Rewrite 
2024 was the Year of the RPG. Be it action RPG, turn-based RPG, or tactical RPG, role-playing games dominated the landscape these last twelve months, as did the epic fantasy genre that is its bread-and-butter.
Trends are reflections of culture. And fantasy narratives are how we escape from our complex, morally grey world, where progress, when not heading backward, inches forward at a glacial pace.
That’s why the public loves superhero narratives. That’s why players spent hundreds of hours these last twelve months learning the lore, histories, and intricacies of places that only exist digitally. It’s fun and cathartic to live in a world where a lone hero—a fated, chosen one from humble beginnings —can swing a sword or throw a punch and restore balance to society. It’s nice to dream it and believe it, at least for the time that we’re playing it. And with games like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Stellar Blade, and Unicorn Overlord, these fantasies are dreams we’ve played—and enjoyed—all year long.
So, with that said, here are our picks for the 15 best games of 2024 so you can add some last-minute gifts to your shopping list or gaming rotation.
Happy New Year!
Released: July 19
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 83 (Critics), 5.4 (Users)
EA Sports College Football 25 made its triumphant return this year.
After over a decade on the sidelines, the game didn’t just meet expectations—it completely shattered them, becoming the number one-selling football video game in history. With next-gen graphics and more fluid player movements, the game really captures the thrill of college football like never before.
I’ve logged over 60 hours, and I can confidently say this is the most fun I’ve had playing a football game in a long, long time. It’s just pure entertainment. Whether building teams in Dynasty Mode or going head-to-head in online games, EA really packed this installment with enough depth and excitement to make every play feel meaningful. Simply put, it’s a love letter to college football that makes us wonder how we ever survived 11 years without it.
Thank you, EA Sports, for bringing this back. Salutes. — Jacob Kramer
Released: March 8
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 86 (Critics), 8.3 (Users)
There’s something charmingly retro about Unicorn Overlord.
Inspired by the bird’s eye POV fantasy epics from the ’90s (think RPGs on Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis), Unicorn Overlord is about an exiled prince; his mother was betrayed by her top general, and she sacrificed her life so he could escape the country that’s condemned him to hell.
The combat system is what makes this game shine; it’s hard to describe without playing it yourself, but it’s a bit like a living board game. You prepare your tokens in advance by assigning characters to them, making sure to balance one character’s weaknesses with another’s strengths. And then you place them on the board, chart a route for them, and wait to see what happens; your characters will follow the path you set for them in real-time. You cannot directly control the combat once it begins; this is a game where all the thinking and strategizing takes place beforehand. And you must trust your characters in the hopes that, by giving them a solid strategy, they’ll possess the grit and synergy to successfully pull it off.
Released: February 8
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 82 (Critics), 7.4 (Users)
The first thing you appreciate about Helldivers 2, from the moment you boot it up, is its self-awareness and dark comedy. There’s a subversive humor to this game—every death is a little too pronounced, every dive a little too over-the-top, every line of dialogue a little overstated. You are not a hero; you’re an expendable moron with minimal training. Good luck.
This devil-may-care approach to narrative design has made Helldivers 2 a fan-beloved phenomenon, with memes, inside jokes, and players who roleplay and use the same ridiculous propaganda speak as the characters. The combat mechanics are a wonderful balance between the micro and macro. Whether you’re popping headshots or calling down airstrikes, there’s a giddy joy here, especially when you’re winning. Or even losing.
Released: January 26
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 90 (Critics), 7.6 (Users)
Fighting games are so back.
2024 has been something of a renaissance for the genre, with fantastic games like Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero and Street Fighter 6 proving that fighting games can be both accessible and technical. Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Tekken 8 is another notch in that belt, a fighting game that can be played by series newcomers and franchise veterans alike.
What makes the game so great—aside from its stunning visuals and captivating narrative—is its easy-to-play yet difficult-to-master mechanics. You don’t need to have history with the Tekken series to play Tekken 8; there’s a simple, “special” style that lets you whoop ass almost like a professional player. If you have that knowledge, then that’s perfect. But the game introduces its systems in such a way that anyone, regardless of skill level or expertise, can join the fun and become quite adept.
The character designs are the best they’ve ever been. The music hits harder than it ever has. The stages and the battles are as thrilling as they ever were. And it’s all topped by a steady stream of updates and fighters that never make Tekken 8 feel stale. The chains are broken, and we’re going all out with this installment in the decades-old series. — Levi Winslow
Released: May 23
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Metacritic Score: 88 (Critics), 8.6 (Users)
Longtime Nintendo players consider 2004’s Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door to be the best game in the series. Twenty years have passed since that game’s release, and now, thanks to the 2024 remake, a new generation of players can experience this classic for the first time.
The remake has sharper, clearer graphics. The English dialogue has been re-localized to more accurately reflect the characters and their original Japanese dialogue. The soundtrack has been rerecorded and remixed to bring it in line with the modern era. And most importantly, the remake adds several quality-of-life touches to the gameplay, cutting down the time spent backtracking through levels. Whether you’re experiencing it for the first time or revisiting a fond childhood memory, this game is a must-play.
Released: October 25
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 83 (Critics), 6.7 (Users)
It’s easy to take Call of Duty for granted.
Like all franchises with this many entries—the NBA 2K franchise is another example—its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. On the one hand, it has been honed and refined to within a millimeter of perfection. On the other hand, the justification for each new entry, aside from its cosmetic alterations or shift in time period, becomes increasingly minor.
But Black Ops 6 is a breath of fresh air because of how its single-player campaign gives you a sense of agency and choice. Loud and aggressive? Or quiet and stealthy? Some scenarios are linear, but a few of them are open-zoned, allowing you to fulfill optional objectives in any order you please. Adding to this sense of freedom is the brand-new omnidirectional movement, letting you dive, slide, and sprint in any direction. And whether you’re a solo player, a multiplayer, or a zombie-killing enthusiast, this latest Call of Duty is the gold standard of first-person shooting.
Released: April 26
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 81 (Critics), 9.2 (Users)
Stellar Blade is a stellar game.
I know that’s corny to say, especially since “stellar” is in the game’s name, but it’s true. This is a beautiful experience, one with a gut-wrenching narrative about humanism in a post-human world as you explore a decaying Earth overrun with alien monstrosities and rampaging cyborgs. It’s also a stunning experience full of gorgeous environments from lush forests to vast deserts to dilapidated structures. It’s the kind of game you keep coming back to just to take in all the sights and sounds around you.
On top of that, the combat is superb. Tight, crunchy, and nuanced, fighting baddies in Stellar Blade feels and looks good as protagonist Eve flips and pirouettes in a balletic dance of destruction. This is a character action game for character action game lovers, those who enjoy a Bayonetta or a Devil May Cry but want someplace new to roam. Every part of this game is solid, from the character designs to the environmental details. Come for the narrative, stay for the combat.— Levi Winslow
Released: August 20
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 81 (Critics), 8.3 (Users)
Based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong is a sequel to its source material. You play as a distant descendant of Sun Wukong known as the Destined One, who is on a journey to revive his legendary ancestor.
The original story is familiar to a Chinese audience, but for Westerners, this game is a crash course in Chinese mythology, featuring major and minor deities and allusions to real-life locales. By and large, Black Myth: Wukong is a series of escalating boss fights in which you feel constantly outmatched and overwhelmed—you never develop or advance quickly enough to gain an advantage over your bigger, more magically-inclined opponents. But they are shockingly varied in their approach given their number, and the scenery looks straight out of a classical painting.
Released: January 18
Platforms: macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 86 (Critics), 8.4 (Users)
My favorite type of game is the 2D, side-scrolling Metroidvania.
Nicknamed after two classic games— 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and 1994’s Super Metroid—a Metroidvania features a non-linear level structure. As you gain powers and abilities, you can backtrack to previously explored areas and gain access to previously unreachable passageways, secrets, and treasures.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was the best game in this genre from this year. Your character, Sargon, is a warrior from the Persian Empire who gains access to mystical time powers, allowing him to rewind, fast-forward, and phase-shift through his environment. The levels are sprawling, diverse, open-ended playgrounds, demanding all your cunning to traverse. One moment you’re avoiding spiked booby traps. The next, giant centipedes. And then, at yet another moment, the undead. And the boss fights are punishing yet fair, requiring you to use every tool at your disposal to evade and counter your adversaries, making this a fun and enthralling challenge that asks for your persistence and determination.
Released: October 11
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 94 (Critics), 8.8 (Users)
From the same geniuses that brought you Persona, Metaphor: ReFantazio is an original story that depicts a kingdom in chaos. The king’s trusted subject has murdered him, leaving a power vacancy that everyone—including you—is trying to fill.
The kingdom you inhabit, called Euchronia, is fleshed out to an incredible degree. It is largely defined by a rigid caste system, in which its citizens belong to different tribes; one has horns, another has pointy ears. And your character belongs to the lowest, ‘untouchable’ class, meaning that nearly everyone treats you with disgust and contempt. The story missions are spread apart by days, allowing you plenty of time to explore and familiarize yourself with this flawed, complex world and its inhabitants.
The turn-based combat is both deep and strategic, giving you a distinct advantage if you manage to strike first. There’s an upgrade system that lets you change between different fighting classes depending on the enemy composition in front of you. And the dungeons—the bedrock of any respectable fantasy RPG—are involved and extensive, taking multiple sessions to fully explore and complete.
Released: January 26
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 89 (Critics), 8.6 (Users)
It takes some really smart creative choices to look this stupid.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the direct sequel to 2020’s action-adventure Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and it doubles down on the satirical, go-for-broke energy of its predecessor. The new game allows you and your band of merry misfits to become hula dancers. Or Bruce Lee clones. Or cowboys. Or chefs. And of course, all of your special moves keep with your career’s theme; the chefs show off their knife work, whereas Bruce Lee has his nunchucks and the hula dancer has her maracas.
The game also nods to its past by casting Yakuza protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as the co-lead alongside Ichiban Kasuga, his crazier, more enthusiastic replacement. The crazy side quests also make their return. And whether you’re managing your own tropical island getaway or playing this universe’s version of Pokémon (it’s a lot less adorable with human captives), this game is fun, straight up, and it never slows until the credits roll.
Released: October 8
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 86 (Critics), 9.2 (Users)
When you’re outside, you’re uneasy; you’re sprinting through the thick fog to your next objective, hoping that the free-roaming monsters don’t get you. When you’re inside, you’re terrified; the designers use every lighting, shadowing, and angling trick to screw with your head. And the sound design is the worst: it’s intrusive, sudden, and menacing, like something out of a nightmare.
The game designers did their job a little too well with the remake of this beloved horror classic; the anxiety that you have while playing Silent Hill 2 Remake is suffocating. This is not “fun” in the traditional sense of the word; this game establishes a mood of pervasive dread and foreboding, and it doesn’t let up for a second. How do you enjoy an experience like this one? In small, incremental segments. Take lots of breaks, and appreciate the evident love that went into this game’s development.
Released: September 6
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 94 (Critics), 9.2 (Users)
Pulling off a major upset, Astro Bot won Game of the Year at the 2024 Game Awards, placing it in the distinguished company alongside 2023’s fantasy RPG Baldur’s Gate 3, 2021’s co-op adventure It Takes Two, 2018’s action-adventure God of War, and 2017’s open-world adventure The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It is, on the one hand, the unlikeliest game to win the top prize; it contains no heart-rending narrative, no mechanical innovations, no meditative reflections on destiny, fate, or purpose. And yet, on the other hand, Astro Bot forgoes cinematic expectations and is content to be a “game” in the purest sense of the word.
In one level, you put on boxing gloves. In another, you’re shrunk down to miniature “mouse” size, allowing you to explore the stage from an entirely new perspective. And in another, you’re an absorbent sponge that expands as you take in water and shrinks as you expel it. Every level oozes creativity and irrepressible joy. This is 3D platforming at its finest.
Released: September 26
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Metacritic Score: 96 (Critics), 8.8 (Users)
Although The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has a wonderful story about mysterious rifts and a hidden “Still World” apart from Hyrule, its meta-story—told through the gameplay—is even more impressive.
You begin Echoes of Wisdom by playing as Link. You’re fully powered up, and you explore a dungeon before taking down Ganon with your sword. The game frames this entire opening sequence as a tutorial, presumably so you can start mastering the sword and shield mechanics that will dominate the gameplay.
But then the plot takes a left turn, and you realize your main character is not Link at all. It’s actually Princess Zelda, and it’s a dramatic switch in perspective; she has none of Link’s physical prowess, and instead, she must rely on her wits. Zelda uses a magic Tri Rod to conjure objects, which allows her to overcome physical obstacles. She can also conjure allies to fight on her behalf, making her something of a commander.
This is a puzzle game as well as an action game, and it succeeds, phenomenally at both.
Released: February 29
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 92 (Critics), 9.0 (Users)
If I could only use one word to describe Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth—the second part of a planned trilogy—it would be “confident,” in all caps.
It takes balls to look at a certified classic like 1997’s Final Fantasy VII and say, “We can do better.” It takes arrogance, bordering on hubris, to say, “Not only will we remake this classic, but we will expand it into a trilogy that will dwarf the original in scope and theme.” But that is exactly what the creative team of Square Enix Creative Business Unit I is doing, and what’s more, they’re doing it with a control that belies the ambition of the attempt.
I love the updated character designs, particularly that of Barret Wallace, the heavy strongman of the group with a chain gun for an arm. Playing as Cloud Strife is the archetypal experience, but when you switch controls to Tifa Lockhart or Aerith Gainsborough or Barret, or even Red XIII, you have to shift your mindset entirely to serve a different supporting role in battle.
The massive world that Cloud and his friends inhabit is polished to an unnatural extent, with secrets, treasures, and passageways hidden around every corner. Everything in the natural world shimmers. Everything in the industrial world looks filthy. Start walking to a landmark on the distant horizon, and eventually, you’ll get there, but not before being sidetracked half a dozen times by optional, exploratory quests. How is it that this feels like a legacy game, with years and years of accumulated knowledge brought to bear on the final product?
There’s a steadiness to this game that lets you know you’re in good hands. RPGs demand an investment of your time, and you immediately trust this game to take you on an epic journey, confident you’ll be rewarded for your dedication, which comes through when you roll the credits, easily making this the best game 2024 has delivered.
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2024 was the Year of the RPG. Be it action RPG, turn-based RPG, or tactical RPG, role-playing games dominated the landscape these last twelve months, as did the epic fantasy genre that is its bread-and-butter.
Trends are reflections of culture. And fantasy narratives are how we escape from our complex, morally grey world, where progress, when not heading backward, inches forward at a glacial pace.
That’s why the public loves superhero narratives. That’s why players spent hundreds of hours these last twelve months learning the lore, histories, and intricacies of places that only exist digitally. It’s fun and cathartic to live in a world where a lone hero—a fated, chosen one from humble beginnings —can swing a sword or throw a punch and restore balance to society. It’s nice to dream it and believe it, at least for the time that we’re playing it. And with games like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Stellar Blade, and Unicorn Overlord, these fantasies are dreams we’ve played—and enjoyed—all year long.
So, with that said, here are our picks for the 15 best games of 2024 so you can add some last-minute gifts to your shopping list or gaming rotation.
Happy New Year!
Released: July 19
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 83 (Critics), 5.4 (Users)
EA Sports College Football 25 made its triumphant return this year.
After over a decade on the sidelines, the game didn’t just meet expectations—it completely shattered them, becoming the number one-selling football video game in history. With next-gen graphics and more fluid player movements, the game really captures the thrill of college football like never before.
I’ve logged over 60 hours, and I can confidently say this is the most fun I’ve had playing a football game in a long, long time. It’s just pure entertainment. Whether building teams in Dynasty Mode or going head-to-head in online games, EA really packed this installment with enough depth and excitement to make every play feel meaningful. Simply put, it’s a love letter to college football that makes us wonder how we ever survived 11 years without it.
Thank you, EA Sports, for bringing this back. Salutes. — Jacob Kramer
Released: March 8
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 86 (Critics), 8.3 (Users)
There’s something charmingly retro about Unicorn Overlord.
Inspired by the bird’s eye POV fantasy epics from the ’90s (think RPGs on Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis), Unicorn Overlord is about an exiled prince; his mother was betrayed by her top general, and she sacrificed her life so he could escape the country that’s condemned him to hell.
The combat system is what makes this game shine; it’s hard to describe without playing it yourself, but it’s a bit like a living board game. You prepare your tokens in advance by assigning characters to them, making sure to balance one character’s weaknesses with another’s strengths. And then you place them on the board, chart a route for them, and wait to see what happens; your characters will follow the path you set for them in real-time. You cannot directly control the combat once it begins; this is a game where all the thinking and strategizing takes place beforehand. And you must trust your characters in the hopes that, by giving them a solid strategy, they’ll possess the grit and synergy to successfully pull it off.
Released: February 8
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 82 (Critics), 7.4 (Users)
The first thing you appreciate about Helldivers 2, from the moment you boot it up, is its self-awareness and dark comedy. There’s a subversive humor to this game—every death is a little too pronounced, every dive a little too over-the-top, every line of dialogue a little overstated. You are not a hero; you’re an expendable moron with minimal training. Good luck.
This devil-may-care approach to narrative design has made Helldivers 2 a fan-beloved phenomenon, with memes, inside jokes, and players who roleplay and use the same ridiculous propaganda speak as the characters. The combat mechanics are a wonderful balance between the micro and macro. Whether you’re popping headshots or calling down airstrikes, there’s a giddy joy here, especially when you’re winning. Or even losing.
Released: January 26
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 90 (Critics), 7.6 (Users)
Fighting games are so back.
2024 has been something of a renaissance for the genre, with fantastic games like Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero and Street Fighter 6 proving that fighting games can be both accessible and technical. Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Tekken 8 is another notch in that belt, a fighting game that can be played by series newcomers and franchise veterans alike.
What makes the game so great—aside from its stunning visuals and captivating narrative—is its easy-to-play yet difficult-to-master mechanics. You don’t need to have history with the Tekken series to play Tekken 8; there’s a simple, “special” style that lets you whoop ass almost like a professional player. If you have that knowledge, then that’s perfect. But the game introduces its systems in such a way that anyone, regardless of skill level or expertise, can join the fun and become quite adept.
The character designs are the best they’ve ever been. The music hits harder than it ever has. The stages and the battles are as thrilling as they ever were. And it’s all topped by a steady stream of updates and fighters that never make Tekken 8 feel stale. The chains are broken, and we’re going all out with this installment in the decades-old series. — Levi Winslow
Released: May 23
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Metacritic Score: 88 (Critics), 8.6 (Users)
Longtime Nintendo players consider 2004’s Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door to be the best game in the series. Twenty years have passed since that game’s release, and now, thanks to the 2024 remake, a new generation of players can experience this classic for the first time.
The remake has sharper, clearer graphics. The English dialogue has been re-localized to more accurately reflect the characters and their original Japanese dialogue. The soundtrack has been rerecorded and remixed to bring it in line with the modern era. And most importantly, the remake adds several quality-of-life touches to the gameplay, cutting down the time spent backtracking through levels. Whether you’re experiencing it for the first time or revisiting a fond childhood memory, this game is a must-play.
Released: October 25
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 83 (Critics), 6.7 (Users)
It’s easy to take Call of Duty for granted.
Like all franchises with this many entries—the NBA 2K franchise is another example—its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. On the one hand, it has been honed and refined to within a millimeter of perfection. On the other hand, the justification for each new entry, aside from its cosmetic alterations or shift in time period, becomes increasingly minor.
But Black Ops 6 is a breath of fresh air because of how its single-player campaign gives you a sense of agency and choice. Loud and aggressive? Or quiet and stealthy? Some scenarios are linear, but a few of them are open-zoned, allowing you to fulfill optional objectives in any order you please. Adding to this sense of freedom is the brand-new omnidirectional movement, letting you dive, slide, and sprint in any direction. And whether you’re a solo player, a multiplayer, or a zombie-killing enthusiast, this latest Call of Duty is the gold standard of first-person shooting.
Released: April 26
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 81 (Critics), 9.2 (Users)
Stellar Blade is a stellar game.
I know that’s corny to say, especially since “stellar” is in the game’s name, but it’s true. This is a beautiful experience, one with a gut-wrenching narrative about humanism in a post-human world as you explore a decaying Earth overrun with alien monstrosities and rampaging cyborgs. It’s also a stunning experience full of gorgeous environments from lush forests to vast deserts to dilapidated structures. It’s the kind of game you keep coming back to just to take in all the sights and sounds around you.
On top of that, the combat is superb. Tight, crunchy, and nuanced, fighting baddies in Stellar Blade feels and looks good as protagonist Eve flips and pirouettes in a balletic dance of destruction. This is a character action game for character action game lovers, those who enjoy a Bayonetta or a Devil May Cry but want someplace new to roam. Every part of this game is solid, from the character designs to the environmental details. Come for the narrative, stay for the combat.— Levi Winslow
Released: August 20
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 81 (Critics), 8.3 (Users)
Based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong is a sequel to its source material. You play as a distant descendant of Sun Wukong known as the Destined One, who is on a journey to revive his legendary ancestor.
The original story is familiar to a Chinese audience, but for Westerners, this game is a crash course in Chinese mythology, featuring major and minor deities and allusions to real-life locales. By and large, Black Myth: Wukong is a series of escalating boss fights in which you feel constantly outmatched and overwhelmed—you never develop or advance quickly enough to gain an advantage over your bigger, more magically-inclined opponents. But they are shockingly varied in their approach given their number, and the scenery looks straight out of a classical painting.
Released: January 18
Platforms: macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 86 (Critics), 8.4 (Users)
My favorite type of game is the 2D, side-scrolling Metroidvania.
Nicknamed after two classic games— 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and 1994’s Super Metroid—a Metroidvania features a non-linear level structure. As you gain powers and abilities, you can backtrack to previously explored areas and gain access to previously unreachable passageways, secrets, and treasures.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was the best game in this genre from this year. Your character, Sargon, is a warrior from the Persian Empire who gains access to mystical time powers, allowing him to rewind, fast-forward, and phase-shift through his environment. The levels are sprawling, diverse, open-ended playgrounds, demanding all your cunning to traverse. One moment you’re avoiding spiked booby traps. The next, giant centipedes. And then, at yet another moment, the undead. And the boss fights are punishing yet fair, requiring you to use every tool at your disposal to evade and counter your adversaries, making this a fun and enthralling challenge that asks for your persistence and determination.
Released: October 11
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 94 (Critics), 8.8 (Users)
From the same geniuses that brought you Persona, Metaphor: ReFantazio is an original story that depicts a kingdom in chaos. The king’s trusted subject has murdered him, leaving a power vacancy that everyone—including you—is trying to fill.
The kingdom you inhabit, called Euchronia, is fleshed out to an incredible degree. It is largely defined by a rigid caste system, in which its citizens belong to different tribes; one has horns, another has pointy ears. And your character belongs to the lowest, ‘untouchable’ class, meaning that nearly everyone treats you with disgust and contempt. The story missions are spread apart by days, allowing you plenty of time to explore and familiarize yourself with this flawed, complex world and its inhabitants.
The turn-based combat is both deep and strategic, giving you a distinct advantage if you manage to strike first. There’s an upgrade system that lets you change between different fighting classes depending on the enemy composition in front of you. And the dungeons—the bedrock of any respectable fantasy RPG—are involved and extensive, taking multiple sessions to fully explore and complete.
Released: January 26
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 89 (Critics), 8.6 (Users)
It takes some really smart creative choices to look this stupid.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the direct sequel to 2020’s action-adventure Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and it doubles down on the satirical, go-for-broke energy of its predecessor. The new game allows you and your band of merry misfits to become hula dancers. Or Bruce Lee clones. Or cowboys. Or chefs. And of course, all of your special moves keep with your career’s theme; the chefs show off their knife work, whereas Bruce Lee has his nunchucks and the hula dancer has her maracas.
The game also nods to its past by casting Yakuza protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as the co-lead alongside Ichiban Kasuga, his crazier, more enthusiastic replacement. The crazy side quests also make their return. And whether you’re managing your own tropical island getaway or playing this universe’s version of Pokémon (it’s a lot less adorable with human captives), this game is fun, straight up, and it never slows until the credits roll.
Released: October 8
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 86 (Critics), 9.2 (Users)
When you’re outside, you’re uneasy; you’re sprinting through the thick fog to your next objective, hoping that the free-roaming monsters don’t get you. When you’re inside, you’re terrified; the designers use every lighting, shadowing, and angling trick to screw with your head. And the sound design is the worst: it’s intrusive, sudden, and menacing, like something out of a nightmare.
The game designers did their job a little too well with the remake of this beloved horror classic; the anxiety that you have while playing Silent Hill 2 Remake is suffocating. This is not “fun” in the traditional sense of the word; this game establishes a mood of pervasive dread and foreboding, and it doesn’t let up for a second. How do you enjoy an experience like this one? In small, incremental segments. Take lots of breaks, and appreciate the evident love that went into this game’s development.
Released: September 6
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 94 (Critics), 9.2 (Users)
Pulling off a major upset, Astro Bot won Game of the Year at the 2024 Game Awards, placing it in the distinguished company alongside 2023’s fantasy RPG Baldur’s Gate 3, 2021’s co-op adventure It Takes Two, 2018’s action-adventure God of War, and 2017’s open-world adventure The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It is, on the one hand, the unlikeliest game to win the top prize; it contains no heart-rending narrative, no mechanical innovations, no meditative reflections on destiny, fate, or purpose. And yet, on the other hand, Astro Bot forgoes cinematic expectations and is content to be a “game” in the purest sense of the word.
In one level, you put on boxing gloves. In another, you’re shrunk down to miniature “mouse” size, allowing you to explore the stage from an entirely new perspective. And in another, you’re an absorbent sponge that expands as you take in water and shrinks as you expel it. Every level oozes creativity and irrepressible joy. This is 3D platforming at its finest.
Released: September 26
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Metacritic Score: 96 (Critics), 8.8 (Users)
Although The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has a wonderful story about mysterious rifts and a hidden “Still World” apart from Hyrule, its meta-story—told through the gameplay—is even more impressive.
You begin Echoes of Wisdom by playing as Link. You’re fully powered up, and you explore a dungeon before taking down Ganon with your sword. The game frames this entire opening sequence as a tutorial, presumably so you can start mastering the sword and shield mechanics that will dominate the gameplay.
But then the plot takes a left turn, and you realize your main character is not Link at all. It’s actually Princess Zelda, and it’s a dramatic switch in perspective; she has none of Link’s physical prowess, and instead, she must rely on her wits. Zelda uses a magic Tri Rod to conjure objects, which allows her to overcome physical obstacles. She can also conjure allies to fight on her behalf, making her something of a commander.
This is a puzzle game as well as an action game, and it succeeds, phenomenally at both.
Released: February 29
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 92 (Critics), 9.0 (Users)
If I could only use one word to describe Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth—the second part of a planned trilogy—it would be “confident,” in all caps.
It takes balls to look at a certified classic like 1997’s Final Fantasy VII and say, “We can do better.” It takes arrogance, bordering on hubris, to say, “Not only will we remake this classic, but we will expand it into a trilogy that will dwarf the original in scope and theme.” But that is exactly what the creative team of Square Enix Creative Business Unit I is doing, and what’s more, they’re doing it with a control that belies the ambition of the attempt.
I love the updated character designs, particularly that of Barret Wallace, the heavy strongman of the group with a chain gun for an arm. Playing as Cloud Strife is the archetypal experience, but when you switch controls to Tifa Lockhart or Aerith Gainsborough or Barret, or even Red XIII, you have to shift your mindset entirely to serve a different supporting role in battle.
The massive world that Cloud and his friends inhabit is polished to an unnatural extent, with secrets, treasures, and passageways hidden around every corner. Everything in the natural world shimmers. Everything in the industrial world looks filthy. Start walking to a landmark on the distant horizon, and eventually, you’ll get there, but not before being sidetracked half a dozen times by optional, exploratory quests. How is it that this feels like a legacy game, with years and years of accumulated knowledge brought to bear on the final product?
There’s a steadiness to this game that lets you know you’re in good hands. RPGs demand an investment of your time, and you immediately trust this game to take you on an epic journey, confident you’ll be rewarded for your dedication, which comes through when you roll the credits, easily making this the best game 2024 has delivered.
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