PlayStation and Xbox players had plenty to celebrate this year, with a high quality smorgasbord of console-exclusive releases, and a raft of other brilliant multi-platform games. These titles took us across bright plains and brilliant oceans, to the far reaches of space, as well as fantasy worlds torn apart by magical machinations.
We got solid new stories, sequels, sidequels, DLC-quels, and adaptations this year, each boasting rich and eye-catching worlds to explore. In a year of hardship for the industry, these brilliant games showed off how talented, imaginative, and perseverant global game developers really are. (Equally, these games showed why they deserve far more respect, stability, and appreciation in the years ahead.)
Here’s all the best PlayStation and Xbox games of 2024, as voted by the GamesHub team. Each of them represents the pure talent backing the games industry, and the reasons why we love to game.
Note: We’ve avoided overlap with games of the PC GOTY 2024 list. Many of the games on that list should be considered part of this list, and vice versa – but variety is the spice of life, and we had far too many games to shout out this year.
Table of Contents
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
This franchise holds an incredibly special place in my heart, so it’s safe to say that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle had a lot to live up to. I was apprehensive going in, but my fears were allayed – it captures the essence of Indiana Jones in a genuinely enjoyable, rollicking ride, and it feels so satisfying to trudge through sand, jungle and rooftops in Indy’s well-worn shoes.
Read: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review – As Indy as it comes
The feel and energy of this game is exactly the right balance of light and shade, legacy and freshness. I can’t wait to make my Dad (a retired history professor and Indiana Jones tragic) sit down and play it with me over the break. He’s going to lose his mind. – Steph Panecasio
Astro Bot
Astro Bot is just absolutely delightful, any way you look at it. From the game’s cutesy PlayStation aesthetic, to its gameplay mechanics, it embodies pure joy – and this is repeated tenfold with every new level, and every new world. In all the best ways, Astro Bot is a throwback to a purer time in gaming, when the video game mascot was king. There’s a reason there’s such nostalgia for this era – folks will always crave its simplicity, beauty, and care-free fun.
Read: Astro Bot review – Pure bottled joy for these dark times
Astro Bot leans into this sense of play heavily, borrowing from the best of the classic platformer genre for something that is nostalgic yet innovative. It shines incredibly brightly, immediately captures your attention, and transports you into a bouncy, light-hearted world of brilliance. – Leah J. Williams
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth tells a grand and ambitious story that weaves threads from the original Final Fantasy 7 into new shapes, enhancing as it goes. There’s new friends to find in your quest, more story pieces to put together, and everywhere you look, beautiful vistas of hidden secrets. In its looser approach to telling the FF7 story, Square Enix imbued this game with a dreamlike quality. It asks so many questions with few answers, trailing intrigue in its wake.
Read: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – Review
As a middle chapter, it does bear the weight of a slower pace, and a need to assemble chess pieces for a devastating finale, but it does so with aplomb. On the strength of its narrative, its well-realised characters, and its sheer beauty, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a phenomenal adventure. – Leah J. Williams
Still Wakes The Deep
Despite the atmosphere of this game scaring the absolute pants off of me, I can’t stress how impressive Still Wakes The Deep is. From masterful audio design to a premise that feels equal parts fresh and familiar, the game really took me by surprise.
Read: Still Wakes The Deep review – What truly lurks beneath?
With eldritch and cosmic horror underscoring a truly unsettling experience, Still Wakes The Deep tells a well-rounded story that lingers long after the game ends. For fellow thalassophobic gamers, it’s a hell of a way to do exposure therapy – but it’s also a wild ride that will challenge your preconceived notions. Wear headphones, trust me. – Steph Panecasio
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
After a decade of waiting, Dragon Age: The Veilguard had an incredibly steep curve of hopes and expectations to meet. While sentiment has been mixed, as a diehard fan of the series, I thoroughly enjoyed being thrown back into the world of Thedas.
Read: Dragon Age: The Veilguard review – Worth the decade of longing
My Lucanis-romancing, shortsword-whirling, wise-cracking Rook provided some much-needed entertainment at a very stressful time of the year, and for that, it will have a safe place in my heart (even if some of the game’s events utterly broke it). I’m fine, but Bioware I just wanna talk. – Steph Panecasio
Star Wars Outlaws
Hot droid? Check. Adorable companion who plays dead like a year seven drama kid, fresh from recess? Check. Packed with freaks and funny interactions? Check. I knew I was most likely going to enjoy Star Wars Outlaws, based on this criteria alone, but it still surprised me.
Read: Star Wars Outlaws review: Lots of fun no matter how you slice it
I had a great deal of fun roaming around the universe as Kay Vess, negotiating with crime lords of warring needs, and taking everyone’s credits in cheeky Sabacc games. It’s not perfect, by any means, but neither are the scoundrels that the story relies upon. – Steph Panecasio
Helldivers 2
In a sea of pretenders to the live service game throne, Helldivers 2 arrived with a killer concept and meaty, camaraderie-infused combat that drove it to incredible heights in 2024. It built a tangible sense of community in its many battles, and managed to overcome the odds, to arrive near-fully-formed as a genuinely gripping, well-rewarding multiplayer game that prioritises team work and perseverance.
Read: Helldivers 2 Review – Glory to Super Earth
Since launch, the excitement around Helldivers 2 has slipped into second gear, but it maintains a dedicated fanbase for everything it got right from the jump: a strong array of missions, unobtrusive microtransactions, and faith in its audience. Near single-handedly, it also made clear that some of the best fun you can have while gaming is saving the world with your friends by your side. – Leah J. Williams
Metaphor: ReFantazio
In a year already packed with amazing RPG games, Metaphor: ReFantazio really was the “surprise encounter” of the year. Many have compared Metaphor directly to Persona (guilty), but the game truly does so many exciting and innovative things, enough that it’s managed to evolve an already-beloved series of games into something more.
Read: Metaphor: ReFantazio review – Quirky in a fresh way
The combat is familiar but compelling, the characters are touching and hilarious, and the story is honestly a bit too close to home, in the best possible way. In the same way Persona 5 broke the “mainstream” barrier for that series in 2016, Metaphor: ReFantazio feels like a great showcase for the JRPG genre as a whole. – Daniel Smith
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
While it can be divisive to include DLC in a Game of the Year list, I think it’s reasonable to say Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is comprehensive and engaging enough to merit the inclusion. It’s a magnificent piece of art, and does exactly what a great DLC should: it accents the main game, without feeling out of balance with the original’s level of flash, flair, and creativity.
Read: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review – Raising an impossible bar
Shadow of the Erdtree is also just genuinely really enjoyable, especially if you love a challenge. From the character and enemy design, through to the degree of difficulty, it feels fine-tuned in exactly the right way. – Steph Panecasio
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
For a franchise that largely focusses on a fictional yakuza organisation, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a surprisingly hopeful, sweet, and endearing adventure. Protagonist Ichiban Kasuga is a very good boy who always tries his best – and he expertly guides a story of preserving through hardship, soldiering on through wild twists, and uncanny turns.
Read: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review – An abundance of riches
At its heart, Infinite Wealth is a story about what it means to be human, and what it means to care for others. Sure, it’s wacky in many of its parts, but that’s what makes it so relatable. The cherry on the cake for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is that it includes a very robust island management sim that’s a lot like Animal Crossing, and equally as moreish. – Leah J. Williams
