My 10 Biggest Winners from Gamescom 2024

Gamescom exists in a weird place within the gaming showcase hierarchy. Despite having all the bells and whistles of Summer Game Fest, it is always clearly several notches below it in terms of the amount of AAA games that make an appearance. Oftentimes, that means indies might get a bit more of a foothold here, but I’m not even sure that is the case this year.

Because of that, most people shit on Gamescom, and I get that, but I do think this was a reasonably entertaining show if your expectations were fully in check. Several games I hadn’t heard of yet were revealed to me and caught my attention. And several games that I had heard of managed to get me a bit more interested than I was before.

For those who have not read any of my past “winners” lists from these showcases, my mindset is always to think about what game made me more likely to play it after their showcase. The big announcements from this show were Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country. But both games showed nothing, and only those already interested in the franchise are going to really care at this point. Outside of semi-rare exceptions, you need to show at least a little bit of gameplay to make it on my list.

With that, here are my 10 winners from Gamescom 2024.

10. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

I felt like this trailer was built for someone like me. I used to play Call of Duty with friends 10+ years ago, but I’ve slowly lost interest in the franchise. Thanks to Black Ops 6 being on Game Pass, the series has my attention again. I like the idea of breezing through a fun, cinematic campaign, and then maybe checking out the multiplayer for a few weeks for no extra cost.

This was a long trailer that showed off a decent amount of gameplay variety, as well as plenty of political intrigue. It didn’t blow me away, but it looked fun and made me just a bit more interested in diving in once it launches.

9. Monster Hunter Wilds

For whatever reason, I’ve never been able to get into a Monster Hunter game, and I really want Monster Hunter Wilds to be the one that hooks me. Much like past trailers I’ve seen, there is some good stuff here. The world looks so beautiful, and the action looks varied and fast-paced. Each trailer seems to just build my interest level by a teeny amount, and it’s starting to build up into more genuine interest. I still want to see more, but this was another quick and cool look at the game that I enjoyed.

8. Cairn

Cairn caught my attention big time at Summer Game Fest, and this was another nice one minute trailer that expanded on the game a bit more. From the start, this has basically looked like Jusant, except with much deeper gameplay and more challenge. This trailer briefly shows some of these deeper gameplay systems. You see the way you can plot routes out, the stamina management, and the inventory management. I think this looks like a fun challenge, with beautiful visuals that help reward your hard work. This trailer did a great job of keeping me engaged with this game.

7. Herdling

Man, this game is GORGEOUS. Herdling appears to be a game about herding some mystical looking creatures up a mountain. This short trailer shows off some stunning looking visuals and art direction and also hints at bits of puzzle solving. Of course, I have some concerns about how this gameplay loop can stay consistently engaging. And not a lot was shown here to explain that. But for an intro trailer, just showing me excellent visuals, atmosphere, and a unique concept is enough to grab my attention. I’m very excited to learn more about this one.

I really dug Cult of the Lamb, which is a roguelite combined with city builder. The concept is perfect, as I think both those genres blend together quite well in smart ways. But I had issues over time with both elements of that games gameplay. While I liked the game, I never loved it, which was a huge bummer.

Lynked: Battle of the Spark looks like a promising new crack at this premise, even though it has a god-awful title. This trailer actually showed off a fair bit of combat that I thought looked pretty good. They showed a pretty nice amount of gameplay variety that looked appealing to me as well. There seems to be an emphasis on co-op that could be a lot of fun.

We will see how engaging the city building and cozy elements end up being, but I have hope that they can deliver based on what I’ve seen. I’m very excited to learn more about this one, and I feel like it didn’t get the hype it deserved afterward.

5. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

I have such a complicated hype relationship with the game. I absolutely adore the concept of building a game that truly attempts to immerse people in the 1400s. I had fun with the first game for a bit, but slowly, the awkward as hell gameplay just wore me down, and I couldn’t continue. My hope is that the developers have been able to hone their craft over the past six years and can now deliver something that truly lives up to their vision.

At the very least, this trailer shows that this game is going to look damn good visually. I was in awe at some of the scenes as the trailer shows the lead character riding on horseback, and I can only imagine how immersive this game is going to feel this time around.

The trailer also showed off some combat, which did not really sell me on it being improved, but we shall see. I’d say this trailer was a solid win overall, even if I still have questions.

4. We Harvest Shadows

Games like this are exactly why I pay attention to the pre show for these events. We Harvest Shadows left a big impression on me, and it debuted before the show even officially started.

Basically, this looks like first-person Stardew Valley, but with big-time horror elements mixed in. The game is absolutely gorgeous, and the concept is very intriguing.

I will say, half of the appeal of most “cozy” games is ingraining yourself within the community in that world. Meeting other villagers, etc. I’m fascinated at how this game can pull off some slightly disparate concepts, as you appear to be in almost complete isolation here. It’s such a bold move that I can’t help but be interested. I hope being on the preshow doesn’t stop people from realizing how cool this one could be.

3. Infinity Nikki

The other trailers I’ve seen for Infinity Nikki didn’t do much for me, but this one did. This is one of those rare examples of a trailer with no gameplay really catching my attention.

The vibe here is just amazing. This trailer is just 90 seconds of pure weirdness, fun, and joy. I have no idea what is going on half the time here, but I want to know more. I want to experience this world in some way. The gorgeous visuals and art design certainly don’t hurt either.

Marketing itself as a cozy open world game just has me fascinated in general, too, as once again, these are slightly disparate concepts. I guess I’m now officially Infinity Nikki pilled.

2. Unknown 9: The Awakening

I’ve seen a little buzz for this game, but I hadn’t personally seen anything. Well, count me as officially interested.

This seems like a fascinating sci-fi world, with excellent visuals and incredible music. The gameplay clips are all super short, but there seems to be an interesting amount of variety. The story also seems to have tons of potential.

I’m wondering if this could be a Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden level of AA hit this year. After watching this, I think it has a shot at reaching that level.

1. The First Berserker: Khazan

This was far and away my winner of the show. This hits on everything. The visuals are absolutely beautiful, the combat looks intense, and Ben freaking Starr is voicing the main character.

The sound design in particular really stood out to me. Every slam and sword strike sounded perfect and really added to the intensity of the gameplay clips shown here. It seems like you can really chain a lot of attacks together, and the dodge and parry mechanics seem solid. I’m really excited to hear more about this one, and it’s not even just because of Ben Starr! But Ben Starr does help.