Top Games From 2024

Video Games

Jan 13

2024 was a mixed year for the video game industry. It started on a sour note following the massive layoffs that hit the industry in the last half of 2023, only to continue into 2024. As the year went on, however, we found reasons to cherish the things we love about games and enjoy the joy they bring to our lives. This list examines those games that stood out among the long, long list of releases from 2024.

Multi-Platform Game

Marvel Rivals

This hit the scene in late 2024, but damn has it just blown up. It’s all over content creator streams, and it’s a solid game too. They just released their first look at new heroes to join the fray, and it’s focused on Marvel’s First Family. There have been all kinds of leaks talking about upcoming characters like Blade as well. It’s Marvel’s answer to games like Valorant and Overwatch.

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Top Games From 2024

Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown

The Lost Crown hit the scene in the first half of the year, and it was a welcome call back to an earlier era. This Metroidvania has a sprawling map and challenging enough combat to make it enjoyable and difficult. It did get a little confusing as to where to go next, and unfortunately for the first half of its run, fast travel points were few and far between, which made it a trip to go back and forth between areas.

Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erd Tree

Technically an expansion, it’s robust enough and long enough to be considered a game in itself. The first, and likely only, expansion to the hit 2022 game expands upon the lore and number of nearly impossible bosses. It’s a must-play for any Souls-like fan and fan of the original game.

Nintendo Switch

The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom

One of the best games to be released on the Switch last year. Echoes of Wisdom is the spiritual follow-up to Link’s Awakening, done in the same art style, and for the first time in the franchise’s history, you play as Princess Zelda herself. It also takes cues from Tears of the Kingdom and brings creative problem-solving to the game with the use of a wand that can conjure objects that you’ve come across and use them in unique ways.

Super Mario Party Jamboree

The latest in the Mario Party ensemble, Jamboree is the most robust Mario Party to date. With online and local play and a large roster of characters, it has something for everyone. The new maps and their twists on gameplay leave enough for everyone to have a great time and want to play more.

Xbox

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle

This Xbox exclusive was just what the Indiana Jones franchise needed to revitalize it. So much so that the game’s early success was enough to get Disney to call the studio and want more games. It’s an entirely new adventure, taking Indy to the Vatican to beat the crap out of Italian fascists and beyond, it’s a mostly first-person adventure the likes of which you could only experience with Indiana Jones. It relies heavily on stealth, and Indy’s propensity to use anything as a weapon, as he tries to unravel the mystery of the Great Circle.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

The sequel to the hit 2017 game that explored a young Pict woman’s trek to rescue her lover from Norse hell. She suffers from a mental disorder where she hears spirits. This is likely schizophrenia. In the sequel, she gets herself captured by Norsemen and taken to Iceland to free her people. It’s a mix of puzzle-solving and combo-based combat. It’s also one of the most beautiful and psychologically tormenting games out there.

PlayStation

Helldivers 2

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year next to Astro Bot, the sequel to the 2015 game came out in February and has enjoyed smashing success. It became the first simultaneously launched PlayStation game released on the platform and PC, it also became the fastest-selling PlayStation Studio game ever. With a consistently updated and managed universe, it features intense combat and incredible personalization options.

Astro Bot

Another surprise hit for the year, it quickly made its way to the top of many peoples’ game-of-the-year lists. It takes Astro Bot, the cute little robot from the tech demo Astro’s Playroom, and sets him on an adventure across a litany of worlds that explore Playstation’s history. It features some of the best platforming to come out in recent memory, and a heaping helping of nostalgia.

PC

Frostpunk 2

The sequel to the hit 2018 survival city-builder, Frostpunk 2 took what made the first game great and expanded on it. The games play on an alternate history timeline, where the eruption of Krakatoa plunged the world into perpetual winter. The second game takes place 30 years after the first where players need to keep the city alive while trying to find a new fuel source to power the great engine that provides heat and power so humanity can survive.

Planet Coaster 2

The sequel to the 2016 park-builder finally came out, with the addition of water park rides and themes! It’s had a little bumpy launch, with some bugs and issues that affect some of the game’s features, but updates to the game have improved them so far, and there’s likely more content to come, given Frontier Games’ propensity to release tons of content like in their Planet Zoo and Jurassic World games.

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