2024 is finished – and you’ve got made your decisions. The branching narrative of this yr has been determined, your dialogue choices have been locked in, and your ending is prepared.
Thanks to everybody who voted this yr in what – in the long run – was a transparent victory to your best choice. Your second place was additionally massively well-liked, thoughts you – and mixed, these two video games’ scores equalled the remainder of your prime 10.
Eurogamer’s personal checklist of our workers 2024 favourites will comply with tomorrow, however at the moment it is all about your picks. Thanks once more for taking the time to share yours with us, and keep in mind – in case you disagree, you solely have yourselves guilty. Get pleasure from!
50. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake
“The online game equal of a heat blanket and a cup of sizzling chocolate in entrance of a roaring fireplace,” Retr0gamer wrote. “Grinding has by no means been so enjoyable.”
49. Paper Mario: The Thousand-12 months Door
“This is likely one of the sequence’ highlights,” Hippolytus wrote of Nintendo’s 2024 Swap remaster. “Nice new characters, humorous, and a presentation that appears similar to you remembered it. Great things.”
48. Frostpunk 2
53 minutes of Frostpunk 2 gameplay.Watch on YouTube
“It is a masterpiece that stays with you lengthy after you’ve got performed it,” a reader who determined to stay nameless wrote. “An ideal sport.”
47. Little Large Journey: Twinsen’s Quest
“The bugs are being ironed out, however even when current they may not overshadow the brilliance of the unique sport, now with extra intuitive controls, a couple of quality-of-life enhancements and naturally these lovely new 3D visuals.”
46. Path of Exile 2
“It’s so a lot enjoyable to play that it scares me just a little bit,” a reader who selected to stay nameless wrote. “Hats off to Grinding Gear Video games.” Mentioned Reivilo: “I am nonetheless discovering it, however to date it’s the excellent successor to Diablo 2.”
45. Dungeons of Hinterberg
“The fight is probably not to everybody’s style, however on vibes alone, this deserves some recognition,” TC wrote. “A stupendous Zelda-lite.” Added Carl Sheen: “Unbelievable setup and excuse for a standard fantasy RPG being set within the modern-day. World constructing and selection was on level.”
44. Botany Manor
Picture credit score: Whitethorn Video games
“Most likely the cosiest sport this yr,” wrote Malek86. “The puzzles handle to be simply the appropriate in-between of straightforward sufficient as to not frustrate, and exhausting sufficient as to maintain gamers engaged. And every vista is best than the earlier.”
43. Neva
“I adored Gris and this follow-up has that very same unimaginable artwork fashion while mixing it up a bit with the addition of fight,” Al Pacalypse wrote. “Stunning and haunting,” TheBigBiscuit77 added. “And brief.”
42. Mouthwashing
“Alien if the Xenomorph was Capitalism, Kind Of”, wrote one reader who remained nameless. “Unbelievable pacing and a terrific script, packing each intense, darkish twists and sufficient sensitivity to handle them.” Added ozyous: “A tightly plotted sci-fi horror within the mould of Harlan Ellison which stored me guessing many of the means by means of and has stayed in my ideas since. Quick however indelible.”
41. Crow Nation
“An exquisite instance of that very uncommon breed of indie retro title that does not simply purpose to copy its inspirations, however truly takes time to consider what we cherished in these titles that are actually objectively horrible by at the moment’s requirements,” wrote Julian Hazeldine. “The writing is simply the icing on the cake, with a wit to the prose which places mainstream blockbusters to disgrace, and a genuinely unnerving climax.”
40. Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered
“I teared up on the preliminary screens and I cried after I went into Lara’s mansion,” wrote Joshua M B. “Tomb Raider and Lara Croft have been an enormous a part of my life since I used to be six years previous. 4-6 Remastered will little doubt make me sob with pleasure too.” Added CitizenSiege: “The love for these video games was evident and it was good to see individuals remembered the video games fondly, for all their flaws.” “A remaster achieved proper,” wrote UrineTrouble.
39. Life is Unusual: Double Publicity
Picture credit score: Deck 9 Video games
“Regardless of some apparent points within the last chapter, there’s nothing else fairly like Life is Unusual,” Astonish wrote. “Deck 9 will get that it is the quiet moments between characters, or when you possibly can simply sit again that basically make the sequence what it’s. And the character rendering is simply astoundingly good. One explicit scene between two characters in entrance of a fireside is the perfect online game animation I’ve ever seen.”
38. Hades 2 early entry
“How does Tremendous Large do it?” wrote jackgaydon. “I went in day one anticipating one thing comparable in scope to the early days of authentic Hades’ early entry, but there was already a sport there greater than its fully-fledged predecessor! And what a sport. In the best way of nice sequels, every part felt intensely acquainted whereas being various in stunning, pleasant, generally mind-blowing methods.”
37. Passable
“Conveyor belts go whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Makes me really feel good,” wrote MrTomFTW.
36. 9 Sols
“What if Hole Knight however Sekiro,” wrote eze2g. Added jwt: “Stunning, and cats.”
35. The Plucky Squire
“No different sport has pulled me in visually as a lot as this one has,” wrote engelzman. “The artwork path of this sport is a standout for 2024. A very pleasant sport for the eyes, and one I look ahead to returning to with my children sooner or later.”
34. Outcast: A New Starting
“A stunningly lovely world with outstanding verticality, expertly paired with extremely enjoyable traversal mixing gliding with quintuple jumps(!),” wrote itsgood2slide. “Unique whereas remaining devoted to its pioneering predecessor.”
33. Pacific Drive
“An atmospheric oddity the place your temperamental automotive is your finest good friend, your worst enemy, and has extra character quirks than the complete forged of a Bioware RPG,” wrote dajgohji.
32. Sonic x Shadow Generations
“The Shadow portion of this sport does for 3D Sonic what Mania did for 2D Sonic,” wrote 2much. “It looks like perfection of the formulation. The extent design is amongst the perfect Sonic Group has ever made, and the sport’s reality-bending visuals make it presumably the coolest-looking sport on the PS5. The one factor that stops it from being greater in my checklist is how brief it’s.”
31. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Picture credit score: Eurogamer / Capcom
“Utterly new, authentic title with fascinating gameplay and magnificence and nice consideration to element,” wrote StephanCTR. “I imply, they took hi-fi audio system to mountain forest, performed the soundtrack music there and re-recorded it to get the appropriate ambiance in!”
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
As beforehand said, solely video games are eligible for Recreation of the 12 months voting. After all, this didn’t cease a few of you writing ineligble options anyway.
“I perceive this vote contravenes the ‘guidelines’, however Shadow of the Erdtree is completely top-of-the-line issues I performed that launched this yr,” wrote larry4000, eager to lodge a protest. “Hopefully like in UK normal elections there will probably be a spoiled poll rely at the very least.”
30. Name of Obligation: Black Ops 6
“Nice story for as soon as in a COD sport,” wrote TF73, “and quick and fluid gameplay.” Added Evariest: “One of the best single participant FPS marketing campaign since Titanfall 2.”
29. 1000xResist
“Greatest narrative of the yr, arms down,” wrote play.good.children.
28. Rise of the Golden Idol
Picture credit score: Eurogamer/Playstack
Wrote jackgaydon: “Generally you may overcome an obscure downside, solely to get misplaced in your means by means of the mansion. In a room you’d beforehand opened however utterly forgotten about you uncover a complete dimension to the sport that had till then been hidden. Subsequent factor it is 2am. You are blearily watching an merchandise description that references esoteric twentieth century happenings you half-suspect could also be true. You’re uncertain why you’re doing this, although a nagging feeling tells you that that conspicuous string of numbers is important to a puzzle you gave up on two days in the past. It is really a labyrinthine sport.”
27. Black Delusion Wukong
“Exhausting as nails, however not insurmountable,” wrote StevoPirate, “one in every of solely few video games to get the true really feel of these early Darkish Souls video games proper. Stumbling upon an improve simply whenever you’re beginning to really feel too squishy, taking a break from a boss solely to discover a facet path that incorporates an improve that lastly helps you return and take your revenge and the distinctive setting/plot derived from Journey to the West? Deserved each success it had.”
26. Tekken 8
“Having been an informal Tekken enjoyer since a wee lad, I mentioned I would try to really get good at a Tekken in any case these years,” wrote AcidWisdom. “Ended up terribly, horribly addicted. Nonetheless not that good at it, although.”
25. Star Wars: Outlaws
Picture credit score: Digital Foundry
“I used to be sick and misplaced a great job, so this sport was the pure escapism I wanted,” McMurphy wrote. “I purchased it day one and cherished each second of it – the Star Wars sport I would at all times wished to play.” Added Rokkai: “For as soon as, a Star Wars sport truly took me to a galaxy far, far-off. The detailed and gorgeous environmental design, mixed with the unbelievable audio, transport you to a different world.”
24. Persona 3 Reload
“The unique launch was very good however this remake brings it into perfection ranges,” Hayaiame wrote. “Fashionable seems to be and unbelievable voice performing helps a narrative that’s nonetheless as thrilling now because it was again within the day. The battle system exhibits the persona sequence at its most interesting, a should play for any SMT followers!”
23. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
“Beautiful wanting sport that continually had me stopping to absorb the view,” wrote Grubby_Gryffin. “Actually only a phenomenal audio-visual expertise, placing you in Senua’s head,” added britesparc. “Additionally IMO the perfect ‘photo-real’ graphics we have ever seen.”
22. Nonetheless Wakes the Deep
Picture credit score: Secret Mode
“As somebody who has been out to a rig within the North Sea, the sound of the wind and waves alone when every part’s ‘fantastic’ made me anxious,” wrote HerrProduk. “By the point you are into a number of the finest voice performing and pure dialogue writing I’ve seen in video games, and the claustrophobic, no-escape stress cooker of more and more otherworldly horror, only a few video games have had such an intense impact on me.” Added swedishfishes: “I feel the principle character referred to as somebody a ‘fuckin roaster’ which you do not hear sufficient in video games lately.”
21. Unicorn Overlord
“Crunchy and compulsive technique gameplay, and it is a miracle of UI design that its many menus and programs are coherent on the Nintendo Swap,” wrote larry4000. “Wonderful layered technique that simply will get deeper as you play,” added The_Weird. “Whereas it has concepts taken from different titles, the entire feels contemporary and authentic. Stunning artwork fashion too.”
20. Warhammer 40,000: Area Marine 2
“It was simply enjoyable,” wrote Citizensiege. “A slick marketing campaign, a beneficiant operations mode and three participant co-op, which is simply the candy spot for me and my Xbox buddies. All two of them.” Added Mallow_the_destroyer: “It is the Gears of Conflict sequel I did not know I wished!”
19. Stalker 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl
Picture credit score: GSC Recreation World
“An distinctive sport that holds nothing again,” wrote StormbringerN. “Exhausting to the core and with the design and gameplay to again it. Stalker locations full belief on the participant to search out their means. We’d like extra of those!” Added Moxyz1: “My most performed, favorite sequence of all time.”
18. Tactical Breach Wizards
“This was such an absolute pleasure, and truthfully got here near taking my GOTY nod,” wrote OmagnusPrime. “A unbelievable tactical sport with an exquisite forged of brilliantly written and charming characters. Should you like tactical video games this can be a should. Should you like enjoyable video games, that is additionally a should.” Added blackpaladin105: “I do not anticipate this to make many individuals’s lists however I cherished the idea, writing, and gameplay loop. Flip-based technique like X-COM has appealed to me for a very long time and this brings it to you in bite-sized chunks with quite a lot of enjoyable mechanics that allow you to strategy fight in ways in which aren’t simply ‘shoot everybody within the room’.”
17. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
“A sport for a really explicit sort of puzzle and narrative sport sicko. I’m that sicko,” wrote maccydee. “A unbelievable entry in one of the compelling new puzzle genres (Obra Dinn-likes) which additionally probably varieties its personal new style that requires pen and paper for some facet notice doodling,” one other reader added. “If somebody had seen my notepad submit rolling credit they may have assumed I used to be the Zodiac killer!”
16. Dragon’s Dogma 2
Picture credit score: Capcom
“It is a goofy-arse fantasy sandbox with entertaining fight shenanigans,” wrote apocra. “It is an motion RPG, certain, however greater than that it looks like a Lord of the Rings-like,” added 2much. “I do know it isn’t for everybody, however the act of strolling most locations makes even essentially the most minor quests really feel like adventures stuffed with peril. I do not know if I’ve ever performed a sport that is felt like that earlier than.”
15. UFO 50
“Most likely essentially the most inventive ‘factor’ in a really lengthy whereas, UFO 50 exhibits not solely unimaginable vary by its builders, but in addition assemble a metanarrative by means of essentially the most concise and sparse particulars,” a reader wrote. “Lots of the video games are completely nice on their very own, and a few would have been classics in the event that they got here out within the 80s (and even the 90s).”
“The discount of the yr,” wrote retr0gamer. “Weeks later and I’ve nonetheless not explored this assortment of video games totally. It is continually stunning and the standard of the video games stays constantly excessive.” Mentioned erwie: “Occasion Home alone would already be #1 of 2024.”
14. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
“There’ll by no means be sufficient of those video games for me,” wrote sonoftvsadam. “Whether or not it is Kamurocho, Sotenbori, Ijincho, Honolulu, or another yet-to-be-identified locale, I’ll roam the streets on the lookout for guys to hit with bicycles as usually as RGG Studios affords me the chance to take action.”
Mentioned Robo-Moon: “Have you ever ever wished to shred grownup nappies on a rooftop to satisfy a dying girl’s dream of seeing snow falling? Then that is the sport for you.”
13. Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown
Picture credit score: Ubisoft
“Actually earned its place within the Pantheon of up to date Metroidvanias alongside the likes of Metroid Dread and Hole Knight,” wrote larry4000. “High-tier platforming, fight, boss fights and time bending powers.”
“It is peak Metroidvania, and what a factor to behold. VERETHRAGNA certainly,” mentioned TC. In the meantime, KarlosCV added: “Top-of-the-line Metroidvanias ever.”
12. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge
“What if we take the faster-paced Hyperlink’s Awakening framework, add some Breath of the Wild-style programs and set it in map of A Hyperlink to the Previous?” wrote Fallout2. “Additionally, you possibly can play as Zelda. It is a bit chattier than I would like, however enjoyable, creative and doesn’t shy from a couple of difficult challenges.”
“Of all of the video games I’ve performed in 2024, that is the one one I nonetheless take into consideration,” wrote KinanEldari. “Echoes of Knowledge did not simply give us Zelda as a playable character, it additionally gave us enjoyable mechanics, glorious dungeons with nice puzzles, a good story and a number of other collect-a-thons that really had been enjoyable, in contrast to these gosh-darned 900 Korok seeds in Breath of the Wild! Should you love Zelda video games as a lot as I do, you actually owe it to your self to play this one.”
11. Thank Goodness You are Right here!
Picture credit score: Panic / Eurogamer
“It’s totally brief, it’s extremely northern, and its principally about punching every part till one thing occurs,” wrote Madame-Drofla. “It was additionally the supply of my most memorable and absurd gaming moments of the yr. I laughed lots, and I’d advocate it to anybody who can get the very British context.” Added H1ppyDave: “‘Peans – not fairly peas and never fairly beans, however one thing particular in betweens.’ A quote my 10-year-old and I’ve shared repeatedly since enjoying. It is an utter pleasure.”
“A number of the funniest few hours of gaming of my life,” mentioned Omgokami. “I nonetheless do not miss Yorkshire however it stayed with me.” Mycrofty concludes: “It is contemporary, it is humorous, it is beautiful, it is every part the present video games panorama is not, it isn’t cosy or edgy or any of that. It is simply reet good.”
10. Stellar Blade
“Greatest shock of the yr and doubtless essentially the most enjoyable sport,” wrote Col_McCafferty. “Wonderful fight, intriguing story and good soundtrack. Shift Up have achieved a unbelievable job particularly contemplating that is its first single-player title on console.”
“There is a dialog available about intercourse and violence in video games, the place one is lazily hand waved by means of whereas more and more the opposite is stopped exterior the door with an particularly disapproving look, however this is not the place for it,” wrote MarcusJ. “Stellar Blade is an especially entertaining and beneficiant (each in content material and extra freebies submit launch) sport which deserves the utmost reward. Arguably essentially the most precise enjoyable I’ve had enjoying a sport in years. And it’s had nowhere close to sufficient recognition as a brand new IP both.”
9. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Picture credit score: Eurogamer / EA BioWare
“After almost 10 years I would forgotten how a lot I wished a brand new Dragon Age sport,” wrote Greenllama88. “Fortunately it did not take greater than a pair hours of enjoying the Veilguard to remind me how a lot I like this world and the way good it may be with such a assured fashion and imaginative and prescient. When the true world goes mad exterior, it feels nice to remain in and clear up the issues of 1 that really feel a lot extra manageable.”
“The ultimate act is great,” wrote Boooo_urns. “It has points, however in the principle the gameplay is enjoyable and story is participating.” Mentioned pierrot: “Actually responsive and expressive motion fight and a few lovely maps to navigate.” Added one other reader: “An extended-due followup to one in every of my favorite sequence that did not disappoint (even when it is no Dragon Age: Origins – however what’s?)
8. Helldivers 2
“A sport that really feels extra enjoyable to play the extra shambolic you’re at it,” wrote The12thMonkey. “When every part simply falls aside and also you’re working to your life, frantically tapping out the reinforce sequence, solely to trigger the drop pod to crash onto your personal head, and it’s nonetheless enjoyable to play? That’s some high quality design.”
“Not essentially a brand new tackle a multiplayer sport however one which redefines a style of what PVE could be,” added Peter McNally. “A sport that looks like a inventive sandbox however with correct aims and, in case you put the issue up, a chaotic frenzy.”
7. Silent Hill 2 Remake
Picture credit score: Bloober Group
“Like everybody else I used to be fearful the sport would not stay as much as expectations,” added LemyAtom. “I used to be shocked once they far surpassed it. I almost $h!y myself in Toluca Jail and needed to restrict gameplay to 45-minute chunks for a bit. Pant-wettingly horrifying.”
Mark1412 agreed: “The completely brutal and suffocating jail degree, performed with headphones and the lights down low, utterly redefined survival horror for me. It was terrible. After I completed I mentioned I would not overlook it, or play it once more, in a rush. Per week later, I would completed it once more.”
6. Animal Effectively
“I will admit I am not good sufficient for the superior late sport puzzles,” engelzman wrote, “however the pure surprise and awe of exploring this world for the primary time and soaking within the ambiance by means of audio and visible design alone, this sport is a real masterpiece.” Golazodave mentioned: “Nobody can overlook being chased by that ghost canine for the primary time.”
“There may be higher Metroidvania video games,” Ross Farrey wrote. “There may effectively be subjectively and even objectively higher video games from 2024. However Animal effectively drew me down a rabbit gap like few video games ever have. It is bizarre, with an air or thriller that hints at greater than you possibly can ever hope to search out. After I wasn’t enjoying it I used to be neck deep in YouTube movies and remark threads hoping to search out the which means of all of it. I used to be eight years previous enjoying The Legend of Zelda once more solely this time the sport was Animal Effectively and the web was my playground. Magical.”
5. Closing Fantasy 7: Rebirth
Picture credit score: Sq. Enix
“Remake did not sit effectively with me,” Slowdog76 wrote. “The modifications nonetheless felt bizarre and pointless. Rebirth began to make these modifications make sense, although, and even appreciated. I like this sport. Virtually as a lot as the unique. There may be not one space it failed to thrill.”
“In the end I am glad they modified issues up,” added Wrathbone. “The sport is superbly devoted in all of the ways in which matter, which permits the story to change into an intriguing extension of the unique slightly than a easy retelling. The entire thing is an enormous, sprawling pleasure to expertise.”
4. Metaphor Refantazio
Picture credit score: Eurogamer/Atlus
“An excellent story paired with an incredible forged of characters, and notably an incredible villain – one thing that many video games, however significantly trendy JRPGs, are inclined to fumble,” apocra wrote. “Had an outstanding time with it. (Did not half look fairly, too! And the soundtrack!)
“Atlus at all times produce such polished video games, every part is ideal, every part suits,” fragglerocks added. “That is the primary of their video games that feels prefer it has actual depth of story and characters to create an ideal expertise.” Mentioned one other reader: “Persona in a fantasy setting? A plot that is disturbingly well timed? Fuck sure.”
3. Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle
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9 superior Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle Easter eggs and references.Watch on YouTube
“I am 48. It has been an terrible very long time since watching a film or present has made me secretly want I may develop as much as be a spy, or an adventurer,” wrote slowdog76. “This sport whisks me again to my youth, working across the playground, whip cracking an imaginary whip and placing one over pesky Nazis. This sport makes me completely satisfied, a nostalgic dollop of enjoyable and funky and reminiscences of all these occasions I saved the damsel, and the world.”
“Completely captures the journey and humour of the unique film trilogy and combines it with a mix of nice fight, exploration and puzzles,” added Darren. “The icing on this tasty cake is the very good story, visuals and music. It is MachineGames finest sport to this point, taking every part they learnt from their elegant Wolfenstein video games and refining the formulation to create top-of-the-line first-person video games I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying.”
“Having grown up with the Indiana Jones motion pictures, enjoying this sport introduced me again to these occasions,” concluded Evariest. “The ambiance and particulars are spot on, it’s so good that it may (ought to?) have been the fourth Indiana Jones film.”
2. Balatro
Picture credit score: Playstack
“Recreation design in its most delightfully pure type – a well-recognized and compelling idea, however with numerous prospects due to the sheer number of choices on the participant’s disposal,” wrote maccydee. “Each choice you must make is a significant one. It helps that the music is so memorably repetitive and the artwork so immediately iconic.”
“Extra addictive than crack,” declared Bushmonkey. “A minimum of I think about it’s. I can not suppose how something could possibly be extra addictive than Balatro.”
“I purchased Balatro seven occasions this yr, 5 of which had been for buddies,” admitted Tomo. “I’m a digital croupier, firing out essentially the most superb deck-building sport since Slay the Spire. It is an ideal collision of the world’s most basic card sport and well-trodden roguelike gaming mechanics, but manages to really feel utterly contemporary. I hear the music in my sleep.”
1. Astro Bot
Eurogamer’s 9 loveliest Astro Bot moments and options.Watch on YouTube
“Tactile and joyous,” wrote jonappetit. “An entire delight from begin to end. Straightforward sufficient for the children to play, difficult sufficient that I’ve spent late nights attempting to rescue all of the lacking Bots.”
“Most Potential Recreation,” wrote Anslant. “I heard Warren Spector converse of his dislike of the time period ‘Minimal Viable Product’, and the way this does not go well with video games. He mentioned he prefers the time period ‘Most Potential Recreation’. Group Asobi embodied this adage with Astro Bot.
“It has all of the staggering high quality of a Nintendo platformer, however on a Sony console – however it’s additionally way more than that,” wrote Golazodave. “It is an irreverent celebration representing many years of gaming historical past, and each time I performed I had an enormous smile on my face. Magnificent.”
“I’ve had such a magical time enjoying Astro with my 4 and six-year-old daughters,” mattb2020 wrote. “Probably the most superb gaming experiences of my life.”
“In a yr the place work and life pressures made it exhausting to decide to something that demanded extra of me than leaping and grinning, Astrobot was simply what I wanted,” Lalaland wrote. “Easy however exquisitely crafted to thrill with one thing each 30s or in order that made me smile and for that cause alone it is my #1 this yr.”
“I’ve averted platform video games for over 30 years since most likely Tremendous Mario Bros as a baby,” concluded Billhickswaaright. “This made me really feel like that youngster once more.”
