We’ve reached the point at the end of the year where we take a look back at all that 2024 has given us. With many things to be grateful for in the entertainment space, one thing’s for sure: gamers were living their best lives as a lot of new heat dropped throughout the year. From fantasy story modes to first-person shooters to the long awaited return of a popular sports game, there was something for everyone to tap into. With Christmas shopping winding down, take a look at the top five video game releases of the year in case you need a last-minute gift for the video game enthusiast in your life.
5. Astro Bot
If you’re looking for something a bit less violent and more quirky, meet Astro Bot, the fifth installment of the saga front the minds of Team Asobi. This also marks the first release since Sony shut down Japan Studio in 2021 after the company deemed them not profitable, resulting in many layoffs. Reminiscent of the feeling you get when you play Super Mario games, Astro Bot uses basic movements with a heavy focus on getting through around 90 levels ranging from several difficulties. It’s a single-player game that you probably won’t put in as much time as you would some of the others on our list, but it’s a fun time and has been met with high praise as one of the best games of the year.
4. EA Sports College Football 25
After so many things had to fall in place perfectly for this to come to fruition, EA Sports finally brought back their second-best game behind Madden, College Football ‘25. You might recall in 2013 there was some legal action taken that involved a UCLA player bringing forth a lawsuit regarding the use of his name and likeness. The video game series came to a halt, and now 11 years later, the developers made sure they delivered and left no crumbs in doing so.
The graphics are top-notch, and the environment of each college stadium is designed so well, you can tell they took their time to get it done right. After all, if you’re going to come off a hiatus, you have to make it worth it. From the players to the swift movements, it’s hard to find something wrong with College Football ‘25. The only concern is whether the game simply received so much attention because we’ve gone so long without one. Will the demand still be alive next season now that sports gamers got their fix?
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
The annual Call of Duty release was everything we expected it to be and more as people hopped on the game by the hundreds of thousands like they once did at the franchise’s peak. Black Ops 6 packs a serious punch with elite graphics, intricate maps, and the return of the fan-favorite Nuketown to destroy your kill-death ratio. Zombies is also back with new perks and some old ones thrown into the mix as well. Can’t say I remember the last time the servers were near crashing for COD, as the game seems to be losing its popularity with the introduction of games like Fortnite on a rapid rise. Nonetheless, the first person shooter that everyone loves brought back the nostalgia of what it was like to shoot out that text to gather your boys (or girls) online to pull some serious all-nighters. Treyarch really did their thing with this one as it also marks X-Box’s first release straight to their new GamePass platform following Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
2. Helldivers 2
Nine years after the first installment, gamers were in for a real treat with the highly anticipated release of Helldivers 2 from Sony and Arrowhead Game Studios. The third-person shooter is exclusive to PS5 and Windows, but was recently in the news as it was reported that Xbox would potentially not be getting a release. Many have felt that making games limited to certain platforms is played out and ultimately not very smart for companies to cut out a large chunk of gamers who would spend the money for their product. Regardless, those who did get to play were met with entertaining co-op multiplayer, with the absence of the option to go solo in a single-player campaign mode. From battling aliens to saving humanity, this was a game that offered a ton of fun as it was on everyone’s radar no matter if you played the first one back in 2015 or not.
1. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
We’ve saved the best for last because it is without a doubt that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is the game of the year. Much like Baulder’s Gate captivated audiences last year, 2024 belongs to Space Marine 2, brother. Focus Entertainment brings us the sequel 13 years in the making and it does not disappoint. Taking place during the Age of the Dark Imperium, it’s one of those games that you lose track of time playing as you remain locked in as you fight off Tyranids with friends. If you aren’t familiar with the world of Warhammer, there’s no better time than now to brush up on the lore as it was recently announced Henry Cavill will star in a series based on the franchise over at Prime. Space Marine 2 has it all, leading many to put in hundreds of hours a week to level up, so much so that it should garner a warning sign labeling the game as “highly addictive.”
What was left off of the top 5 video games of 2024 list that we missed? Let us know on social media!