Naughty Dog's Favorite Games of 2024

Matthew Gallant, Game Director

1000xResist is the most striking narrative game I played this year. It uses a unique sci-fi setting (featuring giant alien visitors and a repressive underground clone society) to tell a heartfelt family story of generational inheritance and diaspora. It also reflects on feelings of isolation and alienation we all experienced through the global pandemic. The developers at Sunset Visitor have a background in theatre and visual arts, a fact that comes through in their bold art direction, beautiful music, and superb dialogue.

Anthology of the Killer, Thecatamites

Josh Reyes, Tester/Development Support

I love narrative games and atmospheric games, especially when they’re character-driven and experimental in nature. Imagine my delight upon playing the surreal comedy horror game Anthology of the Killer! With a charming low-fi art style that looks like it was created in an old ‘90s paint program, and a dialogue style that is strange and witty but also grounded and human, it feels like discovering a hidden gem in the form of a zine found in a cardboard box in the back of an old record store. I know a game is special when I don’t want to leave behind the world or the characters and I continue to think about them long after I’m done playing.

Astro Bot, Team Asobi

Matteo Potenza, System Administrator

This one is easy. Astro Bot is such a relentlessly joyful and fun game that was the first PlayStation game our ten-year-old son really engaged with. It reminds me of some of the quirkier, more colorful and playful entries I grew up on in the PS1 days. It's an immaculate platformer that lit up our living room for weeks on end. Even when I wasn't playing, I would often stop to marvel at what was on screen, and of course enjoyed the music pumping through my house. Admittedly, our son played it much more than I, but that passing of the torch itself was emotionally resonant. It brought me such joy to see him playing Astro Bot the way I played games when I was his age in the ‘90s! I can't help but applaud Team Asobi for this tremendous achievement, which not only shines on its own but also serves as such a celebration of 30 years of PlayStation and it's rich and vibrant history!

Balatro, LocalThunk

Derrick Pemberton, Game Designer

Send help! Since Balatro was released in late February, Jimbo the Joker has had me held captive. This is not entirely a complaint, however, since Balatro is easily my favorite game this year. Deceptively simple on the surface, Balatro contains countless strategies and discoveries. Every run of this poker-inspired, deck-building roguelike reveals new jokers, booster packs, card upgrades, and combinations of all the above.

In my mind, the essence of Balatro lies in this moment: I have one final hand of a brutal boss blind. I could succeed, but I’m not quite confident. I play the hand. Suddenly, time slows as I’m hypnotized by dancing cards and tranquil music in the dreamy void of uncertainty. Will I hit it big? The chips and multipliers tick up and up while the flames around their values glow bigger and brighter. “So close, but not this time,” laughs Jimbo. “Well…just one more run couldn’t hurt. “

Core Keeper, Pugstorm

Victoria Law, Technical Artist

Core Keeper is my favorite game for 2024. Gameplay focuses on exploring through procedurally generated worlds and various combat styles via skill trees and equipment types. The multiplayer aspect is enjoyable and creates a great opportunity for sharing fun gaming moments with friends. The customization is also very in-depth for a game of its size, and between the visual cosmetics, sandbox building, and character classing, the player gets a huge sense of agency over their playthrough experience. With all these core elements—along with steady updates from the dev team—I welcome many more future playthroughs.

Crypt Custodian, Kyle Thompson

Brian Sanders, Digital Asset and Accounts Specialist

A cozy yet challenging Metroidvania where you play as a cat forced to be the afterlife's janitor - that premise, combined with charming art and music, adds up to a very enjoyable experience. The cute charm of Crypt Custodian offers a well-polished challenge with traversal puzzles and unique bosses. The game balances difficulty without feeling punishing (besides the whole janitor forever thing). Meanwhile, the map is massive, with a wide variety of biomes. That are worth revisiting as you improve your skills and traversal. It was a joy seeing the afterlife grow around me as I made more friends, and uncovering memories and lore rounded out the experience nicely. The creators put such care into the player experience and included some lovely accessibility features and speed runner mode, allowing players to curate their game experience (I used increased puzzle timer assistance). I would highly recommend Crypt Custodian to anyone wanting to spend time sweeping up.

Dragon Age: Veilguard, BioWare

Mariah Clawson-Simons, Producer

I've been waiting TEN YEARS to get my revenge on the Dread Wolf and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Dragon Age has always been a franchise I've admired for its bravery and elven-god-tier level of storytelling that has inspired me in ways no other games have. BioWare really knows how to make us feel like heroes and I'm so happy to put this one on my shelf this year!! <3

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Square Enix

Jared Miller, Programmer

A beautiful game, an incredible soundtrack, and 15+ minigames in a package that managed not only to replicate but to elevate a game that seemed impossible to do justice to in the modern era. The developers were not satisfied with doing “just enough,” and met every challenge with a scope and scale that I never expected the remakes to hit.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames

Scott Mattes, Tester/Development Support

MachineGames releases might be few and far between, but they never disappoint. From the diegetic main menu screen to the shot-for-shot Raiders of the Lost Ark intro, to awarding adventure points for photographing stray cats…This game is full of surprises, and I haven’t been able to put it down since it released.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Simogo

Thomas Barrett, Senior Dialogue Coordinator

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes One of my favorite puzzle games I've ever played! An absolute ideal game for late-night, moody puzzle vibes. Everything about this game from the art direction, puzzle design, to the soundscape is just wonderfully executed. I've never quite interacted with a game like this before. I would take time to explore the game world and when I came across a puzzle, I would set my controller down and start scrawling out notes, which to an outside observer made it look like I was losing it. I absolutely love this game, it's my new Outer Wilds (aka it's the game I won't stop recommending to people).

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft

Yang Liu, Cinematic Lighting Artist

The newest Prince of Persia strikes a beautiful balance between stylish, anime-inspired combat and beautifully crafted vertical levels. And one of my favorite under sung elements of it is how stunning the lighting and visuals are. The clever use of negative space gives the world an incredible sense of depth, expanding the visuals beyond the gameplay without ever feeling distracting. I love the adjustable difficulty settings; it’s great to tweak things when a boss fight feels overwhelming, but the tricky level design keeps the game rewarding. There’s a real joy in failing a tough jump over and over, knowing the designers probably had fun imagining my struggle. It brought back so many childhood memories of playing classic platformers and loving every moment. This game is a wonderful mix of nostalgia and fresh ideas, making it one of my favorite gaming experiences this year.

Satisfactory, Coffee Stain Studios

Rica Feng, UI Technical Designer

My favorite game released this year is Satisfactory! I found the core loop of researching, building, automating, and delivering items to be incredibly engaging. What most impressed me, however, was how committed Satisfactory is to immersing the player in its world. Nearly every mechanic and feature in this game is contextualized within the setting. Instead of tutorials being given through non-diegetic notifications, tutorials and the occasional "encouragement" are spoken to you by a sarcastic AI companion. Researching new technologies is presented in a much more interesting way that involves finding hard drives and alien artifacts. Instead of playing as a non-descript avatar, you are instead a FICSIT employee supposedly given an extremely important mission that could impact humanity at large (or so you've been told). I also really like the UI, which is both functional and easy to use. There's a lot of little aesthetic things to appreciate, like the switches you pull or flip for certain actions, or the locked panels on some buildings that unlock when you research the right technology. Since Satisfactory also offers multiplayer, different world starts, alternate recipes, and seasonal events, playing the game again offers just as much excitement as when I first started. About 250 hours ago to be exact.

Until Then, Polychroma Games

J Dietrich, Accessibility QA Tester/Development Support

A beautiful story about the different types of grief, and how it affects us and those around us, set in a fictional version of the Philippines. Until Then offers stunning visuals, with well- executed pixel art that pulls you in and doesn't let you go. The story hits right where it's supposed to in your mind and heart and had me crying on many occasions. A slow build up in the lives of people that are inextricably tied to one another through tragedy and hope.