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The 2024 gaming year is nearing the finish line, and if there’s a common thread linking all of this year’s biggest releases, it’s that several of these games have been surprise hits. While 2023 was loaded with modern masterpieces like Baldur’s Gate 3, Street Fighter 6, and Alan Wake 2, 2024 has delivered hits like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
While those games were almost predestined to to launch with high review scores behind them, it’s the unexpected games released this year that have overshadowed them. We’ve had some terrific hits that have seemingly come from out of nowhere, like the gung-ho action of Helldivers 2, the oddball British humor of Thank Goodness You’re Here, and not one but two Prince of Persia games taking the series in bold new directions.
Throw in must-play indie games, solid outings from some of the biggest brands, and a few hidden gems, and 2024 has been a year where gaming’s best and weirdest releases have risen to the top.
Just like last year, we’ll be keeping track of the best of the best. For this list, a game has to earn a review score of at least 8 (which is pretty darn great!) or higher from GameSpot to make the cut. That’s not to say that games scoring lower (or that we didn’t manage to review) should be ignored, as there’s still plenty of fun to be had even if these titles didn’t meet this threshold.