The Best New Games (That I Played in 2024)

It's that time again. Well, it was that time a week or two ago and now it's a bit past that time, but I've made a tradition of getting to these late so this shouldn't come as a surprise. Regardless, it's time for another one of my year-end best-of lists. I played quite a few new games this year and I wanted to highlight the absolute best ones and, believe me, there was some stiff competition this year. There were a few games I wanted to play more of that I just never made the time for (sorry 1000xRESIST and Tactical Breach Wizards, maybe you'll make my "old games" list next year) but I wanted to highlight the following ten games because they're all worthy of praise, for one reason or another.

10. 

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring was my (New) Game of the Year when it came out in 2022 and this expansion is, essentially, just more Elden Ring. It adds a ton of new content in the form of a new map to explore and it sidesteps the potential issue of existing characters being overleveled by effectively sending everyone back to square one with its new progression system. There are other unique things about this DLC that are worth highlighting but, ultimately, the things that make this DLC great are the same things that made the base game great, so if you enjoyed that then you'll probably love this. I know I did.

9.

UFO 50

This is so cool. It is essentially a compilation of NES-era games that never existed. It's a collection that covers the gamut of genres from contemporary platformers to something newer like a roguelite deckbuilder, and everything has a clear amount of care put into it. Not every game has clicked with me, heck, there are a number I actively disliked, and I haven't played as much of this as I feel I should have, but it's an incredible collection and such a worthwhile effort that it has to have a place on my list. It reminds me of when I would browse Flash game websites and forums and play all sorts of things and it's been a wonderful thing to chip away at. For a long while this held a very high spot on my game of the year list, but since I haven't gone back to it the way I thought I might it's only here at number 9, but I still consider it to be, potentially, the most impressive game of the year. There's just so much to play with.

8. 

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

I have pretty mixed feelings on this game. On one hand, it's disappointing that they don't take choices from prior games into account and the few that they do incorporate feel somewhat half-baked. On the other hand, they made a fourth Dragon Age! They actually made a followup to Trespasser that delivers on everything that DLC set up! The combat is improved, the cast of characters is strong, and while there aren't a whole lot of big decisions to make, the few that are there are difficult and compelling. This may not be the Bioware of Old but, whoever this current team may be, they've proven that they can still make compelling stories that feel like the Bioware we remember. I also don't want to ignore the fact that a major AAA RPG released with pretty good queer representation. That might not mean much to you, but it meant a lot to me. Ultimately, I'm willing to deal with the issues the game has because of that and the fact that they managed to stick the landing on the story they set up so long ago. Also, the hair in this game looks incredible.

7.

 Crow Country

This game is clearly a love-letter to the survival-horror genre but what makes it so remarkable is that it delivers on everything you want it to deliver on. It's a game clearly inspired by Silent Hill and Resident Evil (and even Final Fantasy 7) that's full of all the puzzles and exploration you'd expect from something in that vein and, as someone who loves those games, it was a joy to play something so obviously inspired by them. Ultimately though, what works so well about this game compared to some other things that have aped those is that this has its own unique vibe and atmosphere. It's not simply trying to be about a manor like Resident Evil or personal trauma like Silent Hill, it's its own thing that just so happens to play and be similar to those existing games. It also has a story that's surprisingly coherent, and it all culminates in a satisfying and impactful conclusion.

6. 

The SH2make

While I still had a few doubts about this game due to Bloober Team's track record, I did my best to stay optimistic and my faith was, somewhat surprisingly, not misplaced. This is a remake of Silent Hill 2 and it manages to recapture, and even stand alongside, that original in a number of ways. Performances are different so rather than directly competing with something beloved they chose to go for a new direction with certain scenes and I love that decision. There are certain things this game does better than the original, such as more responsive combat and boss fights that are actually fun, so while the rough edges to the original give it some character what they've chosen to sand them off with was a suitable replacement. While I still wish they'd rerelease those original Silent Hill games so people can easily compare the two, this at least puts the franchise back in front of people in a positive light. It was an excellent experience.

5.

Astro Bot

This game is delightful. I recently played the prior two Astro Bot games and enjoyed them, and generally speaking this game is a bigger and better version of those. The structure and level design is very reminiscent of Astro Bot Rescue Mission, the VR game, while the devotion and reverence for PlayStation-as-a-brand is something that began with Astro's Playroom. While I understand that nostalgia-bait like this may not be for everybody, I am absolutely in their target market and I'm not above being pandered to. Getting to see glimpses of games and franchises that have long been dormant was nice, even if I sort of agree with the criticism that this game is a bit of an IP graveyard. Even outside of all that, this is a solid, fun platformer where each level (usually) has some sort of gimmick. There are stages based on a few key PlayStation franchises, yes, but there are also wholly original levels where you're slowing down time to jump on projectiles, or inflating yourself like a balloon to reach higher and higher platforms. There's so much novelty and invention in this game that I understand why it's gotten the praise it has. Plus, I get to make my little guy look like Sly Cooper! Sly Cooper! How cool is that?!

4.

 CONSCRIPT

World War 1 survival-horror! This game is kind of the other side of the same coin as Crow Country in that it's also inspired by survival-horror classics but it's a more gameplay-focused title than that. It largely evokes the earlier Resident Evil games with its exploration and puzzle solving, though the merchant adds a touch of Resident Evil 4 to the mix that I appreciated. The combat is engaging, the upgrades feel good, and the economy feels very well balanced. Above all, by being set during a real battle during the first World War it's an exercise in survival horror without a fantastical or sci-fi gimmick, and it works. The Great War is a setting that's always intrigued me and this game does it justice.

3. 

Earth Defense Force 6

Much like Elden Ring earlier, this game is more of something I loved. EDF5 not only topped my old games list back in 2019, it cemented itself as one of my all-time favorite games and this was, essentially, more of that. I still haven't finished it, otherwise there's a chance it'd be rated even higher, but I love this game so dang much. This series may not look like much to an outside observer, it may even have an undeserved reputation for looking "bad", but this game is a ton of fun largely because its lower fidelity means they're able to throw truly absurd amounts of things at you. There is a scale to the battles in these games that nothing else I play really comes close to matching, and watching hordes of enemies bring your framerate to a screeching halt (counterintuitively) feels great every time it happens. That's how you know your PC is really working for it.

2. 

Dragon's Dogma 2

While I played some of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, I never finished it. With that said, I've always had a lot of respect for what that game set out to accomplish. So when the sequel came out I made a point to give it a fair shot and to not abandon it the way I did the original, and I'm glad I stuck with it. This is a massive, gameplay-first RPG that's radically unlike most things I've played and it's filled with moments of discovery and invention. It's a sandbox, in some ways, because you're given a variety of tools and then are thrown out into the world with those tools at your disposal. Each class tackles fights in a different way, and running through all of them during my playthrough meant that gameplay never became stale. To add to that, while the main plot may be a bit dull, some of the side content was incredibly memorable, and of course the ending stretch is fantastic. If you gave up on this game partway through I implore you to get back to it and to try to make it to the final sequence, because some of the best things in this game are hidden behind a wall you'll only make it to after dozens of hours. It's not that the game is bad before that, I happened to really enjoy my time with the entire thing, but things just take a very cool turn at the eleventh hour that you have to see to believe.

1. 

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

I'll admit that I don't play a whole lot of Metroidvanias so my opinion on the subject may not be worth much, but I thought this game was immaculate. There's a really satisfying feeling of progression as you unlock new abilities, the core movement feels great, and it's all technically really well put together. The story is fairly compelling, but it's the presentation of the game in general that makes it fantastic. The art is striking and the cutscenes are well-directed (there's a flourish to a late-game scene that I still find myself thinking about). This game was made with so much care which makes it a massive shame that the studio and team behind it were effectively disbanded.

Ultimately with any sort of list like this it comes down to personal preference and, for reasons I still don't fully comprehend, this cemented itself as my game of the year when I played it and nothing since has been able to shake it from that position. All ten of these games are wonderful (and the titles that didn't make the list were also really dang great) but this game stands above the rest in my eyes.