After a historic year of highly rated game releases, 2024 has big shoes to fill. 2023 saw plenty of Game of the Year contenders, and it also saw dozens of high-quality games released across a variety of genres. So far, 2024 is off to a strong start, as we’ve seen strong sequels and beloved classic games released as remakes. Barring any major delays, it looks like another year of genre-defining and must-play games is in store, as expectations are high for upcoming titles like Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, to name a few.

Just like last year, we’ll be keeping an eye on the best of the best. For this list, a game must receive a rating of at least 8 (which is pretty darn good!) or higher from GameSpot to make the list. That’s not to say that games with lower scores (or that we weren’t able to review) should be ignored, because even if those titles don’t meet that threshold, there’s still plenty of fun to be had. Expect this list to fill up with excellent games as the year progresses. For a closer look at potential contenders, you can check out our feature on the most anticipated games of 2024.