Nominees for Destructoid’s Best PC Game of 2024

The end of 2024 is approaching quickly, marking the time to vote on some of the best games to release throughout the year. Although it’s ultimately subjective, we’ve seen some great releases in the Triple-A and indie gaming space. 2023 was incredible, and 2024 tried its best to follow suit.

As tradition goes, any game launched from December 2023 to the beginning of December 2024 is a valid entry for this list. Trust me, I’m just as hyped as you are about games like Antonblast, Marvel Rivals or Infinity Nikki, but they’ll have to wait until next year.

If there’s a particular PC game you’re looking forward to seeing but don’t find it here, there’s a chance we have it on our other nomination lists. There have been some spectacular releases this year, particularly with indies, that we’re highlighting across the board rather than tossing them all into the ever-growing PC category.

With that all out of the way, here are the current nominees for Destructoid’s Best PC Game of 2024.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Starting this list is a well-known sequel that started off the first quarter of 2024 with a bang. For the most part, Dragon’s Dogma 2 follows the format of a standard open-world RPG where you, as the Arisen, and your companions fight to vanquish various foes and help folks around town. It brings back mechanics like the Pawn system, allowing you to pick, choose, and create your own companions that feel like secondary main characters without the extra pizzazz.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 effectively scratches the action-adventure itch that regularly pops up, especially for those already fond of the series, making it a strong contender for the top PC game of this year.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Continuing the theme of fantasy action-adventure RPGs involving dragons in some way is Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Dragon Age has been going on for over 15 years now, and it’s somehow staying strong with its fourth entry to the point where our own Steven Mills had plenty of great things to say about it in his Veilguard review even if the story had some notable drawbacks.

Metal Slug Tactics

Let’s turn away from dragons and fantasy stories for a little bit, shall we? Taking a completely different approach to strategy games and RPGs is Metal Slug Tactics, a classic with a turn-based twist that has you runnin’ and gunnin’. It has the same feel as past Metal Slug games for those familiar with the formula while still introducing enough changes to feel unique from the 20 or so that exist.

Satisfactory

Satisfactory might feel like an odd entry, considering it’s been in early access for a few years, but with the full game out this year, we figured it was worth shouting out here. Satisfactory has always been one of those games that makes you feel like you’re the smartest or dumbest person alive (or both, simultaneously) with its intricate machinery and near-limitless potential with how you set up your factory.

Whether you’ve clocked in a few hundred hours on one playthrough or keep restarting because you keep forgetting to leave enough space for additions, it’s no secret that Satisfactory is among some of the most exciting full releases to come out this year. The full release only made it better and proved that a few years in early access can do a lot for a game’s development.

Tiny Glade

Stepping away from combat and difficult factory-building entirely is the complete opposite feeling of comfort and coziness. Tiny Glade is all about relaxation as you build houses, castles, and even entire cityscapes, with more customization options than you can imagine. There’s no complicated storyline or wacky plot twists to stir up drama: you just build. Simple and dull for some; captivating and calming for others.

Tiny Glade is a perfect example of how to find relaxation and comfort in video games while taking time to forget about the stressful aspects of the medium. It reminds us that feeling calm and serene doesn’t necessarily mean boredom, and you don’t need high-octane thrills to enjoy an experience. Sometimes, we need to chill, and what better way to do it than to build some cute houses?

Metaphor: ReFantazio

ATLUS has done it again. If you’ve heard the name ATLUS, you’ll likely think of Shin Megami Tensei or Persona and either love or hate either series. While Metaphor: ReFantazio draws bits and pieces from both, we would do it a disservice to simply compare them. It manages to stand on its own as a formidable entry to this list, particularly with its familiar yet vastly different art, sound, and story directions. If SMT and Persona already had unusual premises, Metaphor cranks it up to 11 in almost every way without being excessive.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

It wouldn’t be a “2024 Best” list without mentioning Shadow of the Erdtree somewhere. It’s massive, exciting, and certainly challenging to get through, and that’s always been the beauty of Elden Ring. It’s almost overwhelming, but that’s all part of the thrill. It may be a DLC, but we even needed multiple folks to dive into it firsthand and experience it from different perspectives. Even then, there are still several onions worth of layers to it.

Although it’s easy to be thrown off by the difficulty scale in Shadow of the Erdtree, it still made some bold statements from its first announcement to its release, placing it firmly among the best of the best for 2024.