My (24) Most Anticipated Games* of 2024

As is customary for the start of any given year that games are still developed and sold, here I am telling you about the games* I’m most excited to play this year. I could list every game I intend to buy, but that would be pretty boring. Games comes with an asterisk as I’m including DLC and Mods on this list. Finally Games* are in release order, not in a ranking.

I decided to do 24, because I enjoy the number play. Entries that don’t have dates are only tentatively said to release in 2024.

Games

31/1 - Bloodborne Kart (@B0tster)

Make enough jokes about something and you wish it into reality. Bloodborne fans have long been clamouring for a sequel to their favourite game and when it didn’t come - they figured it must be a kart game. Coming from the mind of Lilith Walter, the creator of Bloodborne PSX, here comes Bloodborne Kart, a fully fleshed out kart racer set in the world of Yharnam. Grant us Drives.

14/2 - Tomb Raider Trilogy

Even if this collection offers nothing extra to the original games, I’ll just be happy to have a classic trilogy, of which I have not played, available in a modern space. Obviously I hope the ports aren’t bad, but I don’t need a whole load of bells and whistles.

22/2 - Open Roads (Open Roads Team)

It’s been a long time coming for this game, thanks to internal issues at Fullbright, leading to the spinoff of this team, but the game is finally on the horizon (no pun intended). As a big fan of both Gone Home and Tacoma, this one is high on my list so I’m glad it’s so soon.

29/2 - Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (Square Enix)

Having never played the original Final Fantasy 7, Remake absolutely blew me away and became my Game of the Year that year. Rebirth looks to take everything that made Remake good and crank it to 11. Excited isn't even the word, I've got a week off work ready for it to release.

Star Wars: Outlaws (Ubisoft Massive)

Sometimes things are a bit of a Monkey’s Paw. We’ve wanted a big open world Star Wars game for ages, and now we’re getting one. Done by Ubisoft. Now, I don't hate Ubisoft like a lot of people do, but I'm not ignorant to some formulaic design choices that permeate their games. The term “Ubisoft Formula” didn't appear for no reason. The stuff they've shown so far does seem promising, so I guess we just wait and see.

Penny’s Big Breakaway (Evening Star)

I’ve not played Sonic Mania, but I've heard it's one of the best 2D Sonic games and just a fantastic game overall, to see the team apply their skills to a new IP, a 3D Platformer no less, has me very excited. We haven't seen much but the theme and design of the game already look like winners. Can never have too many 3D Platformers.

The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures)

Sometimes a game comes along and ticks all the right boxes - 3D Platformer, mix of game styles like schmups and Punch Out!, incredible art and a studio led by James Turner - ex Pokémon Artist who designed some of my favourite Pokémon. Oh yeah, it's all coming together.

Henry Halfhead (Lululu Entertainment)

Take the brilliant concept of Hat Capturing from Super Mario Odyssey, but instead of Mario’s iconic gallery of enemies, you take control of everyday household objects to solve puzzles and tick off a checklist of tasks. It was done incredibly well in SMO but nobody has really taken on the idea until now, so I’m excited to see a new take on the gimmick. Everything gets cute little eyes too, which is a nice bonus.

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip (Snekflat)

I can’t lie, I’m a real sucker for games whose protagonist and NPC’s are just funny little guys, and boy howdy does Terry look like a funny little guy. Looking certifiably silly and sweet as well as being a 3D platformer to boot, I’m ready to help Terry get his car (and himself) into space as soon as I know when.

Harold Halibut (Slow Bros.)

A mix of game and stop motion film, Harold Halibut has had my attention since I first saw it. A claymation adventure set upon a ship under an alien ocean, Harold Halibut looks to be a cozy yet thought provoking narrative. I just can’t wait to see more of it in action.

Little Nightmares 3 (Supermassive Games)

Admittedly, I don’t remember when I played the first Little Nightmares but I know I did and do love it. Little Nightmares 2 was fine but couldn’t capture the lightning in the bottle. A third game by a different studio is going to be a hard sell to people, but I’m no developer purist and using the Until Dawn developers is an inspired choice. The introduction of coop is an interesting one – feels like a natural progression for the series. Eager to find out more.

Hotel Barcelona (White Owls Inc.)

When Hotel Barcelona, a project between Suda51 and Swery was announced, I admittedly had high hopes. When it was revealed to be a 2D platformer, I was a bit deflated. I’ve had time to mull it over and watch the trailer a couple more times and I’m back on board with the idea – a time loop hotel with serial killers based on slasher movie archetypes. It certainly has potential.

South of Midnight (Compulsion Games)

As of writing this, we have nothing but a trailer for South of Midnight, but as far as trailers go this one has delivered some very good vibes with its Nightmare before Christmas style with the theming of the American Deep South. We’ve yet to see any gameplay but leaks and rumours have it as a sort of Monster Hunter-esque game. Easily the game I’m most interested in from Xbox’s upcoming slate.

Slitterhead (Bokeh Game Studio)

From the ashes of Team Siren comes Bokeh Game Studio, and with the, the horror action title Slitterhead. I originally thought it would be more strictly horror ala Dead Space, which I was on board for, however newer information has us using powers to fight back against the monsters which has me even more excited. I have come to like horror but I like horror action even better.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)

Pencil this one in as “Cautiously Optimistic”. When I played the first title – Senua’s Sacrifice, I absolutely loved the world Ninja Theory had built, the concept of a Celtic warrior dealing with intense debilitating psychosis is such a unique idea, but the gameplay that went with it was just so dull and repetitive. Maybe I need to give it a second chance, but my hope for the sequel is that they go further into gameplay (as far as they can go given the subject matter) or make it more of a walking sim. Either way it’ll be on GamePass so it’s an easy try.

Resident Evil 2024 (Capcom)

Next Game could feature any one of the established cast.

While there’s nothing official to say we will be getting something Resident Evil in 2024, there’s been a pretty solid release schedule for the past 7 years – RE2 Remake in 2019, RE3 Remake in 2020, Village in 2021, Shadow of Rose/Mercs/VR in 2022 and Resident Evil 4 this year. It might be wishful thinking, but if they were willing to use DLC to fill a year – Shadow of Rose in 2022, then they could have easily made Separate Ways and RE4VR the 2024 Resident Evil content – but they didn’t, it released this year.

I don’t think we see Resident Evil 9 in 2024, or a remake of 5. I really do think we see the first game remade in the style of 2 and 3 or Capcom wows people with a remake of Code Veronica. I’m happy with any Resident Evil content.

Pokemon 2024 (GameFreak/Creatures Inc)

You don’t need insider knowledge to have a strong inkling that the next years Pokemon game will take place in the Unova region. It’s the last of the DS titles to be remade, it’s also next on the list following Sinnoh from a couple years back and the most recent DLC for Scarlet and Violet takes place in Blueberry Academy, name dropped to be a part of the Unova region. Wild card is Black and White 3, but more realistically is a Legends game, foregoing Black/White remakes lest they be received like Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

While a Legends game in old Unova has its perfect title character – The Original Dragon that Kyurem, Zekrom and Reshiram stem from, the theming will be very interesting. Legends Arceus managed to pull from Old Japan, so are we going to see Wild West Pokemon? If we get new final evolution starters from regions not Unova, I’m putting my money on Sceptile, Intelleon and Delphox.

Ports: My Friendly Neighbourhood, System Shock, Slay the Princess and American Arcadia (Various)

I’m both cheating by putting four different games in one entry and also seemingly wasting an entry by putting 4 games that have already released on PC (which I could play on my PC), one of which - My Friendly Neighbourhood - I’ve already played. That being said, they’re all getting console ports and I’m trying to be better at not wasting money so I’m waiting for their console releases. Platinum trophy potential is also a factor.

The DLC

Alan Wake 2: Night Springs and The Lake House (Remedy)

Alan Wake 2 was a game I was immensely excited for and it pleases me to no end to see it get the recognition it deserves a part survival horror, part bizarre arthouse masterpiece of a game. Although I’m yet to play the Final Draft NG+ update, I’m already looking forward to the two DLC’s - the first looking to fill a similar role as the standalone American Nightmare and the second seemingly being Alan Wake 2’s version of Control’s AWE - a way to tie the universe together again.

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide (Square Enix)

The second of two DLC coming to Final Fantasy XVI, taking place in a new land revealling the truth about the games most enigmatic figure - Leviathan the Lost. Promise of a renewed ending is more than enough motivation for me to return to the game, where I’ll be playing it alongside DLC 1 - Echoes of the Fallen.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware)

I’ll be happy when I have new screenshots to use for discussing this DLC.

Nearly a year since its announcement and two years since the release of the base game, Shadows of the Erdtree seems to be FromSoftware doing what they do best – Cooking some great content. It’s repeated ad nauseum but for good reason – the DLC in these games is the best content. With Elden Ring, we may be looking at a semi sequel when Shadow of the Erdtree drops (In 2024 please, hopefully).

The Mods

Dark Souls: Nightfall and Dark Souls 3: Archstones

Two different mods from two different teams, the former being a sequel to the original game and the latter being a prequel to the third game. I lump them together since they’re both seemingly in the same space, that being feature creep. Mods are always going to take a while, they’re voluntary efforts. The devs behind Nightfall previously worked on Daughters of Ash, so there’s a baseline to compare to. As far as I can tell, the Archstones team is brand new so it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out. Patience is hard, but the final outcome for both look very worth it.

Elden Ring: The Convergence Mod

This is an odd one because technically the mod is already out and has been for a while. The Convergence mods (of which there is one for Dark Souls 3 and this one for Elden Ring) add new bosses and many more weapons and spells. The Convergence is considered one of the best of this mod type. I intend to wait until the mod receives it’s final update, which I’m assuming will be after the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

BONUS: “Most Anticipated”: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (Rocksteady Games)

I’m fighting the tide here I know, this isn’t the cautious optimism of Senua II, this is morbid curiosity to see how badly Rocksteady have fallen from grace. Maybe it’ll be good. I certainly don’t wish it to be be bad but that’s completely out of my hands. Judgement Day approaches.

As always, It’ll be interesting to see which of these games end up as contenders for the 2024 Game of the Year list, both from myself and the wider gaming world. There’s a good mix of shoe in’s and underdogs in this list, and this list isn’t even everything I’m excited for. 2024 should be a good year for games. Don’t quote me though.