2024 has been a stunning 12 months. Games from small groups — like Palworld, Balatro, and Animal Well — rocketed up the gross sales charts, outstripping titles with a lot bigger budgets. Meanwhile, Nintendo lastly produced a Zelda sport headlined by the titular princess, and Sony debuted Astro Bot, a platformer so pristine that it drew comparability to the perfect Mario video games. But general, large releases from main firms have slowed as mass layoffs proceed to rattle the more and more consolidated business.
As perilous as 2024 has been for individuals who make video games, it is supplied a various bounty for individuals who play them. NPR community staffers and contributors have explored this breadth, from cozy puzzlers like Botany Manor to multiplayer sensations like Helldivers 2 to grand adventures like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Sortable by platform and style, we invite you to search out your subsequent favourite sport on the record beneath.
