With 2023 being such a banner year for games, it’s easy to imagine there’d be little left for 2024. And sure enough, it’s certainly looking comparatively quieter as we get settled in the new year.
That said, there are still quite a few titles to look forward to at the time of writing, and that’s before the inevitable Nintendo Directs, PlayStation State of Plays and Summer Game Fests only further fill out the release calendar.
For now, though, here are the biggest 2024 games you should have your eye on. Note that we’re only going off games that have a confirmed 2024 release window (sorry, Hollow Knight: Silksong), and we’re not including hardware like the long-rumoured Switch successor.
Avowed
Image credit: Xbox
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA 2024
Initially pitched as Obsidian’s answer to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Avowed is a first-person action-RPG set in the fantastic world of Pillars of Eternity. As an envoy from the Aedyr Empire, players will travel to a remote region to investigate a mysterious plague. While not a true open-world game, Avowed will have several larger areas to explore with a colourful cast of companions. Combat-wise, you’ll be able to mix spells, melee weapons and firearms to take on all sorts of magical creatures.
Earthblade
Image credit: Extremely OK Games
Platform: PC
Release date: TBA 2024
One of the most acclaimed indie games of all time is Celeste, which was developed by Vancouver’s Matt Makes Games. Now, that same Maddy Thorson-led team has returned under a new name, Extremely OK Games, for a new pixel art platformer. The pedigree of the team — which includes award-winning composer Lena Raine — speaks for itself, but Earthblade takes things further than Celeste by adding Metroidvania elements. Returning to Earth as Névoa, you’ll have to slash, jump, dash and climb your way through enemies and obstacles to explore a mysteriously ruined planet.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Image credit: Square Enix
Platform: PlayStation 5
Release date: February 29th, 2024
Following the success of 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square Enix is back with the highly-anticipated sequel. The second in a three-part reimagining of beloved PlayStation classic Final Fantasy VII, Rebirth sees Cloud and friends venturing out from the oppressive streets of Midgar and into the vast wilds of Gaia to stop Sephiroth. Besides delivering a proper open world after the largely linear Remake, Rebirth expands the party with new playable characters Red XIII, Yuffie and Cait Sith, plus tons of flashy new team-up moves. On top of that, bold deviations from the original story ensure that FFVII fans new and old alike will be left guessing, particularly about the fate of certain characters.
Hades II
Image credit: Supergiant Games
Platforms: PC
Release date: TBA 2024
Hades was one of the most acclaimed games of the past several years, so it’s safe to say there’s immense hype for Supergiant’s first-ever sequel. Set to release this year in early access, Hades II follows Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld and sister of Hades protagonist Zagreus, as she seeks to defeat Chronos, the Titan of Time. Truthfully, we haven’t seen a whole lot of Hades II, but the quality of the first game — which expertly blended roguelike progression with a remarkably well-written narrative, wonderful voiceovers and magnificent music — has us eager for more.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Image credit: Atlus
Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: Late 2024
What do you get when the celebrated creators of Persona 3, 4 and 5 — including director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro — break away from high school settings? Enter Studio Zero’s Metaphor: ReFantazio, a medieval Europe-inspired high fantasy RPG about civil unrest amid the assassination of a king. At the same time, you can look forward to Persona‘s unprecedented sense of style, tight turn-based combat and an emphasis on deepening your relationships with each character.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Image credit: Ubisoft
Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date: January 18th, 2024
The first new Prince of Persia in over 10 years is incredibly promising. It hails from Ubisoft Montpellier, the celebrated team behind Rayman Legends, and brings the iconic action-adventure series back to its 2D roots. Through that framework, the developer aims to tell the heroic origin story of a cocky young warrior named Sargon as he fights to rescue the titular prince. In The Lost Crown, you’ll explore a large interconnected map through Metroidvania-style progression and fight off mythical creatures with different weapons and time-manipulating abilities.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Image credit: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: TBA 2024
Following last year’s acclaimed Super Mario RPG, Nintendo is releasing another remake of a beloved Mario RPG. While searching for treasure, Peach is kidnapped by aliens, leading Mario to set out to locate the loot and save the princess. On the GameCube, Thousand-Year Door won praise for its unique art style, whimsical story and timing-based combat, which will all be retained in the remake. Naturally, the Switch version will also add updated visuals and animations.
Princess Peach: Showtime!
Image credit: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: March 22nd, 2024
Nintendo also has a royalty-focused adventure this year, and it’s all about the often-overlooked Princess Peach. In her first starring role since the 2005 DS title Super Princess Peach, our heroine must save the Sparkle Theater from the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch. In this charming stage play setup, Peach will have to use a powerful ribbon to take on several different roles (each with their own abilities), including Swordfighter, Detective, Pâtisserie and Kung Fu. Who needs Mario?
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Image credit: Xbox
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA 2024
In 2017, Ninja Theory blew us all away with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, a gorgeous action game with a sensitive exploration of psychosis. Fast forward seven years and the sequel, Senua’s Saga, is finally set to be released. While we don’t actually know too much about the highly-anticipated follow-up, it’s confirmed to follow Senua (Melina Juergens) as she embarks on a brutal journey through Viking Iceland. Expect more of the trippy and tense combat and a deeper exploration of Senua’s mental health, all rendered through some of the most stunningly photorealistic visuals in a video game to date.
Star Wars Outlaws
Image credit: Ubisoft
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA 2024
Now that EA no longer holds the exclusive rights to Star Wars games, other companies can get a crack at the galaxy far, far away. The biggest example of this is Ubisoft Massive’s Star Wars Outlaws, the first fully open-world Star Wars game. Unlike EA’s Star Wars Jedi series or many other Star Wars titles, you don’t control a lightsaber-wielding Force user in Outlaws. Instead, you play as Kay Vess, a scoundrel who takes on various under-the-table gigs in a story set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. With a blaster and robot companion, you’ll get to explore several open-world planets and outer space, face off against the Empire and other enemies in third-person shooter combat and make choices through branching dialogue.
Fun fact: while Ubisoft Massive is in Sweden, a team at Ubisoft Toronto — led by Far Cry 6‘s Navid Khavari and Nikki Foy — handled the narrative. Additionally, Kay is voiced and performance-captured by Venezuelan-Canadian Humberly González (Ginny & Georgia).
Of course, that only scratches the surface of what’s to come in 2024. Other titles include the Mario vs. Donkey Kong Switch remake, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Tekken 8, Dragon’s Dogma II and The Plucky Squire. That also doesn’t include highly-anticipated expansions like Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Destiny 2: The Final Shape.
Which games are you most excited about in 2024? Let us know in the comments.
Image credit: Ubisoft/Supergiant Games/Square Enix
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