10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2024

Star Wars features twice on this list

Many have remarked that 2023 was a year full of highly anticipated game releases such as Diablo IV, Starfield, Street Fighter 6 and Baldur's Gate 3, to name just a few. Many of the games that featured on the previous list actually released although I'm still waiting on The Wolf Among Us 2 and a Steam release of Horizon Chase 2. Anyway, since there's only one day left of 2023 and The Game Awards is well and truly over, it's time to take a look at the 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2024 (according to Choicest Games, of course)!

As it's been with previous years, I've again managed to recruit the help of my wife as a judge and I've also decided to use the third judge that I created in 2020 which is based on the popularity of a game, at least according to Google Trends. Ultimately, this resulted in more weight being given to AAA titles (otherwise, the entire list would probably be dominated by indie games - not that there's anything wrong with that but I'm trying to strike a balance here).

The Judges

Mark G

Mark founded the blog Choicest Games in 2008 and has been playing PC games since the 1980s. He has an eclectic taste in games but his favourite genres include point 'n' click adventures, First Person Shooters and almost anything to do with sci-fi. He is also leader of the social guild/clan Gamers of Choice.

Lanna

Lanna is Mark G's wife and being the supportive wife that she is has contributed reviews and her input on the running of the blog. Lanna enjoys puzzle games, FPSs and Civilization. She was also at one stage world champion at Everyday Genius Squarelogic.

Google Trends

A website launched by Google in 2006 that analyses the popularity of top search queries in Google Search. The website uses graphs to compare the search volume of different queries over time.

How the list was made

An arbitrary list of 191 games was compiled (more than the previous year's 177) through a combination of me scouring the Internet for exciting PC titles coming out next year as well as any the contributors could find as well. I used the same scoring as previous years where contributors were given a choice of three potential scores:

0 = Not interested in the game at all
1 = Slightly interested. Keeping my eyes on it and/or will buy it if there's nothing better to get
2 = Must-buy. I will buy it on release or I've already pre-ordered it.

Contributors were asked to assign a 0, 1 or 2 to each of the games on the list. I would then sum the total score and then sort the list by score in descending order.

Like last year, there was no clear winner this year. In fact, there were no games awarded with five points this year but again there were two that stood out from the rest with four points. Seven games were awarded a score of three points and a whopping 40 were awarded a score of two (more than last year's 30). Games that were awarded a score of two (and where one of those votes was by a Human judge) were added to the Honourable Mentions list (13), except for one which finished off the top 10 (as it's a game that has already been pre-ordered by myself). Games that were awarded points by both human judges were given priority but the raw Google Trends scores were used to assist ranking the games where only one human judge voted for them.

This year, again two games on the list appeared in last year's list and this year a crowdfunded project has managed to sneak its way back into the top 10.

So I present to you the 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2024 as voted by Choicest Games! But before I get into that, here are the Honourable Mentions, those that didn't make the list but were close to being included…

Honourable Mentions:
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition
Cook, Serve, Delicious!: Re-Mustard!
Frostpunk 2
Harold Halibut
Helldivers II
Islands of Insight
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
Millennia
Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
Republic of Pirates
The Alters
The Plucky Squire

10. SKALD: Against the Black Priory

If you like oldschool CRPGs of the 80s, this is one to check out

SKALD previously appeared on the 2020 Most Anticipated PC Games list and it's a game that I backed in 2019. The game was originally scheduled for a 2020 release (hence why it was included on the 2020 list) however COVID-19 happened and the game went through several iterations in the meantime. Towards the end of 2021, Scape-IT (now called High North Studios AS) made a publishing deal with Raw Fury which has helped the game receive more coverage.

SKALD is a retro CRPG in the same vein as classics such as Ultima and the The Bard's Tale. The developers have also tried to bring the best aspects of modern RPGs too such as auto-resolve, journals, quest logs and modern inventory systems which were absent during games of the 1980s.

I'm a fan of old CRPGs such as Ultima 6 which is why I backed this game during the original Kickstarter campaign. While its release has been delayed by almost four years, the amount of love and attention I've seen on the development blog convinces me this is going to be a retro game done right.

The game is scheduled for release in Q2 2024.

Score:
2 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark

Release Date:
Q2 2024

[ LINK: SKALD: Against the Black Priory Devlog ]

9. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

Screenshots in this game always seem so life-like

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was released back in 2017 is still sitting on my Pile of Shame but I've heard only good things about it. Holding a Metascore of 83 on PC, a "Very Positive" Steam rating based off 91% of the 51,249 user reviews being positive and winning several awards at IGDA, The Game Awards and BAFTA, this game is adored by critics and fans alike. The game sees you play the role of a Celtic woman that embarks on a vision quest to Viking Hell but what makes this game different is that the developers actually consulted with neuroscientists and sufferers of psychosis in order to create an unsettling yet authentic experience.

The sequel seems to promise more of the same, taking place in Viking Iceland and covers Senua's story of fighting the darkness within and without. While I'm curious to see how this game turns out, Google Trends suggest this is quite a popular franchise and that there are many players out there keen to get their hands on it. Probably a good time to play the first game, hey?

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is set for release sometime in 2024.

Score:
3 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark and Google Trends

Release Date:
2024

[ LINK: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Xbox Website ]

8. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown

Will Hong Kong make for an interesting locale to drive exotic cars around?

It's been a long time since I played anything from the Test Drive Unlimited franchise with the last game being 2011's Test Drive Unlimited 2. While I was rather harsh with my score, this was mainly because of bugs and unstable multiplayer. Otherwise, the actual gameplay was pretty good and kept me engaged for a long time. Fast forward to more than a decade later, and we still haven't had a proper sequel. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown promises to bring back MMO racing and a multitude of exotic cars in the Hong Kong region.

KT Racing, the developer behind this latest iteration in the Test Drive Unlimited series has previous experience developing a whole bunch of rally games, so here's hoping they do the game justice once it finally releases. I can't wait to race cars around a virtual Hong Kong with my mates.

The game is scheduled for release in 2024.

Score:
3 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark and Google Trends

Release Date:
2024

[ LINK: Official Test Drive Unlimited website ]

7. Tribes 3: Rivals

SHAZBOT!

This announcement came seemingly out of nowhere as the main Tribes franchise hasn't really been touched for over two decades (Tribes 2 was released in 2001). There have been a few spin-offs since then but the original two games developed by Dynamix were amongst the pioneers of team-based multiplayer shooters. QuakeWorld TeamFortress was popular back in this era of the late 90s if you were looking for a team-based multiplayer FPS, but where Tribes had an advantage was just its better production values, a cool sci-fi setting and the ability to use jetpacks and vehicles.

Tribes 3 is being developed by a subsidiary of Hi-Rez Studios called Prophecy Games. Hi-Rez Studios were responsible for the last Tribes game called Tribes: Ascend so you would think some of the developers on this project would have prior experience shipping a Tribes game.

There doesn't seem to be too much info about the game yet and it might just be a cash grab for those with nostalgia for the original games, but maybe we're due for a back-to-basics, team-based multiplayer shooter that focuses on just being fun.

The game is scheduled for release in 2024.

Score:
3 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark and Google Trends

Release Date:
2024

[ LINK: Tribes 3: Rivals Official Website ]

6. MultiVersus

If you ever wanted to fight Superman as Tom and Jerry, this is your chance

MultiVersus is a Super Smash Bros clone that happens to feature a whole bunch of characters from Warner Bros and the DC Universe such as Bugs Bunny, Batman and even Tom and Jerry. The game was very popular during the initial stages of the open beta but the game has since been pulled off digital storefronts in preparation for the game's official release.

While I'm by no means any good at brawler games like Super Smash Bros the main appeal with a lot of these games is playing your favourite character from a particular game or (in this case) movie/TV show. I'm curious to see how this one goes and this is the same for Lanna. There's also been mild interest in the game this year according to Google Trends.

The game is set for release in early 2024.

Score:
3 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark, Lanna and Google Trends

Release Date:
Early 2024

[ LINK: Official MultiVersus Website ]

5. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster

Cinematics get a do-over in the remaster

Out of all the Doom clones that were released in the 1990s, Dark Forces had to be one of my favourites. Sure, it helped that the game happened to be based off one of my favourite franchises (i.e. Star Wars) but they did a great job in making it feel authentic. As Kyle Katarn you felt like you really were doing your part for the Rebellion and the game felt like a precursor to Star Wars films like "Rogue One" and TV shows like "Andor". I mean, the characters of Jan Ors and Kyle Katarn are not too dissimilar to Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor right? The game also introduced the concept of Dark Troopers which would eventually become canon thanks to "The Mandalorian" TV series.

Anyway, Dark Forces is important to Star Wars and the original game was fun but is it worth remastering? Apparently this update is mainly going to be a visual one and besides some other quality of life improvements, what the trailer has shown so far is very similar to the original. This could turn into a cash grab so despite Lanna, Google Trends and I being mildly interested in this title, we'll just have to wait and see if the price is right.

The game is due for release on 28 Feb 2024.

Score:
3 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark, Lanna and Google Trends

Release Date:
28 Feb 2024

[ LINK: Star Wars Dark Forces Remaster Steam Store Page ]

4. Ara: History Untold

Definitely getting a Civ vibe from this game

This game featured on last year's list but it seems like development has been delayed. I'm always keen for more 4X games similar to Sid Meier's Civilization and judging by the recent trailer, it looks like that's exactly what we'll be getting. I did notice that you can zoom in quite close though to show an amazing amount of detail in this game, not to mention battles seem to look similar to a spin-off of Civilization back in the late 90s/early 2000s called Civilization: Call to Power.

Since Lanna and I are fans of the Civ franchise, we're keeping our eyes on this one. There's also considerable interest from the public according to Google Trends.

The game is due for release in 2024.

Score:
3 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark, Lanna and Google Trends

Release Date:
2024

[ LINK: Official Ara: History Untold Website ]

3. Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game

There's not much to go on but this is Lord of the Rings we're talking about

There is very little information at all about this upcoming game but any Lord of the Rings game is bound to garner attention from not only me but Lanna as well. There is also mild interest in this game on Google Trends, but what exactly is it?

Well, so far we know that it's going to be a "heart-warming Lord of the Rings game" where you get to experience a "cosy Hobbit life". Considering the boom in cozy games recently thanks to the success of games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it wouldn't be a surprise at all if Tales of the Shire turns out to be a clone of one of these games except it has the strength of the Lord of the Rings IP behind it.

The game is set to release in 2024.

Score:
3 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark, Lanna and Google Trends

Release Date:
2024

[ LINK: Tales of the Shire Official Website ]

2. Star Wars Outlaws

Let us hope the dogfights are good fun and not just tacked on

Now we move on to the two games on our list that received 4 votes from the judges and we have yet another Star Wars game: Star Wars Outlaws. Made by Ubisoft, this could turn out to be a Far Cry: Star Wars game which could be a good thing but also a bad thing. However, considering the huge universe of Star Wars, there is potential here to make something truly great. Like Starfield, you can visit multiple planets and engage in dogfights, but with a tighter focus, it can hopefully avoid the trap of becoming too boring or safe for the increasingly critical gaming public.

Both human judges are interested in this game and there is considerable interest from gamers according to Google Trends (because it's a new Star Wars game, of course)!

The game is set for release in 2024.

Score:
4 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark, Lanna and Google Trends

Release Date:
2024

[ LINK: Star Wars Outlaws Official Page ]

1. The Wolf Among Us 2

Not much to say here but apparently we're still getting The Wolf Among Us 2 next year

The Wolf Among Us 2 has featured on this list more than once including last year in this very same spot! The Wolf Among Us 2 is going to be a must-buy from me and Lanna is mildly interested in it. With some interest from gamers according to Google Trends that's 4 points for this game that fans are still waiting very patiently for.

There's been very little news about The Wolf Among Us 2 (besides concerning news of layoffs back in October) and the old trailer is still featured below, but I'm still hoping we're going to see a sequel.

The game is set for release sometime in 2024.

Score:
4 out of 6 votes

Voted by:
Mark, Lanna and Google Trends

Release Date:
2024

[ LINK: The Wolf Among Us 2 Official Website ]