The best game of 2024 is an exercise in personal preference, a matter of taste and inclination of garengongko. However, some titles have garnered widespread admiration and critical acclaim for their inventive gameplay, world-building, or narrative. Among these are social deception game Among Us, which has players collaboratively operate a spaceship while also identifying impostors, and Civilization VI, which has players immerse themselves in an expansive and intricate strategy experience on mobile devices.

But while these games deserve to be recognized, there are plenty of other exemplary releases that have also been hitting the gaming headlines this year. From an unapologetically retro platformer to a hyper-sharp shooter, these are some of the best games you'll play this year.

You can slay dragons, explore a world of ancient Greek gods and heroes, and even visit the moon in this epic adventure, which offers more than enough content to satisfy any dungeon-crawler's hunger. It's also a visually stunning and emotionally resonant piece of videogame storytelling, with a script that would make J.R.R Tolkien proud and a world that's bursting with characters to befriend.

This first-person shooter might be a little too violent for some, but it's hard to deny its nail-biting gameplay and evocative atmosphere. It's the kind of game that might have you glued to your seat, and it takes full advantage of the next-level haptic feedback offered by PlayStation's controller.

If you've ever dreamed of becoming the hero of Ridley Scott's 1979 horror classic Alien, then this is the game for you. Creative Assembly's survival horror masterpiece faithfully recreates the film's setting, era, and characters while adding its own xenomorph-hunting twist.

It's rare for a roguelike to feature an engrossing narrative, but Hades II is able to balance its action-packed gameplay with a story that rewards you for playing over and over again. Developer Supergiant learned its lessons from the success of the original Hades, which ran in early access for more than a year before it was finally released to universal acclaim in 2020.

It's a shame that 2024 has already seen the cancellation of a number of long-running franchises, but it's been offset by the release of a host of exciting new titles. From the tile-laying brilliance of Carcassonne to a roguelike that's surprisingly smart about its combat, these are some of the best games you'll find on the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X this year.