PC Gamer Hardware Awards: 2024's wild cards—the best of the rest

3 days ago 43

Wall mounted Govee x Evangelion lights are affixed to a surface covered in fake foliage. Figurines of characters Rei and Asuka wearing plugsuits from the anime series can be vaguely made out. This whole layer of the image has been blurred. Seen clearly over the top of the blurred portion of the image are the words 'PC Gamer. The Wildcard 2024.'

(Image credit: Future)

The best thing about a wildcard is you never know what to expect next. They may at first brush appear to be nothing special, only to reveal hidden depths. They'll keep you guessing: Will they draw a card and conjure a figure from mythology—then hit you with an instant kill attack in the fighting game spin-off?

Okay, so clearly I've been playing way too much Persona 4 Golden because it turns out 'wildcard' can mean different things (or so my colleagues tell me). Here, it means we've seen a whole lot of impressive hardware throughout 2024, with the weird and wonderful not always neatly fitting into any one of our headliner categories. Still, outside of the usual suspects such as best graphics card or best gaming monitor for instance, there's a heck of a lot that still ought to get its flowers.

Hence, the wildcard represents our 'best of the rest.' From specialised peripherals, to robust performers that put the 'hard' in 'hardware,' there's quite a mix below. Not only are the nominees as eclectic as you'd hope, but they all scored highly in our reviews too; unlike last year, all three of our 2024 nominees secured a review score of 90 or higher, so you know they're each worth at least another look.

Alright, my colleagues are emphatically gesturing towards the 'get on with it' sign. So, without further ado, here are our three nominees:

Best of the rest 2024: the nominees

And those are PC Gamer's wild card nominations, representing hardware's best of the rest from 2024. Though all three be deserving of the crown, only one can snatch it up. We'll announce the winner (presumably after a flailing, Fall Guys-esque smackdown) on New Year's Eve.

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Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending the last seven working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not writing about all things hardware here, she’s getting cosy with a horror classic, ranting about a cult hit to a captive audience, or tinkering with some tabletop nonsense.