It’s a reflection of what the naked link PC Gamer team is playing today, not a list of the all-time best games ever, although there’s overlap. Chronicles of the Wolf has officially been released, providing players with classic 2D sidescrolling action-adventure gameplay. However, the breakout hit in the indie scene is undoubtedly Balatro, the roguelike poker game many players could not put down. After initially releasing on PC and consoles, Balatro is now also available on mobile, which is where I’ve been playing this twisted little roguelike. While the bones of Balatro will be familiar to anyone with a cursory knowledge of poker, the ingenious modifiers and ways players can hit higher scores makes the lizard brain light up in delight and deserves all the praise it’s received this year. The third big trend from 2024 was the prominence of indie games in our list of best reviewed titles.
One big name that snuck in at the end of the year is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. MachineGames’ first game since finishing up its Wolfenstein reboots is another rollicking, nazi-punching adventure that brings the film hero to the AAA games era. It’s not only a big win for Indy fans, but for Xbox Games Studios that finally has a bonafide hit. That certainly doesn’t mean 2024 was a worse year for gaming – far from it. But one thing that is apparent is that they were spaced out, unlike last year when the hits just seemed to keep on coming.
Some of the missable sidequests, particularly in the first area, take me places other studios would want to frontload in the opening hours of the main quest. PC Gamer’s got your back
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The writing in Disco Elysium is just so good and is some of the best you can experience in a PS5 game. It’s rich, detailed, gives a great sense of place, and makes for some very memorable interactions. The way Astro’s Playroom deploys the DualSense’s features and powers is unparalleled. From feeling different surfaces ‘underfoot’ to loading springy jumps with the triggers, it’s superb.
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As unwieldy as the setup may seem on paper, Avowed maintains an admirable focus during its 50-odd hours. And I thought I would, given this is a game with a dynamic glossary accessible mid-conversation, à la Final Fantasy 16. Across a handful of discrete “open zones,” Obsidian weaves a compact critical path between a wealth of fascinating sidequests that, while ostensibly optional, feel like the substance of the game. Bigger than it first appears, Avowed is an engrossing and gorgeous action-RPG set in one of the most engaging fantasy worlds going, though it lacks the complex systems of its most beloved contemporaries. With the year now coming to an end, we’ve compiled a list of every such game — new, standalone releases (no DLC) that received an 8 (“Great”), 9 (“Amazing”), or 10 (“Masterpiece”) from IGN. Click through the gallery below or continue scrolling for our full list of 2021’s best games, ordered from lowest score to highest.
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