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Finally, a Zelda Zelda game
Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
A Story-Rich Fantasy Sandbox
Avowed
A New Game for Silent Hill Fans
Slitterhead
A Nazi-Punching Adventure That Belongs in a Museum
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
In 2023, it felt like the new hit games were just never going to stop coming. In a way, they didn’t. Midway through 2024 we’re still excited for new titles. From sequels like Hades II to interesting new titles like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, here are the games we’re most excited about this year.
Since game release dates change often, and there are so many new games announced regularly, we’ll be updating this piece throughout the year as new games come out and we get more solid info about release dates for others. Don’t see anything you like? Check out our guides to the Best Games on PlayStation Plus, The Best Switch Accessories, and Best Online Co-op Games.
Updated July 2024: Added The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Doom: The Dark Ages, Civilization VII, and Super Mario Party Jamboree.
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Courtesy of Nintendo
Finally, a Zelda Zelda game
Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Despite its title, The Legend of Zelda has always been a game centered around Link. Zelda doesn’t appear at all in Link’s Awakening. So it seems only fitting that Nintendo is finally releasing a game in the franchise that stars Zelda herself. And the company is using the same retro-modern style and engine introduced with the 2019 Link’s Awakening remake.
In the announcement trailer, we get an extensive look at the gameplay in Echoes of Wisdom. While the game borrows the perspective and level design from the Link’s Awakening remake, it’s clearly more inspired by recent games like Tears of the Kingdom in terms of player freedom and experimentation. Instead of wielding a sword, Zelda can use a magic rod to create copies of objects in the world, from tables and beds, to enemies that can fight for her. It’s a fascinating approach that I can’t wait to play with when the game drops on September 26.
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Courtesy of Obsidian
A Story-Rich Fantasy Sandbox
Avowed
It may seem like game developer Obsidian Entertainment only thrives in Bethesda’s shadow. The developer made one of the best Fallout games using Bethesda’s IP and publishing infrastructure, before branching out to make its own franchise with The Outer Worlds. In both cases, where Bethesda tends towards gargantuan open-world adventures, Obsidian uses a smaller sandbox to tell richer, more complex stories with nuance and depth.
Avowed, the latest new franchise from Obsidian, looks like it will continue that tradition, with a fantasy RPG that has a variety of combat options. The developers have talked up how much player choice will lead to consequences for the story. To be blunt, that’s a line we’ve heard from developers before, but Obsidian has earned some trust from us. Right now, Avowed is set for release sometime in fall of 2024.
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Courtesy of Bokeh Game Studio
A New Game for Silent Hill Fans
Slitterhead
Keiichiro Toyama, perhaps best known for creating the Silent Hill series, started a new game studio in 2020, and now we’re finally seeing what they’re working on. At Summer Game Fest, Bokeh Game Studio released the first trailer for its upcoming horror game, Slitterhead. It’s gory, it’s brutal, and it’s coming November 8th to PC, PlayStation (4 and 5), and the Xbox Series X/S.
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Courtesy of Bethesda
A Nazi-Punching Adventure That Belongs in a Museum
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
We first heard that Bethesda was developing an Indiana Jones game back in 2021, and now Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is finally happening. It’s the first time Lucasfilm Games has developed a non-Star Wars game in years, and as adventure games go, it looks pretty exciting. Much like movies featuring Indiana Jones, the game will follow another stand-alone adventure in Indiana’s life, this one set in 1937, as Indy tries to stop an evil group from unlocking the mystery of the Great Circle to gain unfathomable power. And since the Bethesda-owned studio MachineGames—the team behind the last decade of Wolfenstein games—you can bet there will plenty of Nazis for Indiana Jones to punch.
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Courtesy of Ubisoft
Ubisoft’s First Star Wars Game
Star Wars Outlaws
EA has had the exclusive on making Star Wars games for years, but as we learned back in 2021, that era is coming to an end. And Star Wars Outlaws is the fruition of Lucasfilm’s newfound openness. Outlaws will be an open-world game that follows don’t-call-her-Han-Solo scoundrel Kay Vess on her adventures through the galaxy far, far away.
At Summer Game Fest, we finally got our first big look at the game and it looks like it delivers on the Han-Solo-of-it-all, if in a characteristically Ubisoft way. We’ll know more about how well Star Wars lens itself to an open world (open galaxy?) game when it drops on August 30th, 2024.
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Courtesy of Supergiant
A (Second) Hell-ish Roguelike
Hades II
The first Hades game, from developer Supergiant, was a smash hit that turned perpetual death into a delightful (if grueling) adventure. The indie darling has never made a sequel to any of its games, but this is the first exception. And it’s sort of out already.
Hades II is just as addicting as the first, and I’ve personally already sunk 200+ hours into the game. Which, like a boon from Zeus, is shocking because it’s not finished yet. There are six regions in the game (compared to four in the original), with a seventh still on the way. The developers are also working on a sixth weapon, and a cosmetic system to customize the hub world. The game has already received four pretty substantial patches. While the game will still be in Early Access through 2025, you can bet we’re eagerly awaiting the next major content drop.
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Courtesy of Paradox Interactive
A (Deathly) Cult Classic Follow-Up
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2
The original Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines achieved legendary status over the years for its complex, rich storytelling. Twenty years after the original’s release, the sequel Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is finally arriving, though it too has spent some time in development hell. Lead writer Brian Mitsoda, who was also lead writer on the original game, was abruptly fired in 2020, and development was moved from Hardsuit Labs to The Chinese Room. It might not end up being the successor that die-hard fans were looking forward to, but we’re still interested to see how the new game holds up when it drops in late 2024.
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Courtesy of Sega
One of the Best Sonic Games, Now With Shadow
Sonic X Shadow Generations
The original Sonic Generations owns, and this year it’s getting both a remaster and a new campaign, starring everyone’s favorite hedgelord, Shadow the Hedgehog. Like its predecessor, Sonic X Shadow Generations remasters (or I guess in this case, re-remasters) several classic 2D and 3D Sonic stages, while the Shadow campaign will feature abilities and powers new to this game. The game was delayed a bit and is now set to arrive on October 24th, 2024.
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Courtesy of Bethesda
Doom, for a (Much) Older Generation
Bethesda Doom: The Dark Ages
I’ve been playing Doom games since I had to install them from floppy disks on my old 386. The 2016 reboot captured a lot of the spirit of the originals, balancing murdering demons with exploration and collectible hunting. But after Doom Eternal’s mission to attack and dethrone god, where else do you go in the series?
At Summer Game Fest this year, we got our answer. Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel of sorts, following the slayer in the past. The newest entry features a shield with a chain saw, riding dragons, and, quite possibly, a payoff for those giant mechs from Doom Eternal. This game doesn’t come out till 2025, but it’s so exciting I couldn’t resist including it.
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Courtesy of 2K
The Return of the King (or Emperor)
Civilization VII
It’s been nearly a decade since the last Civilization game came out, but in 2025, we’re finally getting a new entry in the series. At Summer Game Fest, we got a teaser trailer that promises a gameplay showcase in August of this year. Other than that, we’re still light on details, but after such a long wait, we’re eager to see where history leads this time.
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Courtesy of Team Cherry
Silksong When??
Hollow Knight: Silksong
OK, this one might be more wishful thinking on our part. The original Hollow Knight came out in 2017, and it set a new standard for Metroidvania games for the years to come. The game’s sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, was announced in 2019, and a trailer even dropped in 2022. The official Xbox account strongly implied that it would be available “within the next 12 months.” It’s been over two years since then, and there’s still no official release date in sight.
At this point, it’s been over five years since Silksong was initially announced, and outside of developer Team Cherry, it’s anyone’s guess when this game could drop. We’ve been eagerly watching all the summer games announcements, holding out hope that maybe this time we’ll hear from Team Cherry. So far, no luck, but there’s still six more months in 2024. And what’s life without a little vain hope?
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Courtesy of Nintendo
It’s (Mario) Party Time, Again
Nintendo Super Mario Party Jamboree
The Mario Party series has had its ups and downs, but the last couple of entries have been pretty solid. Super Mario Party returned to the series’ cruel yet enjoyable roots, while the not-at-all-confusingly-named Mario Party Superstars was a nostalgic collection of boards and minigames from the series’ early years.
Now, Super Mario Party Jamboree is looking to top the ambition of previous titles. It includes over 110 minigames, making it the most jam-packed title in the series. It also comes with five new boards, plus two modern revamps of classic boards like Mario’s Rainbow Castle from the original game. There’s even an online gameplay mode, where 20 players can compete in a minigame marath-er, Koopathon.
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Courtesy of Square Enix
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