The Best GR Sneakers of the Year
PublishedQuick Facts
- Sneakerheads are always talking about what shoes they hit on and what shoes they missed on, but sometimes, it doesn’t take raffles and line-ups to cop the best colorways of the year
- This year has been full of collabs and limited collections, but it’s also been a heavy year for GR heat
- As we get closer to the holiday season, these are our favorite pairs that flew in under the hype radar in 2026
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Sneakerheads are always talking about what shoes they hit on and what shoes they missed on, but sometimes, it doesn’t take raffles and line-ups to cop the best colorways of the year. With more focus on lifestyle appeal than ever before, general release (GR) colorways are often just as good as the collabs, and better yet, they tend to end up on sale racks or on resale sites for under retail.
This year has been full of collabs and limited collections, but it’s also been a heavy year for GR heat. As we get closer to the holiday season, these are our favorite pairs that flew in under the hype radar in 2026.
Nike SB Air Force 1 Light Orewood
In a year full of Air Force 1 retros and remixes, the first drop from Nike SB’s AF1 collection is the best of the bunch. Taking notes from the iconic Linen colorway in a summer-ready suede makeup with minimal hits of pink, the SB AF1 is already one of our favorite silhouettes in the entire Nike catalog.
Air Jordan 4 Retro Tour Yellow
Sometimes, heat sits. The Tour Yellow Air Jordan 4 Retro is a perfect trip back to the mid-2000s, and it’s never been easier to cop. Covered in white leather with black and yellow accents, the Tour Yellow 4 exemplifies the Jumpman’s year of underrated heat available at retail (and even under) without issue.
Saucony ProGrid Guide 7 Spiritual Guidance
Saucony made major moves into the hype cycle in 2026, and beyond just collabs, the Saucony lifestyle line tapped designers like Isaac Neves for packs like this summer’s Spiritual Guidance collection. The ProGrid Guide 7 from the pack features a washed pink upper like a salt lamp, with light mesh under the flowing upper and yellow details on the tongue logo.
adidas Taekwondo F50 Leopard (W)
The World Cup brought soccer to every corner of the sneaker industry this summer, and adidas might have hit the pitch the hardest of them all. Building off the return of the Y-3 adidas F50 Tunit Beast Pack, a collection of Taekwondo F50 ditched the animal faces for colorful animal print that brought out the best in the year’s women's sneaker trends with a clear retro nod.
Salomon XT-Evo Alloy Castlerock
Salomon’s XT line is the gorpcore favorite’s most popular lifestyle line, and this year, the brand added to its XT-4 and XT-6 drops with a new silhouette, the XT-Evo. Shaping wavy ridges around the TPU toe with breathable mesh in between, the model debuted in a Kith collab and three GR colorways, with the Grey pair standing out as a clear favorite.
Nike Air Max Goadome Low Sulfur Croc
Over the past year, Nike has turned the security guard staple Air Max Goadome into a worldwide sneakerhead favorite and made it even better with a low-top remix. The best pair yet popped up recently as part of a croc-skin pack, with a bright yellow gator leather colorway ready to make every outfit better this winter.
Nike Air Force 1 ‘07 Game Day (Newport)
This might be the most random pick of the list, but the Game Day green women’s exclusive Air Force 1 has been selling out in large sizes for one reason…it looks a lot like a pack of Newport cigarettes. The Mix of green suede and leather with a creamy off-white Swoosh and yellow accents is the closest thing we’ve got to a retail version of artist Ari Forman’s 2006 AF1 bootleg that immediately got a cease-and-desist from The Swoosh
New Balance Maxey v1 Arctic
There have already been a lot of new silhouettes and PE colorways for the early NBA season, but if you ask us, none have as much lifestyle crossover appeal as Tyrese Maxey’s New Balance Maxey v1 in its debut black and blue colorway. The low-profile silhouette feels like a mix between a basketball shoe, bowling shoe, and skate shoe, and in our book, that’s a triple-threat.
Nike Mind 001 Black Chrome
The Nike Mind Collection has been the toast of Nike’s general release lineup this year, with every drop selling out faster than most collabs and limited-release pairs. The classic black slip-on colorway with orange nodes underfoot and a chrome Swoosh is the cleanest pair from the entire Mind collection, and if you can fit a small size, you can still find them at retail.
Nike Air Force 1 ‘01 Pizza Rat
The Nike Air Force 1 ‘01 is our third AF1 on the list, but after watching the ‘01 shape return in early collabs, seeing the more comfortable, streamlined Air Force 1 hit the GR line felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. Covered in hairy grey suede with pink rat tail accents and NYC tongue branding, the Pizza Rat colorway is just as good as any of the Victor Victor colorways.
Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com
