The Best Video Games of 2024

2024 was a great year for games. From new, original masterpieces and powerhouse sequels to game-redefining expansions and reimagined classics, gamers feasted this year. But which were the best of the best? Let's get into that, shall we? Here, in no particular order, are Anime News Network's top 10 picks for the best video games of 2024.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is a massive game. It takes the basic gameplay of Final Fantasy VII: Remake and expands the combat while taking our heroes out of the city of Midgar and into an enormous open world. While the main story is more than long enough to carry the game, each and every area is filled with mini-games and sidequests—giving you potentially hundreds of hours of playing. Not many games give you as much bang for your buck as Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth does.

For those who never played the original, it is a world-spanning adventure with the fate of the world on the line. But for anyone who did play the original, it is so much more. Few games capture the utter amount of looming dread that Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth does. This comes from the simple fact we know how the story is supposed to go—that it's supposed to end with one of the most infamous deaths in gaming history. But will it? Many things change throughout the game—there are countless new ways that the story unfolds. However, the ultimate destination feels inevitable—and the game plays with your expectations and emotions right up until the closing minutes of the game.

All in all, it is an emotional roller coaster, populated by memorable characters and filled with moments of beauty and joy, sadness and desperation. It is a fantastic reimagining of one of gaming's most beloved classics and builds on the original even as it pays homage to it. It's a must-play game and one that will leave you hungering for more. —Richard Eisenbeis

Metaphor: ReFantazio

You'd be forgiven for not expecting too much from Metaphor: ReFantazio before its release. A beleaguered fantasy RPG, from Atlus, emphatically not a Persona game even though it came from the man who'd been directing the Persona games for years now? But in an amazing twist: Metaphor is great! Oh sure, our protagonist is the Persona 3 protagonist in a new suit, but the cast and writing of Metaphor ring true, giving us not only a wonderful cast of fantasy characters to fall in love with but also giving the world political stakes that we can all feel invested in. In a lot of ways, Metaphor improves on the issues you might have had with Persona, from the grindy nature of battles to the dynamics between characters. Also, the game's visual panache is simply lovely. In a year loaded with phenomenal RPGs, Metaphor earns its place among them. —Jean-Karlo Lemus

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

This expansion to 2022's Elden Ring feels like an entirely new game. Set within a new area nearly half the size of the main game, Shadow of the Erdtree has tons of new places to explore. The game's traversal has a new focus on verticality in world design, making it seem even more expansive. As is par for the course, every corner of the map is filled with both people and eldritch abominations out to kill you. And while Shadow of the Erdtree is a step up in difficulty from the main game, it gives you all the new tools and abilities you'll need to overcome anything you come across.

The bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree are especially notable. They are flashy, fun, and creative—and some are so difficult they give Malenia a run for their money. The sense of accomplishment you get when finally taking them down is unmatched.

The game has a more focused and interconnected narrative than the base game. It is centered around exploring the oft-mentioned but never-before-seen Miquela. Through learning his story, we are left with the question: can someone truly make a kinder world when they've discarded all the things that made them strive for that goal in the first place? Aside from Miquela, there is a core of other supporting characters who each have rather large development throughout the expansion—and how you interact with them determines not only their fate but whether they will side with you or against you when the time comes.

In the end, not only does Shadow of the Erdtree live up to the expectations set by Elden Ring but surpasses them. If you have played the base game, playing this one is a no-brainer. And if you haven't, well, now is the perfect time to play both. —Richard Eisenbeis

Unicorn Overlord

Being a Vanillaware game, Unicorn Overlord would be a shoo-in for its visuals alone. Vanillaware is renowned for its 2D visuals, be they for character design or world design—or, most importantly, food design. And sure, Unicorn Overlord delivers on all those fronts. But the real secret sauce for Unicorn Overlord is that it's an Ogre Battle game in disguise. If you're a True Believer who's been missing Ogre Battle's brand of real-time combat and deeply strategic unit construction and character progression, Unicorn Overlord delivers. And on top of it all, it's got the Vanillaware art to go with it. Also—the "ring" system means that if and when you find your one-and-only in-game, you can "marry" them to keep them with you through the bitter end. —Jean-Karlo Lemus

Astro Bot

When I finally got my hands on a PS5 after a year of trying to get one, I came home holding several new games I was dying to play. However, I first played the game pre-installed on the system: Astro's Playroom. It was a short game, no more than three hours long, that was all about showcasing the PS5 controller's rumble and haptic feedback features. It was also a super fun little 3D platformer—and one I hoped would one day be fleshed out into a full title. Well, I got my wish.

The plot of Astro Bot is straightforward. An alien “bully” attacks the bots on their PS5 spaceship, wrecks it, and scatters the bots across the nearby planets. As Astro, you go from world to world and rescue the other bots while searching for the pieces to restore your ship.

Gameplay-wise, each planet has a different theme—be that space, lava, ice, etc. There are often gameplay-changing power-ups that add a lot of flavor and variety to the game. The real standout levels of the game are those that lightheartedly parody some of PlayStation's memorable first-party titles like Horizon and God of War.

This humor is incorporated into the bots themselves. While some are plain, many are homages to characters from the many games to appear on PlayStation systems—and not just first-party titles. Collecting them all—and then playing around with them in the hub world—is a nostalgic trip.

All in all, this love letter to PlayStation comes with solid, creative gameplay, just the right amount of cute humor, and never overstays its welcome. —Richard Eisenbeis

Another Code: ReCollection

You might have heard of the original version of part of this two-in-one game: Trace Memory, on the good old Nintendo DS. ReCollection was an early title this year that flew under many peoples' radar: a 3D remake of a puzzle series about a little girl trying to find her missing father while solving the mystery surrounding two different deaths that of her mother, and of a boy who died decades before her birth. Another Code gives us a powerful story about memory, identity, and the effects people have upon us even after leaving our lives. Protagonist Ashley Mizuki Robins and her trials stick with you, growing before our eyes as she explores the ghosts of her past—and her memories. And for people who miss Trace Memory's DS cousin, Hotel Dusk, you'll find a few stray references to it strewn about. Another Code: ReCollection was modest, but also impactful. —Jean-Karlo Lemus

Stellar Blade

Stellar Blade is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi action game where, after monsters took over the Earth's surface, humanity was forced to retreat and live on an orbiting space colony. You play as Eve, a survivor of a failed cyborg invasion force tasked with taking back the planet. Throughout the game, work to accomplish your mission, find other survivors, and uncover the hidden history of humanity and the monsters.

The game is a mix of dungeons and more open-world-style areas—meaning there is a lot of room for optional exploration. Meanwhile, the combat is fast-paced and all about performing combos while executing perfectly-time blocks and dodges. It's super smooth and flashy—and you feel like a total badass while playing.

But as good as the game feels, let's not pretend that Eve's appearance isn't a major draw. Sometimes, you just want to play as a hyper-sexualized woman killing monsters with a sword. The game makers know this and many of the rewards for exploration and side missions come in the form of new costumes and accessories for Eve—some super fanservicey and others a bit more conservative.

Stellar Blade is one of those games that are just fun to play—and it feels more than a bit bittersweet when you finish everything the game has to offer. Luckily, DLCs and free updates have been coming out rather regularly—with the NieR:Automata tie-in and holiday events being the most recent. If this game sounds at all up your alley, be sure to give it a shot. —Richard Eisenbeis

Shiren The Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island

It's beautiful when a game can weave its gameplay in with its story. Shiren The Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is a challenging title, where an unlucky dice roll can send you back to square one. But also, it knows that your failure is inevitable, and gives you endless reasons to try again. Maybe catching up with everyone on your trek back to where you left off reveals they've gone further in their own quests. Maybe you have more opportunities to help them on this try. Maybe they can now help you in your journey. Or—maybe you'll take a different path through the dungeon. Maybe you'll challenge the dungeon within the dungeon. Serpentcoil Island is packed to the gills with secrets to uncover and puzzles to solve; no matter how many times you fall, there is always something new to discover and some new challenge to face. Failure is not the end in Serpentcoil Island, it's an opportunity—and certainly one to be seized. —Jean-Karlo Lemus

Fantasian: Neo Dimension

From Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, comes what could be his last game: Fantasian: Neo Dimension. Set in a world where a malignant, mechanized cancer is spreading across the land, the story follows an amnesiac young man whose only remaining memory is the face of a young woman. His quest to find her and get his memories back transforms into a journey to save not only his world but others as well.

The original version of this game (simply titled Fantasian) was released on Apple Arcade in two parts. Neo Dimension contains both of these, along with more than a few upgrades—most notably voice acting and a new difficulty option. But why would a new difficulty feature be important? Because despite being a turn-based RPG, Fantasian is devilishly hard.

When it comes to the bosses, you can't simply overpower or out-level them. Each has tricks to beat them—and you'll lose if you don't know it. This makes each boss a puzzle where you have to figure out what the boss' gimmick is and what skills you have in your party that could counteract it. This can be a challenge—especially in the game's back half, where you have seven characters, each with an array of optional skills to learn. The new, easier “normal difficulty,” does little to change this—it just gives you a bit more leeway in figuring out what you need to do.

The game's other big claim to fame is being able to store your random attacks for later—fighting as many as 50 enemies at a time of your choosing. This is manageable thanks to the characters' special skills allowing them to attack in a line, arc, or area. If you're looking for a classic RPG with a modern twist (and some gorgeous diorama backgrounds), Fantasian is the game for you. —Richard Eisenbeis

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

If you had thought we would never see the 2D Zelda games ever again, or the lovely aesthetic established by the Link's Awakening remake, or ever get a chance to play an honest The Legend of Zelda title as Princess Zelda herself—well, we've been proven wrong. Echoes of Wisdom not only gives us a beautiful return to the classic 2D aesthetic of the older Zelda games, but also gives us a new way to approach the world and explore it: instead of the typical tools we might be used to, we can overcome obstacles with copies of objects we've found in the world. Bounce up cliffs with beds, stack tables to climb ledges, or copy monsters for backup against other foes—it's a brilliant take on the open-world mechanics introduced in the new open-world Zelda games (even if the menus still need a ton of work). Nintendo was tasked with making a game where you play a character known for their wisdom, and delivered in spades. —Jean-Karlo Lemus

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