Top Trending Games of 2024: Reviews and Ratings
The top video games—especially new ones—keep us on the edge of our seats because they always offer something unique that we haven’t seen before. This year is by no means an exception since so many titles impress players with gameplay innovations. We have a few personal favourites to share with you, but not before delivering a surprise.
Before we plunge into our list, let’s make a short excursion. In particular, something that can significantly improve your gaming experience. Especially if you play on a Mac, sometimes even the best games won’t be fun if the system is slow or there are random or unexplained crashes. That’s when macOS verbose mode comes into play. It’s a startup option that will show detailed system messages as your Mac boots up. So you can see exactly what’s going on. This is incredibly useful for diagnosing issues that may affect the performance of your games. You’ll be in control no matter what you’re dealing with – slow boot times, problematic drivers, or system-level conflicts – with Detailed Messages mode. This tool is worth knowing about for gamers who like to customize their settings and know that everything is running as smoothly as possible. After all, the best gaming experience starts with a flawless system.
Now, let’s shift our attention to the top games making waves in 2024.
Note: Our favourites don’t come in any particular order because we genuinely appreciate each of the following titles.
Tekken 8
· Metacritic score: 90
· Genre: Fight game
Our list of the top-rated games opens with Tekken 8. We know some of you hoped for a brand new suggestion first, but we admit to being biased toward this fighting franchise. But it’s not only a matter of personal preferences since Tekken 8 genuinely surprised us with this fresh approach to well-known characters.
For one, they expanded the roster to introduce some new characters—this greatly supplements the existing pool of Tekken fighters. Secondly, a new Heat System gives an advantage to more aggressive players, who can now enjoy additional offensive solutions.
Batman: Arkham Shadow
· Metacritic score: 85
· Genre: Action & adventure
Though we are not significant fans of the Batman series, this iteration of the well-known game turned out to be better than we expected. That’s mainly because the latest Arkham release is explicitly made for VR gameplay (or Meta Quest 3, to be more specific).
Batman: Arkham Shadow truly shines as an impressive title, immersing players directly in the role of the Dark Knight himself. From our perspective, it is the best way to meet – and fight against – the new villain called the Rat King.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
· Metacritic score: 92
· Genre: Action / roleplay
Millions of players anticipated this game, and allow us to state that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth didn’t disappoint anyone! On the contrary, gamers can expect expansive exploration on a large-scale world map. That includes some genuinely unique regions like the amusement park-inspired Gold Saucer – a pretty unique feature in the gaming industry.
At the same time, Rebirth adds a fresh dose of entertainment through new mechanics: synergy attacks and Chocobo varieties specific to each region. In a nutshell, these features help improve both combat and traversal. Most importantly, there are so many side quests and mini-games in this edition of Final Fantasy VII, so much so that you’ll enjoy nearly twice the content of the main storyline.
Black Myth: Wukong
· Metacritic score: 82
· Genre: Adventure & mythology
Black Myth: Wykong is a no-brainer if you’re into Chinese mythology. The game is based on the well-known Chinese tale Journey to the West, and you can expect it to get you through all of the mystical places and legends with ease. The only thing we should warn you about is the fact that Black Myth: Wukong is better suited for users who already know the ins and outs of the original story as it makes the gameplay much more convenient.
Solium Infernum
· Metacritic score: 88
· Genre: Fantasy & strategy
The last item on our list is somewhat slow-paced, but that just makes Solium Infernum more interesting for users who prefer this type of gaming. The goal is to outsmart your rivals – aka demon masters – with a powerful combo of strategy and straight-out military power. From our point of view, Solium Infernum is a phenomenal remake of the 2009 title, but newbies should prepare for a slightly steeper learning curve.
Time for You to Make a Pick
The list can go on like this for who knows how long, but we want to concentrate on elite 2024 titles exclusively. The benefit of this approach is that you cannot make a mistake with any of these games – each of them guarantees hours of high-quality entertainment. That’s why it’s probably best to start with titles from your favorite genre and have loads of fun.