Mewgenics, the newest game from Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel (Binding of Issac, The End is Nigh), is about to release and is already on track to be one of the best games of 2026. With an official release date of Feb. 10, Mewgenics has earned a 90 score on Metacritic based on early-access reviews.
2026 will be a year of stiff competition, with juggernauts like Grand Theft Auto 6 and Resident Evil 9: Requiem set to dominate the conversation in the coming months. However, it seems Mewgenics has already placed itself ahead of the (cat) pack with an incredibly favorable early reaction, which will likely hold steady as McMillen and Glaiel’s dedicated fanbase get their paws on it.
What is Mewgenics?
Mewgenics is a tactical roguelite with turn-based, cat-centric combat. Self-described as “the ultimate turn-based cat tactics and breeding roguelite” on its Steam page, players must breed their warrior cats for ideal traits before sending them on adventures to collect loot and supplies.
As the cat generations go on, more and more interesting genetic quirks and mutations will develop, making the turn-based combat unique in every encounter. Mewgenics boasts over ten character classes, each of which has 75 unique abilities to take on the 200+ enemies players will meet.
One aspect of Mewgenics that’s stood out in all the early reviews, beyond the layers of strategy and depth of combat, is that the game does not play nice with its kitty cats. Players are meant to throw their feline friends under the metaphorical bus in order to level up and unlock upgrades.
Considering that title is a play on words with eugenics, this dark tone isn’t surprising. Still, lovers of happier cat-based titles like Stray and Cat Quest should be warned against growing too attached to the kittens and cats they breed along the way.
What are critics saying?
Praise for Mewgenics is almost universal, with the majority of reviews highlighting the layers of strategy and practically endless combos. Here’s what some of the early-access reviewers had to say:
IGN: (9/10) “There aren’t a ton of games that I’ve happily put more than 100 hours into as quickly as I have with Mewgenics.”
PC Games: (95/100) “Mewgenics does exactly what a roguelite should do: it never gets boring. Every time we think we’ve seen it all, another class is added. Or a new mechanic, effect, or level. The 13 years of development time were definitely worth it, because so much content in a single game is anything but ordinary. If you’re into roguelites, turn-based tactics, or cats, you should definitely check out Mewgenics.”
Loot Level Chill: (10/10) “ Mewgenics is one of the densest and most entertaining tactics games ever made, and I’ll be discovering new stuff in it for years to come.”
What stands out in Mewgenics is how many hours players are able to put into the game and still constantly discover new content regularly. It’s been over a decade since Edmund McMillen’s last game, but with Mewgenics proving a verifiable gaming content mine, the wait seems to have been completely worth it.
Mewgenics Release Date and Platforms
Mewgenics launches on Feb. 10, 2026. Upon release, Mewgenics will only be available on Steam, but Edmund McMillen did state that a Nintendo Switch port of the game should be expected sometime in the near future.
It’s less likely that the game will be available on PlayStation or Xbox platforms as soon, though McMillen did mention in a livestream about Mewgenics that there could be ports if the game did well enough.
