The new PS5 console exclusive is an instant hit

KernNew PlayStation 5 The console exclusive indie title, is already proving to be a huge hit with gamers, as publisher The Game Bakers surpassed 200,000 players in its opening weekend. The new survival climbing game launched on January 29 for PlayStation 5 and PC, and is already receiving rave reviews from both players and critics. Many are praising its accurate depiction of climbing and its artistic style, making it a great indie hit in early 2026.

Kern The fantasy is set in Mount Kami, which features unforgiving terrain and blistering weather conditions. Like the current walking simulator Baby steps, Kern There are realistic and intuitive controls that allow players to carefully climb with their hands and feet, while keeping a close eye on their posture, effort and balance. Players are free to climb Kami Mountain any way they want, but it's important to choose wisely, as some routes can be more difficult than others. And if that wasn't enough already, climbing this treacherous mountain means keeping an eye on resources like pitons, chalk, finger tape, food, water, medicine, and more.

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Cairn achieved 200,000 players in its first weekend

Those looking for unique and stressful challenges will want to join thousands of other climbers and check out the smash-hit indie game Cairn, launched for PlayStation 5 and PC late last month. Game developed and published by Bakers, known for fury and HavenThe studio's latest title confirmed that it passed a huge milestone on its opening weekend. According to a new post on the studio's official Bluesky account, Kern Officially welcomed 200,000 climbers on PS5 and PC in its opening weekend. It's unclear how many of those players may be on the console, but SteamDB reveals Kern It peaked just shy of 15,000 concurrent players on Sunday, February 1, an impressive feat for an indie title.

It's not just impressive player count stats, eg Kern One of the highest rated games of 2026 so far. At the time of writing this article, Cult of the Sheep: Woolhaven It holds the number one spot on Metacritic with a score of 86, while Kern It also received much love from critics, placing it at number two with a score of 84. Its Steam reviews also paint an incredibly positive picture, as it currently holds a “very positive” rating with 94% of its 2,439 reviews being positive. A quick scroll through these player reviews reveals plenty of praise from real-life climbers, as many say its stress and mechanics perfectly illustrate how dangerous a feat climb can be.

The new year is officially in full swing, and it's already been a big first month for PlayStation 5 owners, with more to come. While Kern Proving to be one of the biggest indie hits ever released, even by AAA enthusiasts Neoh 3 Team Ninja's latest entry in the action role-playing game series is set to release on February 6 for PlayStation 5 and PC, with a demo available to play right now to get excited about. Although the series has always been a PlayStation console exclusive, recent rumors hint at a possible Xbox release. Neoh 3Probably as early as summer 2026.

There's no denying that Kern has already cemented himself as one of the best indie hits of the year, but as we've only just entered February, there are still plenty of releases to come. Those looking for a new co-op experience on PS5 will have plenty of new titles to check out this month, as mentioned earlier Neoh 3 Now a few days away, later AnimalThe latest title from Little nightmares Developer Tarsier Studios, on February 13. Then, at the end of the month, TowerborneA new beat 'em up/action role-playing game, launching on February 26, Tales of Berseria Remastered Launched a day later, on February 27.