The best games of 2024 so far

Main points

• There are tons of great console and PC games in 2024, offering a variety of experiences.
• Final Fantasy 7 Reborn, Yakuza: Infinite Fortune, and Persona 3: Reloaded are all great games.
• Games like Helldivers 2, Balatro, and Tekken 8 also offer captivating gaming experiences.

After a year filled with great games like 2023, which is likely to be considered the best year in gaming history thanks to games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, you One might think that 2024 will slow down a bit. Unfortunately for all our wallets this is not the case and we are already inundated with amazing games that we have to somehow find the time to play. Before the year is even halfway through, we already have enough great games to last us through 2025 between consoles and PC.

Unfortunately for all our wallets… we’re already inundated with amazing games that we have to somehow find the time to play.

If you don’t keep a neat and organized backlog of all the games you’ve wanted to play but need to put off for one reason or another, you might find yourself struggling to remember which games you plan to return to. There are always more games coming, but that doesn’t mean you should miss out on a great experience just because it’s been weeks or months since its release. I’ve been diligently keeping track of all the best games released this year and will be passing along my findings on the best games to date.

1 final fantasy 7 reborn

Classic JRPG Reborn

With the remaster allaying the concerns of most long-time fans about how Square Enix would reinvent one of the most beloved and revered JRPGs of all time, Final Fantasy 7 Reborn could simply improve upon the formula and Maintain the same level of quality. Instead, the team pushed the game to its absolute limits, with huge open areas to explore with dozens of activities, mini-games around every corner, and a level of production value that’s almost unheard of.

Each side quest gives you a little insight into at least one party member, while the more trivial quests give you lore about the world.

What’s most impressive is how it crams so much content into the game while making almost everything outside of the main story feel important. Each side quest gives you a little insight into at least one party member, while the more trivial quests give you lore about the world. Of course, the main story kept fans of the original guessing and on the edge of their seats until the very end.

2 Like a Dragon: Unlimited Wealth

a fish out of water

Ichiban is back, but the series is heading out of Japan for the first time. When he learns that his mother is actually alive and wants to meet him in Hawaii, Ichiban travels to the Big Island, only to become embroiled in a massive conspiracy involving, you guessed it, the Yakuza and various others. a criminal organization. In his second appearance, Ichiban shares the spotlight with the series’ veteran protagonist Kiryu, but the pair work so well together that no one feels short-changed.

Due to the wide range of Dondoko’s “mini” games, you can basically get two games in one.

It’s a story full of laughter, sadness and love, all mixed in a complex of emotions that sets the stage for sometimes absurd events. The upgrade to the turn-based combat system even makes random encounters fun, and thanks to the extensive content of the Dondoko Island “mini” game, you can essentially have two games in one.

3 Persona 3 Reloaded

Worth a try

Prior to Persona 5, the entire Persona series was more popular than its contemporaries. However, after 5 captured the public’s attention with its striking style, stunning soundtrack, and finely tuned combat, a whole new audience became interested in the series. It’s easy to get back to Persona 4, but the original Persona 3 is a bit of a challenge.

Persona 3: Reloaded takes what has always been amazing about the core game, its story and characters, and revamps them with the visuals and quality-of-life features of Persona 5. It’s not a perfect remake, as Tartarus is still a chore and it doesn’t include a female protagonist option, but other than that, it’s great for anyone who fell in love with the series when they were 4 or 5 years old All are must-plays.

4 Hellraiser 2

For democracy! (If you like “Starship Troopers”)

I know I value the story, characters, and themes in games, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy killing bugs and robots with my friends. Helldiver 2 has less story and more action, which is even better. You team up with up to three friends to land on a planet, kill hundreds of enemies using weapons ranging from pistols and rifles to massive orbital strikes, and hope to make it out alive.

If not, no big deal. Your lives are expendable, but any progress you make increases your experience points and unlocks them. The game became a sensation on Steam and PlayStation due to completely unscripted crazy situations and events.

5 Balatero

Deal me in

If you told me that a deck-building rogue-like game about poker would be one of the most addictive games I’ve played all year, I would have called your bluff. Balatro has proven to be a lot of fun even for someone like me who knows poker but isn’t very good at it. The reason it’s so easy to get started is because you don’t have to compete with other people, and you don’t have to play fair.

If you told me a rogue-like poker deck would be one of the most addictive games I’ve played all year, I would have called your bluff.

Each round simply requires you to reach a certain score by playing hands worth a certain number of chips with multipliers based on all the familiar poker hands like pairs, straights, and flushes. Things get crazy quickly when you start adding Jokers to the deck, which allows you to do things like form a straight that skips numbers or doubles the value of all even-numbered cards.

6 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

The prince is back

Once Assassin’s Creed became one of Ubisoft’s biggest franchises, there seemed to be no room for Prince of Persia. We haven’t seen much of Prince since 2008, but in early 2024, a brand new version (that actually dates back to the series’ origins) popped up. Why Prince of Persia was never reimagined as a metroidvania After watching The Lost Crown it made no sense to me.

The consistent strength, acrobatic combat, and emphasis on platforming make this seem like an obvious move. The game perfectly embodies the tense sense of movement that this type of game demands, making everything from exploration to overcoming circuitous obstacles feel deeply rewarding.

7 Dragon’s Dogma 2

hardcore fantasy

The sequel that no one saw coming is not so much a sequel to the original Dragon’s Dogma. Capcom intended this game to be a first, but the technology at the time wasn’t quite capable of achieving that goal. Dragon’s Dogma 2 isn’t technically perfect by any means, but it’s these flaws and rough edges that make the game stand out. The story presented is okay, but not the real reason to play.

You came to this game to discover adventure for yourself while exploring the world.

You came to this game to discover adventure for yourself while exploring the world. No two journeys along the same path are the same, and learning how to get around the game’s intentionally restrictive systems ultimately creates fun and intense decision-making that regular games don’t even try to offer.

8 Tekken 8

Get ready for the next battle

Last year, Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 dominated the fighting game spotlight, but 2024 is the year of Tekken. Tekken 8 feels like a fighting game marvel. Not only does it have some of the best graphics I’ve seen in my gaming time, but it also makes it easy for newbies to learn this daunting game.

The training mode is in-depth and walks you through all the basics, but the ghosts and replay system are something that every subsequent game will need to replicate. Any player in the world can download a “ghost” – an artificial intelligence that looks exactly like a real person for you to practice with. Alternatively, you can watch a replay of a game and the game will teach you how to improve based on the bad decisions you made during the game.

9 Unicorn Overlord

Let’s get tactical

Vanillaware has done it again. The studio somehow manages to tackle different genres in almost every game it makes, but always delivers one of the most beautiful and engaging experiences. This time, we enter the realm of tactical RPGs. You’ll build and design multiple teams of soldiers from different classes to engage in tactical battles, but the gameplay isn’t focused on combat, but rather is done before it happens.

You can manage your squad through a large number of computer coding-like conditions. You can tell the healers to only cast healing on units when they’re below a certain health point, while the archers attack flying enemies. You can get the most out of everyone in each squad as you see fit and feel like a tactical mastermind.

FAQ

Q: How did I choose these games?

I picked all the games on this list based on personal experience and widespread reception from critics and fans. I also put more emphasis on new games and titles that try to push the medium forward.

Q: Which game should you try?

While I recommend you try all the games on this list, only you know what genre you like. If you like action RPGs, Rebirth will be a better choice than Tekken 8. The opposite is true for fighting game fans. Most of the games on this list have demos, so if one of these games catches your eye but you’re not completely convinced, give it a test run and see if it’s for you.