Checkpoint Gaming's Game of the Year 2024 - Our top 10 games

2024 was an almost exhaustingly good year for video game releases. So many big and incredible games set the world alight this year. Right from the get-go, we were bombarded by Game of the Year-worthy titles and at no point did things slow down. As such, it was a big challenge to narrow down a selection to just 10 games. However, with the entire Checkpoint Gaming team nominating their faves and voting, we ended up landing on a great list of praise-worthy releases. So let’s get stuck in!

You can even listen to the top 10 countdown via the plugin below!

#10 – Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

It was very exciting to see a new 2D Prince of Persia game released this year, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown certainly did not disappoint. It’s an outstandingly crafted Metroidvania with punchy combat and some really really interesting game mechanics in the form of Time Powers that completely change the way you play the game once they’ve been unlocked. It managed to keep itself fresh the whole way through with new abilities and environments that only became more and more stunning as the game went on.

Pretty much every background vista in the game is like a painting and my absolute favourite area of the game is a ship battle completely frozen in time that you have to platform and fight your way across, jumping from destroyed ship to destroyed ship. It’s an utterly brilliant setpiece and so perfectly ties back into the game’s central theme of time. There’s so much to love in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown in both it’s gameplay and visuals, it’s well worth giving it a shot.

– Bree

#9 – Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

The first part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake project had big shoes to fill due to how beloved that original game was. It did that and then some, changing canon history and events so that the remakes are no longer one-to-one in their story beats. Following it up with this year’s excellent Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, there are so many directions that it could have gone in. How does it introduce more beloved Final Fantasy VII characters? What on earth is the Golden Saucer going to look like in HD? How are they going to handle that scene? Turns out, Square Enix nailed it, creating this excellent feeling of dread towards characters fates and the events to follow. It explores the idea of fate, by, well, fighting it with its narrative. Once again, Final Fantasy VII is changing history.

Of course, the game isn’t all just that, it’s also a luscious open Final Fantasy world with plenty of beloved iconography to see and many activities to do. Chocobo racing, Moogle herding, going on a Ferris wheel date with one of your favourites and seeing if sparks fly… there’s so much wonder and beauty and anime goodness to find within. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the greatest digital card game to now ever exist within a game thanks to Rebirth in Queen’s Blood. Superb bloody game.

– Charlie

#8 – Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

It felt out of left field when the punchy kicky Like a Dragon series (formally known as Yakuza in the West) pivoted to being a turn-based RPG. It was not only a successful transition but resulted in one of the best RPGs of 2020. It’s less of a surprise that the sequel, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is a grander, more fulfilling experience in pretty much every way,

Other than the countless improvements made from the previous game (you can move around in battle now, one of the best NPCs is now a bonafide party member) Infinite Wealth shows that this 18-year-old franchise isn’t out of ideas yet. Ichiban Kasuga’s quest to find his long-lost mother in Honolulu nails the emotional melodrama we’ve come to expect from RGG Studio, as do the game’s tone-destroying comedic sidequests and minigames (including a game-spanning Animal Crossing parody) and thrilling combat. The game serves double duty as a kickass farewell to original protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. The Like a Dragon series is the strongest it’s ever been, and we should celebrate Infinite Wealth while we can because we’re getting a sequel/spin-off early next year.

– Pedro

#7 – Neva

Not to be mistaken as a simple adventure about a girl and her wolf pup companion, Neva is a heartfelt, stunning adventure that takes you on a journey through the seasons of a decaying world, navigating treacherous platforming, clever combat and some delightful puzzling. Watching your canine companion grow with each season, accessing new abilities but more importantly, growing a deeper bond with you, is simply riveting, as you work together to fight off dark forces.

On top of it all, Neva manages to be even more jaw-droppingly gorgeous than Nomada Studio’s previous title, GRIS. It might just be one of the most beautiful games we’ve ever seen, with visual details in the foreground and background fully accentuating the watercolour vibes and dark creatures lurking within. It all culminates in a satisfying, unexpected ending which elevates this stunning adventure into something truly memorable. In a year jam-packed with amazing indie titles, Neva stands tall, an emotional tale with a visual and aural gut-punch that’s impossible to ignore.

– Luke

#6 – Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

It’s difficult to convey what exactly makes Lorelei and the Laser Eyes such a compelling experience without spoiling its layered, inscrutable narrative. An incredibly stylish and fiendishly difficult mystery game, this title utterly captivated me with its cinematic design, chillingly intriguing story, and unforgiving (yet satisfying) gauntlet of puzzles. From its earliest moments piecing together mathematical ciphers and movie posters, through to its incredibly complex web of mazes and secrets, I was enraptured. It’s rare that a modern game will challenge you to take physical notes with a pen and paper – rarer still is Lorelei’s complete confidence in its players, giving no extra hints and leading to it being dubbed “the Dark Souls of puzzle games”.

Combining an almost survival horror-like atmosphere with a stunningly romantic film noir story, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a beautifully unique beast and more than worthy of a place in Checkpoint’s top games of 2024. Malmö-based Simogo absolutely hit it out of the park with this one, another triumph for the developer after stealing our (Sayonara Wild) Hearts back in 2019. If you haven’t yet, finish reading this article and go play this incredible game.

– David

#5 – Animal Well

Animal Well is a deep, dark fever dream of mystery and discovery that I couldn’t stop thinking about. Every time I uncovered a secret or solved a puzzle, it felt like cracking the code to a whole new world. The eerie, minimalistic sound design and those bursts of neon lighting? Chef’s kiss.

The way this game blends retro charm with modern, haunting vibes is pure magic. I loved that it didn’t hold my hand—figuring out how to use a random flute or firecracker by trial and error made every “aha!” moment even sweeter. ANIMAL WELL is the kind of experience that lingers, and I’m still glowing (in a spooky, ghostly kind of way) from my time in its weird, wonderful depths.

– Omi

#4 – Dragon Age: The Veilguard

After more than ten years in the oven and many veteran devs departing from Bioware, Dargon Age didn’t know what to expect of the much-anticipated Dragon Age 4. In the leadup to its release, social media and forums alike were alight with speculation: could the game live up to the lofty expectations we’ve built up? I, for one, was doubtful.

But Dragon Age: The Veilguard surprised me in the best possible way. Despite so much turbulence during the development process, what has emerged is one of the most cinematic epics of this year. It’s a terrific final chapter to all the Dragon Ages before it, even explaining a few of the series’ mysteries along the way, and culminating in a grand finale that actually takes your choices into account. If that wasn’t enough, The Veilguard sets a new bar for queer representation as the first AAA RPG that allows players to create an explicitly transgender character and have it be actually reflected in the character’s appearance, words and actions. That’s why it earned a perfect score from us, and that’s why it’s amongst our top 10 games of 2024.

– Edie

#3 – Astro Bot

I don’t think I have ever smiled as much while playing a game as I did during my time with Astro Bot. From the moment you hit the title screen, this game uses every tool at its disposal to surprise and delight you at every turn. It’s got heart pouring out of every corner, and while its reverence for the PlayStation can feel a bit over-the-top at times, it also feels so genuine that you can’t help but buy into it. It’s a love letter to a time when video game hardware had much more personality, and that personality was almost as important as the games it could run.

Not only is the core platforming incredibly fun, but the levels themselves are inspired, and the power-ups are exciting every time – even if some of the more inventive ones feel a bit under-utilised (I would play an entire game of the Downsize Surprise mechanic). Every single aspect of its design knocks it out of the park, but the sound design is truly to die for – what they are able to accomplish with the DualSense controller feels like magic. I must have spent hours just messing around with the physics objects, because it never stopped being fun. The only thing I would change about this entire experience is to add more of it.

– Doug

#2 – Metaphor ReFantazio

Metaphor ReFantazio is the culmination of Atlus’ years of iteration on its winning Persona formula, distilling the best qualities of those games, such as a charming and varied cast of characters, gorgeously animated menus and compellingly addictive time management gameplay loop, while crafting a stunningly unique fantasy world. By stripping out some of the Persona series’ more contentious mechanics, like no longer forcing a game over when your protagonist is downed in battle and improving the pacing by letting you take out weaker foes in the field, are just the cherry on top.

Metaphor ReFantazio may well be the best RPG Atlus has created, and its well-crafted and intricate political fantasy narrative and deep Archetype class system pulled me in and still hasn’t let me go. It is hard to recommend a game more for fans of lengthy, detailed RPGs and it absolutely has earned its spot on 2024’s Game of the Year list.

– Tom

#1 – Balatro

Releasing towards the front end of the year and getting a second life with its mobile release in September, Balatro is a staggering example of incredible design. What appears to be a seemingly simple poker game on the surface is actually an elaborately detailed roguelike with huge amounts of replayability. This solo-developed title is the ultimate craving, constantly beckoning you to play attempt after attempt.

It’s all quite brilliant really, starting with a basic concept that’s globally understood and then building upon that idea with layers of depth. It’s all so intuitive too, begging the question, “Why has nobody done this before?”. It’s hard to deny Balatro’s impact in this year of releases. A title that has stood out despite its humble origins and despite the size and scope of other games that were released around it. A shining example of quality and concept, Balatro has left a lasting impact and continues to be a shining example of design. It’s proven to be an addictive way to spend countless hours.

Where other titles bury themselves in complications or grandeur, Balatro simply stands out for its effortless concept and elegant implementation. No other title has managed to capture my attention quite like Balatro this year, leaving a lasting impact. The kind of game anybody can play, Balatro is undeniably a massive success story and for very good reason.

– Elliot