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Top 35 Must-Play Games of 2024: The Best Picks So Far

Top Picks and Must-Play Titles from the Year’s Hottest Releases

After a historic year of highly rated game releases, 2024 has some big boots to fill. Game of the Year contenders were plentiful in 2023, while dozens of quality games across a wide variety of genres were also released. So far, 2024 is off to a strong start as we’ve seen strong sequels and beloved classic games given the remake treatment. Barring any major delays, it looks like another year of genre-defining and must-play games are on the horizon as there are high expectations 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 track of the best of the best. For this list, a game has to earn a review score of at least 8 (which is pretty darn great!) or higher from GameSpot to make the cut. That’s not to say that games scoring lower (or that we didn’t manage to review) should be ignored, as there’s still plenty of fun to be had even if these titles didn’t meet this threshold. Expect this list to become loaded with excellent games as the year continues, and for a closer look at potential contenders, you can check out our features on the most anticipated games of 2024.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree — 10

GameSpot’s first game to earn a rare 10/10 score, in 2024 Shadow of the Erdtree is everything you love about Elden Ring and delivered with perfect execution. Completing the grand story of Elden Ring, the expansion injects new gameplay content, even tougher boss battles, and more awe-inspiring locations into an already superb game.

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