On the Verge of a New Year: What We Played in 2024

In our traditional year-end review from the editorial team and contributors at “Mazha,” we reflect on what we played, watched, read, and the hardware that impressed us throughout 2024. As always, we’ll start with games.

According to statistics revealed in the “2024 Year in Review” from Steam, PC gamers spent only 15% of their time on new games (those released in 2024). The rest of the time was split between games released 1-7 years ago (47%) and those even older (37%)—with Valve, predictably, retaining 1% as their seller’s fee. It’s fascinating to consider whether this trend holds true for “The Verge” authors and editors, and how many of them will include S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl in their game of the year picks.

As a reminder, there are no rules here. Some may name just one game of the year, others a handful, or even a personal Top 10 of 2024 releases. Let’s dive in!

Oleh Danylov, editor at “Mezha”

According to my personal “2024 Steam Year in Review,” I played 191 games and 237 demos on Valve’s platform this year. I dedicated 42% of my gaming time to new releases, specifically 2024 games—significantly more than the average player. However, most of my time was still spent on older games like Magic: The Gathering Arena, Euro Truck Simulator 2, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Among 2024 releases, the only titles in my top 5 were Farming Simulator 25 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

But that’s not the whole story of my gaming year, as Steam isn’t the only platform I play on. In 2024, I also spent a fair amount of time playing games from Microsoft PC Game Pass, the Epic Store, Ubisoft Connect, and EA Apps.

Overall, 2024 became a year of even deeper immersion into the world of simulators for me. I played and continue to enjoy Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator, Alaskan Road Truckers, Star Trucker, Farming Simulator 22 and 25, Construction Simulator, Train Sim World 5, Taxi Life, House Flipper 2, WW2 Rebuilder, and other similar games.

As for the 2024 games that truly impressed me, I would highlight Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Still Wakes the Deep, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. These narrative-driven action/adventures stood out thanks to their engaging stories and characters. Unfortunately, such games are often quite short, which is why they didn’t make it into my year-end roundup—especially since I played two of the four via Game Pass.

Regarding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which I own on two different platforms (not Steam), I started playing but decided to postpone a full playthrough until the game’s major bugs are patched. Perhaps during the New Year holidays or the quiet period afterward, I’ll find time to dive into S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

 

Oleksii Kupriienko, author at “Mezha”

My primary gaming platform in 2024 was, as usual, the PlayStation 5. Since the Wrap-Up feature is still unavailable for the Ukrainian region this year, I had to dig into my trophy stats to roughly estimate my personal gaming stats.

Even without precise numbers, the clear leader in terms of time spent this year was Hunt: Showdown—starting with the PS4 version and later transitioning to the updated PS5 version. I’ve already logged nearly 200 hours in the latter alone.

2024 turned out to be a year packed with gaming releases, and I managed to play some of them right after their release, while others have been pushed to the very end of this year or the start of the next.

The year began with the second part of the remake of the iconic JRPG, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. I played it for several dozen hours before shelving it in my backlog. And it was worth it because the game looks significantly better and plays smoother on the PS5 Pro.

Next came the adrenaline-filled and gameplay-refreshing action game Helldivers 2. A ton of action and engaging gaming scenarios with friends perfectly complemented the dark, cold evenings of early 2024. Many are still playing Helldivers 2, and its online player base remains stable, with around 100,000 concurrent players on Steam alone.

Following that were Stellar Blade, Rise of The Ronin, and Dragon’s Dogma 2. All of them turned out to be excellent games, but they were released so close to each other that it was tough to choose which one to prioritize. After sampling each game briefly, I ended up shelving them all in my backlog. They’re still there, primarily because of this fall’s incredibly packed release schedule.

As summer 2024 approached, I quickly but deeply emotionally completed Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Despite its relatively simple combat system and overall gameplay, the visuals and sound were absolutely stunning. Melina Juergens’ performance in the lead role even earned her an award at The Game Awards.

Summer is typically a time to dig into the gaming backlog. For me, it was finally time to finish The Evil Within duology, which served as a perfect bridge between last year’s Resident Evil 4 and this year’s Silent Hill 2. Additionally, I replayed the Dark Souls trilogy in a new format—co-op with a friend. This gave me tons of fresh emotions and revealed a whole new perspective on these games.

Fall began with an adventure in a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars Outlaws. The game was packed with fan service and engaging activities, and, importantly, it was free of the tower mechanics typical of Ubisoft games. Unfortunately, it was met with lukewarm reception and didn’t sell very well.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure marked a return to the familiar atmosphere and a well-loved protagonist. The game delivered pure nostalgia, making it feel like reuniting with old friends. This latest installment of Life is Strange leaves the series with plenty of room for growth. I’m curious to see where it will go next.

Silent Hill 2 turned out to be as eerie and utterly disturbing as expected. The oppressive atmosphere and tense gameplay, paired with excellent audiovisual elements, made the remake a phenomenal horror experience. I had no prior experience with the series, but Silent Hill 2 easily became one of my favorite games of 2024.

My playthrough of Dragon Age: The Veilguard stretched over time, often interrupted by other releases. Still, it’s a fantastic action/RPG with satisfying combat and engaging gameplay. While I’m not deeply familiar with the lore and stories of previous installments, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring this world and saving it from yet another existential threat.

The most emotional gaming experience for me was Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. This highly engaging adventure game stood out by not mimicking Uncharted or Tomb Raider. Instead, it leaned more towards an immersive sim approach, which worked in its favor. Only the problematic combat system slightly marred the overall impression towards the end. Nonetheless, it’s my personal Game of the Year for 2024—and notably, the only game mentioned here not played on PlayStation.

Up next are S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (post-patches), Astro Bot (likely Game of the Year), and the best RPG of the year, Metaphor: ReFantazio.

 

Yevhenii Demkivskyi, news reporter at “Mezha”

I consider myself an enthusiast of challenging games that require precise and timely button presses. Therefore, my favorite genre for the third consecutive year is fighting games. While I spent the most time on Steam in Street Fighter 6 this year, my favorite fighting game remains Guilty Gear Strive, which helped me overcome the barrier to entering online play and truly embrace the genre.

On the other hand, in the realm of demanding games, movement shooters stand out. And there’s plenty to choose from. SPRAWL began as a mod for Quake 2, but the project continued to grow and eventually reached Unreal Engine 4. The game feels like Mirror’s Edge with a focus on shooting. The atmosphere is pure Ghost in the Shell — no neon cyberpunk here, just dirty panel high-rises, miles of communication cables, and plenty of trash. Additionally, SPRAWL includes a musical album composed by the developer, who was a DJ until the 2020 quarantine confined him at home, where he decided to create his own Quake 2 mod.

Another great shooter, Echo Point Nova, offers true freedom. The concept of the game sounds absurd: we play as a robot moving between floating islands on a hoverboard and grappling clouds with a laser grapple hook. These tools are used to defeat enemies. Playing Echo Point Nova is a very meditative process; it’s simply enjoyable to explore, and the game is a pleasant experience. The developer mentioned that they were inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Having once been captivated by Doom Eternal, I deeply value games like Deadlink that attempt to replicate its style. Although it didn’t surpass its inspiration, the attempt was commendable. There were also Trepang2 – a modern F.E.A.R., addictive Roboquest, old-school Turbo Overkill, and very peculiar games like Devil Daggers and Hyper Demon.

 

Serhii Svitlychnyi, editor at “Mezha”

This year, my gaming “ecosystem” underwent significant changes: I put aside my PlayStation 5 and played much less on PC. Instead, my main gaming platform periodically became the Meta Quest 3 VR headset (see my experience with it). As a result, my top favorite games of 2024 are dominated by VR projects from previous years.

Unsurprisingly, the crown jewel among these is Half-Life: Alyx – arguably the only AAA game for virtual reality that remains unmatched by other projects of its kind. Despite its age (the game is nearing its 5th anniversary), HL Alyx continues to impress with its top-notch graphics and unparalleled interactivity in its game world. A special shout-out goes to the active player community, which has created a wealth of high-quality mods—some of which are nearly as good as the original game. Unsurprisingly, I spent nearly 50 hours in Half-Life: Alyx.

While I enjoy VR shooters, I’m not a huge fan of “zombie shooters,” so I hesitated for a long time before giving the Arizona Sunshine series a chance. In the end, I decided to “take the risk” and didn’t regret it—both recent games in the series, Arizona Sunshine Remake and Arizona Sunshine 2, turned out to be incredibly enjoyable. The only thing I felt was missing was friends for co-op play, which, judging by all indications, would have been even more fun than playing solo.

Usually, I’m not a fan of rhythm games—over the years, only Amplitude on PlayStation 2 and Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan on Nintendo DS managed to grab my attention, and that was, to put it mildly, a long time ago. However, Beat Saber has been one of the most popular VR projects for years, so I kept an eye on it for a while… but during a sale, I ended up buying another music-based game, Ragnarock. It turns out that drumming virtually in time with rock tracks to motivate Viking rowers on a longship is incredibly fun and engaging. Even six months after purchasing it, I still regularly launch Ragnarock at least a couple of times a week.

Meanwhile, on PC, I’ve been slowly making my way through the current expansions for The Elder Scrolls Online and World of Warcraft, but I can’t call them my games of the year—they were more like typical “time fillers.”

Unsurprisingly, my choice for game of the year is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, even though I haven’t spent a lot of time in it yet. I wasn’t a huge fan of the original trilogy, although I did complete it back in the day—so I didn’t eagerly await S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, approaching it with cautious optimism. But the game pleasantly surprised me. I honestly didn’t expect such a meticulously crafted game world or visuals that are so artistically beautiful. The gameplay (so far, at least) appeals to me much more than any other open-world game in recent years. And, of course, there’s its unmistakable Ukrainian identity—there’s never been a game this ours before. I could mention the infamous bugs, or “anomalies,” but I haven’t really encountered any yet.

 

Serhii Hyliuk, author at “Mezha”

The gaming year was quite eventful, marked by memorable games as well as drama, including mass layoffs in the industry and failures like Concord.

Personally, 2024 was dominated by indie projects for me. The year started with RimWorld, followed by Last Epoch, which didn’t manage to hook me into its endgame. Spring was all about Dune: Spice Wars, V Rising, and Balatro. I can recommend the latter two, but be careful with your time—they’re incredibly addictive.

Purchasing a PC allowed me to explore games I had previously missed. Against the Storm was enjoyable, though the gameplay became repetitive over time. On the other hand, Transport Fever 2 completely satisfied my urge to build a railway empire and enjoy train-centric gameplay. I’m eagerly awaiting its sequel. I also loved Dave the Diver enough to earn all the achievements.

From early access titles, I’d highlight News Tower, where you manage a newspaper in 1930s USA, balancing journalistic ethics, the mafia, the mayor, and the wealthy elite; and  Witchfire, an extraction shooter with roguelike elements that debuted last year.

As for traditional AAA projects, they’ve stopped exciting me as much. Perhaps it’s due to cautious publishers and a lack of creative risks, but most major releases bypassed me. Among them, Dragon’s Dogma 2 stood out—it’s a decent game but doesn’t differ much from Dark Arisen.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 left a better impression than not, but I burned out during its playthrough (dealing with all the bugs and “anomalies” before the official release—editor’s note). I plan to return once update 2.0 is out. Nevertheless, I’m genuinely happy for GSC, and it’s heartening that most players enjoyed the game despite its technical issues.

Masha Chip, author at “Mezha.”

Fully immersing yourself in gaming worlds requires resources—both time and emotional energy—and I lacked both. So, I looked for an easier path—not diving into other worlds but returning to a virtual past, less troubling and threatening than the present. Judging by the number of remasters/remakes, I’m not the only one feeling this way. Although, perhaps the industry is just too lazy to come up with something new, hiding under the cozy blanket of nostalgia.

Most of my gaming this year was done on the Nintendo Switch, primarily during power outages or train journeys.

All these “returns to the past” turned out to be challenging. I tried to replay several games that had brought me lots of joy and vivid impressions at different times. However… Attempt after attempt—Persona 4, Night in the Woods, Syberia, Sally Face, Omori—I felt disappointment creeping in. Not in the games themselves, no—but in my inability to experience them as I once did. So, I abandoned this idea and shifted my focus to new or nearly new projects for me.

This approach proved more successful. For example, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise on PlayStation 5. I was fully aware of the flaws of this hyper-dramatic Asian “Mad Max,” such as monotonous fights, absurd attack blocks, barren wastelands (pardon the redundancy), and nonsensical plot twists. But when you see the stone-faced protagonist making enemies explode like ketchup-filled balloons with sheer willpower, all those criticisms seem to fade into the background.

Around the same time, I completed Streets of Rage 4 in just a couple of hours, surprising even myself. The classic beat-’em-up was exactly what it needed to be: dynamic, vibrant, and free from unnecessary gimmicks. I was also captivated by the cheerful atmosphere and varied gameplay of Super Mario Odyssey.

Then I craved deeper narratives, so I dove into Lisa: The Painful and Disco Elysium. I had tried Disco Elysium before, but technical issues forced me to quit at the start, so I don’t consider this a revisit. Disco Elysium would definitely have been my “Game of the Year” if it weren’t for the updated Silent Hill 2. I’ve already shared my impressions in a review, but I’ll add this—at times, it felt as though the game was literally consuming you, and all you wanted was to break free from its clutches as quickly as possible.

After such an emotional rollercoaster, my soul longed for peace—and found refuge in the game about Snufkin: Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. Small, childishly sincere, and as beautiful as a summer day in the Moomin Valley.

Among all the “returns,” I had luck only with Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. I felt like revisiting the stories tied to Max Caulfield before diving into the new Life is Strange: Double Exposure. All three drew me in, though the latest installment felt like a student who too literally copies from the first part. The finale and second half didn’t deliver any lightning bolt of revelation either. But—it was cozy and pleasant, like meeting an old friend and realizing that, despite the years, neither of you has changed much.

Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition is another highlight. The original missed me back in the day, though it beckoned from the pages of gaming magazines. For now, I’m just at the beginning, but the “flight is normal.”

And finally. In respectable adult circles, people don’t usually talk about such things, but… This year, thanks to a young friend, Brawl Stars entered my life. Yes, that Brawl Stars, the game where kids spend their parents’ money on colorful skins and sprays.

Now I understand why it’s disliked (microtransactions in a children’s game, first and foremost). But there were moments when the game hooked me (“just one more match, and I’m done!”—repeat N times, where N approaches infinity and 3 AM). Mastering the tricks of a particular brawler, learning opponent patterns, and perfectly sniping from the bushes makes you feel like the Sun Tzu of mobile gaming—at least until some ten-year-old virtuoso knocks you out faster than you can blink.

I didn’t play for long, and I’m unlikely to become a devoted “Brawler”—there must be some limit to one’s gaming indulgence, after all.

 

Kyrylo Balalin, author at “Mezha”

If we are to believe my annual Steam report, the most popular games this year include Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, Civilization VI, Total War: Pharaoh, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, and Anno 1800. However, this is quite disheartening because they all share one common trait – they are built-in benchmarks. Moreover, about half of the 60 games used appeared in the list due to an article about power consumption in games… So, as such, I don’t have many “games of the year.” However, they were chosen thoughtfully due to a lack of time.

Chronologically, the first game is the city-building strategy Frostpunk, which I strategically chose for immersion in the actual -15°C weather outside, where a blazing fire in the house truly helped maintain warmth, not just create atmosphere. The game left a great impression, but I am still waiting to explore the sequel, Frostpunk 2, along with the Razer Freyja chair pad in addition to the Razer Kraken V4 Pro headset: this game is one of only five titles with native support for Razer Sensa HD Haptics feedback technology, rather than the general sound-to-tactile feedback conversion.

By playtime, the champion of this year is Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. Along with many others, including Oleg Danilov, who wrote a review of the original, I was initially captivated by Diablo IV’s campaign to the point of purchasing a Limited Collector’s Box – a merchandise edition without the actual game, and later felt disappointed by the empty endgame. However, as we learned from Diablo: Hellfire in childhood, “Diablo should come with an expansion.” Vessel of Hatred is clearly the first and not the last narrative expansion, leaving the confrontation with Mephisto consciously unfinished. More importantly, after a year of release, the developers finally found the right balance in the game and revitalized seasonal activities. Thus, in Season 6 (Season of Hatred Rising), playing as the new class Spiritborn, I managed to complete all seven chapters, including Destroyer, and found great enjoyment in doing so. I look forward to Season 7 in January.

After two costly disappointments this year, Skull & Bones and Test Drive: Solar Crown, which I prefer not to delve into further for censorship reasons, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle only raised the question of “how much for the Premium Edition?” Luckily, this risk paid off, and the game delivered an excellent story with a full sense of authenticity akin to the Indiana Jones movies, but from a first-person perspective.

With just 4 hours on Steam, the much-anticipated S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 currently holds the personal nomination of “Best game yet to have enough time for.” I also hope to start Mechwarrior 5: Clans.

Mykyta Kazymyrov, author at “Mezha”

One of the main discoveries for me this year has been the remake of Silent Hill 2. I was skeptical about it, although I have great respect and admiration for Bloober Team. In the end, the Polish team managed to reach a fundamentally new level for themselves and deliver one of the best video game stories to new players. However, I do understand that much of the game’s achievements lie in the grandeur of the original version. Still, not spoiling it is already a difficult and honorable task.

Towards the end of the year, I spent some time with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. It’s a unique and notably old-school game that I still very much want to explore. However, with patch 1.1, shaders completely stopped compiling (partially fixed with a hotfix, but not for all users – editor’s note), and the game won’t launch, so progress has been delayed until better times.

As a fan of fighting games, I spent a lot of time playing them. Mortal Kombat 1 continues to be the most popular game among my friends, but we fully understand its major balance issues and strange approach to updates. Additionally, the big expansion Mortal Kombat 1 Khaos Reigns was rather disappointing. On the other hand, towards the end of the year, I discovered Tekken 8, which has definitely earned its title as fighting game of the year. Yes, it’s quite challenging to understand, but the emotions during gameplay are worth it. Guilty Gear Strive lives in my heart and playlist constantly. Even if you’re not into fighting games, at least give the game’s music a listen.

Lastly, I finally played through The Last of Us Part I. I’m referring to the remake, as the original and remaster have been completed a long time ago. An incredibly beautiful game where this time I especially appreciated and noticed the work of level designers and level artists. Also, it was this game that awakened in me a talent for virtual photography.

Usually, indie games evoke the strongest emotions in me, but this year felt a bit modest. It’s not about the games themselves, as they are still beautifully crafted, but more about subjective perception. For instance, Animal Well is a masterpiece of game design. The Mortuary Assistant was a rare horror that genuinely scared me the entire time. I also finally appreciated Oxenfree, which I had been eyeing for a while. It’s a great, mysterious game, though it loses some steam towards the end. Additionally, it features one of the best implementations of New Game Plus among all video games. Play it – it’s free for Netflix subscribers.

An unexpected discovery was Tales of Arise. On one hand, it’s a naïve, like many other anime stories, about invaders and rebels. On the other hand, it delves into truly deep discussions about burial traditions and the relationship with food in a state suffering from terrible occupation. The ending is absolutely idiotic, but I have no regrets about playing through it.

However, my actual game of the year is undoubtedly Super Mario Party Jamboree. It’s the perfect, almost endless entertainment that will definitely provide a lot of adrenaline in the coming year.

Additionally, I finished the year replaying Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, but through streams and without leveling up. This is known as a Soul Level 1 Challenge Run. It significantly frays your nerves, but at the same time offers a fresh and more interesting perspective on the game. I absolutely love Dark Souls II, so even such a wild playthrough is something I won’t forget.

 

Dmytro Kuriatnyk, author at “Mezha”

The year 2024 turned out to be less gaming-focused for me. Most of the major releases were purchased, played a few times, and then postponed “for later,” making it a tough task to summarize.

The easiest part is the game of the year – for me, it’s clearly Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Epic, stunningly beautiful, and filled with drama, the adventure consumed 194 hours of my time, and I barely noticed how quickly they flew by.

It took 8 more hours to complete Horizon Forbidden West with the Burning Shores DLC, a game I never got around to reviewing in 2022 due to the onset of the full-scale invasion. Despite being the most visually stunning game I’ve ever seen, the DLC was completed in intervals and with some difficulty, and I even skipped some optional challenges altogether.

The third game completed on PlayStation 5 was Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The playthrough was delayed by over a year—first due to technical issues, and then I simply forgot about it. The game wasn’t a masterpiece, but still fairly interesting if you can tolerate its drawn-out open-world-like areas. Here’s hoping for a third installment in the series.

Literally just before summing up the year, I finally unwrapped the disc of Final Fantasy XVI and regretted not doing so earlier. The game feels somewhat more mature than other entries in the series, and the linearity of levels (at least in the first ten hours) seems like a plus after a slew of open-world projects. We’ll see how it develops further.

On Xbox Series X, I only seriously played Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, XDefiant, and Persona 3 Reload. While Call of Duty remains a “stably normal” shooter that’s decent for passing time, XDefiant, which was recently shut down, feels like a missed opportunity. Despite a ton of issues ranging from balance problems to terrible networking, the game maps were fantastic—something I can’t say about Black Ops 6.

Without Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Persona 3 Reload would have had a strong shot at becoming my game of the year. However, let’s leave that discussion for after the holidays with Metaphor: ReFantazio.

On PC, the situation seems better at first glance—Steam reports 41 played games, but in reality, 31 of those are tests on Steam Deck for both new and older releases. I specifically chose PC to play S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Silent Hill 2, but for various reasons, I’ve postponed these games until next year. With Valve’s portable console, I spent much more time than usual, mainly on Menace from the Deep and Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

 

Dmytro Dzhuhalyk, a news editor at “Mezha”

The year 2024 has been somewhat dry for me in terms of games. I couldn’t finish Elden Ring, although I played over 40 hours, and tried many new projects, but nothing truly captivated me. This was until November, when GSC Game World finally released the highly anticipated S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.

Despite not being familiar with the series before, I quickly devoured the game in just two weeks. Spending over 70 hours in the Zone, I was enchanted by this world. Almost every day, I spent a few hours in the game, exploring every nook and cranny, every building, searching for new secrets, quests, and artifacts. Even after finishing the game, I still have plenty left for my next playthrough.

Considering that the game is preparing at least two expansions, and GSC Game World actively releases patches, which in some cases are as large as the game itself, the upcoming playthroughs will be even better. Fortunately, I rarely encountered any critical bugs.

Another game that managed to pull me in and break the dry gaming year was Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. I hadn’t played Call of Duty in about ten years, but the advertising campaign did its job. The enjoyable shooting combined with a great omni-movement system gave me many hours of fun in multiplayer.

 

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – 4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – 3
Silent Hill 2 – 3
Dragon Age: The Veilguard – 2
Life is Strange: Double Exposure – 2
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – 2

 

As you can see, the tastes, preferences, and gaming platforms of the authors and editors of “Mezha” are quite diverse, which is truly great. And what games did you play in 2024, dear readers, and how many times have you already completed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? Share your games of the year in the comments!