It's my first year doing a personal Game Of The Year list, and I wouldn't have chosen any other year for my debut - so many indies and less-anticipated games turned out to be the year's biggest gems in 12 months full of surprises.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to try every game this year, but lucky for you, many others at TheGamer did, so be sure to check out all our GOTY lists right here.
10 Pokemon TCG Pocket
I'll be honest, I didn't play many card or Pokemon-related games before Pokemon TCG Pocket, and I only got into this one because of a dear friend. Yet I instantly found myself absorbed, solely because of the pack-opening element.
After getting a bunch of good cards, I took my time to learn the battle system and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it - up until every game was me going against five Mewtwo decks. I still log in every day for a small pack-opening session.
9 Strinova
Strinova is a typical 5v5 shooter where you can play various modes, but the main focus is on the bomb-planting since it's the only one available in Ranked. Luckily, it's the mode I enjoy the most. It also comes with a twist of allowing you to play in the third-person perspective, which changes a lot more than you'd think.
The only reason I heard about this game in the first place was watching the early betas on Twitch. The anime artstyle and FPS gameplay were enough to get me hooked.
8 Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown
If my memory serves correctly, Prince Of Persia: The Sand Of Times was the first story-driven PC game I ever played, and my love for the series also started from there. This love reached an all-time high after learning that Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown was a 2D metroidvania platformer.
In this game, you play as Sargon who attempts to save the kidnapped Prince from a huge cursed city. Starting strong, the game keep getting better as you earn more powers, with each one giving a new layer of depth to the overall movement and challenges you face.
7 Marvel Rivals
I'm a huge fan of both shooter games and Marvel, so imagine my anticipation for a game that has both. Unlike Marvel's Avengers, Marvel Rivals didn't disappoint, which is evident by the huge success the game has seen after only a few days of launch.
This game plays as a 6v6 where you have to compete for different objectives, like escorting a vehicle or capturing a zone for a certain amount of time. My favorite thing about the game is the special synergies that allow you to have some truly broken abilities, like Rocket and Jeff being able to ride on Groot's back.
6 Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
One of the things that get me hooked on a game is immersive storytelling, and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes does a great job at that. You play as Nowa, who starts as a common citizen but grows to lead the resistance against the evil forces.
On your journey, you'll recruit over a hundred characters in your resistance, which is by far the most fun part of the game. It was oddly satisfying revisiting old towns and secret areas after every main part of the story to see new faces being enlisted in my army.
5 Once Human
I first got into Once Human during its final beta before launch, simply because I didn't have much else going on. What I didn't expect was being greeted by a game where I'd spend maybe the most of my gaming hours in 2024.
While the game does have a decent story, its main attraction is the open world filled with various cities, each having a unique design and exploration mechanics to get to that one special chest. The only drawback of this game was the immense amount of lag in any location that had more than ten players.
4 Infinity Nikki
Being one of the two games on this list that have launched very recently, even I'm surprised with my own placement of Infinity Nikki here, but the game is just that good. I was already invested in the game as soon as I heard that it's an open-world gacha with some beautiful outfits.
I expected a lot from it after listening to the feedback from beta players, yet it still surpassed my expectations by presenting a breathtaking open world with cute exploration mechanics and characters.
3 Palworld
The release of Palworld in early access came at the very start of 2024, and it set a high pedestal for the rest of the games coming in the same year. Most people who spent many hours in the game weren't even planning to play it, just like me.
However, once I tried it out, it was difficult to stop. I can't even pick one or two things about this game that especially resonated with me since I loved every bit of it, and can't wait to see where it goes next.
2 Core Keeper
Usually, when a game goes a month past the launch without me trying it, it ends up being a part of the backlog of games that I want to try someday but never do. Thankfully, Core Keeper wasn't one of them.
While it is an open-world game, it drops you into a small square and you have to dig your way to discover the world. What I loved most about it was creating railway systems for various mines from my base. I enjoyed it so much that we already had a good supply of endgame ores before even trying the first main boss after opening the initial walls.
1 Wuthering Waves
If you were to tell me that Wuthering Waves would be my Game Of The Year when it launched, I'd have laughed at you. It had various performance issues from the start, and things consistently glitched out, making it nearly impossible to play.
However, with consistent updates, the developers have not only made the game more stable and beautiful, but also offered significant improvements to character design and story. Of course, the one thing that puts this game above all else for me is the existence of Shorekeeper, because what a beautifully written and designed character she is.
NextWhy Each Nominee Deserves Game Of The Year
We're writing a piece every day for each of the six games nominated for the Game Of The Year award. This hub will keep track of them all.
Posts 6 By James Kennedy
