Top 10 Best Video Games of 2024

There was a lot of concern about Bloober team’s long anticipated remake of this beloved horror icon. Not only due to their checkered history of quality, but also the weight of taking a pinnacle of the genre and doing it justice. All fears were soon laid to rest when gamers got a gander at James Sunderland venturing into a visceral nightmare as he hunted for his thought-dead wife, all rendered in gorgeous detail. The performances, the psychological twists, Pyramid Head in all his foul glory – this reimagining nails every beat

Bringing together the leads from this beloved franchise’s strongest installments was bound to happen eventually. We just didn’t expect Kiryu and Ichiban’s bromance to be arguably the greatest outing the series had ever seen. Taking the Yakuza out of the city and onto the sun swept shores of Hawaii, the sheer volume of content Infinite Wealth offers is borderline unparalleled. Combat, story, side gigs, job classes, character writing – it’s all so abundant it borders on the insane. Thankfully, it’s handled with such earnestness that none of it feels like a chore. Ensuring that your stay is a wholly entertaining one.

Excuse you Link, but kindly move over, the Princess is here, and her debut title is utterly enchanting. Swapping out the master sword for a rod capable of copying and summoning whatever players wish, Echoes of Wisdom is a delightful puzzler that very much shares the building blocks of what’s made past Zelda games such a joy to play, all the while carving out a unique identity for itself that we’re hoping becomes a mainstay. It’s certainly more Link’s Awakening than Tears of the Kingdom in terms of presentation and scope, but thanks to a charming visual palette and multiple ways to approach every obstacle, it still delivers an experience worthy of being counted among the franchise’s best.

The fighting game genre has been eating good recently, and the return of the King of Iron Fist Tournament might just be the sweetest of desserts. Its fluid mechanics are newcomer friendly yet are brimming with potential for franchise veterans to take to the next level. The tweaks, changes and polishing to be found here, along with a meaty roster, sent Tekken 8 soaring to the top of its genre, while accumulating a legion of fresh fans, daring them to try their luck. As for the story mode – it’s a globetrotting smackdown featuring everyone’s favorite fighters, what more could you want?

There’s no shortage of spectacular talent in the indie scene this year, though leading the pack with its sheer addictiveness is this unorthodox yet wholly investing take on poker. Even if you don’t consider yourself a card shark, by incorporating a roguelike element and an unfathomable amount of customisation in terms of deck building, Balatro plants the seed in your psyche from the first hand. Before long, you’ll be frothing at the mouth as you aim to score big thanks to a combination of tarot, jester and other upgradeable decks at your disposal. One game will never be enough.

Adapting the monsters and mythological beings from Chinese folklore into a combat-heavy RPG would be a tall order for most developers to tackle, but what Game Science have accomplished with this outing cannot be understated in its brilliance. Something of a pseudo sequel to the legendary tale that is Journey to the West, players take on the mantle of the Destined One as they trace Wukong’s steps, encountering all manner of godly entities along the way, all in need of a simian smackdown. The biomes are lush, the combat has shocking depth, and the abundance of armor and weaponry will keep you combing back again and again until you’re demolishing deities with ease.

What people liked about Remake exploded into sheer adoration for Rebirth. Taking Cloud and company out of Midgar and into a wider world, both the story & side content were amped up in ways none were expecting. If you weren’t relishing the beautiful mesh of hack n’ slash and strategic combat, you were getting lost in the myriad of varying activities that dotted every area, all the while the expanded narrative gave us just as many larger than life set pieces as there were intimate character moments. Look, we got the option to see Cloud and Tifa become an item – that alone warrants an inclusion!

Atlus must feel like they're on top of the world right now. After all, we thought we were getting a treat with the excellent remake of Persona 3, but as it turned out, that was just the opening act. Metaphor may not have a school setting or romance options, but what it does have is immense quality in practically every other aspect. Its world is stunning to behold, and while the overarching themes of inequality set in a fantasy world might appear generic on paper, thanks to its astounding characters, you’ll be gripped from the get-go. Also, that battle system – holy shit – this may not only be the best combat has felt in an Atlus title, but among turned-based games in general. It’s a saga unto itself that demands to be played.

It’s the DLC that puts most other triple AAA games to shame. Heading from the Lands Between to the Realm of Shadow and taking control of our Tarnished was a delight in itself, but then we were presented with a vast world stuffed with detail and challenge around every darkened corner. Weapons and armor galore, some of the best bosses to ever grace a Souls game, enough lore and challenge to keep diehard fans satisfied for years to come - this bloody excursion in a bid to stop Miquella’s rise to true godliness was magnificent from start to finish. Even if its final boss trounced us countless times until our spirits were shattered.
Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown” (2024)
“Animal Well” (2024)
“Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2” (2024)

A cute little robot jumping around and interacting with PlayStation icons? Sure, why not? Sounds like a fun little gimmick. It’s not like it's going to be a true game-changer. Oh, how wrong we were. Astro Bot is an absolute masterclass in joy. The intricacy of its levels paired with the simplicity of its platforming, along with the best use of haptic feedback to date - it all coalesced into an engaging odyssey that continued to blow us away with every new level we visited. The reverence it paid to franchises of the past, the freshness of its controls, it’s the perfect marriage of nostalgia and quality. Astro is truly a mascot in the making.
What was your game of the year? Let us know in the comments!