GameSpot brings you our staff picks for the best 10 games of 2024. Timestamps: 00:00 Astro Bot 03:30 Balatro 06:15 Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 08:25 Helldivers 2 10:55 Indiana Jones and The Great Circle 12:50 Lorelei and the Laser Eyes 15:38 Metaphor: ReFantazio 18:01 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown 20:36 Silent Hill 2 23:23 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Pets: They're not just critters that add to our monthly expenses. They're members of the family that we adore. Our love of cute furballs in real life also extends to how we view them in the games we play, and the ones that released this year have no shortage of such creatures. These are the video game best pets and animal companions of 2024.
Our article includes everything from furry feline friends to aquatic acquaintances. We even have mythological creatures, alien animals, godly manifestations, and terrifying foes.
Animal Well is a surreal adventure-platformer/metroidvania where exploration goes hand-in-hand with puzzle solving. Apart from various items and devices that you obtain, you also need to be mindful of the animals that you encounter. Some, like squirrels, will run away as you approach, so you have to think of ways to sneak up on them. Others, like the kangaroo, will appear in certain areas, pouncing to annihilate you unless you're able to scare it away. There's also the whale and other creatures, whose mechanics imply that they can help you with traversal.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth offers an adventure like no other. After leaving Midgar, you're free to explore the wide world, tackling all manner of activities with Cloud, Barrett, Tifa, Aerith, and the rest of the gang. While it's possible to fast travel using different methods, there's one feature that's so cute and adorable that you're likely to react in "aww" whenever you see it: the Baby chocobo.
In specific locations, you might spot a baby chocobo in the distance. It will run away when you approach it, so just follow it until it reaches its destination. There, you'll be able to fix a rest stop sign, causing the baby chocobo to happily chirp. The baby chocobo will then give you a plume that you can use to unlock cosmetics and the rest stop becomes a fast-travel point, too.
Let's face it: Star Wars Outlaws didn't necessarily set the world on fire when it released earlier this year, so much so that developer Massive Entertainment dropped "forced stealth" sections that initially caused frustrations during playthroughs. Still, one highlight in this adventure in a galaxy far, far away is Nix, Kay Vess' cute merquaal pet.
Nix isn't just there to look adorable for merchandising purposes--sorry, useless Porgs. He actually has unique functions to help you in missions. These include distracting and attacking enemies, interacting with levers and panels, stealing or fetching items, and even peeking at opponents' cards in Sabacc games.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a wonderful cast of characters, all looking to stop the spread of the Blight and the machinations of fallen elven gods. One of these companions is Davrin, a Grey Warden who's accompanied by his loyal griffon, Assan.
Assan provides additional functionality in combat, since he's able to attack foes. Moreover, a special action causes Assan to strike Blight pods and winches to aid you in navigation. Most importantly, Davrin's quests all focus on rescuing Assan's fellow griffons and finding a better life for him. Assan's bond with Davrin and, by extension, how you treat Assan, determines how well you'll get along with your Grey Warden pal. Who knows, perhaps romance will bloom because of your decisions?
You explore both the underworld and surface world in Hades 2, all while facing countless dangers as Melinoe. But you don't have to go at it alone. That's because you can recruit animal familiars to help you in subsequent runs. These include Frinos the Frog, Toula the Cat, Raki the Raven, and Hecuba the Hound.
If you encounter these creatures in your travels, be sure to feed them morsels so they appear in your Crossroads hub. From there, you can continue to upgrade their perks and abilities. For instance, Toula grants a bonus Death Defiance (i.e. extra life), while Raki increases your critical-hit chance. Even better, animal familiars have a gathering function, so you can still collect materials even if you didn't bring the right tool for the job.
There's no denying the impact Palworld has had this year, as it managed to amass over 2.1 million concurrent players on Steam alone.
This is primarily due to one ridiculous premise: It's Pokemon but with guns. That's just one facet of this open-world adventure game where you throw orbs to catch and tame Pals, handing them firearms later on so they can defend your base. Aside from this, Pals can also be assigned to tasks in your base depending on their work affinity. Some are able to water plants, while others set out to harvest them. There are also those who excel in construction, repair, and gathering roles.
As a souls-like title, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a bit on the easier side of things when it comes to gameplay. One element of what makes it enticing is the character of Enki, a god who has assumed the form of a fox.
As Nor Vanek, you can use Enki's abilities in combat since his attacks gradually build up an enemy's stun meter. Likewise, his special gauge lets you trigger a Withering, an ultimate skill that obliterates everyone around you. Furthermore, Nor transforms into Enki whenever she has to pass through rifts. It's quite fascinating to behold a fox that's just flying through the skies.
The Nikki series has had many iterations over the years, with Infinity Nikki being the latest. It's also the first game in the series that's available on PC and consoles. Now, millions of players around the world can save the world in style.
Infinity Nikki is primarily a dress-up game--i.e. you collect and upgrade clothes, use outfit abilities, and join styling contests. Aside from these activities, you also get to explore a massive, colorful open world with your cat companion, Momo, by your side.
We'd like to think of Momo as a less0annoying Paimon (from Genshin Impact); our level of annoyance is lessened because Momo is a cat, and we all know that cats are awesome. Even better, one of Nikki's outfits causes her to shrink to a diminutive size, giving you control of Momo as he dashes, hops, and roams around.
Speaking of awesome cats roaming around, Little Kitty, Big City puts you in the shoes paws of a cutesy void who needs to find his way back home. Set in a bustling city, your journey is filled with wonderful interactions with other animals, such as lost ducklings and a sneaky chameleon who wants you to solve his riddles. And, yes, you can find and wear dozens of hats, too.
Indie adventure game Copycat isn't for the faint of heart. The story is about a cat who's adopted from an animal shelter by an old lady after her pet ran away. Initially aloof, the cat begins to warm up to their human as they begin to feel like they've found a home. Then, tragedy strikes, as the old lady's original cat returns. Knowing she's unable to take care of two pets, she has to let the adopted cat go.
What follows is an emotionally charged adventure, as the cat tries to find their way home, all while questioning if they were truly wanted or loved. It's an absolute tearjerker through and through, especially for those of us who've adopted and rescued shelter or stray animals. Most importantly, Copycat teaches the value of being a responsible pet owner and the impact we have on the lives of the creatures we take care of.
Similar to Copycat, Neva is another game where the focus is on our responsibility as caretakers of other creatures. At the start, the titular wolf, Neva, is but a cub, and your character, Alba, has to fend off dark creatures to protect it. As you progress through the game, Neva matures into a full-grown adult, becoming Alba's guardian in times of need.
Neva's mesmerizing world also speaks volumes about our duty to preserve our planet, especially with the threat of climate change. In the same vein, it also shows us the immutable cycle from childhood to parenthood, when our parents nurtured us as children (similar to how Alba rears Neva as a cub), to the time when we, as adults, need to support those who've helped us in our formative years.
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Truth be told, Black Myth: Wukong has so many anthropomorphic characters--you even play as a humanoid monkey warrior--that the whole cast could be included as part of this entry. Still, it's Zhu Bajie, also known as Pigsy, who plays the most pivotal supporting role.
Zhu Bajie is one of the major characters in Journey to the West. Like Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing, he's counted among the companions of Tang Sangzang in his quest to seek the ancient Buddhist scriptures. Due to his lustful and gluttonous nature, Zhu Bajie is eventually cursed to live as a humanoid pig, earning the moniker Pigsy.
In Black Myth: Wukong, which serves as a continuation of the tale, Pigsy aids the Destined One in his attempt to gather Sun Wukong's relics. Similar to his depiction in the novel, Pigsy remains gruff, boisterous, and rude. However, he also shows remorse for his actions in the past, especially with how he treated his former lover, the Violet Spider, as well as their daughter. Cursed to suffer a thousand romantic tragedies, Zhu Bajie has no choice but to accept a lifetime of wandering, whether or not his feelings for someone are genuine. And, yes, he also serves as a neat distraction for enemies whenever he's with you. Just watch out because you also battle him a couple of times, and these encounters truly test your mettle.
Jeff the Land Shark first appeared in the West Coast Avengers comic books. As his name implies, he's a shark with feet, allowing him to walk on land (duh!). But don't let his charming appearance fool you: Jeff is still a shark and, like all sharks, he loves to eat.
In Marvel Rivals, Jeff is a Strategist-type hero with healing capabilities. More importantly, his ultimate skill allows him to gobble up friends and foes alike in a wide area. What makes things even more hilarious is that players can swim all the way to the edge of cliffs and platforms to spit out everyone to their doom. It's an extremely cheap move that's also effective, so much so that countless clips of this gamey tactic have made Jeff the Land Shark a viral sensation since Marvel Rivals' launch.
Jeff the Land Shark isn't the only aquatic animal that's on a murder spree under the sea. There's also Kril, the star of Another Crab's Treasure. While most souls-like games have dark fantasy vibes and cryptic lore, Another Crab's Treasure offers a more whimsical take while retaining tried-and-tested combat mechanics, in which Kril dodges enemy attacks and follows up with various abilities. These come in the form of Adaptations, such as crowd-control traps, devastating punches, and bubble blasts.
What makes the game even more ridiculous (in a good way) is that you can give Kril a gun. It's a souls-like game where you play as a crab who shoots enemies. What's not to love?
Based on Bernard Werber's best-selling novel series, Empire of the Ants puts you in the role of 103,683rd, a warrior of the Bel-o-kan colony. Concerned about the changes in surrounding areas, the Queen urges you to travel to other regions to find other colonies in need of help.
This leads to a campaign that's part real-time-strategy and part adventure-platformer. In certain quests, 103,683rd has to climb and jump from branches, leaves, flowers, and man-made objects like water bottles or soccer balls. In others, she's tasked with sneaking into termite camps to ascertain the threat they pose.
As for the RTS missions, these allow you to control different types of ant and insect units in rock-papers-scissors-style gameplay. For instance, Warrior troops are strong against Workers, but they take heavy damage against Gunners. Moreover, your insect legions are bolstered by super predator and support units, such as snails and rhino beetles.
Rounding out our list are the terrifying creatures found in Dragon's Dogma 2. From griffins and chimeras to dragons (obviously), these boss creatures are found in various regions in the game world. Some, like chimeras, have multiple parts that you can lop off to weaken them. Dragons, meanwhile, are tough opponents, since they can quickly scorch a wide area with searing hot flame. Then, there are griffins, who offer an unconventional means of transport--if you can manage to grab hold of these majestic beasts as they take off, you can see the surrounding lands from high up in the air. Just try not to lose all your stamina or you'll end up plunging to your doom.
That does it for our best video game pets and animals of 2024. Did we forget some of your furry and cuddly favorites? Let us know about them in the comments section.
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We're four years into the current Xbox Series X|S generation, and in 2024, it was business mostly as usual for Microsoft's console brand. While the biggest news this year related to Xbox was a new focus on bringing several of its first-party games to PS5 and Nintendo Switch, Xbox also saw an evolution of its Game Pass subscription service and an option for users of the Ultimate tier to stream select games they own. On top of a marketing push designed to remind people that they technically don't need the console to play Xbox games, 2024 shaped up to be a year of diversification for Microsoft's gaming ecosystem.
What of the games then? This was a pretty strong year overall, as the Xbox library was bolstered with first-party games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Third-party games like Neon White and Final Fantasy 14 only added to the appeal of sitting down for a night of gaming on an Xbox console, and with Game Pass having numerous day-one releases, you'd find yourself spoiled for choice on what you could download and play, especially when one of those options was Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
GameSpot sister Metacritic has crunched the numbers on the best-reviewed Xbox games of the year--as of December 5--and if you're interested, you can check them all out in the list below. There were a few obvious winners here, as well as several surprises that you can read about. Be sure to also check out our running lists of the best Xbox Series X|S games and best Xbox Game Pass games to play right now.
More Best Of 2024:
More Elden Ring is never a bad thing, and Shadow of the Erdtree delivers on that idea with an extra dose of everything that made the original game one of From Software's greatest hits. Elegantly grim and endlessly challenging, it's an essential expansion for any Elden Lord looking to return to the Lands Between.
Metascore: 95 | Read our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review
RGG Studio has been on a roll over the last couple of years, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a prime example of the studio playing to its strengths. Doubling down on the turn-based gameplay mechanics introduced in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Infinite Wealth is a confident sequel that further refines its weird and wonderful formula of brawls, drama, and mystery.
Metascore: 92 | Read our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review
A fantasy adventure that embodies the best qualities of Atlus-developed games, Metaphor: ReFantazio was GameSpot's Game of the Year. At its core, it's an idealistic and hopeful look at the power of fiction backed up by stunning art direction and challenging combat. Throw in political intrigue and a colorful cast of characters, and you've got a game that'll keep you entertained throughout its lengthy tale.
Metascore: 92 | Read our Metaphor: ReFantazio review
For its arrival on Xbox consoles, Atlus pulled out all the stops to make the already-superb Shin Megami Tensei V a must-play JRPG. Technical refinements and quality-of-life changes to remove tedious grinding sessions made for some welcome improvements, but this edition of the game is also a massive expansion that adds in dozens of hours of new story content. It took a long time for this entry in the cult-classic Shin Megami Tensei series to make its way to Xbox, but the wait was definitely worth it.
Metascore: 92 | Read our Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance review
2024 was a year of rebirth for Tekken 8, as the fighting game series reinvented itself. On the surface, it's still a good-looking brawler with a varied roster of warriors that'll appeal to series veterans, but under the hood, Tekken 8 hit the sweet spot for drawing in some fresh blood with its aggressive gameplay mechanics and easy-to-learn fundamentals. A hard-hitting arcade fighting game fused with modern sensibilities, Tekken doesn't get much better than this.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Tekken 8 review
The Final Shape brought a satisfying conclusion to the 10-year story of Destiny, culminating in a fight against The Witness, the foe who has loomed in the shadows since the beginning. The new Prismatic subclass further expands on the RPG-style character building, letting you mix and match abilities in exciting new ways. With a great raid, improvements to numerous areas of the game, a terrific--and comprehensible!--story, a fun new area to explore, and so much more to digest, The Final Shape is arguably the best Destiny expansion ever.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Destiny 2: The Final Shape review
Although late to arrive on Xbox--it was originally released in 2022--Neon White is still every bit as good and original now as it was at the time. One of 2022's best games, Neon White turns you into a speedrunner, as you race through levels defeating enemies and making for the finish line. But what sets it apart is the way in which guns function as both weapons and platforming abilities, as you'll need to discard them in order to perform actions like a one-off double-jump. This leads to a thrill ride where you're constantly pushing forward, making quick decisions about how and when to make use of your limited weapons to finish levels as quickly as possible.
Metascore: 88 | Read our Neon White review
Wolfenstein developer MachineGames has nailed the brief for crafting an Indiana Jones game. Capturing the scrappy underdog spirit of the beloved film franchise, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle combines masterfully crafted puzzles with rip-roaring action and a cinematic presentation that does justice to the whip-wielding adventurer.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review
The Prince of Persia series had been ice for years, with the wait extended due to many delays for the Sands of Time remake, but Ubisoft had something else up its sleeve in 2024. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown reimagines the series as a metroidvania, complete with an innovative breadcrumb system to stop you from wasting time looking for that one door you found five hours ago. With a snappy, intuitive combat system and great platforming, it's a worthy entry in a series that had been all but forgotten.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review
From the team that made Gris, an artful meditation on grief, comes Neva, which tells a somber story of its own. Though the 2D style and similar color palette might inform dedicated indie fans that this is the Gris team, Neva's story is vastly different, focusing on a dying fantasy world where an unnamed character struggles to save the land using the help of her animal companions. Wordlessly, and with the aid of beautiful music, Neva reminds us that this would of ours is both our only home, as well as the home to so many others, and that saving it is a fight worth enlisting in.
Unicorn Overlord is the kind of game that requires dedication. A beautifully crafted fantasy epic with an incredibly deep and complex battle system, the game is a rewarding experience for anyone willing to dedicate time and effort into mastering every facet of its design. While the story might have more tropes than an Isekai anime, the colorful cast of characters, rich lore, and vibrant lands makes this game a top-tier strategy-RPG.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Unicorn Overlord review
If you want a change of pace from all the shooting and slashing offered by most games, maybe you'd like to manage a picturesque English garden? Botany Manor is a chill vibes puzzle game that has you carefully cultivating a variety of magical plants, giving you a wholesome and cozy way to unwind.
2024 was an incredible year for Atlus, as it got off to a start with a remake of one of its darkest Persona games. Persona 3 Reload isn't just a massive overhaul of a PS2 classic, it's a game full of small changes that lead to big changes across the board for this emotionally charged tale of death and rebirth. The core of Persona 3 remains intact in this remake, with its best qualities enhanced by slick graphics, a talented cast of voice actors, and a killer soundtrack.
Metascore: 86 | Read our Persona 3 Reload review
Fans of The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, and other major fantasy RPGs may hope to dive into Dragon's Dogma 2 (DD2), and perhaps they should, but ultimately it's the game's strange quirks that make it both somewhat off-putting to some, and yet incredibly mesmerizing to others. In DD2, players will investigate a conspiracy, enlist unique NPC allies called Pawns, and, naturally, fight dragons amid a campaign that feels like a D&D campaign come to life. But it's the game's elusive true ending that makes the game so special in the end.
Metascore: 86 | Read our Dragon's Dogma 2 review
Following a few high-profile misses, including the dead-in-the-water Anthem, BioWare needed a hit to turn things around. The studio got it with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, an excellent RPG that feels like a natural evolution for the long-running series. An emphasis on combining attacks with your allies turns every battle into a glorious mix of arrows, blades, and explosions, and BioWare's certainly created some of the most memorable characters in the series to date. Ally yourself with a necromancer who dreams of becoming a spooky skeleton man or take on a titular dragon with a fire-breathing hunter by your side. Or just focus on finding the stupidest-looking hats imaginable. The choice is yours.
Metascore: 85 | Read our Dragon Age: The Veilguard review
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a bold experiment, one that successfully merges multiple genres together into a cohesive and gorgeous package. While the objective of guiding a fair maiden to a shrine is simple, the journey is anything but easy as you're forced to contend with monsters pulled from the darkest chapters of Japanese folklore. It's an experimental approach to storytelling and strategic action that ultimately pays off, creating an experience that's refreshing to dive into.
Metascore: 84 | Read our Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess review
Do you like cats? Do you like quests? Then Cat Quest 3 will definitely scratch that highly specific itch to see feline adventurers set on a high-seas adventure and explore dangerous dungeons. A breezy and cozy game, Cat Quest 3 keeps things simple while adding to its appeal with well-crafted sailing and co-op gameplay mechanics. It's not a revolution in its genre, but with its old-school charm, colorful graphics, and witty writing, it's a comfortably familiar game that's easy to pick up.
What if John Carpenter's The Thing was set not in a science facility in Antarctica but instead an oil rig in Scotland? The results would be something quite like Still Wakes the Deep. This first-person horror-adventure game comes from The Chinese Room, the team behind Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, and will appeal most of all to fans of isolated horror like Alien and Carpenter's aforementioned masterpiece. With a monster you really should see for yourself, Still Wakes the Deep may flood your thoughts like the beast does to the doomed rig.
Metascore: 83 | Read our Still Wakes the Deep review
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and when it comes to big beefy anime dudes throwing hands that can level entire continents, Dragon Ball's return to its Budokai Tenkaichi era makes you realize just how much you missed classic arena-fighting action. While it could do a better job explaining its more nuanced gameplay mechanics, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero still excels at being a stylish brawler with plenty of substance.
Metascore: 83 | Read our Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero review
Several years after WWE 2K20 temporarily put the annual series on ice, the sports entertainment franchise has bounced back into the main event spotlight. WWE 2K24 doesn't offer any surprises, but if you've laced up your boots for a good-looking round of high-flying action, refined gameplay, and a trip down memory lane with a Showcase mode focused on WrestleMania’s greatest moments, you won't be disappointed.
Metascore: 83 | Read our WWE 2K24 review
It seemed like a sequel to the cult-favorite Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine was never going to happen, but Saber Interactive answered our prayers--even though they were meant for the Emperor of Mankind. Space Marine 2 is a brilliant sequel that, much like the original, mixes third-person shooting with enormous hack-and-slash brawls. Though the campaign missions are fairly linear, they're complemented by gigantic, explosive set pieces that turn out to be much more than decoration--these moments you see in the distance are actually full co-op missions, fleshing out the story as disgraced Lieutenant Titus races to stop the forces of chaos from destroying mankind.
Metascore: 83 | Read our Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 review
One of the best Call of Duty games in recent memory--and included with Game Pass for the first time--Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 shows why Treyarch has earned players' confidence. The mystery-filled campaign occasionally morphs into all-out horror and succeeds in its open-ended missions in a way Modern Warfare 3 failed. Multiplayer is extremely fast and fluid thanks to the new movement system, and it's impossible to hate Nuketown, even after all these years.
Metascore: 83 | Read our Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign and multiplayer reviews
2024 might just go down as one of the best years ever for the puzzle genre of games, thanks to titles like Paper Trail. An origami-'em-up about leaving home, Paper Trail has layers upon layers of clever design waiting to be discovered, and its core gameplay loop of merging two sides to solve puzzles gives it a unique appeal. It's a devilishly challenging but rewarding game, one where every answer can be found by folding, spinning, and twisting the world around you.
The original Planet Coaster is one of a handful of games that felt like it didn't need a sequel thanks to its rock-solid design. Fortunately, Planet Coaster 2 justifies its existence by taking everything that made the first game so popular, polishing them up, and exploring new theme-park attractions, creating a deeper experience overall. While several nagging issues from its predecessor remain, it's still an impressively flexible and highly customizable dive into a world full of ups, downs, and loop-de-loops.
One of the most distinct games of the year, Indika is weird and consistently surprising. It might look like an arthouse film at first glance, but Indika quickly throws players into bizarre situations as they embark on a journey of self-discovery with the devil by their side. A surreal clash of religion and reason, Indika is bleak, strange, and captivating.
Metascore: 82 | Read our Indika review
Believe it or not, but one of the highest-rated games of the year on Xbox is a hidden-object adventure. Imagine Where's Wally as you travel through various historical eras, only you're searching for seemingly random items in a beautifully animated and cozy world. It's a simple recipe for success, but with the brand-new Reality Shift feature, Hidden Through Time 2 becomes a multi-layered experience as you explore maps through multiple dimensions.
The definitive modern version of the venerated masterpiece, Beyond Good and Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition lets you reexperience the classic. The pioneering adventure game gets updated to 4K and 60fps with enhanced graphics and audio, an anniversary gallery, and a new speedrun mode. It's the best way to experience the original while we hold out for its long-awaited, often delayed sequel.
Game designer Josef Fares has become known in the game industry for his outspoken public appearances and his studio's Game Awards win for It Takes Two. One of his first projects, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, got a remake this year, sporting single-player or co-op as you guide a pair of brothers to save their ailing father.
The past year has been a momentous one for Fortnite, marking its biggest expansions ever with a pile of diverse new game modes, and a partnership with Disney that we still don't know all the details of. Chapter 5 kicked off in December 2023 with the launch of Lego Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, and Rocket Racing, and Epic has added several major new modes since then, like Reload in the summer, and OG and Ballistic earlier this month. There's more Fortnite now than there's ever been.
Naturally, it hasn't been all good or all bad--there have been mistakes, and there have been triumphs, and there's been everything you can imagine in between. But one thing is for sure: Fortnite is a very different game at the end of 2024 that it was at the beginning. Let's take a look back at the good and the bad from this year in Fortnite.
Since the start of Chapter 5, Fortnite has introduced Lego Fortnite Odyssey and Brick Life, Rocket Racing, Fortnite Festival, Fortnite Reload, Fortnite OG, and Fortnite Ballistic. While they haven't all been smash hits, all these modes have been a net positive for Fortnite, both individually and as a whole. Even Rocket Racing, which flopped, is actually pretty fun--it just has no framework to speak of that might keep casual players hooked.
As somebody who's squarely in the "it's time to settle down" phase of his life, the diversification of Fortnite is working for me in a big way. The more varied fun I can have with Fortnite, and the more ways Epic comes up with for me to use the cosmetics I've bought over the years, the less I'm going to be inclined to waste my SSD space on the competition. It's a win for me and Epic both.
It's been nearly two years since Epic unleashed the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), which granted content creators much more powerful tools for creating worlds and games in Fortnite Creative than they had previously. And so far, very little has come of it--the charts remain dominated by the same sort of boxfight deathmatch maps as always, and there has been very little in the way of innovation because the most prominent creators are usually either chasing trends or working for hire to build maps for third-party corporations. While Epic's own portion of the metaverse is doing well, the rest of it isn't up to par just yet.
Chapter 5 in battle royale was unusually divisive, thanks to the overpowered boss medallions that were first introduced in Season 1, the laser-like Waterbending mythic in Season 2, the disproportional focus on vehicular combat in Season 3, and finally War Machine's abominable jetpack in Season 4. The gimmicks in Chapter 5 were unusually intense and over the top, even by Fortnite standards, and I had a blast with all of them--though I agree wholeheartedly with the consensus that it's for the best if we never see that jetpack again.
Thanks to the introduction of the permanent OG mode and other new shooter modes to attract the attention of folks who aren't into those sorts of gimmicks, it frees Epic to continue to go hog-wild in the core battle royale mode. The detractors can simply avoid that stuff by playing OG instead and not having to deal with it, and the people who do like the gimmicks can keep on keeping on. It works out for everybody.
Inflation hit Fortnite very hard in the past year, thanks to a multi-pronged approach from Epic to increase the price of everything. It began in late 2023 with the increased price of V-Bucks, and continued into the new year with two major changes in Epic's item shop philosophy: Aside from some Icon skins (skins of real celebrities like Shaq) and ultra-customizable skins like the Skratch Company set, Fortnite stopped released new collaboration skins that have multiple style options.
In Chapter 5 Season 4, for example, Epic released 21 new non-Icon collaboration skins. Only three of them had any style options at all, and those three only had toggleable features--Iron Spider's helmet, Black Cat's mask, and Spider-Woman's webbing. These days, Epic defaults to selling additional styles separately, as we've just seen with the Platinum Festival skins, which are minor recolors of existing skins being sold for 1,800 V-Bucks each. In the past, styles like that would have been added to the existing skins as a value-add to motivate new purchases, but those days are over.
And on top of that, Epic developed a troubling habit of bundling collaboration skins with accessories for a higher price and not allowing you to buy them on their own. Once a rare practice, Epic pulled this move at least 30 times in 2024, mostly on collab skins. There were only five total examples of Epic trying this tactic in 2023, and four of them were the TMNT skins the company released at the very end of the year.
And, finally, on top of all that, bundle prices have gone through the rough. These used to max out at 2800 V-Bucks, presumably because you can buy that exact amount. But all the big collaboration bundles in 2024 went past that, with 3400-3800 apparently becoming Epic's preferred price range for big bundles. Fortunately for everyone, Epic seems to be retreating from this new standard a little bit with most of the new bundles in December.
Each season during Chapter 5 ended with some sort of community live event that took place during battle royale matches, starting with the combined effort to break the chains on Pandora's Box at the end of Season 1. This was similar to how Fortnite approached these events back in the day, before Epic switched to mostly just doing instanced events like Collision in Chapter 3 and the Big Bang at the end of Chapter 4.
But these ambient events are great, because they last a while--it took a whole weekend to open Pandora's Box, so it was easy for everyone to get involved because there wasn't one set time for it. And it's also nice to have that feeling that the island is evolving while we're on it: something that was harder to pull off with those instanced events.
It's hard to figure what exactly went wrong with Rocket Racing, which has been hovering around 3,000 concurrent players for a while now--a very low number for an Epic-supported mode. But it's been months since the Rocket Racing Twitter had any activity, and while Festival and Lego modes were getting anniversary updates, Rocket Racing has just been quietly hanging out with no real movement, beyond the addition of new car cosmetics in the shop. It's hard to imagine Epic ever actually abandoning the mode completely, but it's certainly in limbo at the moment, and we have no indication of what Epic may or may not be planning for it. It's a bummer, because it's a fun mode--it just has no hook.
Confession time: I've spent too much money on Fortnite, going back to when I was unemployed a few years ago and binge-played Fortnite for several weeks straight to help me quit my longtime cigarette habit. So I'm definitely one of those people who have too many Fortnite skins. Because of that, I'm a harder sell than I used to be. But Epic has managed to introduce new types of things to the item shop that I actually want--I've become a purveyor of jam tracks, instruments, and car skins (my Fast & Furious cars crossing over from Rocket League has been delightful), and I've even bought several pairs of kicks. Anything that makes my digital action figures look goofier pleases me, and all these new cosmetic types accomplish that, while also adding some new flavor to Fortnite as a whole.
Fortnite's battle pass has always been pretty easy for anyone to complete, whether you play regularly or just show up at the end of the season and grind out all the weekly quests. Epic, naturally, would prefer that you stick around for the duration, and the company has made repeated attempts over the years to make it harder to get through the battle pass quickly. With so many different modes for earning XP now, though, it's tough for them to do that without being really annoying and obvious about it, such as with the weekly XP throttling we saw Epic try when Chapter 6 launched earlier this month. They walked most of those changes back, but this same story keeps playing out over and over--I'm sure we'll be at it again when Season 2 starts in February.
Fortnite's exclusive battle-pass cosmetics made sense before we all realized that Fortnite would become a World of Warcraft-esque forever game, but now it's kind of awkward to have skins like Darth Vader and Indiana Jones permanently locked to new players. Starting with the Marvel-themed Chapter 5 Season 4, new battle-pass cosmetics will no longer be permanently exclusive, and that's an overdue change.
Unlike some folks, I don't believe Epic will be bringing back old battle pass content any time soon--but, frankly, I don't think I really care either way. Epic just brought back the old Renegade Raider and Aerial Assault Trooper skins to the item shop, and despite being a collector I felt absolutely no desire to get them. I already have the gingerbread-themed re-do of Renegade Raider, which is way more fun. And in a holiday season that's bringing us Santa-themed skins for Mariah Carey, Shaq and Snoop Dogg, not to mention Cyberpunk 2077 items, basic old Fortnite skins like these aren't worth even considering.
So if anything ever happens with old battle passes, I'll probably be generally apathetic about it--I'm content with my piles of stuff from the shop. But in the meantime, I'm extremely tired of this being a non-stop topic of debate. Epic has to comply with so many rules set by so many governmental regulatory bodies in so many different countries, and navigating that minefield is beyond my pay grade, and certainly it's beyond that of those who are fighting about this on Reddit every day. That debate is all noise, and we're far past the point where it's fun anymore.
It might seem odd to suggest that a game filled to the brim with tough-as-nails twitch action games, thinky arcade puzzlers, and even a full-blown narrative RPG is not nostalgic, but UFO 50, a compilation of 50 retro-inspired games of varying sizes, is full of surprises. It has its influences, of course. Magical Garden pulls on Snake. Valtress is something of a cross between Kid Icarus and Downwell. It has a steady dedication to looking and sounding like games of the past. However, UFO 50 draws as much on 2000s era game jam culture as the NES itself. Rather than a mere evocation of retro titles, UFO 50 has a longing for creative constriction. Each individual game's simplicity serves a widening and deepening, a desire to pull as much as possible out of every pixel. UFO 50 creates the feeling of wide-openness, that video games can be anything. This is a feeling that has only thrived on the margins in video games and thus un-markable as a generalized nostalgia. When big business wants you to believe the new hotness represents all that video games can be, it is refreshing to look backward and forward at once.
To my mind, UFO 50's retro aesthetic serves two purposes. First, it keeps games resource-light. Each game is bare in construction, often lacking explicit tutorialization. Most games have a mere six buttons to play with. It maintains the mysterious workings and iterations of arcade games, without the quarter-munching business model. Each game can only be so big lest it outscope the rest. So, the focus is on mechanical density and complexity, on the kind of replayability that comes from careful design, not endless racks of content. The feeling is closer to setting up an emulator loaded with cult classics than to a childhood memory of getting an 8-bit console for Christmas.
Second, the retro vibes focus on each game's individual decisions and ideas. Some of UFO 50's games--like Campanella, its sequel, and The Big Bell Race--have obvious relationships to each other. Others--like the surreal Waldorf's Journey and the strategic Avianos--feel as if they come from different worlds. However, all of UFO 50's games feel as if they are made of the same component parts: pixels, code, a few buttons. Yet there is so much possibility. The simplicity draws out the span of what is possible. It makes each new trick feel remarkable.
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PC has continued to see more games releases from Sony and Microsoft, which, combined with all of the exclusives the platform gets, makes it a great place to play. While Nintendo is an exception, you're all but guaranteed to get the best of Xbox and PlayStation on this platform, and even without those console giants courting PC gamers, the year has been loaded with high-profile releases. According to GameSpot sister site Metacritic, the best-reviewed PC games--as of December 5--covered a wide variety of genres.
From AAA releases to smash-hit indies, 2024 was a year where From Software released a masterpiece with its Elden Ring expansion, Animal Well took the world by storm with its engrossingly weird metroidvania magic, and Tactical Breach Wizards reminded the world that defenestration is always an option. We've rounded up all of the games below that received high metascores, and you can read more below. Be sure to also check out our running list of the best PC games to play right now.
More Best Of 2024:
Is it even possible to make one of the best games of all time even better? Shadow of the Erdtree positively answers that question with its gorgeous new location, breathtaking boss fights, and new gameplay ideas to create a new gold standard for future souls-like games to be measured against.
Metascore: 94 | Read our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review
What initially looked like it might be little more than a fantasy reskin of the Persona series proved to be much more. Metaphor: ReFantazio was named GameSpot's Game of the Year for 2024 and earned a rare 10/10, and for good reason: It evolves Persona's turn-based combat in interesting new ways to make for a phenomenal experience, and it pairs that with a compelling narrative that feels appropriate given the current-day political climate. It plays great on Steam Deck, too.
Metascore: 92 | Read our Metaphor: ReFantazio review
We're living in a golden age of fighting games, and after the arrival of Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 last year, it was time for an iron-fisted king to make a grand return. Tekken 8 doubles down on its strength, cementing its position as one of the Big Three in fighting games. Its gorgeous visuals pack a punch, new gameplay systems reward you for aggressively dishing out pain, and its single-player storyline is an entertaining clash between Tekken's most-entertaining personalities and several newcomers.
Metascore: 90 | Read our Tekken 8 review
One of the most ambitious indie projects in years, UFO 50 imagines a fictional video game console and uncovers a whopping 50 games from it. The collection is a fantastically diverse set of retro-style games spanning the styles of genre conventions of the 1980s. It's a smart and savvy exploration of classic gaming tropes while also giving you a wide array of new games to sink your teeth into.
Metascore: 91 | Read our UFO 50 review
The less you know about Animal Well, the better, as this hit indie game works best when you go in with as little information as possible. A cryptic metroidvania where you collect items that can be used to alter the environment in surprising ways, everything about Animal Well feels like an intricate piece of art. Don't let the lo-fi visuals and deceptively simplistic gameplay fool you, as this nonlinear game is a masterclass in suspense.
Metascore: 91 | Read our Animal Well review
After years in early access, Satisfactory finally released in full this year, and it's hard to argue it wasn't worth the wait. It's a game all about building automated systems, and in that regard, it's top-notch. When you're invoking a sense of satisfaction with your title, you had better deliver, and Satisfactory certainly does.
Balatro has been one of the biggest surprises of the year, and as anyone who has played it can tell you, it's not hard to see why. Expertly blending its poker inspirations with roguelike deckbuilding gameplay, it's a game of endless possibility and captivating design that you can easily lose yourself in and play until the wee hours of the morning. Every card you pick up can drastically alter your chances for the better--or worse!--while a combination of synthwave music and psychedelic visuals help to create a hard-to-put-down flow to Balatro's magic.
Metascore: 90 | Read our Balatro review
Atlus could have easily ported Shin Megami Tensei V, slapped on a new coat of paint, and called it a day, but the publisher decided to go above and beyond for what was expected of it. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance shines on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC thanks to an absurd amount of extra content in this demon-hording adventure. It's also packed full of thoughtful quality-of-life tweaks, all adding to an already-engaging narrative that makes this challenging series worth jumping into for the first time or revisiting if you're looking to play the best version of it.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance review
The beauty of Thank Goodness You're Here is that you never quite know what to expect from this adorable "slapformer." In terms of gameplay, you're not doing much beyond steering a curiously small chap through various scenarios that can be solved with some percussive maintenance, and yet you'd be hard-pressed to find another game as memorable as this one.
Metascore: 90 | Read our Thank Goodness You're Here review
The stream of first-party games from Sony, formerly exclusive to Playstation consoles, continued in 2024, and there aren't many better than God of War Ragnarok. The continuation of 2018's soft reboot told another great story filled with memorable characters and set pieces, and the action took another step forward with new tools and wrinkles to keep it feeling fresh. It might be a few years old, but like its predecessor, Ragnarok holds up exceptionally well.
Metascore: 90 | Read our God of War Ragnarok review
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth hits a bullseye for what a sequel should be--bigger, bolder, and now with Danny Trejo playing a machete-themed villain. At the same time, Infinite Wealth is a wonderful passing of the torch, as it brings back old faces for one last ride. A polished and emotionally charged adventure, Ichiban's return will tug at your heart with its expertly crafted narrative and leave you with plenty to do after the end credits have rolled thanks to a surplus of extra content.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review
Sure, the name is funny (Kill Butt 2: 2, anyone?), but Kill Knight is also a gloriously stylish shooter that will remind you of legendary arcade games like Smash TV and Robotron 2084. It's all wrapped up in a hellish aesthetic that's decidedly darker and more grim than the aforementioned games, and in a sort of reverse-Doom situation, it's up to you to make angels extinct. You will not cry when angels deserve to die.
The Final Shape effectively took on the challenge of concluding the decade-long story of Destiny and helped to bring the game into its best, most interesting form yet. The RPG elements are more fully fleshed out than ever, and the new activities, compelling campaign, and dense Pale Heart location all make for a satisfying end to the Light and Darkness Saga. Though it's not the end of Destiny 2, which will continue on, it is undoubtedly a high point for the game.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Destiny 2: The Final Shape review
Horizon Forbidden West launched a few years ago on PlayStation, and it finally made its way to PC in 2024. The second chapter in Aloy's journey sees her diving further into the technological conspiracy that caused the end of modern civilization, but with an added threat from a new group of people possessing seemingly unstoppable weapons of their own. Like the original, it features a mix of stealth and all-out action, both against other humans and the many "breeds" of robotic dinosaurs scattered across a devastated world.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Horizon Forbidden West review
Persona 3 defined with would become the formula that elevated the franchise to a new level of popularity. But elements of it aged poorly, and it also had never been available on PC. Reload makes it easy to jump into, with a good-looking PC version (that also runs well on Steam Deck) adding various quality-of-life improvements.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Persona 3 Reload review
An open-world samurai game, Ghost of Tsushima presents a more approachable blend of stealth and action than souls-like-style games. It's got a gorgeous world to explore and wonderful cinematography to take in, all of it improved with the visual improvements you get on PC, plus additional content that was included with the Director's Cut release.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Ghost of Tsushima review
2024 might just go down as the best year ever for puzzle games, and at the top of the cerebral pile, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes stands strong. Imagine a game flexing an Italian cinema art direction, puzzles that'll make you reach for a notebook to keep track of everything, and surreal vibes, and you've got everything you need to enjoy a wonderfully weird mystery.
Metascore: 88 | Read our Lorelei and the Laser Eyes review
Tactical Breach Wizards takes the basic gameplay concept of the brilliant Into the Breach--turn-based gameplay where you know your opponents' next move, and where you can manipulate their positioning to enable a better outcome--and dumps the roguelike structure for a story-based campaign. It's full of great writing and humor, and it also innovates with its gameplay by expanding the number of potential actions on each turn, making it so even complex levels can be solved in a single, ultra-satisfying turn.
Metascore: 88 | Read our Tactical Breach Wizards review
Dragon's Dogma 2 is a satisfying and rewarding jaunt into fantasy. Capcom's return to the series isn't flawless, but those imperfections are easy to live with once you become drawn into a vast world of possibility that is full of helpful Pawns, thrilling adventures, and combat that'll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Metascore: 88 | Read our Dragon's Dogma 2 review
This roguelike deckbuilder sets itself in feudal Japan, challenging you to take on enemy swordsmen with nothing but your wits and a deep, turn-based combat system. You'll carefully position your shogun and choose the perfect moment to strike, and as your runs progress, you'll unlock new characters and skills.
A throwback to the days of Sierra's MS-DOS point-and-click adventure games, The Crimson Diamond still manages to mix a few modern ideas into its old-school design. A murder-mystery full of devious puzzles to solve, this love-letter to text-parser games like the Laura Bow Mystery Series is a must-play for anyone looking for a return to the past.
Mullet Madjack is like a first-person take on Hotline Miami, blending the intensity of that game with a distinct, colorful art style and a satirical spin on streamer culture. You'll need to rush from kill to kill before your timer runs out, soaking in the bloody visuals and '80s-style soundtrack that make this an exhilarating experience.
Can a Five Nights at Freddy's game be just as terrifying in 2D as it is in its traditional 3D format? The answer is a resounding yes with Into the Pit, as this Five Nights spin-off looks gruesomely gorgeous with its pixel-art animation. Throw in dual timelines, signature Five Nights at Freddy's frights, and unsettling levels, and you've got a rock-solid spin-off.
Crusader Kings III already gave players nearly endless ways to conquer the world, whether it be through careful diplomacy or assassinating a child and then staging a large-scale invasion. If you thought you've seen all Crusader Kings III has to offer, think again, because Roads to Power adds several new wrinkles via the Byzantine Empire. New governmental options, co-ruling, and less restrictive exploration all breathe new life into a brilliant do-evil simulator.
A Survivors-like that was already a worthy entry to the genre while it was in early access, Halls of Torment saw its 1.0 release in 2024. Its Diablo 2-style visuals evoke a certain era that will appeal to some, but its longer-term progression makes it hard not to opt into one more run whenever you finish one up.
A Zelda-like adventure game by way of a shoot-em-up, Minishoot Adventures combines two very different genres and discovers they're like chocolate and peanut butter. The bullet hell mechanics feel right at home as you explore dungeons, find powerful new equipment, and take on enormous bosses.
Bloober Team weathered many doubts for years as the team worked on Silent Hill 2. Players seemed to preorder their frustrations with the game. But then something funny happened: It launched, and it was exceptional. Both a faithful remake to an all-time great horror game and an experience that adds to the overall experience and even lore of Konami's best horror game, the Silent Hill 2 remake is arguably the best horror remake in a long line of them over the past several years.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Silent Hill 2 review
JRPG fans have been spoiled for choice throughout the year, but Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake left an indelible mark with its nostalgic appeal and a visual overhaul that Square Enix excels at. While some archaic elements remain intact--and show just how far the genre has come since this game was first released--Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is still a thrilling collection of turn-based battles and surprisingly flexible gameplay systems.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake review
Antonblast is a relentless platformer, one that plays like a 2D Crash Bandicoot with breathtaking anger-management issues. With a frantic pace, platforming that requires deft skill, and an art style that isn't exactly easy on the eyes, it can be a bit of an acquired taste. But if you're looking to cap the year off with high-energy platforming action featuring a protagonist with an undying rage that could put the Doomslayer to shame? Then you'll have a blast with Dynamite Anton in this game.
The best Indiana Jones game since the intrepid archeologist solved the fate of Atlantis, The Great Circle embodies the spirit of a cinematic icon with its big-budget presentation, scrappy combat, and puzzles that'll make you feel like you deserve a teaching post at Marshall College. Developer MachineGames did its homework with this Indiana Jones game, but more than that, the entire project feels like a labor of love that celebrates the character and his long-lasting impact on pop culture.
Metacritic: 87 | Read our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review
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This year, I decided I'd finally play 2022's Case of the Golden Idol, a mystery game that thrusts you onto the scene of a murder moments after it's happened. You pan through several screens, absorb every detail you possibly can, gather clues in the form of nouns and verbs, and make logic-based deductions by filling in the missing details in passages that tell the story of what occurred there. There are systems in place to guide you in the right direction, and the game begins quite simply, but by its end, I was being pushed to my absolute limit. The first few cases took all of about 10-25 minutes, but the final one in the game seemed to stretch across the span of an entire night. My head was positively bursting with possible motives and culprits, and kudos to Case of the Golden Idol for allowing me the room to be wrong about these cases until I eventually divined the right permutation of terms and cracked the case. It was one of the most frustrating ends of a game ever, and I was enamored of the whole experience.
I bring up Case of the Golden Idol and this frustration because, overwhelmingly, many of 2024's best games provided me with that very same feeling. These stellar titles, like Animal Well, Rise of the Golden Idol, and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, are composed of what seems like countless of the most nefarious and confounding puzzles I've come across, some of which still vex and evade me to this day. And yet, despite that recurring headache--brought on by slamming my head into a proverbial wall over and over again--I wouldn't trade the experiences I had with them for anything.
I was wrong a lot in Rise of the Golden Idol, 2024's sequel to the aforementioned Case. I frequently confused names and aliases, and as the levels grew in scale (and the scenarios grew in complexity), I missed a lot of smaller details in the immaculately rendered environs that had been planted to provide insight and direction. I misunderstood the events of the game on numerous occasions, and was more surprised than usual at the revelations that were revealed by a level's end. Rise of the Golden Idol was thoroughly frustrating, and yet it's clearly one of the best games I've played all year because when I pushed it, it pushed back.
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At first glance, Crow Country is a nostalgia piece. It pulls on the horrific sprawl of Resident Evil, populating its theme-park setting with brain twisters and monsters contorting into human shapes. It borrows from the toy aesthetic of Final Fantasy VII, its characters rendered in blocky, plastic proportions like Playmobil. Yet, it's more than just a throwback, it lays bear the haunted roots of nostalgia culture.
Protagonist Mara Forest visited the titular theme park as a child, but it was not a happy experience. There, a strange man bit her and she gained some terminal illness, which is slowly killing her. She has returned to make things right, find out what happened, and stop it from happening again. She returns to what was, only fleetingly, a site of childhood joy. She finds death, its shadows, its echoes, its remnants.
Crow Country's entire setting is a place of childhood play. The park is clearly designed for small children. It lacks thrilling high-rise roller coasters and is instead populated by graveyard ghoulies, thicket mazes, and fairy-tale stage shows. It's all playful and encouraging. Even the "Haunted Hilltop" section of the park is more trick-or-treat than Horror Nights. But without the bustle of life--the parents and children to animate it--the park gains an eerie quality. This is not an original observation, of course. Theme parks are a common setting throughout horror, but Crow Country begins at the park's gates and ends when Mara leaves them once again. The whole game is enveloped by this childhood environment. It is in the contrast between the toy aesthetic and its eeriness--between theme park and haunted house--that Crow Country builds its horror.
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The best role-playing games are the ones that effortlessly transport you to faraway lands, and in 2024, there was no shortage of fantasy adventures in this genre. This is a category of video games that feature a lot of legacy titles and franchises, and 2024's best-reviewed RPGs pulled from several franchises like Dragon Age, Final Fantasy, and Trails.
In addition to those established heavyweights, we also got a new entry in the Like a Dragon series, Atlus releasing not one but three critically acclaimed games, and World of Warcraft kicking off a new golden age with its The War Within expansion. Thanks to our sister site Metacritic, we've rounded up the RPGs that received the highest Metascores in 2024 (as of December 5), and you can see them all for yourself in the list below.
For a look back at the year that was, you can also check out GameSpot's Best of 2024 hub for a detailed breakdown on why one RPG in particular was our best game of the year. We also have a running list of the best RPGs to play right now.
More Best Of 2024:
Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for what a video game expansion can be, as developer From Software crams an entire game's worth of content into this package. Improving on almost everything that made Elden Ring so brilliant when it was first released in 2022, Shadow of the Erdtree is a challenging and rewarding DLC that's a must-play for any FromSoft fan.
Metascore: 94 | Read our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review
Metaphor: ReFantazio is more than just Persona with a high-fantasy setting, as this Atlus game takes that familiar formula of time-management and turn-based combat, refining it into a thrilling tale of succession. A surprisingly flexible fantasy game with a well-realized cast of comrades, Metaphor: ReFantazio is also a reminder of how powerful and inspiring fiction can be in the real world with its poignant tale.
Metascore: 94 | Read our Metaphor ReFantazio review
The middle chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake saga continued this year with a new game that busted free from the confines of Midgar. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth admittedly does have a bad habit of throwing filler content at players just when the story heats up, but beyond that gripe, it's a beautiful and ambitious sequel that you can sink dozens of hours into while you learn more about its iconic cast of heroes and villains.
Metascore: 92 | Read our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth review
2020's Yakuza: Like a Dragon saw a seismic shift in the franchise's gameplay as it pivoted away from beat-'em-up action to turn-based combat. Infinite Wealth continues to strengthen its JRPG design while reveling in its absurdity and throwing an obscene amount of extra modes at players to try out. Combined with its engrossing story, it's another fun chapter in the saga of Ichiban Kasuga as he cements himself as the new face of the Like a Dragon series.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review
Nintendo has a knack for developing games that can stand the test of time, and thanks to some minor tweaks, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door feels just as good to play today as it did 20 years ago. The original game was ahead of its time with its delightful papercraft visuals, and this high-definition remake is a stunning return to Mario's turn-based glory years.
Metascore: 88 | Read our Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door review
Atlus delivered a one-two combo of games this year, and alongside the critically acclaimed Metaphor: ReFantazio, Persona 3 Reload introduced a brand-new audience to one of the best Persona games of all time. A remake that retains the soul of the original game while also modernizing it, Persona 3 Reload is the kind of game that asks you to dedicate many hours of your life to it. But in return? You're getting an exceptional story, decadent visuals, gripping gameplay, and a cool soundtrack to enhance the experience.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Persona 3 Reload review
Can you have too much of a good thing? Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance can easily consume dozens of your hours, leaving the rest of your life jealous of all the attention you're showering on this game. The third game in the hat trick pulled off by Atlus this year, SMTV: Vengeance is the original game but better. It has a ton of new content to play, the quality-of-life changes remove a lot of the game's grind, and on non-Nintendo platforms, it's a stylish riff on Pokemon with its demon-collecting focus.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance review
Warhammer 40k's space marines hogged the spotlight this year, but for anyone looking to explore a different side of this grimdark galaxy, Rogue Trader stands out as an alternative that you don't want to miss out on. A strategy-RPG boasting well over 100 hours of content, Rogue Trader gives players a deep story to explore, engrossing combat that'll keep you on your toes, and a new perspective on the merchants looking to eke out a living in a hostile universe. The Void Shadows expansion is even more of that good stuff, adding even more hours onto an already impressively lengthy game.
The best way to describe Unicorn Overlord is to call it a beautifully intricate tactical RPG. The complexity of its gameplay isn't for the faint of heart, but the sheer depth of it combined with its elegant high-fantasy art direction makes it hard to put down as each new discovery results in new options to use on the battlefield. That's the key takeaway from Unicorn Overlord, because if you're prepared to commit to it, you'll find a staggering amount of potential in this grand tale of magic and tactics.
Metascore: 86 | Read our Unicorn Overlord review
Arco has a cinematic flair to its pixel-art design, but if you need a more substantial reason to pick this gem up, then look no further than its innovative gameplay. A combination of real-time combat and turn-based, tactical planning, Arco brings together two genres into a fantastical world filled with hundreds of levels, enemies, skills, and llamas across its intertwined stories. On paper, this bullet-hellish game shouldn't work, but clever design choices by its developers help create brisk battles to savor in this RPG gem.
Dragon's Dogma 2 checks all the boxes for a grand RPG adventure, from powerful swords and sorcery skills to use to titanic clashes against powerful bosses, but the real charm of this game is revealed when you go off the beaten path. Like the best fantasy epics, Dragon's Dogma 2 gives players a world full of possibility to explore and forge their own legend in, creating some of the best escapist entertainment of the year.
Metascore: 86 | Read our Dragon's Dogma 2 review
The 10th expansion in World of Warcraft's decades-long history, War Within is also one of the MMORPG's best. Not only does it lay the foundation for a new saga that'll play out over the next couple of years, it also introduces major progression changes, new modes to draw in solo players, and new zones that you'll want to explore for hours on end.
Metascore: 85 | Read our World of Warcraft: The War Within review
The latest Shiren game doesn't rock the boat, as it sticks to the core gameplay loop of grid-based dungeons, taking on armies of enemies, and turn-based combat. There's a sense of comfortable familiarity with this new Shiren game, and alongside its roguelike direction and stylish design, it's surprisingly hard to put down as you plumb the depths of its challenging locations.
Several of the best RPGs of the year have introduced innovative new ideas to the genre, but if you're looking for something more classical, look no further than Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. A remake of the original 1988 game, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake benefits from Square-Enix's gorgeous HD-2D visuals, quality-of-life upgrades, and several other welcome modernization elements. It also makes this game a great entry-point for newcomers, as it's an uncomplicated and approachable session of old-fashioned JRPG goodness.
Metascore: 84 | Read our Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake review
Trails Through Daybreak continues to build Falcom's fantasy world, setting the stage for a new story arc while also serving as a decent point for newcomers to jump into. This entry in the series has rock-solid gameplay and well-written characters, with the combat benefitting from a substantial overhaul that makes it feel fresh and exciting for veterans to master.
Diablo has a long history of superb expansions, and considering just how good Diablo 4 was on launch day, Vessel of Hatred had a high benchmark to clear when it arrived earlier this year. Fortunately, the expansion lives up to expectations, delivering the exciting new Spiritborn class, a dungeon that'll push you to your limits, and several raid-like elements that shake up the Diablo formula. Alongside several major patches and updates introduced before Vessel of Hatred arrived, Diablo 4 is in a pretty great place right now thanks to content like this.
Metascore: 84 | Read our Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred review
After a rough couple of years, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a welcome reminder of just how good BioWare is at crafting single-player adventures. While it has its fair share of rough edges, The Veilguard sticks the landing with its satisfying combat mechanics, beautifully realized fantasy world, and a cast of legends to join you on your quest.
Metascore: 82 | Read our Dragon Age: The Veilguard review
To call Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms a Diablo-like with souls-like combat and Lord of the Rings-inspired storytelling would be an insultingly brief description of the game. While it wears its inspirations on its chainmail sleeves, Alaloth manages to successfully blend them into a captivating experience that mixes old-school designs with modern ideas.
Arranger is the kind of game that takes a single idea and manages to squeeze out an impressive amount of content from it. In this case, it's the idea of shifting rows and columns to get around maps in this role-playing puzzle game, a gameplay system that's ingeniously crafted and fun to master. Not just a joy to play, Arranger's cheerful visuals and charming tale of self-discovery make it one of 2024's highlights.
One of this year's biggest commercial hits, Black Myth: Wukong is an action-RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. Visually gorgeous and thrilling to play thanks to its well-balanced gameplay mechanics, GameScience makes an incredible first impression with its debut game.
Metascore: 81 | Read our Black Myth: Wukong review
A turn-based roguelike game isn't exactly a new idea, but Inkbound manages to take that fusion of genres and puts its own creative stamp on it with its complex gameplay systems. While that might be a turn-off for some, it's that complexity that makes Inkbound stand out from the pack, as it organically introduces new ideas so that you don't feel overwhelmed. With its colorful graphics and well-designed combat loop, it's the kind of RPG that'll keep you entertained if you're prepared to invest some time in it.
Some of the best role-playing games provide escapist fantasy that you can't find in any other genre, and Cat Quest 3 does a brilliant job in making you feel like a high-seas pirate who also happens to be a cat. It's cute, it frequently throws puns at you, and it looks like a high-budget Saturday morning cartoon come to life. What more could you ask for from a cat-themed game brimming with nautical themes?
Easily one of the best-looking RPGs of the year, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an adventure with a surprisingly tight and focused approach to storytelling. That streamlined narrative approach is a breath of fresh air compared to all the filler you'd typically find in other RPGs looking to pad out their runtime, and when combined with its slick combat, colorful cast, and deep gameplay, it's a fun RPG to pick up when you're looking for something that won't outstay its welcome.
On the other armored hand, Last Epoch is the kind of game you pick up if you feel like spending hundreds of hours inside of a trippy fantasy land full of time-bending storylines and the lure of shiny loot. Its gameplay packs a punch, and you can spend days fine-tuning your character thanks to the dozens of skills you can learn, as The Last Epoch community regularly uncovers new game-breaking builds. It also looks like a Hollywood fantasy movie in action, thanks to its beautifully designed worlds.
The latest entry in the longest-running Ys series is an RPG that's an action-packed blast of fun that mixes Viking-inspired combat with over-the-top combat. Ys X: Nordics encourages push-forward action, but in co-op, the game stands out thanks to its satisfying combo-attacks against a menagerie of monsters.
At long last, Quentin Tarantino's two-part Kill Bill saga is getting a 4K Blu-ray release alongside his cult-classic crime caper Jackie Brown. All three of these memorable Tarantino films are scheduled to release January 21 and are available to preorder now at Walmart and Amazon. Along with 4K Blu-ray discs, you'll get standard Blu-ray and digital versions of the movies.
At the moment, Walmart has the best price for each film, as you can preorder them for $28 each. Amazon's price for each is $43 at the moment, though it's not abnormal for Amazon to start Blu-ray preorders at retail price before dropping down to match Walmart. Both retailers have preorder guarantees, so you'll get the films for the lowest price offered from the time you order until your Tarantino films ship. Plus, you won't pay for the the movies until they ship.
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2024 was a year of surprise hits and critical flops for Sony and its PlayStation division, as games like Helldivers 2 and Astro Bot launched to critical acclaim while other projects like Concord were released to middling reviews and general player apathy.
While this year was also light on first-party exclusives, third-party studios came to the rescue with a selection of games covering multiple genres. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Stellar Blade were two notable examples of PS5-only games releasing this year--they're both headed to PC in 2025--while other studios released must-play titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio (our Game of the Year), Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and Silent Hill 2 on the Sony system.
Heck, even Microsoft wanted to attract a few PlayStation gamers to its brand, leading to former Xbox Series X|S exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves releasing on its gaming rival's hardware, which expanded this year with the release of the PS5 Pro console.
So which games were the most popular with critics? Thanks to GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, we've got a comprehensive list of the games that walked away with the highest aggregate scores (as of December 5), and overall, players couldn't get enough of JRPGs, puzzle games, metroidvanias and more.
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Like the best video game expansions, Shadow of the Erdtree uses Elden Ring as a foundation to create an even better adventure for returning players. Enhancing and refining the magic of the 2022 game, Shadow of the Erdtree invites players to explore a new realm that they'll never want to leave.
Metascore: 94 | Read our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review
Sony's first-party output has typically favored open-world games and those with mature themes, but Astro Bot is a breath of fresh air that'll appeal to anyone looking for a nostalgic return to simpler days. Not only is Astro Bot an exceptional platformer with an imaginative design, but it's also a delightful time capsule across multiple eras of PlayStation and a tribute to the lasting legacy of those influential adventures.
Metascore: 94 | Read our Astro Bot review
GameSpot's Game of the Year for 2024, Metaphor: ReFantazio is another gem from developer Atlus. It takes the basic framework of what you'd expect in a Persona game and streamlines it in numerous ways, with a thought-provoking story, lovable characters, and some of the best turn-based RPG combat ever. It's a winning formula that is well worth the time investment.
Metascore: 94 | Read our Metaphor: ReFantazio review
Do you think you have what it takes to commit some regicide and not ask any questions? That's the core premise of Slay the Princess, a game of time loops, twists, and murder most foul presented as a visual novel that never tells the same story twice. The Pristine Cut further polishes that experience, complementing its clever writing and excellent voice acting with even more content, thoughtful tweaks, and hundreds of new frames of handcrafted art.
Metascore: 92 | Read our Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut review
Final Fantasy VII Remake set up an intriguing premise, both paying homage to the original while representing a very conscious break from it. Rebirth, the second installment in a planned trilogy, carries that idea forward, with new revelations, a vastly expanded world, and refined combat mechanics.
Metascore: 92 | Read our Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review
A hilarious indie mash-up, Dave the Diver combines a deep-sea exploring action game with the madcap flurry of games like Diner Dash. You spend your days delving deeper into the briny waters to catch fish and nights working and managing a burgeoning sushi restaurant, only to spend your profits on better gear and do it all over again. It's a compelling mix of gameplay elements that's hard to put down.
The Final Shape had a challenging task to accomplish, as it had to serve as the culmination of the story that has been told since the beginning of the first Destiny a decade ago. Miraculously, it pulled that off, tying up much of the story in a satisfying way by focusing on the characters we've built relationships with over these years and offering an exciting new subclass and systems to engage with. The new Pale Heart location is great fun to explore and filled with mysteries to uncover, the new Dread enemies consistently mix up combat encounters, and quality-of-life improvements make for the best Destiny experience to date.
Metascore: 90 | Read our Destiny 2: The Final Shape review
Balatro is the embodiment of "just one more round" energy thanks to its killer combo of poker and roguelite gameplay mechanics. Easy to pick up, challenging to master, and undeniably hard to put down, it takes the best ideas from poker and repurposes them into one of the best puzzle games of the year. Sure, you're going to need to often cheat your way into a winning hand, but the euphoria that comes from successfully holding the right cards in a high-stakes game is an unbeatable feeling in Balatro.
Metascore: 90 | Read our Balatro review
The best video games live rent-free in your head long after the end credits have rolled, and four years after it first released, it's still almost impossible to serve The Last of Us Part 2 an eviction notice. How much of a difference does this remastered version make to an already-brilliant game? Plenty, as not only does the game look phenomenal, but it benefits from several new features that helps to solidify The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered as a modern-day masterpiece. Come for the gripping story and polished gameplay, stick around for the guitar hero mode, lost levels, and a roguelite mode that'll make you sweat buckets.
Metascore: 90 | Read our The Last of Us Part 2 review
Tekken 8 plays like the kind of game that you'd happily sacrifice all your quarters to at an arcade. It looks amazing in action as you watch an international roster of fighters pop muscles and faces, the aggressive nature of its gameplay makes every match exciting, and the campaign mode is essentially Succession with a drastic increase in roundhouse kicks.
Metascore: 90 | Read our Tekken 8 review
Doubling down on the RPG gameplay mechanics introduced in the previous game, Infinite Wealth introduced welcome changes and tweaks to its turn-based combat. Combined with a gripping story and an absurd amount of extra content, this year's Like a Dragon is a confident sequel and a passing of the torch as it continues to pave the way for a new era in the franchise.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review
After helping create the metroidvania genre, the Castlevania series moved into portable entries like the celebrated Aria of Sorrow. The Dominus Collection brings together the three Nintendo DS entries--Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia--making them easily playable for the first time in years. It's a ton of Castlevania action in one place and comes with the arcade reimagining Haunted Castle to boot.
Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen these days, but Animal Well stands out from the pack with the sheer genius of its design. Loaded with mysteries and captivatingly strange, it's the kind of game you want to go into as blindly as possible so that you can savor just how deep its metaphorical--and actual--well truly is.
Metascore: 88 | Read our Animal Well review
Xbox and PC gamers already knew just how good Hi-Fi Rush was, and thanks to a new multi-platform strategy at Microsoft, PS5 owners got to share in on that fun in 2024. Essentially Scott Pilgrim meets Devil May Cry, Hi-Fi Rush is still a captivating blast of action and rhythm that's complemented by a curated playlist of certified bangers. On PS5, Hi-Fi Rush benefits from a year's worth of gameplay fine-tuning and new modes that were added after launch, making this a beautifully crafted celebration of music that's full of personality.
Metascore: 88 | Read our Hi-Fi Rush review
Persona 3 Reload is a welcome return to the game that defined the modern format of the popular Persona series. Persona 3 has a real edge to it that subsequent games arguably do not, and Reload brings both visual improvements and some quality-of-like changes--along with availability on modern platforms--that all make it an easy recommendation in 2024.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Persona 3 Reload review
Shin Megami Tensei has always been a core pillar for Atlus, and with the Vengeance edition of the fifth mainline game, that series feels stronger than ever. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance isn't just a game that looks and performs better on new platforms; it's an impressive rethink of its source material that smooths over rough spots, adds several clever quality-of-life upgrades, and a substantial chunk of new story content to experience.
Metascore: 87 | Read our Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance review
Prince of Persia reinvents itself yet again as a metroidvania, but this is far from a paint-by-numbers imitator. The Lost Crown boasts refined combat that's only augmented by the rich suite of traversal abilities you obtain, along with smart and innovative quality-of-life features.
Metascore: 86 | Read our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review
Spin Rhythm XD is a wonderful return to the glory days of rhythm games, but with its own distinct twist on the expected timing-based gameplay. As the name suggests, you'll spin a wheel in order to match up colors with tiles coming down the track, which can lead to a sort of zen-like state that the best rhythm games can provide. With support for an optional VR mode, you have additional ways to play an exhilarating experience.
Unquestionably the Silent Hill series' high point, the 2001 original Silent Hill 2 certainly shows its age these days--both in its visuals and game mechanics. Developer Bloober Team managed to completely remake the game for a new generation of players, with modern visuals, an over-the-shoulder gameplay style, and, crucially, the same scares and storyline you'd expect from the horror masterpiece. Silent Hill 2 is so tense that it's easy to feel a sense of dread overwhelm you even when no enemies are present, and we'd pack a few spare pairs of underwear before making this trip.
Metascore: 86 | Read our Silent Hill 2 review
Some games can make you feel like you're running around like a headless chicken because of poor design choices or unclear direction. Others do it on purpose. Dragon's Dogma 2 is a single-player action-RPG, but Capcom's massively successful game takes many of its best ideas from MMOs. You cannot defeat most of the game's toughest challenges by yourself, and it's up to you to recruit a squad of effective Pawns--both from chance encounters in the world and from other players' games--in order to stand a chance. It can often feel like you stumbled your way into victory rather than carrying out a carefully constructed plan, but that's the beauty of it.
Metascore: 86 | Read our Dragon's Dogma 2 review
It's hard to believe that Braid was first released 16 years ago, but time hasn't dulled the appeal of one of the greatest platforming-puzzle games of all time. Its anniversary edition is a must-play for anyone looking to revisit this masterpiece, as the new collection of levels, exquisite visuals, and a completely remixed soundtrack make it an essential classic.
If there's a running theme with PS5 releases this year, it's that remasters have been a major focus for Sony in 2024. Horizon Zero Dawn was already a fun game, but with this new coat of ultra-high-definition paint, the game looks better than ever. Mechanically, it's still the same game, but it's the visual changes across the board that help elevate the first Horizon game into an experience that you'd happily leave running in the background when you feel like showing off your new PS5 Pro console or OLED TV.
Metascore: 85 | Read our Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered review
The first DLC pack for Alan Wake 2 is quite unlike the rest of the game, and it also doesn't advance the story in any way; for that, you'll want to play DLC 2, The Lake House. But Night Springs nonetheless serves as a fun diversion from the ongoing story, being composed of three standalone episodes in which you'll play as stand-ins for other Remedy characters and explore some alternative and very meta worlds, all through the guise of episodes of the Warlin Door-hosted TV show Night Springs.
Square Enix's HD-2D visual style--first seen in Octopath Traveler--has been used to great effect in brand-new RPGs, but it can be just as effective for breathing new life into classic games. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is, as the name suggests, a full-on remake of the classic '80s game, complete with a new character class focused on capturing monsters. It's hard to deny just how well the HD-2D style works for the game's pixel-art visuals, and it gives younger players a chance to experience the classic game like older players remembered it, rather than how it actually was.
Metascore: 84 | Read our Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake review
One of 2022's best games only just released on PS5 in January 2024, but it's every bit as worth playing now as it was previously. Immortality takes the form of an unusual game in which you'll discover and piece together footage from live-action films and behind-the-scenes clips by selecting objects within those videos to jump to related ones. What ensues is a mind-warping, non-linear puzzle as you seek to discover what happened to a fictional actress and uncover numerous surprises--be sure to avoid finding out much in advance of playing, as it's a game best played knowing very little about what's to come.
Metascore: 84 | Read our Immortality review
Sometimes the most-captivating game isn't one that's flexing radical gameplay or graphical engines that are almost indistinguishable from reality. The games that have a defined sense of whimsy and personality can easily reach the same heights as a AAA blockbuster, and Thank Goodness You're Here is a prime example. More British than being told to keep a stiff upper lip during hard times, it's a short-and-sweet "slapformer" that goes all in on its premise, delivering comedy gold with its absurdist sense of humor and gleefully weird visuals.
Metascore: 84 | Read our Thank Goodness You're Here review
A Metacritic list looking at the best of the year just wouldn't be complete without some Trails representation, and on PS5, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is waving that flag. One of the best entries in the series for newcomers to hop into, Trails Through Daybreak is a surprisingly mature and nuanced action-RPG thanks to its gripping story. Revamped combat systems and colorful anime-inspired visuals add to its appeal, as players fight to save a nation from descending into chaos.
As a genre, horror isn't always so beginner-friendly, but Fear the Spotlight is a game that helps address that. On the surface, it's a retro-style ghost story with Clinton-era visuals and classic Silent Hill and Resident Evil gameplay mechanics. But its under-the-radar best attribute is how it's an experience that doesn't ever get too scary. It makes for a great gateway horror for players looking to dip their toes in the genre's waters, but its tale is interesting enough for veterans, too. It's split into two campaigns, and the second one is definitely creepier, but by then you'll be a serious ghosthunter, unafraid of what lurks in the shadows… right?
Metascore: 84 | Read our Fear The Spotlight review
Video game adaptations are rapidly becoming Hollywood's next big Marvel move, with multiple, decent adaptations releasing every year now (we're not going to talk about Borderlands). Director Tim Miller (Deadpool; Love, Death & Robots), however, puts this trend to the test in a very interesting way: Instead of using source material from one property, why not create an anthology series featuring multiple--and seemingly, extremely random--IPs as a love letter to the industry itself? That's exactly what Secret Level attempts to do.
Secret Level is Amazon Prime Video's new animated anthology series where each episode is an interesting, original take on a different video game franchise. Some episodes were highly anticipated as they feature some historically iconic properties such as Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Warhammer 40K, while other segments focus on properties so odd, they can seem like some sort of weird advertisement or make you think, "Who is this even for?" For a series that celebrates the rich storytelling in video games, why have episodes featuring games that aren’t even playable? Yes, we are looking at you, Exodus and Concord.
As expected with an anthology series, each episode is very hit or miss. Tim Miller's unique visual direction is showcased throughout the whole series, but the biggest obstacle for Secret Level is the short format. Every episode is between 5-17 minutes if you exclude the intro and credits, which is not nearly enough time to explore the rich stories video games have to offer. Some episodes manage to please the audience with short segments packed with gorgeous visuals, action, and character-focused moments, while others feel unnecessary and empty, like those cinematic gameplay trailers that leaves the player thinking, "Oh that's cool, but where's the gameplay?" Anyone who is a connoisseur of storytelling in games should not expect episodes to have vast lore with highly satisfying endings, or convince viewers to play the games themselves. The best way to experience Secret Level is to go into it with little expectation or connections and think of each segment as a small homage to the source material.
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The Amazon Luna cloud-streaming service is an awesome choice for anyone who wants to game without the need for expensive consoles or gaming PCs. If you've recently joined the service, we've put together this guide filled with tips to optimize your experience, as well as game recommendations to check out.
Before diving in, if you're new to Amazon Luna or need a refresher on how to sign up, be sure to check out our previous guide that explains what Amazon Luna is and how to use it. Now, let's explore how to enhance your cloud-gaming sessions and highlight our recommendation of must-play titles on Amazon Luna.
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 just hit theaters, but like usual with new movie releases, you can already preorder the upcoming physical edition on 4K Blu-ray. And if you already own steelbooks for the first two Sonic movies and the Knuckles miniseries, you can complete your set by preordering Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Limited Edition Steelbook on 4K Blu-ray for $45 at Amazon or Walmart. Sonic 3 is also available on 4K without a steelbook as well as on standard 1080p Blu-ray and DVD.
There’s a lot that’s yet to be revealed about Sonic the Hedgehog 3's physical edition release, including a release date and list of special features. The movie will likely release in about three months. Just like Sonic 1 and 2, we'd expect to see a slew of behind-the-scenes featurettes as bonus features. We'll update this story once bonus content is unveiled.
For now, we know that opting for the Limited Edition Steelbook will get you a steelbook case, 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray discs, and a voucher for the digital version of the movie.
The steelbook case design hasn't been unveiled. The image shown above is the sleeve for the non-steelbook edition of the 4K release.
Amazon and Walmart both offer preorder price guarantees. You won't be charged until your order ships, and you will only pay the lowest price offered between the time you preorder and release. We'd expect the price of Sonic 3's Limited Edition Steelbook to drop in the coming days/weeks.
If you don't have any interest in steelbook cases, the 4K release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is up for preorder for $36 at Amazon and Walmart. The standard 4K release also includes Blu-ray and digital versions of Sonic 3.
Preorders for the 1080p Blu-ray edition aren't available yet, but the DVD release is available to order for $26 at Amazon.
If you need to catch up on the action before seeing Sonic 3 or need to complete your collection of Sonic steelbooks, Amazon has the first two movies and Paramount's Knuckles miniseries for great prices right now. You can get Sonic the Hedgehog's 2-Movie Steelbook Collection on 4K Blu-ray for only $29. Unfortunately, Knuckles didn't receive a 4K release, but the Blu-ray Steelbook Edition of Knuckles is available for only $23 at Amazon, which is the best price we've seen since its release.
Sonic fans can also save on Blu-ray and DVD releases of the Blue Blur's animated TV series. Most notably, you can get a nice discount on the 1993 series, which was the first adaptation for Sega's now-iconic mascot. Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series is on sale for $39 (was $60). This collection includes all 65 episodes on Blu-ray (in standard definition).
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Several Cormac McCarthy novels have been adapted into films, but few were as well-received as No Country for Old Men. It earned an impressive 92 Metascore and universal acclaim when it hit theaters in 2007--and now you can add the film to your home theater with the newly released No Country for Old Men: The Criterion Collection 4K Blu-ray. The unique collection just launched on December 10, yet it’s already seeing an enticing price cut to $28 (was $50).
This collection includes both 4K and standard Blu-ray versions of the film. The 4K digital master was supervised by Roger Deakins (director of photography), ensuring it’s faithful to its original format. It also supports Dolby Vision HDR. On the standard Blu-ray disc, you’ll find a long list of special features, including interviews with Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, along with a behind-the-scenes documentary by Brolin. A standard Blu-ray version of the film is also available for the same price.
Regardless of which version you pick up, you'll get a long list of bonus features. Here’s a closer look at everything packed inside.
No Country for Old Men: The Criterion Collection Bonus Features:
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Since it's the festive season, Epic is once again giving away a free game every day. The Epic Games Store continues to give away a free game each week, and this week is another nice find with a price that can't be beaten. Every Thursday at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET, Epic offers at least one free PC game (and sometimes even as many as two or three). All you need to do to claim the free games is create a free Epic account and enable two-factor authentication. You have a week to add the freebies to your library before the new one(s) take their place. At this point, Epic has given away hundreds of free games, and there's no sign that the program will stop any time soon. We keep this article up to date weekly to highlight both the current free games and next week's offerings.
Today you can grab an upgrade with Dark and Darker: Legendary Status. This is an expansion to Dark and Darker--a free-to-play multiplayer dungeon-crawler--that upgrades a player's account to Legendary status and gives them access to several exclusive perks.
Throughout the year, we've seen fascinating games that put novel twists on genres, but sometimes, you just want to sit back and enjoy some action. Shooters remain a popular choice for blowing off some steam, and in 2024, we got a healthy mix of new first- and third-person shooter games entering the scene.
According to GameSpot sister site Metacritic, new IPs were plentiful in this genre. Sure, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was a shoe-in, but according to the list below, we also got brand-new titles like I Am Your Beast, Anger Foot, and Children of the Sun to introduce some gung-go gunplay to their audiences. We've gathered up all of the best-reviewed games that feature shooting as a key mechanic (as of December 5) and listed them below, and you can scroll down to see which games filled that primal urge to go loud in these action-packed adventures.
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Kill Knight is one of the purest action games of the year, an old-school journey into hell that is unrelenting and incredibly challenging to play. Its core gameplay loop isn't for the faint of heart as it seldom takes its foot off the gas pedal, throwing hordes of demons at you in your quest to reduce the underworld population to single-digit numbers. With its Brutalist art style, pulse-pounding soundtrack, and an arsenal of weapons that adds to its replayability, you can bank on having a hell of a good time.
The culmination of a decade's worth of storytelling, fine-tuning, and experimentation, Destiny 2: The Final Shape made players feel like apex predators as they brought the Light and Darkness Saga to a close. Mechanically, Destiny 2 has never felt better as its slick gunplay was enhanced by a suite of new powers and abilities that turned players into sci-fi gunslingers who could topple would-be gods. It's that marriage of traditional first-person action with a polished power fantasy, challenging showdowns, and some of the best weapons around that made for a fitting finale to one of gaming's longest-running storylines.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Destiny 2: The Final Shape review
A gauntlet of corridor shootouts, robotic overlords leeching dopamine from a captive audience, and a countdown to carnage makes for a memorable blast of fun in Mullet Madjack. The kind of game that's at its best when you soak up its stylish and dystopian destruction in short bursts, Mullet Madjack keeps you on your toes with its premise of only having a few seconds to live between kills and its satirical take on streamer culture.
What happens when you mix the 360-degree firepower of Geometry Wars with Zelda-like exploration? You get Minishoot Adventures, a charming adventure that feels consistently satisfying to play. It's not a complex game, but there's beauty in simplicity with this twin-stick shooter, elements that feel amplified by its polished gameplay, and fast-paced action.
Like the best boomer-shooters, Forgive Me Father 2 offers everything that fans expect from this growing genre: hordes of enemies to mow down with brutally satisfying gunplay, a relentless pace that'll leave your armpits soaked with concentration-perspiration, and challenging foes that'll require you to evolve your tactics. A Lovecraftian horror experience brought to life with a beautifully illustrated sense of style, it's also got one of the best soundtracks of the year that you can headbang to while you take on Cthulu's minions.
Call of Duty's gunplay evolved this year, as the new omnimovement system gave every player the potential to unleash their inner John Wick. Combined with a single-player campaign that channels Cold War-era energy into an action-flick experience, a multiplayer mode that makes the usual refinements, and a Zombies campaign that feels more exciting than ever, and there's enough gung-ho content here to keep you entertained for hours on end.
Metascore: 83: Read our Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies reviews.
There's a caveat here with V Rising, as the open-world vampire game doesn't explicitly focus on shooting. Instead, it's an option that you can choose to invest in, a possible path that is surprisingly fun if you choose it, making the survival-focused gameplay feel great as you specialize in long-distance offense. The rest of the game is bloody good as well, especially if you're looking to become a vampire lord of legend now that V Rising is out of early access.
Sorry We're Closed has solid arcade-influenced shooting, but the main draw with this adventure is its story. It has a delightfully nostalgic aesthetic that harkens back to PlayStation-era survival-horror games, a fascinating storyline with multiple entries, and unsettling monsters to try out some cool demonic weapons on.
Imagine Starship Troopers meets Warhammer 40K, and you'd have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Helldivers 2. One of the biggest surprises of 2024, Helldivers 2 has been an adrenaline rush of chaotic co-op fun and gung-ho action. Best experienced with friends, the Arrowhead-developed game has been praised for its consistent cadence of content and over-the-top firepower that turns every battle into a highlight reel of memes and explosions.
Metascore: 82 | Read our Helldivers 2 review
From the opening level, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 lets you know exactly what you've signed up for: unrelenting and brutally satisfying action featuring the burliest of Ultramarines as they send heretical scum back to the foul warp that spawned them. It's a game that doesn't try to rewrite the grimdark book on action, instead focusing on what made the original Space Marine game so beloved in the first place. Not only does it nail the fundamentals of in-your-face action and enhance it with some delicious ultraviolence and indulgent finishers, but it looks amazing and feels consistently satisfying to play across its meaty campaign.
Metascore: 82 | Read our Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 review
We've seen quite a few games mix bullets and beats, and this little gem is a fine example of EDM: electronic dance murder. A killer soundtrack coupled with a rich variety of guns and a core gameplay loop that offers solid gunplay makes Robobeat a rhythmic thrill, although the game can be unforgiving until you find your groove.
The best sniper games build up to the moment where you squeeze a trigger and deposit a bullet into a poor sap's cranium, but Children of the Sun takes that idea further by turning that pivotal moment into a violent puzzle game. It's a stylish puzzle-shooter that shoots to thrill with its supernatural themes and digestible runtime.
Metascore: 81 | Read our Children of the Sun review
It turns out that Helldivers 2 isn't the only game with solid gameplay and legions of insect-themed enemies to use for target practice, as Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is a fun--and weird--new entry in the series. The spin-off is EDF at a more approachable level, while also reveling in its absurd premise by giving you strange characters to play as, a bug-filled toybox to play in, and plenty of cool weapons to keep things entertaining.
The roguelike and first-person shooter genres aren't strangers to each other, and while we've seen a fair number of fusions between these two over the years, Deadlink puts a clever spin on this formula. While it nails the roguelike fundamentals within its FPS design, the emphasis on player skill within meat-grinder levels and harmonizing that frantic action with special skills that complement the Doom-inspired gunplay makes for a thrilling game.
Another novel fusion of genres, Zero Sievert blends the sweat-inducing tension of an extraction shooter with roguelike themes and a top-down perspective. Death is a constant companion in this game as you attempt to complete quests and make it home with some sweet loot, and don't be too surprised if this humble-looking indie game keeps you awake until the early hours of the morning thanks to its engaging and deep design.
The PlayStation VR 2 library has been steadily increasing with quality first-person shooters lately, and you can add Vertigo 2 to that list. It's surprisingly big, the gunplay feels fulfilling, and it has a wonderfully cheeky sense of humor. Throw in secret-filled levels that you'll want to revisit so that you can sharpen your skills, and you've got a terrific VR game to spend a few afternoons with.
Speed, reflexes, and on-the-fly improvisation are the highlights of I Am Your Beast, a fast-paced revenge-thriller from the makers of El Paso, Nowhere. The cel-shaded action game is delightfully violent, giving players well-crafted gauntlets to work their merciless magic through. Powered by one of the best soundtracks of the year, it's a short and rewarding game to spend an afternoon with.
Not to be confused with the other MechWarrior 5 game that released several years ago, MechWarrior 5: Clans is a nostalgic back-to-basics return for the series. There's a strong single-player campaign on offer, hulking mechs to master, and a vast selection of customization options that you can easily spend hours playing around with in this new highpoint for the franchise.
Violently putting a boot to the ass of crime, Anger Foot doesn't mess around as it throws you into a world of cartoonish carnage. Essentially the danger of Hotline Miami mixed with the exhilarating speed and first-person perspective of Neon White, Anger Foot is brutally challenging but also incredibly satisfying when you nail a perfect run through its well-constructed levels. With a solid grasp of the fundamentals and a chunky arsenal of weapons to master, you'll get a kick out of this game.
Mechwarrior 5: Clans isn't the only shooter game featuring mechs, as Megaton Musashi W: Wired is another dive into giant robot fun. The difference here? An anime-inspired approach, full of flashy attacks, imaginative mecha designs, and big boss fights. Throw in a few guest appearances from classic mecha anime like Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Combattler V, and Voltes V, and you've got a stylish action game to enjoy.
A massive departure from Splatoon 3's PvP-focused fun, Side Order is an experimental detour into roguelike territory for the series. While there's room for improvement, this single-player DLC is still a ton of fun thanks to its imaginative new enemy designs and exciting abilities as you work to bring color back to the Splatlands.
Metascore: 78 | Read our Splatoon 3 review
A long, long time ago, Star Wars: Dark Forces was all the rage thanks to its Doom-inspired gunplay and an original story that took you behind the scenes of the Original Trilogy. Nightdive has done a fine job in giving this 1995 classic the glow-up it deserves and working in multiple nuanced tweaks under the hood of this aging shooter, while also adding revamped cutscenes and plenty of extra content to resurrect this classic Star Wars game for new audiences.
The original Arizona Sunshine was a very good excuse to invest in a virtual-reality headset almost a decade ago, and this remake is a reminder of just how magical the original zombie-shooting experience was. You've got the original game, enhanced by all the improvements of its sequel and finished off with a combo of grotesquely gorgeous graphics and several gameplay updates, making one of the best VR games around even better.
Opinions might vary on whether or not The Callisto Protocol managed to recapture the essence of Dead Space when it was first released, but that game did manage to create a fascinating new galaxy of terror to explore. Redacted also does just that, as developer Striking Distance Studios puts a fresh new spin on the IP with a twin-stick shooter that takes a lot of inspiration from Supergiant's roguelike masterpiece Hades. The end result is a colorful and challenging game, full of gruesome enemies, intense action, and several interesting twists on the roguelike formula.
Metascore: 77 | Read our Redacted review
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is on sale for $38 (was $70) and comes with a free steelbook case at Best Buy as part of the retailer's 12 Days of Gaming holiday promotion. This is the final, 12th day of the event, and Best Buy is bringing it to a close with a bunch of game deals, including Dragon Age: The Veilguard for $43 (was $70) and Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for $35 (was $50). These deals expire tonight, December 20, at 10 PM PT.
During The Game Awards, Square Enix announced that Rebirth will be available on PC starting January 23. The PC port will have improved lighting and enhanced textures as well as support for DLSS and VRR.
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It's the season of giving, and Steam has a free gift up for grabs to keep you entertained over the holidays.
Distant Space 2 is a 2D arcade shooter set in--you guessed it--distant space, and is currently available for anyone to claim for free on Steam. A sequel to the original Space Distant, developer PixelMouse aptly describes the game as "an indirect continuation of the first part" that features "more dynamic gameplay."
Distant Space 2 challenges players to pilot a spaceship through 26 levels of enemies, including three special boss ships, which PixelMouse says are especially challenging. On the bright side, players can find unique weapons by destroying and looting enemy ships, which will make those boss fights a little less daunting.
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