My Top 15 Most Anticipated Games For the Rest of 2024

The first half of 2024 was incredible. My top 10 from the year so far could stand with several full year top 10s from the past.

And we aren’t done yet. When looking ahead to the rest of the year, things seem like they are about to heat up even more than we realize. Fall looks packed with AAA games and some good-looking indies as well. We have a stretch in mid-July where four indie games that I am pumped for all come out within a two day stretch. Gaming is on fire!

If you aren’t excited, well, it’s time to be. Here are the fifteen games that are most on my radar for the rest of the year.

15. UFO 50

Release Date: September 18th

UFO 50 was one of my standouts from Summer Game Fest. This is a video game that promises to feature fifty video games (they make it clear, these are not minigames) from a single fictional developer in the 80s. With seemingly every possible genre included, it feels like it would be impossible for someone to not find something they want to play in here.

The games all taking place around the 80s is the only thing that scares me a bit, as obviously gameplay wasn’t always quite as deep in most games back then. But the developers say they want this fictional developer to be very “ahead of its time.” From the gameplay I’ve seen, there should be multiple games in here that I get lost in for days, and that should hopefully live up to that billing.

14. Mario and Luigi: Brothership

Release Date: November 7th

I played the Super Mario RPG Remake last year, and now the Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door Remake this year. I don’t hate either of these games, but they just don’t feel particularly special anymore. The action based commands that were so unique when these games came out aren’t as big of a deal anymore. I find myself wishing that these games leaned more into the platforming and doing other unique things instead of a few minor action commands during battles.

Enter Mario and Luigi: Brothership. I have a little experience with past games in the series, and the trailer once again looks like the game leans into the action commands in a way that the Paper Mario series doesn’t. The trailer for this game throws so many fun and varied looking scenarios at you that it seems impossible that this won’t be a very good time.

13. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Release Date: September 26th

This is the long-awaited Zelda game where… you actually play as Zelda! It looks like this is going to be a much more puzzle heavy game, with maybe some elements of Tears of the Kingdom in terms of using various objects to solve puzzles. Knowing the track record of Nintendo, I’m expecting lots of clever and fun uses with this mechanic, and hopefully, some open-ended puzzle design that lets you tackle things in different ways.

I have some concerns about the combat. It looks like it’ll feel more like Pikmin than a classic Zelda game, which could be a fun mix-up, but it remains to be seen. Either way, this appears to be a Zelda game unlike any other, and that is reason enough to be excited.

12. The Plucky Squire

Release Date: TBD

Much like Echoes of Wisdom, the Plucky Squire looks like a Zelda game except with some serious twists. It appears that the game takes place within a book, and there seems to be a lot of playing around with storybook perspectives. Everything here looks so polished and neat. This gimmick has serious potential to create some really fun puzzles, the combat looks like classic Zelda, and the art direction is fantastic. I love a lot of what I see here, and this looks primed to be one of the best indie games of the year.

11. Astro Bot

Release Date: September 6th

We just don’t get a lot of these AAA 3D family-friendly platformers these days, so when one arrives, it just feels like a big deal. Something about Astro Bot feels like how it probably felt a decade ago when a new Pixar film was coming to theaters. Astro Bot looks like it is bursting at the seams with creativity. The gameplay trailer at the state of play presentation throws such varied looking gameplay at you, and it is completely full of personality as well. It feels like there is something for everyone here, and since a release like this is an “event” that only comes around every few years, I can’t wait to dive in and see what they cooked up with this.

10. Neva

Release Date: TBD

This could be higher if I played Nomada Studio’s last game, Gris. I have seen a lot of love for that game, and this looks set to get a bit of a cult following as well. The art direction and music both look incredible, and the brief glimpse of gameplay looked pretty good as well. I recently made my “top 10 games as art” list, and this one seems set to join that list as soon as it releases.

9. Avowed

Release Date: TBD, but likely November 12th based on a slip in the Obsidian blog

This might be the game on this list that I’ve seen the most footage of out of anything else on here. Whenever I see gameplay, I still can’t quite tell how much I am going to love it. But what I can say is that Obsidian open world adventures like this are almost consistently 8 or 8.5/10 type games for me. I’m expecting a good story, engaging world, fun choices, and serviceable combat. If it delivers on all that, it will be right back in that range, and that is more than enough to get me excited. 8.5/10 games are weirdly underrated by gamers, if that makes sense, but not by me.

8. Hollow Knight: Silksong

Release Date: Maybe Never?

I declared at the start of the year that Silksong would come out this year. Now, at the halfway point of 2024, it is definitely a bit disheartening that it hasn’t come yet. We are now around two years from the Xbox showcase where every game shown was supposed to be out within a year.

BUT, there are signs of hope still. The game has been rated by what seems to be the Australian version of the ESRB. Silksong also has an official page on the Xbox store now. These events both happened months ago, but there are small signs that this is coming. The first game is considered a classic, so there is a lot to be excited about here. I remain hopeful that we get Silksong this year, and if we do, it’s almost assuredly going to be a banger.

7. S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chernobyl

Release Date: September 5th

I have never played S.T.A.L.K.E.R, yet I’m still so hyped for this sequel. The big trailer for this really lands in a whole lot of ways. The gunplay looks great, the world looks incredibly good, and the sound design seems excellent as well. This looks like one of those incredibly intense and atmospheric shooters that truly makes you feel like you are in this world, and I really haven’t played a FPS that hits like that since Cyberpunk. Obviously, the backstory behind this game is amazing, too. I am very optimistic that this is going to play as well as it looks, and it being on Game Pass makes it even better, too.

6. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Release Date: 2024

Going from not seeing anything from this game to it coming out this year is still kind of blowing my mind. It doesn’t seem real. But it is. Bioware was easily my favorite developer for over a decade of my life. 22 year old me would be in disbelief that this isn’t #1. While there is no way this game makes Bioware surpass CD Projekt Red in my personal rankings, this game feels like it might be the one that gets Bioware back in my top 5 at least.

I was always more into Mass Effect than Dragon Age (I prefer sci-fi), but I did always enjoy the Dragon Age games, and this looks like a fitting successor. The combat looks fun, and combine that with “old school” Bioware storytelling and characters, and this should be a certified banger. Will it reach the highs I once felt playing Bioware in my teens? Man, it’s hard to believe. But I sure do want to think it can happen.

5. Dragon Quest III Remake

Release Date: November 14th

Maybe it’s because I’m currently enjoying Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes, but the idea of another retro JRPG with some slightly modern touch-ups sounds really appealing to me. I also really vibe with the HD-2D art style, especially with Octopath Traveler 2 still fresh in my mind. It has been a long time since I played Dragon Quest III on some old emulator, and I am excited to revisit it in such a fresh way. This being the start of a trilogy gives it that added touch of excitement, too, knowing this will be a part of something larger.

I actually saw that this was revealed on Twitter before I ever saw the trailer. I barely cared when I heard the news. What really sold me is watching this trailer, so that just shows how excellent they showcased themselves. Overcoming my apathy can be a difficult thing to do, but DQ3 pulled it off. That means something to me damn it.

4. Dungeons of Hinterberg

Release Date: July 18th

We are CLOSE on this one, and I absolutely cannot wait. Dungeons of Hinterberg is part of a four-pack of indie games that come out on July 17th and 18th. The other games are Flintlock, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, and TMNT: Splintered Fate. But Hinterberg is by far the one that has me the most hyped. The idea of dungeon crawler Zelda type game, mixed with Persona style social elements, seems incredibly ambitious and fun. I really think that they can pull it off based on what I’ve seen. And man, the art direction is so cool as well!

I have slight concerns about the combat, but even if it’s just serviceable, the framework around this game means it could still be excellent in a whole lot of other ways. I guess I just hope I don’t love it too much, as I’m going to have way too many other games to play around then!

3. Metaphor: ReFantazio

Release Date: October 11th

This was my #1 most anticipated game of the year at the start of the year. Even over Rebirth, which I was very hyped for. The idea of an adult Persona game seems really fun, and the opening trailer was incredibly cinematic and epic in ways that I thought easily surpassed even a classic like Persona 5.

But since then, my hype has dipped a teeny bit. Mostly, because I just didn’t enjoy Persona 3: Reload all that much in the little I played this year. I am a little concerned that I might be feeling slight burnout on the general Persona system. But there do seem to be some interesting tweaks, including a more action oriented battle system. I’m still optimistic, just a touch more cautious. But by October, I’m sure I’ll be back to all in. Regardless, I expect this to be one of the better received games this year. Hopefully, I’m in the right place to enjoy it as I should when it does arrive.

2. Assassin’s Creed: Shadows

Release Date: November 12th

My track record with this series is super weird. I didn’t play Origins for all that long before dropping it. I truly adored Odyssey, finished it, and did almost all the side stuff. And I was enjoying Valhalla, but then dropped off after 50 hours (getting it on last gen consoles meant A LOT of loading). I surw wish I had played that game on the Series X or PS5. But in the end, I love this direction for the series, and the amount I loved Odyssey and the early portions of Valhalla make me believe that this series at its peak could create an all timer game for me.

This game on next gen consoles means the load time issues of the past should be gone. They also got a whole lot of feedback after Valhalla that I feel like they will take to heart. And I love this two character approach. I think Yasuke, in particular, gives Ubisoft the tools to create some very interesting and unique stories that will stand out in a very crowded genre and setting at this point. Even though this is my #2 most anticipated, I think if done right, this might be the one game on this list that could surpass Rebirth as my current #1 if it somehow pulls everything off. I don’t think that is likely, but there is a slight chance!

1. Star Wars: Outlaws

Release Date: August 30th

I guess you can call me Mr. Ubisoft. I’m out here with my top two most anticipated games being from the same somewhat hated publisher. But all I can do is watch the footage and read the previews, and there just doesn’t look like there is that much to question. Maybe the combat doesn’t look perfect, but after a lot of lightsaber combat with the Star Wars games from Respawn, I’m kind of excited for more blaster action instead. The stealth seems good, the open worlds look incredible, and even the space fighting looks great.

Throw in some Fallout: New Vegas style choice and reputation systems, and we got some really interesting stuff cooking here. Kay Vess also looks like she could become one of the better Star Wars characters out there in the entire universe of the franchise. It looks like there is a lot going on for this game, and I feel like it is a guaranteed 9/10 from me at the worst. And it’s not far away at all!

I think Star Wars is cool, but I’m no megafan. Despite that, this game has won me over and then some. 2024 rules!