Last year, in the midst of a loaded holiday season filled with franchise hits, players were quick to declare 2023 the best year for games since 2017. That may very well have been true thanks to titles like Alan Wake 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and our own Game of the Year winner, Baldur’s Gate 3. So I am not speaking lightly when I say that I truly believe that 2024 blew it out of the water.
That may sound absurd depending on what kinds of games you gravitate toward. Yes, for those who enjoy big-budget titles exclusively, 2024 could be viewed as underwhelming. It didn’t include a wealth of franchise heavy hitters, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth standing out as the big exception. Aside from that highlight, it was a niche year for blockbusters. RPG fans had plenty to enjoy thanks to hits like Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Astro Bot was this year’s charmer in lieu of a killer Nintendo app. If you’re the kind of person who thinks that Black Myth: Wukong was one of the year’s only solid games, I understand the disappointment.
But we’re currently in an era of gaming where it is imperative to broaden your horizons beyond glitzy spectacle. That’s not just because AAA game development is a bursting bubble, one that resulted in several flops and gut-wrenching layoffs throughout the year, though that’s probably the main reason you should support smaller, more sustainable projects. Beyond those existential reasons though, 2024 served as another reminder that gaming’s brightest ideas tend to happen on an independent level these days.
I’d wager that most people arguing that this year marked a down period for new releases didn’t dive into the thought-provoking 1000xResist, enjoy the tactical battles of Arco, or witness the existential horror of Mouthwashing. Those are just three examples of some of gaming’s brightest moments this year and, yet, the field was so competitive that none of them made our top 10 list this year. Were we to make a top 50, it likely wouldn’t look too different from a list of our favorite games of the 2020s so far.
After a lot of tough deliberation, these games were the ones that Digital Trends felt stuck out most in 2024. It’s an eclectic list that includes everything from a VR surprise that was mocked when it was first revealed to a left-field roguelike from a single developer that defied all odds. If you found yourself disappointed by games in 2024, but don’t recognize half the games on this list, consider this an invitation to try something new. We believe you’ll find what you’re looking for if you’re willing to veer off the beaten path. ~ Giovanni Colantonio, Senior Gaming Editor
10. Dungeons of Hinterberg
Two pieces of media this year gave us thorough discussions of tourism and its impact on small towns. One was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, a grounded Japanese film about a proposed glamping site outside of a quiet village. The other is Dungeons of Hinterberg, Microbird Games’ fantastical debut game about magical dungeons sprouting up around the Alps. Those two may seem worlds apart in tone, but both approach the same subject matter using the language of their respective mediums to their advantage. For Dungeons of Hinterberg, that means turning The Legend of Zelda’s vision of adventure into a tourist fantasy that fundamentally changes life for a tiny town turned corporatized attraction. It’s one of 2024’s most nuanced video game stories, and one that’s only made better by ingenious puzzle design, smooth combat, and a social system that gives players a closer look into how life in Hinterberg is changing — for better and worse. ~ Giovanni Colantonio
9. Helldivers 2
For the first half of 2024, you couldn’t go to any gaming corner of the internet without seeing, hearing, or reading something about Helldivers 2. And unlike some other viral games from 2024, Helldivers 2 was innovative and revelatory enough to live up to that popularity. Helldivers 2 is a master class in emergent game design as it lets players loose to brutally fight aliens and robots as part of a communitywide macro campaign to save Super Earth. It deftly creates a strong sense of community and tons of hilarious, clip-worthy moments while also getting its hooks deep enough in players to keep them coming back for more. While the honeymoon phase of Helldivers 2 is certainly over, it’s still one of the defining games of this year. ~ Tomas Franzese
8. Batman: Arkham Shadow
I have the biggest smile on my face whenever I play Batman: Arkham Shadow — and no, it’s not because I’ve inhaled the Joker’s toxic laughing gas. It’s because Camouflaj achieved what every superhero game wants to do: make the player feel like a superhero. While that’s a cliché at this point, every part of Arkham Shadow‘s design works together to heighten the fantasy of playing as Gotham’s Caped Crusader while honoring mechanics established in Rocksteady’s series. Delivering a one-two-three punch to an enemy goon or hanging from a gargoyle to execute a stealth takedown in VR is something I never knew I wanted. Every time I do it, I can’t help but smile like I’m Batman’s greatest foe. This is the greatest VR game available on Meta Quest headsets. It offers a standout Batman narrative and gameplay experience, joining a long line of iconic Batman video games. ~ Tomas Franzese
7. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
One of the first high-profile games to launch this year was also among its best. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown returned the franchise Jordan Mechner created to its 2D roots while embracing a now well-trodden Metroidvania formula. Ubisoft Montpellier also just happened to create the best game in the genre since Metroid Dread. The Lost Crown’s map is vast, but gameplay mechanics like Memory Shards make it impossible to get lost and easy to remember where you want to use a new ability or skill. Combat is slick, and The Lost Crown’s platforming challenges rival those found in games like Celeste. With a time-bending story as the cherry on top, The Lost Crown was the grand return the Prince of Persia series needed. It’s a shame Ubisoft broke this development team up, as I would have loved to have seen what they could make together next. ~ Tomas Franzese
6. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
By this point, most people know the dark twist at the center of 1997’s Final Fantasy VII. It’s so famous that it has its own Easter egg in Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph. Rather than trying to hide that moment in the second part of its remake trilogy, Square Enix confronts it head-on in the deceptively complex Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Though it presents itself as a more straightforward remake than its meta predecessor, that’s a bit of a red herring. Rebirth very much plays with its dramatic irony, asking whether or not Cloud and company can stop gaming’s most traumatic moment. Rather than giving an easy answer, Rebirth builds toward a complicated meditation on grief. Can we really change the inevitable even if we aren’t bound by destiny? And if we can’t, does that mean we’ve failed? Those are thorny questions that have given Rebirth’s ending a polarizing reception. Look below its surface, though, and you’ll find a thoughtful road map for how to keep fighting in the face of failure. ~ Giovanni Colantonio
5. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess’ title might be a mouthful — and its mix of tower defense, action, and strategy gameplay might be a lot to take in at first — but once everything clicks, this Capcom game is absolutely wonderful. It oozes with style, featuring a vibrant painterly art style and a fascinating story that feels like uncovering some lost Japanese folklore. It’s a thrill to place and command units as hordes of Seethe rush through Torii gates and toward the maiden players are guiding through each stage. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess displays how important it is that developers, even at big companies with well-known franchises like Capcom, must still explore unique ideas and strive for originality with every game they make. ~ Tomas Franzese
4. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
To write anything at all about Simogo’s Lorelei and the Laser Eyes feels like a betrayal. The astounding puzzle game, which draws inspiration from a long lineage of games from 3D Monster Maze to Resident Evil, works best as a total mystery. Its eerie story about an eccentric Italian film director and the assistant called in to wrangle his vision is as twisted as its brain-busting puzzles. Every time you try to crack what it’s all about, a new lock appears. It’s maddening, but that’s the point. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes plays with the complicated interplay between truth and fiction, and how eager we are to blur the lines between the two to find easy answers where there are none. Or at least that’s my own read on it, and it’s by no means a definitive one. The true experience is in diving into a box of shattered glass and reconstructing the shards in a way that makes sense to your perspective. It’s a hall of funhouse mirrors where every warped reflection is a fair reflection of reality in its own way. ~ Giovanni Colantonio
3. Balatro
Balatro is the best roguelike since Hades and the best card game since Go Fish. With just a basic understanding of poker hands, anyone can enjoy Balatro as they try to get the highest number of points they can with each hand they play. Its trippy aesthetics will pull you in, but the drive to create the perfect deck of cards and lineup of Jokers will keep you playing for hours. I’ve even seen people who don’t play many video games, like my father, get hypnotized by Balatro’s twist on card game and roguelike mechanics. Now that it’s on mobile, it’s impossible to escape the game’s thrall. Balatro is timeless in a way that I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s played for more years to come than any other game on this list. ~ Tomas Franzese
2. UFO 50
Some games can only be described as a flex. These are rare moments where a skilled developer shows up with a left-field marvel so impressive that it’s hard to wrap one’s head around how it came to be. That’s the case with UFO 50, which may go down as the decade’s greatest flex when all is said and done. The package contains 50 original retro games that pay tribute to the 8-bit era, all made by a small team led by Spelunky visionary Derek Yu. It’s not that the games in the collection are all fantastic. Many of them are; some individual games would have been in this top 10 if we were ranking each game separately. What’s more astounding is the big picture of it all, as UFO 50 creates an experimental period piece about gaming’s most creatively energized era. It’s a celebration of the hunt for new ideas in uncharted waters, something that big-budget gaming seemed to struggle with this year while indies forged new paths forward. ~ Giovanni Colantonio
1. Astro Bot
It’s so easy to pass Astro Bot off as a safe and easy game of the year pick. Of course, the Digital Trends staff would all agree on the most pound-for-pound fun game released this year, a landmark 3D platformer that even dethrones Mario from his long-held seat of power. But writing Astro Bot off as nothing more than empty fun would be reductive. At their heart, video games are about play. That doesn’t inherently have to mean fun, but the special part of the experience comes from controlling a digital space and giving in to the curiosity that comes with it.
To that end, Astro Bot stands as a perfect mission statement for the medium, even if it’s a light one. It’s a game that encourages players of all ages to poke and prod its intricately designed levels, taking in every little detail like a detective gathering clues. It is an act of tactile discovery, giving players a virtual playground full of curious joys that could win over even the most cynical heart. It’s a tired cliché to say that a game “reminds us why we love games in the first place,” but Astro Bot sincerely does feel like a return to gaming’s primordial soup. In an age of overly bloated spectacles that work too hard to impress players, it’s a recentering moment that reminds us what a miracle it is to simply press a button and watch a character jump onscreen. ~ Giovanni Colantonio
Honorable Mentions: Animal Well, Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Emio — The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, I Am Your Beast, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Mars After Midnight, Metaphor ReFantazio, Mouthwashing, The Plucky Squire, The Rise of the Golden Idol, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Silent Hill 2, Thrasher
