Guide: The Best Games of 2024 so far

Elden Ring's recent and only expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree has established itself as a true masterpiece and an example to be followed. It not only maintains the series' quality standard, but also raises its level of content, depth, world-building and lore.

At a size comparable to, or even greater than, many games on the market, Shadow of the Erdtree offers a new reason to step back into the shoes of Tarnished and explore the Land of Shadow. New enemies promise to test even the most experienced players in an expansion full of secrets which enrich every detail of the game's already vast universe, providing a complete and immersive experience.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a love letter to the franchise's legacy, but also expands the narrative started with Final Fantasy VII Remake, mixing a deep story and striking characters and throwing them into a vast open world full of side quests and dialogues that bring the player closer to its cast of characters and plot.

Rebirth maintains all the emotional impact of Final Fantasy VII and adapts it for the current generations. For those who followed the original game, there is familiarity in each new region visited as it captivates by visually expanding them with modern graphics, and for new players who have never experienced FFVII, there is an epic adventure worthy of one of the most popular RPG franchises of all time.

Animal Well

Animal Well is the kind of game the industry needs, but that the public is often not prepared to embrace. With a very compact experience, it encourages, from start to finish, players to explore every detail of its maps, mixing elements of Metroidvania, puzzles and platformer, all complemented by remarkable artistic direction, filled with secrets waiting to be discovered.

With a clear objective and gameplay that maintains its ambition from start to finish, Animal Well has become one of the most impressive titles of 2024 so far, and promises to remain a reference throughout the year.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Developed by Capcom, Dragon’s Dogma 2 lives up to the expectations left by its predecessor, presenting players with a world rich in details and with high team customization throughout the journey. In addition to engaging combat that even allows climbing enemies and exploiting their weaknesses, the game stands out for the chain reactions that players can experience: choices made and details overlooked can result in severe consequences, adding a layer of depth and strategy to the game.

This is not an RPG that seeks to take the player by the hand to guide them all the time, and while some details, such as storytelling, leave something to be desired, Dragon's Dogma 2 is a robust game with many hours of fun and good replayability.

Tekken 8

Tekken 8 is almost everything its fans could wish for, with a diverse cast of characters, including many of the series' most famous, and an action-packed story mode. A high variety of game modes, combined with impressive graphics and sound effects, brings the universe of one of the most famous fighting franchises of all time to the current generation and consolidates it as the best fighting game of 2024.

Balatro

Almost a must-play for card game fans, Balatro combines Roguelike elements with a complex poker table, where new elements add depth and unpredictability to the game, keeping it simple to understand and yet extremely fun. Its gameplay remains innovative, where poker features play an essential role in keeping players engaged for hours, while motivations to cheat grow with each game.

Balatro is one of the most iconic titles of the first half of the year, and one where it's easy to lose track of time as you play one game after another trying to overcome a new challenge.

Helldivers 2

How can we not mention Helldivers 2 in a list of the best games of 2024? More than an excellent third-person shooter, it is an accurate parody where a totalitarian government sends its soldiers to face a threat it created on its own merit, satirizing this irony at every turn.

Behind the satirical tone, Helldivers 2 is extremely challenging: putting its players at a disadvantage, the game requires cooperation to eliminate giant insects and other creatures, promoting teamwork even in the most unlikely situations while its own narrative, built through updates, borders on the absurd to provide new challenges to overcome and new ways to make fun of its own dystopia.

Hades II

Hades II is in early access, but its combination of artistic direction, highly refined gameplay and a rich narrative already puts it in the spotlight, even without presenting a complete product. The game also doesn't hide, at any time, that it is still in development.

Its overall narrative is as fascinating as that of its predecessor, motivating players to explore every detail in each run. The combat remains engaging, the soundtrack keeps the experience fresh, and the main character, Mel, shows promise. These qualities position Hades II in a privileged space among games in early access and one of the most anticipated titles of the year - therefore deserving of a space on our list!

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth follows the rules established by its predecessor, introducing a new story with Ichiban Kasuga in Hawaii. The game features several new gameplay features while maintains the structure of a turn-based RPG, but introduces action mechanics with Kazuma Kyriu, the main character in the first Yakuza games, who plays a fundamental role in the plot.

The eighth game in the franchise flirts with the absurd at times, while delivering a deep narrative full of complex, humanized dilemmas, which makes players become attached to the characters. It manages to deliver a storytelling masterpiece, but without leaving aside the lightness and unique sense of humor which characterized this new milestone in the series and was one of the most striking features of the previous game, Yakuza: Like a Dragon .

Persona 3 Reload

Known for having the darkest narrative among the franchise's “new era” games, Persona 3 was responsible for creating the formula which turned the Atlus series into a worldwide phenomenon. Its remake, titled Reload, presents all the mastery of artistic direction that made Persona 5 one of the most acclaimed RPGs of the last generation, mixed with the story of the third game, without major new features, but with many quality of life and graphics improvements.

Despite the notoriously more convoluted narrative, the game provides dozens of hours of fun with an engaging plot with well-developed characters, where school life is mixed with dungeon crawling as we explore a gigantic tower during the Dark Hour .

The first half of 2024 brought unforgettable experiences with its main games and stood out as one of the best release periods in the recent industry, but the year is not over yet and several other titles are still to come and could top the list of best games in the year, as well as other pleasant surprises that still await us among the indie scene.

Thanks for reading!