2024 has been a phenomenal year for Xbox fans as a number of high-profile exclusives likeIndiana Jones and the Great Circleand day one Game Pass drops likeDungeons of Hinterberghave made it a worthwhile platform. While the Series X/S got off to a bit of a rocky start, prospective buyers and longtime fans now have more than enough to get for it. Of course, not every game is an exclusive, but even those third-party games often play best on the Series X.
From some of thebest open-world Xbox gamesto astoundingly unique indies, there are plenty of phenomenal Xbox games from 2024 that are worth playing. Of course, while it can be tempting to add every great game to a backlog, sometimes it’s best to reduce the list to just the very best. Fortunately,it’s easy to pick out some of the very best Xbox games from 2024that are worth playing.
10Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)
A Gorgeous Narrative-Driven Adventure
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2had the overwhelming tough task of following up the excellent first game that perfectly explored its themes of loss and mental health. Fortunately, despite some big boots to fill,Hellblade 2more than lived up to its predecessor, offering players a comparable andoftentimes superior experiencewith some of the most breathtaking visuals ever seen in video game history.
Its greater scope and scale allow it to be a far more ambitious game, with an expanded cast helping to flesh out the lore as well as guide Senua herself through her new adventure. It is also a far more cinematic experience, despite the original already being incredibly cinematic, thanks, in large part, to the vastly improved visuals. While they’re not everything,Hellblade 2is absolutely worth playing for the striking vistas alone.
9Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (Asobo Studio)
It Is Smooth Sailing After A Rocky Take Off
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024got off to a bit of a bumpy start thanks, in large part, to its incredibly long load times and overreliance on texture streaming. This is a fairly common issue with modern games that has served as a band-aid fix to prevent game file sizes from ballooning any further. Players were encountering a plethora of glitches, struggling to even get into the game, and watching as the world popped in around them or remained a murky mess.
10 Best Xbox Games With Keyboard & Mouse Support, Ranked
There are over 100 games on Xbox that feature mouse and keyboard support. While most of them are great, only a handful are truly exceptional.
However, despite this unfortunate start,Asobo Studio has done a remarkable job of fixing and improving uponMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024, making it the worthwhile experience it should have always been. It is a far more dynamic and impressive game than its predecessors, making it the ultimate flying simulator and the perfect way to cruise through a handful of hours.
8STALKER 2: Heart Of Chornobyl (GSC Game World)
One Of The Best Survival Horror Games
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylwas easily one of Xbox’s most-anticipated games of 2024 thanks to its plethora of delays and extremely enticing initial gameplay reveals. Fortunately, outside some bugs at launch,STALKER 2absolutely deliversin practically every way,offering a thoroughly engaging adventure through a haunting apocalyptic wasteland peppered with anomalies that want nothing more than to kill the player. It is the ultimate lone wanderer simulator and is perfect forFalloutfans.
STALKER 2was one of the many big triple-A titles launching on Xbox Game Pass in 2024, but it easily made the biggest impression thanks to its attention to detail, engrossing world that genuinely feels alive, and great gunplay. It’s a harsh game, one that doesn’t hold the player’s hand but also rewards them for inquisitive exploration and a keen understanding of the fundamental systems.STALKER 2is an excellent FPS game and one of the best Xbox games of 2024, if not all time.
7Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess (Capcom)
A Truly Creative Action Game
Capcom has been on a role as of late, with titles likeResident Evil 4,Street Fighter 6,Dragon’s Dogma 2, and so many more, not only proving to be commercial successes but also critical darlings that impress newcomers and dedicated fans alike. Fortunately,Capcom has also seen the value in unique and creative experiences, such as with its wonderfully original action title,Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.
It is hard to describeKunitsu-Gamias it is more than it may appear on a surface level. It is perhaps best exemplified by its dance-like combat, which sees the player dash around the battlefield taking out Oni as they desperately attempt to defend their soldiers and defenses.It’s a well-crafted blend of tower defense and an action-packed third-person experiencewith some of the most eye-wateringly beautiful art direction in gaming history.
6Dungeons Of Hinterberg (Microbird Games)
Persona 5 Meets The Legend Of Zelda
Dungeons of Hinterbergcemented itself as one of thebest indies on Game Passwhen it launched exclusively for Xbox and PC in early 2024. It managed this feat thanks toits amazing combination ofPersona-like social sim gameplay andLegend of Zeldadungeon delving.Dungeons of Hinterbergoften feels like a no-brainer game that should have been made years ago and replicated time and time again, and yet it stands tall as a truly unique experience despite its obviously phenomenal merging of great gameplay styles.
Players venture to Hinterberg in search of adventure and a new lease of life. They do so by heading into creatively crafted dungeons, of which no two are alike, and solving puzzles while fighting challenging enemies. After beating a dungeon or exploring the open areas, players are sent back to the hub area where they can hang out with the citizens of Hinterberg or partake in a fun activity like going to the cinema.There’s also a delightfully relatable story of finding one’s place within the worldand following passions over profits that helps bring the whole experience together.
5Metaphor: ReFantazio (Atlus)
A 2024 GOTY Nominee
Metaphor: ReFantazioredefined Atlus' approach to game design, offering an entirely original experience that borrows from the developer’s past titles, such asPersona, while offering plenty of its own interesting ideas. This ultimately earned it awell-deserved GOTY nominationat the 2024 Game Awards, which, while it didn’t win, showcases just why it’s one of the best Xbox games of 2024.
Metaphor: ReFantazio: Every Follower, Ranked From Worst To Best
Metaphor: ReFantazio has 14 different followers for players to get to know, however, you may not have time to bond with all of them, so choose wisely.
Metaphor: ReFantazio’sblend of enthralling combat and meaningful exploration is greatly elevated by a plot packed full of twists and turns as well as a cast of lovable characters that are perhaps some of the most fleshed-out in all of Atlus' work.It manages to maintain a consistently engaging level of intrigue throughout its near 100+ hour runtimewhile ensuring to constantly introduce new gameplay ideas to keep things fresh.
4Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (Saber Interactive)
The Ultimate Third-Person Shooter
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2likely came as a bit of a surprise to non-40kfans and those who had missed the first game in the series.It absolutely dominated the charts for a considerable amount of time thanks to its generous wealth of contentand thoroughly well-polished gameplay loop that had players coming back for more. Of course, its major highlight is the thrilling narrative centered around the hulking Titus and his exploits to take down the Chaos Sorcerer Lord, Imurah.
However,it is the constantly updated Operations that have players wanting to replay the game repeatedly, as their endlessly replayable mission structure and engrossing reward loop make coming back a genuinely exciting proposition.Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2also features a novel multiplayer mode that helps remind players of a better time in gaming where developers could experiment with additional modes.
3Age Of Mythology: Retold (World’s Edge, Forgotten Empires, Tantalus Media)
A Legendary Strategy Game
Age of Mythology: Retoldtook the classicAge of Mythologyexperience and revamped it for a modern audience. It completely transformed the original gameplay loop, adding even more content, improving the overall visuals, and making it playable with a controller.There are over 50 missions for players to work their way through, as well as a number of Gods to choose from across the Norse, Greek, Atlantean, and Egyptian pantheons.
Age of Mythology: Retoldwas also a showcase of Xbox’s diverse lineupin 2024. It helped space out the FPS titles and third-person action games with a strategy experience that both appealed to newcomers and dedicated fans alike. Xbox has really put out something for everyone in 2024, andAge of Mythology: Retoldis the absolute perfect game for those looking for a strategy game with meaningful depth.
2Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch, Raven Software)
One Of The Best COD Games In A While
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6is aback-to-basics hitthat impressed players across the world thanks to its impressive campaign and thoroughly enjoyable multiplayer. While its inclusion on Game Pass certainly helped boost its player count at launch,Black Ops 6’snewfound approach to theCODformula as well as its many improvements absolutely had a hand to play in it being one of the most successful titlesin the long-running series.
It continued theBlack Opsnarrative, bringing a handful of fan-favorite characters back into the picture and further expanding its conspiracy-theory-filled world.Black Ops 6is being regarded as one of the best in its own subseriesas well as the entire franchise as a whole, which is an impressive feat, especially considering the failure of the previousCODgames.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6is well worth playing for those looking for a fast-paced blockbuster FPS.
1Indiana Jones And The Great Circle (MachineGames)
A Surprise Franchise-Tie In Hit
Perhaps the biggest surprise to come out of Xbox in 2024 is the wonderfully creativeIndiana Jones and the Great Circle. Of course, it had the iconic IP helping to prop it up and bring in a dedicated group of fans on day one. However,Indiana Jones and the Great Circleisn’t too reliant on it - although it has plenty of fan service moments - and insteadoffers an independently amazing game that more than lives up to the hype and expectations it promises.
Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle better than Dial of Destiny?
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been released on PC and Xbox, providing a new tale for the classic adventurer. Set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, many are concluding that this new story is more aligned with the Indy fans know and love compared to the recent movie Dial of Destiny. That being said, I truly loved the movie which genuinely showed what Indiana was like in the later stages of his life.
This is thanks to the wonderfully talented developers at MachineGames who went in with a vision of howIndiana Joneswould work as a first-person experience and pulled it off with aplomb.Indiana Jones and the Great Circleisn’t just an amazing Indiana Jones game, but also a phenomenal narrative-focused, action-packed game in general, and one of the best Xbox games of 2024.
