Going into 2024, I expected a slow year. We were coming off the highs of 2023, and we knew that heavy hitters like Grand Theft Auto 6 were waiting for 2025. I expected a transitional year full of niche hidden gems. Boy was I wrong. This year has nearly matched 2023 already thanks to games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and much more. The wild part? 2024 feels like it hasn’t even gotten started yet.
The back half of this year is looking loaded thanks to a dense holiday season. Xbox will get an influx of games, PlayStation will chase the family market once again, and the Nintendo Switch is getting one heck of a final gasp. That’s only a small piece of the pie too. Third-parties will deliver anticipated blockbusters like Silent Hill 2‘s remake and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, while the indie scene is bringing some genre-bending creativity. So what should be on your radar for the rest of 2024? Here’s what we’re especially looking forward to.
The Crush House (August 9)
Ever since I first saw The Crush House at this year’s Game Developers Conference, I’ve been dying to get my hands on it. The oddball project is a reality TV simulator where players take on the role of a cameraman on a Big Brother-like show. It’s their job to film all the juicy interactions between the show’s singles, all while fulfilling the wishes of its growing fanbase. That means occasionally getting rear ends in shots to please “butt guys,” or filming at exaggerated Dutch angles for all the film kids out there. It looks like an ingenious approach to a first-person game that I’ve never quite seen done before. And as a reality TV enjoyer myself, I’m excited to see the drama.
Astro Bot (September 6)
If you’re looking for a potential Game of the Year in 2024’s back half, Astro Bot is the most likely candidate. Sony’s latest exclusive takes the tech demo experiments of Astro Bot: Rescue Mission and Astro’s Playroom and blows them out into a full-scale platformer. Based on what we played back at Summer Game Fest, that’s a great thing. The few levels I tried showed off a confident platformer full of clever power-ups, precise platforming, and some surprising challenges. It’s everything I love about Sony’s old school 3D platformers but updated for a new generation. If the full package stays that consistent, I imagine Astro Bot could even beat Nintendo at its own game.
UFO 50 (September 18)
If you play 500 games this year, I’m sure you still won’t find one quite like UFO 50. The latest project from Spelunky creator Derek Yu has this year’s weirdest elevator pitch: It’s a collection of 50 long-lost games from a developer that never existed. It’s a fun, fictional setup that allows Yu and his team to deliver some wildly creative retro games that call back to the eclectic freeware era. I only scratched the surface of those games when I played at Summer Game Fest, but I was already finding inventive surprises. One minute I was playing a top-down mini golf game in the style of Zelda, and the next I was managing a house party through deck-building. It’s an unpredictable collection filled with surprises, and I can’t wait to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Rusty Rabbit (September 24)
It’s already been a great year for the Metroidvania genre thanks to games like Animal Well, but the best might still be to come. Rusty Rabbit is a 2.5D action adventure game with a truly gonzo premise. After humans flee the Earth, rabbits inhabit the planet and take their place. The only problem? They’ve interpreted everything humans left behind all wrong and think that rabbits are God’s chosen people. And that might be the most normal part. What’s really got me intrigued is that players control an adorable middle-aged bunny voiced by none other than Takaya Kuroda, the voice of Like a Dragon’s Kiryu Kazuma. It’s all tremendously weird in the best possible way. As long as its trash-collecting and action hooks hold up, it could be this fall’s biggest sleeper hit.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (September 26)
Like a lot of people, I’ve been waiting a very long time for a modern Zelda that actually stars Princess Zelda. We’re finally getting that this fall with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. What’s even more exciting is that the project isn’t just your average Zelda game with a new hero. Zelda has her own special ability, which allows her to clone objects and enemies. That sets the stage for what’s looking like a fun evolution of the franchise’s top-down formula, emphasizing clever puzzle solving and more open-ended play. Considering that developer Grezzo knock it out of the park with its excellent Link’s Awakening remake, I have high hopes for this.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure (October 29)
A new Life is Strange game is usually a cause for celebration, but I find myself especially excited for the series’ latest entry. Life is Strange: Double Exposure will bring back Max Caulfield, from the series’ first game, for a supernatural murder mystery. I wouldn’t need to hear much more to put it on my list, but I’m especially optimistic after 2021’s Life is Strange: True Colors. That installment stands as one of the series’ best entries, with strong writing and some effective emotional sequences that still stick with me today. If Double Exposure can build on that momentum, this should be a grand moment for the narrative adventure series.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows (November 15)
Before Assassin’s Creed Shadows was announced, I can’t say I was looking forward to the project. Valhalla‘s bloated formula wore me out, and the more stripped back Mirage felt bland. Shadows feels very different, though. For one, it brings the series to Japan in what could be an exciting visual change for the series. What’s especially catching my eye is its dual-protagonist setup, which lets players control both the legendary samurai Yasuke and Naoe, a shinobi. Both have very different playstyles, with Naoe hiding in the shadows and Yasuke getting more aggressive. It’s the kind of shake-up the Assassin’s Creed series needs, all while delivering what looks to be an intriguing alternate-history tale that has some fun with Yasuke’s mysterious legacy.
Batman: Arkham Shadow (fall 2024)
For those looking for a good reason to use their VR headset by the end of the year, Batman: Arkham Shadow is worth keeping an eye on. Though some fans of Rocksteady’s Arkham series haven’t taken kindly to the news that the series is jumping to VR, there are a lot of reasons for them to drop their guard. The project is in good hands over at Camouflaj, the studio behind the solid Iron Man VR. While we haven’t seen gameplay yet, Arkham Shadow is said to feature everything you’d expect from a console Arkham game,. including free-flowing combat. While we’re not entirely sure how that’ll work out in the end, we’re cautiously optimistic that this will be a VR highlight for the year.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (TBA 2024)
Xbox has a lot to prove in the back half of 2024. With Redfall flopping last year and Starfield still struggling to meet overhyped expectations, Microsoft’s big 2024 exclusives need to deliver. While we still don’t quite know what to make of Avowed just yet, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle seems like a safe bet for Xbox. The upcoming action-adventure game essentially looks like a first-person Uncharted that goes all in on Indiana Jones’ flair for the dramatic. With Wolfenstein studio MachineGames at the helm, we’re expecting a thrilling blockbuster full of satisfying Nazi beatdowns.
Other highlights
- Thank Goodness You’re Here (August 1)
- SteamWorld Heist 2 (August 8)
- Black Myth: Wukong (August 20)
- Star Wars Outlaws (August 30)
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (September 5)
- Yars Rising (September 10)
- Wild Bastards (September 12)
- Frostpunk 2 (September 20)
- MechWarrior: Clans (October 3)
- Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred (October 8)
- Silent Hill 2 (October 8)
- Metaphor: ReFantazio (October 11)
- Super Mario Party Jamboree (October 17)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (October 25)
- Sonic X Shadow Generations (October 25)
- Mario & Luigi Brothership (November 7)
- Slitterhead (November 8)
- AntonBlast (November 12)
- Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake (November 14)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (November 19)
- Avowed (TBA)
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard (TBA)
- Lego Horizon Adventures (TBA)
#anticipated #games #rest
