly how ridiculous that kind of immediate suspicion is.
BOOM! Studios is expanding the Power Rangers universe with a new series called Power Rangers Unlimited. This series will draw on over three decades of Power Rangers history, and introduces a brand new Ranger: the Striking Tiger Unlimited Ranger. Penguin Random House recently shared a first look at the character’s design, which looks great! The design also hints at the team the new Ranger will lead, and it appears to be a powerful group of familiar faces.
5) Summertime Rendering
I’ve been checking out Crunchyroll lately, and it’s really become the go-to place for anime. They have everything, and a ton of series you won’t find on other platforms like Netflix. This new season is especially exciting – we’re getting new installments of favorites like Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 3 and Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World Season 4. Plus, there are some highly anticipated new shows premiering, like Witch Hat Atelier and Daemons of the Shadow Realm. It’s a great mix of continuations of popular series and some hidden gems you might not know about.
Even a beloved game like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time isn’t perfect. I’m really excited about the rumors of a remake, but I’m also worried about one particular part of the original game: the Water Temple. It’s always been considered one of the most frustrating dungeons in the entire Zelda series – some even call it one of the worst in gaming history. Hopefully, this remake will finally address and fix this long-standing problem.