Another fantastic year for gaming is coming to a close.
The past 12 months have seen some mammoth titles released. From the epic Black Myth: Wukong, to the much-anticipated Silent Hill 2 remake, to Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth – the second part of the cult classic game in the Square Enix franchise. It’s also been a year of firsts, with the Legend of Zelda franchise releasing Echoes of Time – the first main game in the series that allows you to play as the titular princess herself.
No matter what console you play on or your preferred type of game, there’s been something for everyone this year. As someone who exclusively plays on PC, I managed to play over 40 unique titles in the last 12 months – an impressive amount of variety for someone who could spend an entire day just playing Valorant.
Admittedly, not all of the games I played this year were released in 2024, but many of them were. Here, I’ve organised my top picks into five unique categories and highlighted my favourites for each – as well as the one game I already know will be a staple in my Steam library throughout 2025.
AAA title – Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
When the DLC for FromSoftware’s epic 2022 title landed in June, gaming communities everywhere went wild – and rightly so. Adding a whole new area to explore, new bosses to conquer, and a bucket-load of new lore to get lost in, the Shadow of the Erdtree was so good it even landed a nomination for Game of the Year at the Game Awards.
I didn’t play too many AAA (major studio) titles this year, and some of you might think that adding a DLC (downloadable content) under this category is a bit of a cop-out. But I’ll counter it by saying I had never played the base game before this year either, so this pick goes to Elden Ring itself more than the DLC.
Am I good at Elden Ring? Absolutely not. The anxiety I feel any time I see an enemy is unbelievable. But have I logged over 70 hours and counting? Of course. The stress is all part of the experience, and I urge anyone who is thinking of trying a FromSoftware title for the first time to make 2025 the year they finally jump in.
FPS (first-person shooter) game – Marvel Rivals
Let me start by explaining that I am a huge fan of hero shooters. Over the past few years, I’ve logged at least 400 hours in Overwatch and another 1,000 (yes, you read that number correctly) in what I would consider to be my favourite game, Valorant. So when my friend asked if I’d like to try out Marvel Rivals, I obviously said yes.
This game is so much fun. If you’ve begun to find Overwatch a bit testing like I have, then Marvel Rivals might just be the breath of fresh air you need. I have little to no interest in the Marvel Universe itself, but the heroes are all fun to play regardless. And who doesn’t want to say they’ve managed to take down Spider-Man?
The game has only been out for a little over a week at the time of writing, but it’s easily one of my top games of 2024. And I already know it’s going to be a game I play a lot more of in 2025, as promised updates for the title – including new heroes – look to keep people engaged for a long time.
Cosy game – Fields of Mistria
When I’m not clicking heads (or, more accurately, missing) in FPS (first-person shooter) games, you can usually find me planting crops and going fishing in any number of cosy games. I have over 200 hours in the father of all cosy games, Stardew Valley, and in 2024 I played an extensive list of farming sims and other relaxing titles.
For my number one game, I’ve picked Fields of Mistria, released in August. If you’ve ever played Stardew Valley, you’ll understand the basics of this game right off the bat, but there’s some charm in Fields of Mistria that I feel is missing from its predecessor. For starters, you can pick your pronouns, making the game more inclusive for non-binary folk like myself. You can also swim and collect treasures underwater, and shops are always open – meaning you can say goodbye to the annoying feeling of not being able to buy seeds for your garden on Wednesdays.
But what really captured my heart was the art. As a fan of old-school RPGs (we’ll get to that later), Fields of Mistria looks like it was plucked right out of an early-2000s Japanese RPG (role-playing game), and it’s gorgeous. I’ve only got 12 hours in the game so far, but I’ll be looking to play a lot more in 2025.
Multiplayer game – Chained Together
As fun as it is to play games by yourself, they’re always better with friends. This year I tried to spend more time playing with my mates, and the opportunities on offer in 2024 didn’t disappoint. My friends and I had a blast on games like Supermarket Together, Palworld, A Way Out and Valheim – but nothing quite strengthened our bond like Chained Together.
Released in June this year, Chained Together does exactly what it says on the tin. You and your cohort play as characters who are quite literally connected by a chain, meaning any movement you make also moves them. Together, you must navigate your way through a fiendishly difficult platformer with one big caveat – if you fall off, you’ll fall all the way back to the start.
It definitely caused a few arguments when I played it, but after a few tries, you should find that your communication skills have drastically improved. What’s more, you can play the game via split-screen local co-op, so you could even get your family involved in the fun.
Nostalgia pick – Final Fantasy XII
Somehow, among all the time I spent playing new titles this year, I still found time to go back to the classics. As previously mentioned, I’m a sucker for an RPG, and while I did spend a few hours checking out 2024’s Visions of Mana, most of my story-driven gameplay this year was spent on classic titles. I replayed Grandia II earlier in the year and made my inner child happy by briefly revisiting Breath of Fire IV.
But the nostalgic game I spent the most time on was 2006’s Final Fantasy XII. The two biggest titles in the franchise that I remember from my childhood are X and XII, and I have fond memories of watching my dad run around as Vaan and his band of merry travellers when I was just 11 years old.
Playing the remastered PC version of the game in 2024 is still as exciting as it was 18 years ago, and I already have Final Fantasy VII, X, and XIII in my Steam library ready to go when I get some free time next year.
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