As 2023 approached its end, I collected my thoughts on my personal top five games of the year. 12 more months have passed, and I’m thinking this will become an annual tradition for me.
2024 was a busy year for the video games industry in a lot of ways. Sure, there were plenty of incredible games released throughout the year, but there were a lot of other stories and trends that dominated our collective consciousness. In December, many of us celebrated the best of what we played this year, and that included tuning into The Game Awards 2024 — which gave us a huge peek into what’s coming in 2025 in addition to the awards.
Right now, though, I want to talk about the real game of the year list: the definitive, objective, entirely factual collection of the absolute best games released on Xbox and PC in 2024. Well, it’s at least the definitive list in my eyes, based on all the games I personally played and completed this year. There were a lot of great games I couldn’t quite get to, including Balatro, Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Silent Hill 2 (2024), and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
I did play a lot of other games, though, and these were my favorites.
5. The “Purrfect Adventure” Award — Cat Quest III
This one may surprise a lot of people, but I stand by this selection. More than any of my honorable mentions, Cat Quest III stood out to me as one of the best games I played this year. It’s very far from the largest, most ambitious, or most technically or visually impressive title here, but it earned its place because it’s simply fun.
Cat Quest III is an approachable, casual isometric RPG that is impossibly adorable and refreshingly bright. The story is simple and filled with cat puns, the world is cartoonish, and the gameplay is straightforward, but none of this is to the game’s detriment. At its core, Cat Quest III is designed so you can enjoy yourself, and it cares little about trifles like “balance.”
In my Cat Quest III review, I concluded, “Cat Quest 3 is a short, approachable RGB with a modest open world and a simple narrative, but still manages to be one of the most enjoyable, fun gaming experiences I’ve had all year thanks to its delightful and surprisingly varied combat, its adorable and consistent world, and a cute cast of furry characters. It’s a great game for all ages, and even supports local two-player co-op.”
I 100% this game and its achievements, and I still wanted more to play. Honestly, that’s my biggest complaint with this game — it’s too short. If you want 10 hours of pure RPG fun, though, Cat Quest III is genuinely amazing.
4. The “I Didn’t Break My Controller” Award — Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
The first game I reviewed this year also ended up being one of the best. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown surprised me in more ways than one, and isn’t just a 2024 game of the year contender — it’s one of the finest Metroidvanias released this decade. A reimagining of the iconic Prince of Persia franchise, it’s immediately clear that The Lost Crown was crafted with the utmost care and passion.
The story, level design, platforming, combat, progression, and unique abilities — Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is excellent on all fronts. Its precise and responsive gameplay makes exploring incredibly satisfying, and it’s perfectly difficult in that you never feel like you died or failed unfairly. I certainly had my moments of frustration, but I prevailed (and never felt like I was in danger of breaking my controller).
In my Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review, I concluded, “It’s not a direct follow-up to the last Prince of Persia games release, but The Lost Crown is a decidedly fun, challenging, and interesting Metroidvania 2D platformer. There are minor flaws with the story and controls, but overall this is genuinely a great game that you shouldn’t immediately write off.”
I’m devastated that The Lost Crown team at Ubisoft isn’t getting a chance to continue this series because this is hands-down one of the best games Ubisoft has released in a long time.
3. The “You Can Pet the Dog” Award — Neva
There are many beautiful games, but Nomada Studio has been a cut above the rest twice in a row, first with GRIS and now with Neva. This gorgeous, emotional, and powerful action-platformer grabs your attention with its vibrant world and hand-drawn animations, and it keeps your attention with its moving narrative.
The world is threatened by darkness, and you alone are fighting against it. At your side, the orphaned cub of your lifelong companion, who now looks to you for guidance. Neva takes you through the seasons in a story of growth and rebirth, where you’ll watch Neva grow into a powerful wolf as your own abilities evolve. It’s a short adventure, but one that you’re not liable to forget.
In my Neva review, I concluded, “Neva cements Nomada Studio as a master of color and art design, with phenomenal visuals and animations that make the powerful, emotional narrative even more impactful. Neva also dramatically improves gameplay versus GRIS with satisfying combat and platforming. My only major grip is that the journey is simply over too soon.”
Neva isn’t just beautiful and emotional, though; it’s also carried by its surprisingly fun combat and interesting puzzles. Nomada Studio has upped its game on every front, and the result is one of the best games of 2024.
2. The “Punch All the Fascists” Award — Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
The only game on this list I didn’t personally review is also the latest entry. I just barely finished Indiana Jones and the Great Circle before writing this, after 45 hours of my own ‘Spielberg-ian’ adventure through dungeons and tombs all over the world. I’m so glad I made an effort to play this game before the year ran out because it’s absolutely amazing.
Honestly, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle might have taken the #1 spot, but it’s still buggy, and there are some frustrating segments. I can’t even 100% the game or its achievements right now because there’s literally ONE photo that’s glitched and won’t let me capture it (I’ve done everything else). That aside, this game is gorgeous, it runs amazingly on Xbox Series X, and it’s the perfect blend of immersive sim and puzzle-filled action-adventure.
My colleague, Samuel Tolbert, concluded in his Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review, “With cinematic flair straight out of the original movies, MachineGames proves it understands the world’s most iconic Nazi-fighting archeologist. With fun exploration, dangerous puzzles, and a few twists up its sleeves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is sure to satisfy the cravings of anyone eager for an old-school adventure.”
There’s little that’s more satisfying than beating up fascists with all manner of tools, instruments, and weapons, all while exploring a beautiful world and collecting treasure. This didn’t quite earn my personal game of the year, but it’s certainly Xbox’s best game of 2024.
1. The “Humans Are the Real Monsters” Award — Metaphor: ReFantazio
Anyone who knows me won’t be surprised by this. Metaphor: ReFantazio is my game of the year, something I certainly never would’ve guessed at the beginning of 2024. I have little experience with RPGs from Japanese developers, and I’ve never once played any of the Persona games. I ended up with the task of reviewing Metaphor: ReFantazio mostly by coincidence and otherwise likely wouldn’t have touched it, either.
It must’ve been destiny, and I’m sure glad fate worked out that way. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a masterpiece of a game, combining strategic turn-based RPG combat with third-person action-adventure combat in a harrowing adventure across an incredible, living world. It’s a story of magic, companionship, humanity, war, and the all-consuming battle between opposing ideals.
In my Metaphor: ReFantazio review, I concluded, “With the credits rolling as I write this verdict, Metaphor: ReFantazio has cemented itself as the best game I’ve played this year so far. While the long periods of time with no gameplay and the divisive art style may not be to everyone’s taste, Metaphor: ReFantazio makes a compelling argument for the “game of the year” title with its evocative and passionately crafted narrative, loveable and believable characters, incredible RPG, combat, and social simulation elements, and an art design that truly brings to life this unique world.”
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s art style won’t appeal to everyone, and it’s not the most gameplay-centric RPG, but this is the best game of the year in terms of art design, narrative direction, world-building, character development, and that phenomenal original soundtrack. I can’t recommend it enough.
Honorable mentions
Next, I want to highlight three other games that almost made the top five but didn’t for some reason or another. These are games that I love (and perhaps adamantly defend), but they weren’t quite the best of 2024.
Star Wars Outlaws
My first honorable mention is for a game I wasn’t sold on when I first previewed it, but that ultimately won me over with its final release. Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world action-adventure game set in the titular Star Wars universe, and it’s published by Ubisoft instead of EA like we’ve come to expect. There’s also little to no mention of the Jedi, either, as Star Wars Outlaws focuses more on the seedy underworld of the galaxy.
Star Wars Outlaws was never going to be one of my games of the year, but I will defend this title from the tired “It’s made by Ubisoft so it’s garbage” tirade. Ubisoft has a lot of problems and weaknesses as a modern games publisher, but an Ubisoft-published project is one of my games of the year (Prince of Persia, by the way). I had a lot of fun with Star Wars Outlaws despite its bevy of flaws, and I don’t for a moment regret the hours I invested in it.
My colleague, Rebecca Spear, reviewed Star Wars Outlaws and felt much the same way. There is a lot to love about this game and its spectacular world-building, even if there are some flaws you have to overlook.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Next is the latest entry in a franchise that is rarely considered for “game of the year,” but came closer than ever to deserving it in 2024. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a genuine return to form for the beleaguered first-person shooter franchise, which has stagnated recently thanks to the shaky launches of annual releases. This time around, though, Black Ops 6 properly won me back, and I’ve already spent dozens of hours playing.
It’s not just the multiplayer, either, which is at its very best with precise and fluid gameplay. This is also my favorite Call of Duty campaign ever by a long way. I truly adored the injection of gameplay and narrative elements inspired by classic spy thrillers into the tried-and-true Call of Duty campaign shenanigans with which we’re all familiar. I’m not a big Zombies fan, but I’ve still enjoyed the handful of hours I’ve put into the game mode in Black Ops 6.
My colleague, Cole Martin, reviewed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and praised it on all fronts, and I can’t really protest any of her points. If you’ve been away from the Call of Duty franchise for a few years (with complete reason, I’ve been mostly gone since 2020), Black Ops 6 may be the game to call you back.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Finally, there’s the game that came closer to any at earning a spot in my top 5. I have to remain true to my initial feelings, though, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II just barely missed. That’s not to say this is a bad game, though. It’s easily one of my favorites that I played this year and is a work of art in many ways. The continuation of Senua’s story is also one of the most visually and audibly stunning games ever released.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a technical and graphical marvel, but it also tells an incredible story of trauma, mythology, and the struggle to survive and find purpose in life. Alongside the gorgeous world and mind-bending set pieces, you’re also treated to the single best performance from an actor in years. Melina Juergens brought Senua to life, and that was the final piece that made Hellblade 2 a masterpiece for me.
It is short, though, and the top 5 games I chose for this list all came to mind before Hellblade 2 did. Still, there’s a reason I praised this game so much in my Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II review.
Looking ahead to 2025
I completed 40 games this year, which is actually a lot less than 2023. Work kept me busy, but I also ended up playing a lot of larger games that took me a long time to complete, like Pillars of Eternity and Metaphor: ReFantazio. Despite all my completions, though, my backlog is bigger at the end of 2024, not smaller. But hey, at least I hit 150,000 gamerscore on Xbox with Indiana Jones!
Game & DLC completions 2024 thread. 👇Theme of the year is RPGs! I want to complete at least one RPG a month for the entire year. Other than that, let’s shoot for another 50 completions! 2024 is going to be a good year for gaming, I can feel it. 🔥 https://t.co/a2SR5e1y8qJanuary 11, 2024
I’m very much looking forward to what 2025 holds, as there are a lot of video games coming. Honestly, next year may end up being the year of Xbox, as long as Microsoft actually releases the games it has announced. Avowed is number one on my list of the most anticipated games of 2025, but I also can’t wait for Fable, The Outer Worlds 2, Doom: The Dark Ages, and South of Midnight.
I’m also personally excited to get my hands on Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, and there are plenty of other games like Monster Hunter Wilds that may garner a lot more anticipation from me if I can find some time to visit previous entries in those franchises. The list of interesting games set to release in 2025 is already massive, which makes me terrified about how large my backlog will grow to become. Will I have any time at all to clear some of it out? I’m not feeling confident at this point.