Just like 2019, the year 2024 hasn’t been the best year for video games. After all, 2023 was hard to beat with games like Cocoon, Sea of Stars, Viewfinder, El Paso, Elsewhere making for a banger 12 months of digital delights. It’s also the year that brought us breakout hits from independent studios like Baldur’s Gate 3 from Larian Studios and Alan Wake 2 from Remedy Entertainment.

But this year, we’ve seen massive layoffs from studios all across the world and closures to boot. There have even been some embarrassments like the speeder crash that is Star Wars Outlaws, the fast lane to failure of Concord, and the crash and burn of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. Things are bleak, and the brightest points of light are coming from the indies.

For while indies are also struggling – many of the biggest sources of game dev funding have tightened their investment belts while a crowded market means it’s harder to sell your game in an ocean of content – it remains the place where clever invention, heartfelt emotion, and novel pleasures have triumphed over the harder, faster, bigger, more intense that defines the blockbuster space.

Without further ado, here are the best video games of 2024.

8. Mullet Madjack

Retro-inspired shooters, lovingly known as ‘boomer shooters,’ are practically a dime a dozen now, but Mullet Madjack stands out as both a clever parody and a loving tribute. Not only is it a fast-paced, exciting recreation of the best of old-school, but it’s also got some clever writing and an irreverent sense of humor.

Available on: Windows PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch

7. Children of the Sun

You may think you’ve seen it all when it comes to sniper games – from realistic breathing to disgusting gore – but you’ve never seen a game like Children of the Sun. As the paranormally gifted Girl, you’ll bend the path of a single bullet into dozens of cultists who were behind the murder of your parents. It’s an incredible blend of slow-motion puzzle work and visceral action.

Available on: Windows PC

6. Thank Goodness You’re Here

This short and sweet slapstick adventure is an acquired taste for those who don’t really go hard for “Bri’ish” humor, but if you can get on with it, you’ll get some of the best laughs in video games. Thank Goodness You’re Here isn’t so much a puzzle adventure as it is a series of comedic sketches where you, as a weird little guy, figure out the punch line.

Available on: Nintendo Switch, Mac, Windows PC, PlayStation 4 & 5

5. Until Then

Something is amiss in the world of Until Then, a coming-of-age tale set in an off-kilter version of Metro Manila. Mark Borja leads a seemingly ordinary existence as a high school kid, but seemingly paranormal incursions into his life suggest a secret lying at the heart of his world. A details-right pixel recreation of Manila and an intriguing story about friendship, betrayal, and growing up.

Available on: Windows PC, PlayStation 5

4. Mouthwashing

Stranded in deep space, you and your fellow crewmates of the cargo ship Tulpar do not deal well with trying to survive. Why is it called Mouthwashing? I’ll give it to you: mouthwash is all you have to survive when food and medical supplies run out. A nightmarish look at desperation in the face of negligence and the abdication of responsibility makes this one of the best psychological horror games.

Available on: Windows PC

3. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

You probably haven’t played a game like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes in a long time, if ever. This daring, must-play mystery adventure features over a hundred handcrafted puzzles begging to be solved. But they’re not just willfully obtuse for the sake of it. The game places faith in its audience to understand its mysteries and stokes questions about art and madness. Keep a notepad close by.

Available on: Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5

2. Arco

Turn-based strategy games don’t excite everyone, but Arco’s sharp writing and emotionally powerful tale about a Mesoamerican culture being taken apart by colonialism really pops. The gameplay is unique, letting you input orders for your characters one at a time, while things play out in real-time. There’s a lively energy to the whole affair that makes Arco as engaging as its narrative.

Available on: Mac, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch

1. 1000xResist

It’s easy to write of 1000xResist as just another visual novel / walking simulator, but its expert use of interaction and storytelling speaks to the backgrounds of its creators, the Asian-Canadian theater and performance artists of Sunset Visitor.

This emotional, intriguing, and mournful sci-fi story taps into a rich array of fears and anxieties. Intergenerational trauma, pandemic fears, the intricacies of the Asian diaspora, 1000xResist is a poetic, artful and superb piece of writing and design that reveals the best of what videogames are capable of.

Available on: Nintendo Switch, Windows PC

What video games did you enjoy in 2024?