The best new PC games 2024

Stay up to date with the best new PC games around this year so you don't miss out on the best experiences that gaming has to offer.

Best new games 2024: Palworld Chikipi looks down on the player.

What are the best new PC games in 2024? Perhaps you’ve just been paid, your bank account is filled with virtual dosh, or you simply want to get caught up with the latest PC games because they’re, well, new and shiny.

It’s all well and good starting another round of Warzone (other multiplayer games are available), taking on a new 100-hour Football Manager save, or embarking on yet another The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim adventure but, as much as we love setting mammoths ablaze, there are plenty of new PC games that deserve your attention. You don’t want to be the person who isn’t ‘in the know’ now, do you? Whatever you’re into, this list includes the best PC games from the last few months, including RPG games, strategy games, and more.

The best new PC games in 2024 are:

Solium Infernum

Between Millennia, Ara History Untold, and Civilization 7, this is an extremely good era for strategy games. The problem, however, is that they mostly exist in the same mold. Create your first city, farm resources, cultivate a military, research technology, and gradually expand outwards – we need more strategy games that challenge conventions. Solium Infernum, where you play one of several archfiends competing for rule of Hell, is the perfect blend of robust mechanics, planning, and strategizing, and visionary new interpretations of what the genre means.

This isn’t a game about acquiring more power, more resources, and more superficial virtual stuff. League of Geeks symbolizes abstract concepts like deceit and manipulation via clear, tangible, and always enjoyable systems and gameplay tools. It’s not quite a puzzle game. It’s not quite an RTS, or a linear, narrative-driven ‘experience.’ Solium Infernum is all of these combined, and more – a strategy game couched in psychology and behavior. One of the smartest and most unique new PC games, check out our Solium Infernum review for more.

A battered station wagon idles on a dirt road in the Exclusion Zone, its headlights illuminating the dusk in Pacific Drive, one of the best new PC games.

Pacific Drive

Pacific Drive is a driving game like no other. Not content with the race tracks and supercars endemic to the genre, Ironwood Studios’ debut outing is a ‘90s conspiracy thriller that blends crafting-survival elements with a roguelike structure and sports a New Weird aesthetic that’s guaranteed to delight fans of Remedy’s Control and the SCP Foundation. In short, you are a hapless driver transported into the forbidden confines of a fictitious government Exclusion Zone in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. In your bid to escape, you quickly stumble upon your new best friend: a rusty old station wagon that isn’t quite what it seems.

Our Pacific Drive review praises the “delicious friction between Pacific Drive’s tactility and [player] adrenaline” that fosters “emergent chase sequences laced with panic and amusement in equal measure.” While you’re in the driver’s seat, you must juggle the mechanical components of a car – the handbrake, wipers, and headlights – as you withstand fluctuating weather patterns as well as the hostile paranormal Anomalies that populate the Zone. Your forays out into the PNW wilds will take you through dense forests and forbidding swamps, as you slowly puzzle out the mysteries of the Exclusion Zone and its mysterious Remnants. The roguelike loop brings you back to the garage at the end of each run, where you can repair any damage your iron horse has sustained. This forms the basis of Pacific Drive’s crafting-survival element, but its intriguing story is the fuel that propels you through to its end. It’s also got a seriously good soundtrack to boot.

Best new pc games: a poker video game, showing a 'you win' screen.

Balatro

Balatro is a game about poker, breaking the game known as poker, and, well, cheating. The premise is simple: construct a deck and play poker hands (pair, flush, straight, all that jazz) to win ‘chips’. The chip requirement to beat each level goes up, with boss levels adding certain modifiers to that particular bout.

We absolutely love Balatro, with Dave describing the new roguelike as his “latest obsession”. The thrill of adding Jokers to your pack that gives you value and multipliers to your played hands, and finding ways to break the game (such as the Balatro blank voucher, eventually) and build an unbeatable deck is the real beauty of Balatro. It’s deceptively simple and deliciously addictive, and for around $15, you can’t go far wrong.

The Traveler opens up a rift to travel through time in Last Epoch, one of the best new PC games.

Last Epoch

The dark fantasy world of Eterra has been ravaged by the Void, and its up to you to harness the power of the eponymous Last Epoch to travel through time and avert the course of history. Our comprehensive Last Epoch review describes Eleventh Hours Games’ ARPG that’s “squarely positioned between the simpler, tighter focus of  Diablo 4 and the vast, winding systems of Path of Exile.” You only have to take a look at Last Epoch’s sales during early access to see that there’s a huge audience lurking in that niche.

Last Epoch’s player-friendly approach paired with the indie studio’s deep love of action RPG games has resulted in a game that captures the cinematic scale of Blizzard’s acclaimed series while also addressing its mechanical shortcomings. The developer also promises to bring “substantial new content” in free updates for the forseeable future, so check out the Last Epoch classes if you’re ready to join the fight to save Eterra.

Best new PC games: a woman holding another woman's hand inside a tavern in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

We all know that Don’t Nod games have the potential to tug hard at the heartstrings with well-realized characters who are easy to empathize with. Banishers Ghosts of New Eden is “a hauntingly beautiful tale of two lovers embarking on a treacherous journey that tests their relationship through tragedy”.

While the more recent Don’t Nod games have relied on the player solving puzzles and talking their way out of predicaments, Banishers is more action-orientated as you control both characters at once with slick combat mechanics and powerful spirit-purging abilities. According to our Banishers Ghosts of New Eden review, you will be kept on your toes by constantly switching weaknesses between your two protagonists, with Elite enemies acting as end-of-chapter guardians. There are a few issues here and there, but if you want a decent action-adventure that happens to have sublime writing, Banishers is one to keep an eye on.

Best new games: Yukari Takeba from Persona 3 Reload is aiming her bow and arrow at a target offscreen.

Persona 3 Reload

As a remake of one of the best PlayStation 2 RPGs, Persona 3 Reload does an excellent job of updating the gameplay mechanics for a modern audience. You play as a transfer student who joins the SEES club at his new school after experiencing the Dark Hour – a phenomenon that seems to be behind an epidemic of “Apathy Syndrome” cases caused by monstrous shadows. In it, you must manage your time saving the world by scaling an ever-changing dungeon, making friends, and doing well at school by giving answers in class.

According to Dave’s Persona 3 Reload review, it still captures the magic of the original game, with the Shift mechanic ensuring that party SP is more manageable during your many trips to Tartarus. Even though the previously available epilogue chapter and second protagonist aren’t in Persona 3 Reload, that’s more of an issue for veteran fans. If you’re looking for the best entry point into the Persona series, look no further.

Tekken 8

We’re truly living in the golden age of fighting games with the release of Tekken 8, the best game in the series so far. Tekken 8 has been built from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5, making the visuals look almost as good as the in-game cutscenes. Featuring a character list with 32 fighters and 16 unique stages to fight on, there’s plenty of content to study and master over the next few years.

Tekken 8 demands quite a lot from its players, but all of the time spent learning the mechanics will turn players into strong fighters. Don’t worry, things don’t have to be competitive all the time thanks to game modes like Tekken Ball and the Story mode. Take a look at our Tekken 8 review to find out what we thought of the new fighting mechanics, including the Heat system, and all of the additions to practice mode.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the first game in the series to take place outside of Japan. This time, the adventure moves to Hawaii as Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist of the last game, attempts to find his mother. Infinite Wealth also stars Kazuma Kiryu, the former series lead, as he aids Ichiban on his quest while struggling to deal with his health issues.

Judging by our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review, this is the best entry in the series yet. “Sprawling but never bloated, it remains captivating from beginning to end across both its main narrative and bountiful side adventures, almost never missing a beat”, says Harry Schofield. You can expect to put in close to 100 hundreds if you want to see everything Infinite Wealth has to offer. Don’t forget to read our Infinite Wealth cast guide if you want to see which voice actors you’ll be hearing regularly.

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Palworld

Unless you’ve been living under a rock in recent weeks, you’ll have at least heard of Palworld, the Pokemon-like game taking the world by storm – both in controversy and record-breaking player numbers. While Palworld has the creature capture, Pal type, and battle elements associated with Pokemon games, there are many ways in which Palworld isn’t like Pokemon, which is perhaps the reason the survival game has done so well.

For one, there are guns. In fact, you can even team up with a Pokemon, give it a gun, and place it on your shoulders to fend off enemies as you explore the Palworld map. Then there’s the item production. Place various machines and production lines around your base and put your Pals to work on them, making guns, forging Palworld resources, and keeping your team well fed.

Best new PC games: Prince of Persia The Lost Crowd - a shirtless man stands on a barren rock as a huge monster flies behind.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Our Prince of Persia The Lost Crown review praises the metroidvania for being ‘fast, fluid, and mechanically engaging’. It’s your time-traveling prince, but not quite as you remember him; what begins as a rescue mission quickly turns south, and those you once considered your allies may soon become enemies. You’ll hop, skip, and jump through increasingly difficult terrain, picking up abilities and powerups that allow you to travel ever deeper into the unknown.

If you are planning on picking up Prince of Persia The Lost Crown and don’t want to miss anything, make sure you check out our Prince of Persia The Lost Crown Mystery Chest locations, Spirited Sand Jar locations, and Xerxes Coin locations. We also have every Prince of Persia The Lost Crown mission here if you want to know what you’re getting into.

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Against the Storm

Against the Storm isn’t the first game to mix roguelike and strategy game mechanics, but its time in early access has enabled Eremite Games to craft something special. In this dark fantasy woodland setting, you are the Queen’s Viceroy as you build the city. Your decisions affect the fate of the humans and other critters that inhabit your town, leading them to prosperity or damnation.

It certainly impresses, as our Against the Storm review mentions that it’s “both simple enough on the surface to draw you in and complex enough to keep you enthralled in its gratifying risk/reward gameplay loop.”

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Assassin’s Creed: Nexus

As we express in our Assassin’s Creed Nexus review, this jump to VR for such a massive series was a worrying one, but our fears were allayed as soon as we donned our headset and stepped back into the lives of Ezio, Kassandra, and Connor in three separate story arcs. If you’re a big AC fan, you may want to know if Assassin’s Creed Nexus is canon to the main story.

The campaign takes us through new adventures of these three characters, and some new ones, and provides hours upon hours of engaging gameplay. Check out our how long is Assassin’s Creed Nexus article to find out exactly how long this journey should take you. That said, we didn’t ever feel the need to rush through and we didn’t want it to end, which is handy when you’re playing in VR.

Best new pc games: an overhead view of a football match.

Football Manager 2024

A game about you (the manager) molding a team of players into the best darn sports (soccer) team the world has ever seen. Perhaps one for purists only, the Football Manager series has hit new heights this year, with an under-the-radar set of changes and the new ability to continue that old Rotherham save that’s been going for 30 seasons.

Our Football Manager 2024 review goes into the overhauls in detail but with agent improvements, as well as the much-needed increase to positional control. We’ve got some handy guides to help you on your journey, including a list of the best free agents, the best tactics and formations, and where to find the best bargains. If you’ve ever wanted to dip your toe into the world of soccer management, or if this is your 10th year in the job, it looks like FM24 is the place to be.

Alan Wake turns to look behind him, shining a flashlight in the dark in one of the best new games, Alan Wake 2.

Alan Wake 2

Over a decade later, Alan Wake is finally back. Where’s he been all this time? Unfortunately for him, stuck in the Dark Place where we left him. Literally all this time, as Alan Wake 2 kicks off in the present day. The horror novelist is still trying to work out how to get out, but otherwise, nothing much has happened since we last saw him.

As we explain in our glowing Alan Wake 2 review, you start in the role of a new Alan Wake protagonist, an FBI agent exploring a series of murders. We’ll leave you to discover how Saga Anderson’s story fits in with Wake’s as he tries to escape the Dark Place, but you will switch between the two characters during your adventure. If you can’t wait to play Alan Wake 2 but aren’t sure whether you should play Alan Wake first, we’ve got you covered with a Remedy recap.

Best new PC games: The protagonist of Ghostrunner 2 holds his neon blade before him in a defensive position,

Ghostrunner 2

If you’re looking for a parkour game to rival Mirror’s Edge, consider it found. Ghostrunner 2 boasts a slick parkour system that allows you to harness breakneck speed and agility without even breaking a sweat. It also seamlessly drops you back into the action whenever you stumble, and includes abilities like bullet time, invincibility, and even lasers to outfox even the toughest of bosses.

As our Ghostrunner 2 review certainly attests, it’s a worthy sequel, declaring it a “surprise GOTY contender” that’s “so much more” than its predecessor – including an all-new hub area and a rogue Ghostrunner faction intent on bending the citizens of Dharma to their will. On that note, Ghostrunner 2’s traversal and combat mechanics are folded into a cyberpunk world dripping in rain, neon, and pure style. Whether it’s parkour, puzzles, or pure aesthetics you’re after, Ghostrunner 2 has all of the above in spades.

Total War Pharaoh: a 12th-century Egyptian city, with the pyramids in the background.

Total War: Pharaoh

A war set against the backdrop of the Nile Delta, Total War: Pharaoh sees men attempt to achieve victory over enemy TW Pharaoh leaders, environmental disaster, and the constant threat of outsiders. Our Total War Pharaoh review goes into depth about this compelling strategy game, but if you ever wanted to visit 12th-century Egypt and battle over every grain of sand, you won’t do any better than this.

Best new games: Basim is fighting a guard on a castle wall in Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Our Assassin’s Creed Mirage review highlights the apparent “renewed focus that trims the fat from its predecessors to commemorate the very best bits of the series.” By going back to basics, Mirage’s missions don’t outstay their welcome, and the investigation-based campaign allows you to take your time following leads. Combat eschews the excessive RPG elements of earlier entries, instead opting for a simpler and ironically more engaging block and counter strategies. While there are plenty of collectibles, such as AC Mirage outfits and AC Mirage Lost Books hidden in Baghdad, they aren’t anywhere near as horrendous to try and find – well, except for the AC Mirage Enigmas that is.

A crew of four masked thieves stand around their loot in new game Payday 3.

Payday 3

In our Payday 3 review, we celebrate the improvements to Payday 3 weapons and other, more refined mechanics in comparison to the previous two games. Payday 3 truly makes you feel like an expert thief, whether you’re new to the series or a returning veteran. With eight Payday 3 heists available at launch and four difficulties to try for each, there’s plenty to keep you busy as you strive to get away with the most cash you can. The biggest downside to the stealth game, meanwhile, is the Payday 3 server issues, thanks to its overwhelming popularity.

Best new games: Rain and Sector from Mortal Kombat 1, gearing to fight in the middle of a room filled with gold treasure.

Mortal Kombat 1

Our Mortal Kombat 1 review praises the new fighting mechanics, with the refreshing addition of MK1 Kameo characters making for a fast-paced experience that isn’t too complex. With comically gruesome Mortal Kombat 1 Fatalities, the returning Mortal Kombat 1 Brutalities, and a story that’s utterly bonkers from start to finish, fans of the NetherRealm Studios fighting game series will likely have a grand time. Time will tell when it comes to how the MK1 Invasions Mode will keep an active player base during its six-week seasonal offerings, but at least it’s something a bit different from the norm.

Best new PC games: a person sits in the cockpit of their ship looking at a planet from orbit.

Starfield

If you’ve ever dreamed of taking to the stars in your own spaceship, exploring planets, mining resources, and… eating sandwiches, then it doesn’t get much better than Starfield. Our Starfield review talks about the game’s lofty goals – giving you the freedom to do as you please while you slowly orbit a rather intriguing story, the space game takes what Bethesda Game Studios does best and blasts it off into the big black.

If you’ve just started your adventure, we have a Starfield walkthrough here to aid you on your travels and a bunch of the best Starfield builds so you can take on whatever the universe throws at you.

Sea of Stars

If you want to experience a classic JRPG without having to put up with dated mechanics, Sabotage Studios’ Sea of Stars has been inspired by some of the genre’s best, like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, to relive that era. Our 9/10 Sea of Stars review points out that many developers have tried their hand at recreating the nostalgia those Super NES games elicit, but few have managed to do so convincingly.

Sabotage Studios’ wonderful pixel art assets, combined with the tracks from Chrono Trigger’s primary composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, blend together to create a brilliant turn-based RPG. You can even collect Sea of Stars relics to alter how you play the game, allowing you to customize the experience to your liking. We also have a list of Sea of Stars Rainbow Conch locations if you’re struggling to find all 60 of them on your own.

Armored Core 6

Before the legendary Japanese developer became known for their Souls games, their claim to fame stemmed from the long-running Armored Core series. First released back in 1997, Armored Core lets players live out their mech dreams as they build a giant robot to lay waste to their evil robotic counterparts. After 11 years since the last mainline game, From Software has a brand new audience of fans to pull from. As our 8/10 Armored Core 6 review points out, AC6 isn’t trying to be a Souls game; it’s unequivocally an Armored Core game in every sense of the word.

Armored Core 6’s length should take most players just under 20 hours to complete, but the game has been designed for multiple playthroughs as there are different missions, endings, and mech parts to unlock. Speaking of Armored Core 6 parts, the robot game gives you plenty of options to build radically different mechs. From AC6 weapons like missile launchers and shotguns to Armored Core 6 OS Upgrades that drastically enhance your mech’s abilities, your subsequent playthroughs can be completely different just by picking new parts. 

A straight-faced, green-skinned character with a red and silver band across his head glares at an off-screen character in one of the best new PC games, Baldur's Gate 3..

Baldur’s Gate 3

Our Baldur’s Gate 3 review backs this as one of the best PC games of 2023, thanks to its varied outcomes, interesting (and sometimes annoying) Baldur’s Gate 3 companions, and the fact that you can craft your BG3 experience as you see fit.

Based on Dungeons and Dragons 5e, Baldur’s Gate 3 is accessible for both DnD veterans and novices, and you don’t need to have played a Larian Studios game before this one either – thanks to its immersive RPG experience, making it one of the best RPGs around, you’ll learn everything you need as you go.

There you have it, the new PC games you should be playing right now. Now, we’ll admit we were being a little facetious earlier: new PC games aren’t necessarily the cream of the personal computer crop. For that, you should swing by our list of the best old games for the classics, perhaps our favorite free PC games so you can try them without consequence, or even check out our collection of free online games, no download required.