Last year was one of our favorite and most memorable years of gaming in a long while. Surprisingly, though, 2024 didn’t lag far behind. In some ways, it was even better, with a wider variety of titles that really spoke to us as a group. As usual, we focus on highlighting our favorite games of the year instead of what might be considered the best. Some of these titles even end up on our list because they’re significantly more fun when played together. It was a year when we saw many of our favorite games exit Early Access, while other titles entered Early Access and still managed to find their way onto the list.
Since we do this as a hobby and not as a job, it is difficult for us to experience every game that is released, even the notable ones. I just started to find the time to check out Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which probably belongs on this list, but I haven’t had a chance to put in enough hours to determine where it fits. Other titles that may belong here but we never had a chance to play in 2024 include Silent Hill 2, Black Myth: Wukong, Animal Well, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Here’s the list of FullCleared’s Favorite Games of 2024.
21. Rabbit and Steel
Rabbit and Steel (review) is one of the most unique games we’ve ever played, and it finds itself on our list because we’re also fans of Final Fantasy XIV. This solo-developer creation is an action roguelike game that tries to condense the MMORPG raiding experience—more specifically, that of Final Fantasy XIV—in a side-scrolling bullet hell. It’s all about managing your cooldowns and attacking a boss while avoiding mechanics. It’s especially fun in a group, particularly when things get hectic and everyone starts panicking. If you’re a fan of MMORPG raiding mechanics, do yourself a favor and give Rabbit and Steel a try.
20. Wuthering Waves
We can already hear it: a gacha mobile game? Sure, Wuthering Waves is clearly inspired by Genshin Impact, but its combat is engaging and fun to play. It’s got a great world to explore and a nice variety of characters, but the story definitely needs a lot of work. Exploring the world is rewarding, and the game is considered generous for something in this genre. It’s a nice change of pace from HoYoverse titles and we’re excited to see how far Wuthering Waves can go in the years to come. Although the co-op feels half-baked, it’s still enjoyable to run around with friends.
19. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
I was really excited about The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom when it first made its debut. I prefer 2D Zelda games over 3D ones, although The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ended up being my favorite game of the year in 2023. Unfortunately, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was a bit of a disappointment for me, but I do plan on going back to finishing it at some point. Performance issues aside, the entire echoes mechanic wasn’t as engaging as I had hoped it would be, and I found myself using the same ones repeatedly. I was hoping for something that felt as clever as Tears of the Kingdom, but it turned out to be surprisingly simplistic in comparison.
18. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Yes, it’s a remake, but Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is also a light-hearted and fun game to play. I consider it the best Paper Mario game yet, but that’s likely because I’m a huge fan of Yoshi and I love how they’re portrayed here. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a well-made game with a fantastic art style, humor, and good writing. It’s one of the most memorable Mario RPGs, and I find it to be just the right length. If you’re looking for an entertaining game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door fits the bill.
17. Helldivers 2
This third-person shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios doesn’t really need an introduction. Helldivers 2 was one of the biggest surprises of the year, and while we didn’t spend hundreds of hours in the game like many others, we did have plenty of fun as a group and can understand the appeal. It’s a game that doesn’t do anything revolutionary in terms of design, but executes its game plan very well. It’s a polished experience that delivers what it promises: a lot of fun with a bit of humor. For some, it can feel repetitive after a few hours, so we recommend playing with friends to make it more enjoyable.
16. Palworld Early Access
While Helldivers 2 was one of the biggest surprises of the year, Palworld (first impressions) may have been the biggest surprise of the year. Launching into Early Access in January, the game quickly set numerous records, attracting millions of players overnight and dominating the news feed of every popular gaming site for weeks. Calling Palworld a Pokémon clone is doing it a bit of an injustice, as it does have a well-developed open world, combat mechanics, and a fairly robust base building system. Although Palworld has its share of issues and plenty of room for improvement, we had a lot of fun playing the game together as a group.
15. V Rising 1.0
We loved V Rising (review) throughout its Early Access period and were very much looking forward to the game’s 1.0 release. The developers did not disappoint, and as I mentioned in my review, V Rising is a shining example of Early Access done right. In total, I have spent over 130 hours in V Rising across multiple playthroughs with friends. The game, in its current state, appeals to several genres, combining action RPG elements with crafting, survival, and base building. It features a well-developed gameplay loop and progression system, and some of the boss fights are balanced to be quite challenging. It is another game best enjoyed with friends, so ensure you bring along a couple.
14. The Bazaar Closed Beta
As someone who spent thousands of hours playing Hearthstone throughout the years, The Bazaar has been on my radar since the day Reynad officially announced it. Now, after all these years, the game is finally playable and it delivers in ways I didn’t even imagine. Although The Bazaar can be described as a hero builder mixed with an auto battler, it is clearly influenced by deck builders as well. It’s a very well-designed game where every run feels different, rewarding players who master its systems and can adjust on the fly. The team has been quick to update since launching into Closed Beta, and I can’t wait to see how it grows with the addition of more heroes.
13. Hades II Early Access
Considering that Hades is my favorite game to play on the Steam Deck, it’s no surprise that Hades II‘s Early Access appears on this list. It’s one of our most highly anticipated sequels and so far it does not disappoint. Developer Supergiant Games successfully expands on the original in every way with Hades II, and we’re excited to see how the game shapes up when it exits Early Access. Still, in its current state, it offers dozens of hours of entertainment and is more polished than some full-release titles. If you’re a fan of the original Hades and still haven’t picked up Hades II, you’re missing out.
12. Satisfactory 1.0
Another game we enjoyed for dozens of hours during its Early Access period, Satisfactory (review) also launched 1.0 this year. In our opinion, Satisfactory is the best of the 3D factory automation simulation games, with a giant map to explore packed with a wide variety of resources to automate into finished products. Unfortunately, we found the game to be a bit tedious towards the end and perhaps even overstayed its welcome as the complexity of deliveries felt more annoying than clever. Nonetheless, we had an enjoyable time going through the entirety of what Satisfactory 1.0 had to offer, but it feels like a game we won’t ever revisit.
11. Unicorn Overlord
I had high expectations for Unicorn Overlord (review), mainly due to the fact that 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is one of the best games I’ve ever played. Unfortunately, the generic story in Unicorn Overlord prevents it from being higher up on this list. The game did have fantastic strategic gameplay with a memorable cast of characters, but the predictable storyline was such a stark contrast to the creativity in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Still, Unicorn Overlord is a must-play if you’re a strategy RPG fan because it’s one of the best of the modern era.
10. Persona 3 Reload
Some say your first is also the most special, and for me, that’s true with the Persona series. I may be in the minority, but Persona 3 has always been my favorite of the franchise and that’s even more true now with Persona 3 Reload (review). All the quality-of-life additions combined with the visual update bring this game to an entirely new generation of players who were likely introduced to the Persona series with Persona 5. The game’s story focuses on some very mature themes with dark undertones, and I’ll stand by the belief that it has one of the best endings of any JRPG out there.
9. Halls of Torment 1.0
Halls of Torment (review) continues to be my favorite among all the survivor-like games out there; I even enjoy it more than Vampire Survivors. The game was on our list last year when it entered Early Access and found its way back after launching 1.0. I find it more enjoyable than its competitors due to its core loop, itemization system, and different classes. Even after spending dozens of hours with the game, I still feel like there are dozens, if not hundreds, more hours waiting to be played. Halls of Torment is also an excellent game to play on the Steam Deck.
8. Stellar Blade
Try as I might, I can never seem to enjoy FromSoftware titles. At first, I thought it was the difficulty of soulslike games, but over time, I’ve realized it’s just how FromSoftware handles combat in its games. Stellar Blade (review) is an excellent example of that. While I’m very much aware that Stellar Blade is not the same as a FromSoftware souls game, its combat system fits my play style much better. As a result, I had a fantastic, albeit frustrating, time with Stellar Blade and came away very impressed with Shift Up’s first attempt at a AAA title. I found the story a bit disappointing and the characters somewhat bland, but I’ve experienced worse.
7. Balatro
So, the truth is, this list was originally 20 games. But then I finally jumped onto the Balatro bandwagon after all the accolades it received during the award season. Turns out, it doesn’t take very long to understand why everyone’s talking about the game and how it deserved its Game of the Year nomination at The Game Awards 2024. Balatro perfectly captures brilliant game design. The game doesn’t do anything special regarding its visuals or audio, nor does it have any kind of story. It takes poker mechanics that have existed for centuries and puts a well-designed twist on them. Each of the special card effects in Balatro, especially the Jokers, exemplify how important proper game design is. Given how some games have turned out this year, it’s refreshing that Balatro focused on making a fun game that isn’t hard to learn.
6. Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
I like to think I had realistic expectations for Dawntrail (review), the latest expansion of Final Fantasy XIV. After all, the long-running MMORPG just wrapped up its Hydaelyn vs. Zodiark storyline, which was 10 years in the making. It also did so with a very satisfying conclusion and some of the most memorable characters the entire Final Fantasy series has ever seen. It was always going to be difficult for the team to start an all-new storyline while introducing new characters and giving our Warrior of Light a sense of summer vacation for once, with no world-ending threat looming on the horizon. Ultimately, Dawntrail is an average expansion compared to other Final Fantasy XIV expansions. However, when you compare it to other MMORPG expansions in the space, Dawntrail is pretty good. This game really does suffer from its own success.
5. Factorio: Space Age
I have to think that if we as a group collectively spend hundreds of hours in a game, it’s probably one of our favorites. That’s exactly what we did when it came to Factorio: Space Age (review), and the playtime is even more impressive considering it came mere weeks after spending dozens of hours in Satisfactory. You would think that at some point we would be sick and tired of factory automation games, but Factorio: Space Age really gave the formula a fresh new take. While some of its features didn’t feel as polished as what you would expect from Factorio, there’s a lot of depth to the new planets and how to handle them. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much on my own, but Factorio: Space Age turned out to be an excellent experience with friends. There’s a reason I have the base game on my list of the best games I’ve ever played.
4. Path of Exile 2 Early Access
After the disappointing launch of Diablo IV (review), I started to feel discouraged about the state of ARPGs. I had some hope that Last Epoch (first impressions) would fill that void, but its 1.0 release was also a bit underwhelming. Since I never played much of the original Path of Exile, I didn’t have very high expectations for Path of Exile 2. It turned out that was a good thing because Path of Exile 2 (first impressions) is excellent. Sure, there are plenty of balance issues, and the game is quite unforgiving in some areas, but it nails the combat, setting, atmosphere, challenging bosses, itemization, build variety, and more. I hope the game’s balance works towards encouraging the use of more skills, but as a starting point, Path of Exile 2 is impressive. Without a doubt, there’s a lot of room for improvement, but I also believe that developer Grinding Gear Games will draw on its past experience with Path of Exile to make all the right moves. I have spent nearly 120 hours playing the game since its launch into Early Access on December 6, and I’m still playing my first character. This could finally be the ARPG I’ve been waiting for since Diablo II: Lord of Destruction.
3. Astro Bot
I loved Astro Bot (review) and understand why so many outlets, including The Game Awards 2024, named it Game of the Year. It’s one of the only 3D platformer games I’ve ever managed to complete, and the game brought me great joy throughout the experience. I even mentioned in my review that I hoped Astro Bot would claim Game of the Year, because then hopefully game developers will remember that video games are meant to be fun and delightful. However, I couldn’t find myself to put it at the top of our list of favorite games of 2024. It’s deserving, but the game ultimately lacks a story, which is a very important aspect to me. This also means that Astro Bot ultimately doesn’t have very many memorable moments—meaning in a few years from now, I likely won’t recall much about the game, other than that it was fun and put a smile on my face. In other years, that may be enough, but this year, I found two games more deserving and it’s likely because I’m a huge RPG fan.
2. Metaphor: ReFantazio
Studio Zero’s Metaphor: ReFantazio (review) is an excellent game and quickly made its way onto my list of the best games I’ve ever played. While I understand why many choose it as their Game of the Year, there’s one main reason it wasn’t mine. Metaphor: ReFantazio ultimately takes a proven formula from the Persona series and polishes it to a whole new level. However, at the end of the day, if you’ve played any game in the Persona franchise, then Metaphor: ReFantazio feels very familiar. What makes it stand out is that it will likely introduce a whole new audience to Persona, and that alone makes it worthy of Game of the Year. Metaphor: ReFantazio has a great and well-written story with one of the most memorable casts I’ve ever had the pleasure of going on adventures with. If it had managed to push the envelope a bit more with its mechanics, it would have been a much tougher decision about which game was my favorite of the year.
1. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
As far as I can tell, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (review) is my most-played single-player game ever. I spent over 217 hours with it to earn the game’s Platinum Trophy, and I mostly enjoyed every minute of it. After Final Fantasy VII Remake, I wondered how this remake trilogy would evolve and deliver a Final Fantasy experience like no other. Rebirth delivers in spades, with a giant open world packed full of things to do—maybe even too much. The reason it’s my favorite game of the year is that it takes an already well-known and well-developed story and makes it even better. Take Yuffie, for example. A character who was completely optional and could be missed in the original game is now a fan favorite, thanks to the charming personality and acting from Suzie Yeung. Emotional scenes involving other characters are elevated to an entirely new level with modern visuals and superb voice acting. I also have to praise the game for having some extremely difficult fights in it, appealing to those who really love a challenge.
While the game had performance issues on the PlayStation 5 at launch, those who recently got a PlayStation 5 Pro can enjoy the experience it was meant to deliver. The game’s PC launch is also around the corner on January 23, 2025, and I’m hoping I can find the time to go through the adventure once again on my gaming PC. As a lifelong Final Fantasy fan who has loved the series despite its ups and downs, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth—messy ending and all—stands out as one of the most memorable gaming experiences I’ve ever had. I’m really looking forward to the third installment of the remake trilogy, but I find it hard to believe the team will top what Rebirth has delivered. I hope they prove me wrong.
