The Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, and Tekken franchises all came back strong, but the games that defined the year were just as likely to come from outside the mainstream. These 20 titles won't let you down.

Role-playing games offer some of the best values and experiences this year but the top video games have a bit of nostalgia.

In a lot of ways, 2024 was a worse year for the video game industry than 2023. And that’s really depressing to think about considering how bad 2023 was for game developers and the media covering the industry. Still, even a shitty year can have nice moments and wonderful surprises.

Like movies and TV shows, video games have a vast cultural impact. But unlike those other forms of media, games offer an entirely different, immersive experience that lets players become characters in new worlds—and a new study by gaming website GTA Boom revealed which of those characters have captured the internet’s hearts.

The Meeple Mountain team looks back on another great year of gaming. What games were our favorite in 2024? Read on to find out!