Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter debuts with a 91 on Metacritic and lands on the 2026 podium

Falcom proves once again that it knows how to look after its legacy. This week Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, the Japanese studio's new RPG, hit the shelves on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Switch and PC, and it did so with the kind of reception that leaves a mark: according to Vandal, the game holds an average score of 91 out of 100 on Metacritic, which puts it straight in as the second highest-rated title of 2026, tied with Big Walk.

A remake of a turn-based RPG breaking into the upper tier of the yearly ranking is no small feat. This is a series that for years was an open secret among JRPG fans and that now, with this new version of Trails in the Sky SC, reaches a much wider audience on every relevant platform. For a community like ours, spread across the Americas and Europe and full of people who switch between competitive play and story-driven games, this is one of those pieces of news worth putting on the calendar.

What you need to know

• It is out now on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and PC.
• It holds a score of 91/100 on Metacritic, according to the data reported by Vandal.
• That score puts it second in the 2026 ranking, tied with Big Walk.
• First place still belongs to Sektori, which released this year on Switch 2 but is actually a 2025 game.
• It is a remake of Trails in the Sky SC with plenty of quality-of-life options, the same great story and new content.

A remake that respects what already worked

Critics agree on one key idea: Falcom did not try to reinvent the game, but to polish it. Reviews highlight that 2nd Chapter is an excellent version of Trails in the Sky SC, with a good number of quality-of-life options that make the experience smoother and more enjoyable than ever, with the narrative as its flagship feature, backed by new content for those who already knew the original.

The area that has changed the least is combat. And here the general verdict is positive: the original system already worked well and did not call for a deep overhaul. It is a conservative decision, but one consistent with what the Trails series is, where the story and characters are the main engine and the mechanics serve that journey. Vandal has also shown the game's physical edition on video, something that will please those who still prefer to have the box on the shelf.

How the 2026 podium looks

The source only details the scores of the two tied games, so the table reflects only what is known so far:

The Sektori detail matters if you do not want to be misled by rankings: its spot at the top comes down to a late release on Switch 2, not because it is a new game this year. If you look only at what actually launched in 2026, Falcom's game and Big Walk are, as of today, at the summit.

Our take

Here at the Underworld Lordz newsroom we have no doubts: a 91 for a remake of a turn-based RPG, in a year where shooters and live-service games hog the spotlight, is a win for the whole genre. Falcom did what many big studios do not dare to do, which is trust its original material, improve what was annoying and leave what was already good untouched. For those of us who have spent years arguing that not everything has to be competitive to matter, it is a strong argument.

For the team's content creators, there is a real opportunity here. Long, story-driven RPGs work very well as stream series and in communities that want to follow a streamer for weeks, something a game built on quick rounds does not always allow. The fact that it is also on Switch 2 and PC makes it easy for almost all of you to play it without switching platforms. Our advice: if you are going to make content about it, go in spoiler-free and let the narrative do the work.

That said, it is worth dialing back the hype a little. Metacritic scores in September are a provisional snapshot, not a final verdict. There are months of releases still to come and the ranking will shift, and the fact that the number one is a repositioned 2025 game already says a lot about how relative these lists are. The sensible conclusion is simple: it is a great game according to critics, not necessarily the game of the year.

What do you think?

We want to know whether there are more Trails fans on the team than it seems, whether this remake finally tempts you to get into the series, or whether you think a remake, however good, should not be competing for the year's top spots against brand-new games. Does a remake that barely touches combat deserve a 91, or has Metacritic become too generous? Tell us in the team chat or on our Discord.