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2024 was a year of surprise hits and critical flops for Sony and its PlayStation division, as games like Helldivers 2 and Astro Bot launched to critical acclaim while other projects like Concord were released to middling reviews and general player apathy. While this year was also light on first-party exclusives, third-party studios came to the rescue with a selection of games covering multiple genres. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Stellar Blade were two notable examples of PS5-only games releasing this year--they're both headed to PC in 2025--while other studios released must-play titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio (our Game of the Year), Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and Silent Hill 2 on the Sony system. Heck, even Microsoft wanted to attract a few PlayStation gamers to its brand, leading to former Xbox Series X|S exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves releasing on its gaming rival's hardware, which expanded this year with the release of the PS5 Pro console. So which games were the most popular with critics? Thanks to GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, we've got a comprehensive list of the games that walked away with the highest aggregate scores (as of December 5), and overall, players couldn't get enough of JRPGs, puzzle games, metroidvanias and more. More Best Of 2024:
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Like the best video game expansions, Shadow of the Erdtree uses Elden Ring as a foundation to create an even better adventure for returning players. Enhancing and refining the magic of the 2022 game, Shadow of the Erdtree invites players to explore a new realm that they'll never want to leave. Metascore: 94 | Read our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review
Astro Bot
Sony's first-party output has typically favored open-world games and those with mature themes, but Astro Bot is a breath of fresh air that'll appeal to anyone looking for a nostalgic return to simpler days. Not only is Astro Bot an exceptional platformer with an imaginative design, but it's also a delightful time capsule across multiple eras of PlayStation and a tribute to the lasting legacy of those influential adventures. Metascore: 94 | Read our Astro Bot review
Metaphor ReFantazio
GameSpot's Game of the Year for 2024, Metaphor: ReFantazio is another gem from developer Atlus. It takes the basic framework of what you'd expect in a Persona game and streamlines it in numerous ways, with a thought-provoking story, lovable characters, and some of the best turn-based RPG combat ever. It's a winning formula that is well worth the time investment. Metascore: 94 | Read our Metaphor: ReFantazio review
Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut
Do you think you have what it takes to commit some regicide and not ask any questions? That's the core premise of Slay the Princess, a game of time loops, twists, and murder most foul presented as a visual novel that never tells the same story twice. The Pristine Cut further polishes that experience, complementing its clever writing and excellent voice acting with even more content, thoughtful tweaks, and hundreds of new frames of handcrafted art. Metascore: 92 | Read our Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut review
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Final Fantasy VII Remake set up an intriguing premise, both paying homage to the original while representing a very conscious break from it. Rebirth, the second installment in a planned trilogy, carries that idea forward, with new revelations, a vastly expanded world, and refined combat mechanics. Metascore: 92 | Read our Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review
Dave the Diver
A hilarious indie mash-up, Dave the Diver combines a deep-sea exploring action game with the madcap flurry of games like Diner Dash. You spend your days delving deeper into the briny waters to catch fish and nights working and managing a burgeoning sushi restaurant, only to spend your profits on better gear and do it all over again. It's a compelling mix of gameplay elements that's hard to put down. Metascore: 90
Destiny 2: The Final Shape
The Final Shape had a challenging task to accomplish, as it had to serve as the culmination of the story that has been told since the beginning of the first Destiny a decade ago. Miraculously, it pulled that off, tying up much of the story in a satisfying way by focusing on the characters we've built relationships with over these years and offering an exciting new subclass and systems to engage with. The new Pale Heart location is great fun to explore and filled with mysteries to uncover, the new Dread enemies consistently mix up combat encounters, and quality-of-life improvements make for the best Destiny experience to date. Metascore: 90 | Read our Destiny 2: The Final Shape review
Balatro
Balatro is the embodiment of "just one more round" energy thanks to its killer combo of poker and roguelite gameplay mechanics. Easy to pick up, challenging to master, and undeniably hard to put down, it takes the best ideas from poker and repurposes them into one of the best puzzle games of the year. Sure, you're going to need to often cheat your way into a winning hand, but the euphoria that comes from successfully holding the right cards in a high-stakes game is an unbeatable feeling in Balatro. Metascore: 90 | Read our Balatro review
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
The best video games live rent-free in your head long after the end credits have rolled, and four years after it first released, it's still almost impossible to serve The Last of Us Part 2 an eviction notice. How much of a difference does this remastered version make to an already-brilliant game? Plenty, as not only does the game look phenomenal, but it benefits from several new features that helps to solidify The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered as a modern-day masterpiece. Come for the gripping story and polished gameplay, stick around for the guitar hero mode, lost levels, and a roguelite mode that'll make you sweat buckets. Metascore: 90 | Read our The Last of Us Part 2 review
Tekken 8
Tekken 8 plays like the kind of game that you'd happily sacrifice all your quarters to at an arcade. It looks amazing in action as you watch an international roster of fighters pop muscles and faces, the aggressive nature of its gameplay makes every match exciting, and the campaign mode is essentially Succession with a drastic increase in roundhouse kicks. Metascore: 90 | Read our Tekken 8 review
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Doubling down on the RPG gameplay mechanics introduced in the previous game, Infinite Wealth introduced welcome changes and tweaks to its turn-based combat. Combined with a gripping story and an absurd amount of extra content, this year's Like a Dragon is a confident sequel and a passing of the torch as it continues to pave the way for a new era in the franchise. Metascore: 89 | Read our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review
Castlevania Dominus Collection
After helping create the metroidvania genre, the Castlevania series moved into portable entries like the celebrated Aria of Sorrow. The Dominus Collection brings together the three Nintendo DS entries--Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia--making them easily playable for the first time in years. It's a ton of Castlevania action in one place and comes with the arcade reimagining Haunted Castle to boot. Metascore: 89 |
Animal Well
Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen these days, but Animal Well stands out from the pack with the sheer genius of its design. Loaded with mysteries and captivatingly strange, it's the kind of game you want to go into as blindly as possible so that you can savor just how deep its metaphorical--and actual--well truly is. Metascore: 88 | Read our Animal Well review
Hi-Fi Rush
Xbox and PC gamers already knew just how good Hi-Fi Rush was, and thanks to a new multi-platform strategy at Microsoft, PS5 owners got to share in on that fun in 2024. Essentially Scott Pilgrim meets Devil May Cry, Hi-Fi Rush is still a captivating blast of action and rhythm that's complemented by a curated playlist of certified bangers. On PS5, Hi-Fi Rush benefits from a year's worth of gameplay fine-tuning and new modes that were added after launch, making this a beautifully crafted celebration of music that's full of personality. Metascore: 88 | Read our Hi-Fi Rush review
Persona 3 Reload
Persona 3 Reload is a welcome return to the game that defined the modern format of the popular Persona series. Persona 3 has a real edge to it that subsequent games arguably do not, and Reload brings both visual improvements and some quality-of-like changes--along with availability on modern platforms--that all make it an easy recommendation in 2024. Metascore: 87 | Read our Persona 3 Reload review
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Shin Megami Tensei has always been a core pillar for Atlus, and with the Vengeance edition of the fifth mainline game, that series feels stronger than ever. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance isn't just a game that looks and performs better on new platforms; it's an impressive rethink of its source material that smooths over rough spots, adds several clever quality-of-life upgrades, and a substantial chunk of new story content to experience. Metascore: 87 | Read our Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance review
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Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Prince of Persia reinvents itself yet again as a metroidvania, but this is far from a paint-by-numbers imitator. The Lost Crown boasts refined combat that's only augmented by the rich suite of traversal abilities you obtain, along with smart and innovative quality-of-life features. Metascore: 86 | Read our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review
Spin Rhythm XD
Spin Rhythm XD is a wonderful return to the glory days of rhythm games, but with its own distinct twist on the expected timing-based gameplay. As the name suggests, you'll spin a wheel in order to match up colors with tiles coming down the track, which can lead to a sort of zen-like state that the best rhythm games can provide. With support for an optional VR mode, you have additional ways to play an exhilarating experience. Metascore: 86
Silent Hill 2
Unquestionably the Silent Hill series' high point, the 2001 original Silent Hill 2 certainly shows its age these days--both in its visuals and game mechanics. Developer Bloober Team managed to completely remake the game for a new generation of players, with modern visuals, an over-the-shoulder gameplay style, and, crucially, the same scares and storyline you'd expect from the horror masterpiece. Silent Hill 2 is so tense that it's easy to feel a sense of dread overwhelm you even when no enemies are present, and we'd pack a few spare pairs of underwear before making this trip. Metascore: 86 | Read our Silent Hill 2 review
Dragon's Dogma 2
Some games can make you feel like you're running around like a headless chicken because of poor design choices or unclear direction. Others do it on purpose. Dragon's Dogma 2 is a single-player action-RPG, but Capcom's massively successful game takes many of its best ideas from MMOs. You cannot defeat most of the game's toughest challenges by yourself, and it's up to you to recruit a squad of effective Pawns--both from chance encounters in the world and from other players' games--in order to stand a chance. It can often feel like you stumbled your way into victory rather than carrying out a carefully constructed plan, but that's the beauty of it. Metascore: 86 | Read our Dragon's Dogma 2 review
Braid: Anniversary Edition
It's hard to believe that Braid was first released 16 years ago, but time hasn't dulled the appeal of one of the greatest platforming-puzzle games of all time. Its anniversary edition is a must-play for anyone looking to revisit this masterpiece, as the new collection of levels, exquisite visuals, and a completely remixed soundtrack make it an essential classic. Metascore: 86
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
If there's a running theme with PS5 releases this year, it's that remasters have been a major focus for Sony in 2024. Horizon Zero Dawn was already a fun game, but with this new coat of ultra-high-definition paint, the game looks better than ever. Mechanically, it's still the same game, but it's the visual changes across the board that help elevate the first Horizon game into an experience that you'd happily leave running in the background when you feel like showing off your new PS5 Pro console or OLED TV. Metascore: 85 | Read our Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered review
Alan Wake 2: Night Springs
The first DLC pack for Alan Wake 2 is quite unlike the rest of the game, and it also doesn't advance the story in any way; for that, you'll want to play DLC 2, The Lake House. But Night Springs nonetheless serves as a fun diversion from the ongoing story, being composed of three standalone episodes in which you'll play as stand-ins for other Remedy characters and explore some alternative and very meta worlds, all through the guise of episodes of the Warlin Door-hosted TV show Night Springs. Metascore: 85
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
Square Enix's HD-2D visual style--first seen in Octopath Traveler--has been used to great effect in brand-new RPGs, but it can be just as effective for breathing new life into classic games. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is, as the name suggests, a full-on remake of the classic '80s game, complete with a new character class focused on capturing monsters. It's hard to deny just how well the HD-2D style works for the game's pixel-art visuals, and it gives younger players a chance to experience the classic game like older players remembered it, rather than how it actually was. Metascore: 84 | Read our Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake review
Immortality
One of 2022's best games only just released on PS5 in January 2024, but it's every bit as worth playing now as it was previously. Immortality takes the form of an unusual game in which you'll discover and piece together footage from live-action films and behind-the-scenes clips by selecting objects within those videos to jump to related ones. What ensues is a mind-warping, non-linear puzzle as you seek to discover what happened to a fictional actress and uncover numerous surprises--be sure to avoid finding out much in advance of playing, as it's a game best played knowing very little about what's to come. Metascore: 84 | Read our Immortality review
Thank Goodness You're Here
Sometimes the most-captivating game isn't one that's flexing radical gameplay or graphical engines that are almost indistinguishable from reality. The games that have a defined sense of whimsy and personality can easily reach the same heights as a AAA blockbuster, and Thank Goodness You're Here is a prime example. More British than being told to keep a stiff upper lip during hard times, it's a short-and-sweet "slapformer" that goes all in on its premise, delivering comedy gold with its absurdist sense of humor and gleefully weird visuals. Metascore: 84 | Read our Thank Goodness You're Here review
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak
A Metacritic list looking at the best of the year just wouldn't be complete without some Trails representation, and on PS5, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is waving that flag. One of the best entries in the series for newcomers to hop into, Trails Through Daybreak is a surprisingly mature and nuanced action-RPG thanks to its gripping story. Revamped combat systems and colorful anime-inspired visuals add to its appeal, as players fight to save a nation from descending into chaos. Metascore: 84
Fear the Spotlight
As a genre, horror isn't always so beginner-friendly, but Fear the Spotlight is a game that helps address that. On the surface, it's a retro-style ghost story with Clinton-era visuals and classic Silent Hill and Resident Evil gameplay mechanics. But its under-the-radar best attribute is how it's an experience that doesn't ever get too scary. It makes for a great gateway horror for players looking to dip their toes in the genre's waters, but its tale is interesting enough for veterans, too. It's split into two campaigns, and the second one is definitely creepier, but by then you'll be a serious ghosthunter, unafraid of what lurks in the shadows… right? Metascore: 84 | Read our Fear The Spotlight review
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