Windows Central Game Awards 2024 — Showcasing the best Xbox and PC games of the year

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
Best Xbox Game of 2024

Blending relentlessly authentic Warhammer 40K spectacles with a satisfyingly hyperviolent buffet of third-person action, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 proves that old school formulas still belong in 2024.

Coupled with a meaty single player / co-op campaign and an impressive and varied multiplayer mode, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 raised the bar for WH40K games just as its predecessor did all the way back in 2011. Violent, unapologetic, cathartic, and brutally beautiful, WH40K is a dream for fans who long for classic gameplay with a modern twist.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Best PC Game of 2024

Although it had a bumpy launch, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl endured one of the most difficult development cycles in recent history, owing to Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. Overcoming insurmountable odds, STALKER 2 ascends with one of the most atmospheric and immersive shooters the industry has ever seen.

Take to The Zone beset by radioactive anomalies and otherworldly mutants on a revenge tour that will suck you in and refuse to let you go. A few weeks shy of launch, the game has received mountains of updates, making it more ready than ever for your incursion.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Balatro
Best Indie Game of 2024

Balatro, the roguelike deck builder developed by the mysterious Local Thunk, has sold over 3.5 million copies this year. This milestone came after the game hit the mainstream again by being nominated at 'the Keighley's' sparking mystified responses like "What? Never heard of it?"

Regardless, even more players found themselves addicted to its unique gameplay, which features a Joker who relentlessly heckles you and highlights how bad you are at the game. But you love it. As if it didn't already wreck our productivity enough in the Spring, the game recently dropped a completely free update that ties it into the Cyberpunk 2077 universe. The impact, or what I like to call the "Balatrification" of gaming, has undeniably been felt by the Windows Central team.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Monster Hunter Wilds
Most Anticipated Game

Monster Hunter Wilds is our most anticipated game of 2025 because it plans to build upon everything that made Monster Hunter World awesome and make them ten times better.

The roster of new monsters look menacingly awesome, the gameplay changes and new mechanics to the classic 14 weapon types look insanely fun to play with, and the new biomes look so much more immersive with tons of secrets to uncover than in previous games. Coming in with full cross-play co-op, Monster Hunter Wilds is a sure fire candidate for GOTY 2025.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS (PC)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Best Expansion / DLC of 2024

You knew this was coming. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree was so powerful this year that it caused Geoff Keighley to change The Game Awards actual rules.

Shadow of the Erdtree is one of the greatest expansions ever made, without a shadow of a doubt (get it?). Answering some of the game's biggest mysteries while giving us a heap of new ones. Gorgeous vistas, spectacular boss battles, stunning dungeons, and that signature brutality return in epic fashion.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Fallout 76
Best Ongoing Game of 2024

It's time to give Fallout 76 its radioactive flowers. Maligned from the outset, Fallout 76 joins the likes of No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 as games that launched to broad strokes disappointment only to turn it around through years of painstaking hard work.

Buoyed by the blockbuster TV show, Fallout 76 this year gained a mountain of new events, bosses, items, story beats, locations, and more, including the first map expansion in the game's history. There's never been a better time to try '76, and soon, you can be a ghoul!

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Metaphor: ReFantazio
Best Story Direction of 2024

ReFantazio takes best story direction weaving a tale that felt traditional yet also refined. Complimented with a cast of likeable heroes and villains we love to hate, wrapped in a fantasy world that paid homage to the classics while doing something new.

Metaphor: ReFantazio defies expectations in a genre where you'd imagine almost everything had been tried and tested, moving in ways none of us expected it go. The game confidently stays true to these twists, which it one of 2024's most memorable outings.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Best Game Pass Addition of 2024

Game Pass remains the best deal in gaming, with titles like Indiana Jones, STALKER 2, and even StarCraft 2 hitting the service. However, there was one addition that rose well above all of them.

Call of Duty is a franchise that has arguably seen stagnation through some of its recent iterations, but Black Ops 6 proved that there's still juice in the tank for one of gaming's most prolific annual rituals. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 delivered one of the best story modes in recent series' memory, atop generous multiplayer and zombie horde modes to boot.

While the game does have its issues (particularly with hackers right now), it marked a new era for Game Pass subscribers, saving them the typical $70 asking price Call of Duty asks us to drop every fall.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
Best Art and Visuals of 2024

From the moment you first see the jagged beaches of Iceland, it’s clear that Ninja Theory is pushing visual fidelity and image quality to new heights.

Whether you’re watching firelight dance in brutal battle scenes or observing a calm, lush forest, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is one of the best-looking games ever crafted.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Hellblade 2
Best Sound and Music

The original Hellblade already sounded great, but Ninja Theory’s sequel takes an impressive leap, providing audio design so spectacular you truly feel like the Furies are truly talking to you.

Hellblade 2's soundtrack, aided by the inclusion of neofolk band Heilung, delivers all the fury and rage that facing down Vikings deserves.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader
Editor's Choice Award

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader has been unfairly overlooked in many awards accolades because it came out incredibly late last year in 2023. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an absolute gem of an CRPG that lets players explore the Warhammer 40,000 universe in ways never seen before in videogame form.

It's got a great engaging story that can go in multiple directions based on your choices, its got a cast of intriguing characters that are entertaining (and disturbing) to interact with, the combat and exploration was addictive, and its great introduction to newcomers of the WH40K franchise as it can teach players about the franchises decades-long lore in informative yet interactable fashion. Strong expansions throughout 2024 make Rogue Trader a worthy winner.

See at: Xbox | CDKEYS

Poncle (Vampire Survivors)
Game Dev Excellence Award 2024

This year, we're honoring the fine folks at the rapidly expanding Poncle, led by Luca Galante, creator of Vampire Survivors. Launched originally in 2022, Vampire Survivors morphed from a solo project into an addictive juggernaut, spreading its wings from PC and Xbox to other consoles and mobile devices too.

Poncle has been working relentlessly since the game launched, expanding the team and adding mountains of both free and modestly-priced DLC to expand the game. Vampire Survivors is one of the best examples of indie success of recent times, and Poncle's firehose of quality and consistency earns it our coveted (not actually coveted) Game Dev Excellence Award of 2024.

See at: Xbox