2024 has been a huge year for gaming, as a slew of diverse and addictive titles have come out these past twelve months. Throughout this year alone, players have gotten to collectively experience games likeTekken 8, Palworld, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Balatro, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Astro Bot, Silent Hill 2, Hades 2, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Black Myth: Wukong,andMetaphor: ReFantazio.These titles, all highly rated by fans and critics alike,range dramatically in scale, genre, and development team size. With such a feast in 2024, the question now is how will 2025 begin to compare.
The year has been filled with games that were expected to score high praise, likeElden Ring’s DLC andHades 2, alongsidesurprise hits that became the internet’s collective obsession, likeHelldivers 2, Balatro, andPalword.While there have also been some disappointments throughout the year, likeConcordand the sunsetting ofXDefiant, the tail end of 2024 is still providing hits likeMarvel Rivalsto enjoy. The Game Awards earlier this month rounded up the best of the best for developers, esports, as well as indie and AAA games alike.
2024 Has Seen Some Fantastic Releases
Indie And AAA Games Alike Held The Limelight
Thisentire year has been a non-stop marathon of AAA titles and surprise hitsthat seemingly came from nowhere. The top five games of the year according to Metacritic ratings wereAstro Bot,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree,Metaphor: ReFantazio,Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,andScreen Rant’s reviews support a similar conclusion. Those AAA games were extremely popular, but what made 2024 special for gaming were the indie titles that provided pure fun.
20 Best Games Of The Year, According To Our Experts
The Gaming editors at Screen Rant pick their best games of 2024, looking at our own reviews, critical reception, and our own personal favorite games.
Helldivers 2was one of the best games of 2024, with incredibly addictive co-op missions that brought friends together in the pursuit of gunning down bots and bugs across the galaxy.The unique card gameBalatroalso came out of nowhere to become a common addiction. Other games by solo developers received the love this year, asStardew Valley’s ConcernedApe releaseda massive free update for the beloved farming simulatorback in March, and indie ventures likeNeva, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, andCrow Countryreceived some ofScreen Rant’s highest marks.
2024 Has Been One Of The Biggest Years For Gaming
The Game Awards Showed The Best Of The Best
The Game Awards were stacked for 2024, especially for the six games competing for the title of game of the year. Ultimately,the award went toAstro Bot,a well-earned victory for the only platformer to be nominated this year. AlongsideAstro BotwereBalatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, andMetaphor: ReFantazio. Though most of the nominations were some sort of fantasy-themed RPG, the triumph of a platformer and the inclusion of a game by a solo developer both showcase a healthy variety in the gaming industry.
Balatroalso managed to win three awards, taking home two indie game categories and a mobile GOTY honor.
Compared to The Game Awards in 2023, the lineup of best game nominations is a little less diverse, as horror and superhero action also snuck into that lineup. Nonetheless, 2023 winnerBaldur’s Gate 3was also a fantasy RPG, so perhaps this trend is here to stay for at least a couple more years.Clearly, players are enjoying their fantasy settings, light or dark, and games likeElden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3,andBlack Myth: Wukongare scratching that itch.
2024 Has Also Seen Major Flops
Live Service Shooters Aren’t What They Used To Be
Alongside the major highs of 2024,there have been a few significant lows for video games. Among the mostinfamous of the flops wasConcord, a hero shooter priced at $40, which was developed by Sony and launched in late August. Just weeks after its launch,Concordwas taken offline, likely due to the fact that the gaming world is already flooded with free-to-play hero shooters likeApex LegendsandOverwatch 2, and players aren’t willing to pay upfront for another one.
Sony Has Officially Shut Down The Studio Behind Concord, Completely Removing The Chance For Revival
The final nail in the Concord coffin was hammered home today as Sony Interactive Entertainment officially announced the closure of Firewalk Studios.
AlongsideConcordwasXDefiant,another shooter by a AAA studio that released andannounced a shutdown in the same year. UnlikeConcord,XDefiantis going out with more of a whimper than a bang, as it launched in May and was announced to begin a permanent shutdown in early December. Although games likeMarvel Rivalsshow that the genre can still work,ConcordandXDefiantimply that games need compelling hooks to stake out a claim in a market crowded withlimited-time battle passes and microtransaction-filled shooters.
These major disappointments have made headlines, but othersmall changes have happened throughout the year that don’t bode wellfor the future. Major games likeApex Legendshave split their battle passes in two, making players pay twice for one season of content, while other new titles likeHelldivers 2have required players toconnect their PlayStation accountsto the game even on PC. Both changes created waves of backlash, and while the makers of these decisions backed down briefly, the corporate spirit of the changes will continue to happen.
What To Expect in 2025
Looking Forward To The Future Of Gaming
While The Game Awards celebrated this past year of releases, the ceremony also teased what’s coming in 2025. Major games for next year includeDoom: The Dark Ages, Civilization 7, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Avowed, Split Fiction, Killing Floor 3, Metroid Prime 4, Elden Ring Nightreign, Monster Hunter Wilds,the sequel toDeath Stranding,andGrand Theft Auto 6.The majority of these upcoming titles are single-player experiences, so fans of offline games already know that they’ll enjoy 2025.
GTA 6 Has Some Major Competition In 2025, And It’s Not What You Think
While Grand Theft Auto 6 is almost guaranteed to be the best-selling game of 2025, it has major competition from a highly-anticipated open-world game.
Live service games will continue into 2025, thoughhopefully, studios will learn from the missteps of 2024withConcordandXDefiant. Titles likeMarvel Rivalsseem to have a bright future going into the next year, thoughRivalswill have to be careful not toflood its character selectionand overwhelm players too soon. Another game that’s still going strong, even after the kerfuffle with PlayStation accounts, isHelldivers 2with its constant war to defend Super Earth. Additionally, theElden Ringhype train won’t stop with 2024, withElden Ring Nightreignrevealed for 2025.
The ultimate breadth and variety of great games and the impressive number of surprise hits make 2024 hard to compete with, but 2025 definitely has a chance to rise to the occasion. It might be a bigger year for major Western game developers, as many of the 2024 standouts came from Japanese developers or smaller studios. Regardless of what 2025 ultimately brings to the table,2024 has weathered some storms to secure a legacyas an impressive year for video games.
