These are the best video games of the year, honored at the Game Awards 2024

They have just been at theGame Awardsdiebest video games of the year- just in time to either stock up on one or two games for the holidays, or to put one (or more) of them under the tree as a gift.

In the early hours of December 13th, the best video games of 2024 were chosen in a total of 29 categories during the Game Awards. We'll tell you which ones are the big winners.

The absolute winner of this year's Game Awards is the gameAstro Botfor the Playstation 5 – the sequel to the gameAstro’s Playroomfrom 2020 and the third game in the series. Not only was it named Game of the Year, but it also won the categories “Best Game Direction”, “Best Action-Adventure Game” and “Best Family Game”. And we think: A completely worthy winner who is really fun to play. You play as Astro, whose spaceship was damaged by his archenemy, causing his crew to scatter to the four winds. His mission now is to rescue his crew members and get the ship back afloat. As one review put it: “This game is so uncompromisingly light-hearted, cheerful and light-hearted that it disarms even the toughest cynics.” There is nothing more to add.

Has in three gamesMetaphor: ReFantasia(available for Playstation 5 and Xbox Series What is it about? It is set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, a medieval fantasy kingdom. However, it should reflect the contemporary real world. The king of the kingdom has just been murdered and the heir to the throne, the prince, is in a coma. You play an orphaned boy from the magical Elda tribe, who is a childhood friend of the prince - and is now trying to get to the throne in his place. The game has already sold over a million times and has a metascore of 94. So it's worth it!

Won “Best Indie Game” and “Best Indie Debut”.Balatroexcellent, a roguelike deck-building poker video game. And you can play it on almost all relevant outlets: on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, macOS. The game itself is quite simple, but a lot of fun: the aim is to survive all rounds, so-called “antes”, by collecting enough points. You can improve your deck with different joker cards, each of which has different effects. A very simple but clever game with deep mechanics.

With a decent marketing budget behind it, it was almost impossible to not hear anything about the release of the action adventureBatman: Arkham Shadowto notice. At this year's Game Awards, the game won at least in the “Best VR/AR Game” category against competitors likeAsgard's Wrath 2andMetal: Hellsinger VRenforced. AlsoBatman: Arkham Shadowtakes place in the Arkhamverse and sits between the stories ofArkham OriginsandArkham Asyluma. AsIn the game you have to take on the mysterious Rat King, who gathers the desperate of Gotham as a cult leader in order to plunge the existing order into chaos. A really exciting game that allows you to immerse yourself in the world of the dark avenger in a completely different way.

“Best Multiplayer Game” and “Best Ongoing Game” – the cooperative third-person shooter has it in these two categoriesHelldivers 2impressed the jury at the Game Awards this year. The gamers were enthusiastic about the game from the start, but during the Game Awards a new update was presented that makes the game even better. In it, elite soldiers fight against Terminids, who were initially used by humanity to obtain the substance Substance E-710, but who then rebelled against humanity. Then a new enemy appears - and the soldiers have their hands full.

In the “Best Action Game” category, Helldivers 2 lost out toBlack Myth: Wukong, an action role-playing game from Chinese indie game developer Game Science based on the Chinese novel written in the 16th centuryThe journey to the west(one of the four classic novels of Chinese literature). The book and game deal with the principle of travel, combined with Chinese folk tales, legends and themes from Buddhism and Daoism. You play the protagonist Sun Wukong in a country called Western Heaven. His weapon is a staff based on the Ruyi Jingu Bang from the novel. The game was even named “Ultimate Game Of The Year” (and “Best Visual Design”) at the Golden Joystick Awards 2024.

Well, in which category is it?Tekken 8won? Exactly, in the “Best Fighting Game” category – logical. The game is basically like all titles in the successful series, just a little better: with a new graphics engine, new fighters, new heat system and tons of content, it can and was able to score a lot and has convinced fans of the series from the start. The creators managed the difficult balancing act between making just enough changes so that no one gets bored, but not too many so that no one is put off. Get in!

Was named “Best Sim/Strategy Game” at the Game AwardsFrostpunk 2excellent - a city building simulation that takes place thirty years after the original game and in which the player is tasked with building a city in a fictional version of the early 20th century, whereby you have to make morally and politically controversial decisions again and again after civilization was almost completely destroyed by a volcanic winter. So far you can play the game on macOS and Microsoft Windows, but releases for the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are also planned for 2025.

The new version of an old friend can also score points in the “Best Sports/Racing Game” category:EA Sports FC 25– the current version of the formerFIFA Soccer-Row. To date, there is no mistaking it: it is the best football simulation on the market, and that remains the caseEA Sports FC 25continue like this. However, one has to say: Compared to the successful predecessor, the changes are so minimal that you don't necessarily have to get the new part. But if you haven't updated for a long time, you can buy it without hesitation.