Polygon’s Best of 2024

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2024 has been… a year. But at the end of the day, there was plenty to sink our teeth into.

We were delighted by the platforming possibilities in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Astro Bot, and the rich storytelling of RPGs like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. We loved the co-op fun of Helldivers 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and unlocking the beguiling worlds of Animal Well and The Rise of the Golden Idol. And we really, really loved the breakaway success of Balatro and the infinite appeal of just one more run. And that just scratches the surface: 2024 has been full of games that thrilled, inspired, and captivated us to no end.

Movies like Challengers, Dune: Part Two, Hundreds of Beavers, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga delighted us at the theaters, and it was a particularly strong year for genre movies: horror, action, and science fiction all had standout years. Meanwhile, Shōgun set a new bar for television storytelling that others are still scrambling to match.

There were once again many video game adaptations this year, with varying degrees of success. The second and final season of Arcane wowed us, Prime’s Fallout show surprised us, and the Borderlands movie also came out.

Some of the biggest anime series in the world had thrilling new seasons, and there were plenty of excellent new shows that quickly grew their own dedicated fan bases. And the great books and tabletop games that came out this year will keep you occupied well into 2025.

Here’s our look at the best of the best 2024 had to offer in games and entertainment. We’ll continue to add stories to this package through Dec. 20, so keep your eyes on this space.