The challenge of sifting through Steam for gems is getting harder and harder. In 2024, over 2,500 titles have already been released onto the store, which is already home to approximately 300,000 games. Now, finding your new favourite is less “stumbling upon a treasure trove so sorely deserved after many moons on the high seas” and more “trying to reunite a matching sock somewhere in a teenager’s bedroom”.
Both are high risk, high reward. If you aren’t one to wager, we’ve selected some of the best Steam games you can play this year.
Best Steam games 2024
This list of the best Steam games in 2024 has a scattering of new launches as well as winners from years in the past. We’ve got something for fans of every genre, and the shortlist is as follows.
- Helldivers 2
- Balatro
- No Man’s Sky
- Rust
- Enshrouded
- Dead By Daylight
- Persona 3 Reload
- A Little To The Left
- Before Your Eyes
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 is set in a future where Super Earth is under threat from aliens, and the peacekeepers are an elite squadron of soldiers, the titular Helldivers. No knowledge of the previous game is necessary, though watching Starship Troopers will set you up with the sort of satirical tone that the game achieves.
In NME’s review, we praised Helldivers 2’s multiplayer as an “emotional roller coaster” from terror to hilarity to terror again, so, it’s not one to miss.
Balatro
Balatro burst onto the strategy scene following a stormer of a Steam Next Fest session, and it already has its hooks in its players. A blend of poker plus roguelike randomness, powerful Joker cards boost the deck to charge up the player’s hand and basically break the game of poker.
It boasts a comprehensive and satisfying campaign mode with eight difficulties as well as challenge, daily and seeded runs for those dedicated players to find their flow.
LocalThunk, the solo brain behind Balatro, said that while they were inspired by roguelikes like SNKRX and Luck Be A Landlord, they play Rocket League more than anything else.
No Man’s Sky
Hello Games‘ sci-fi odyssey is continuing to pamper its community with its 25th update. Omega, which rolled out on February 15, added the ability to steal pirate ships to eventually assemble a fleet commanded by the player’s own dreadnought.
The update also refreshed older content, like the Atlas Path, while planetary procedurally generated missions will send players both new and old on fresh adventures. As the age-old adage goes, the best time to dive into No Man’s Sky is now.
Rust
After celebrating its 10-year anniversary a month ago, Rust has continued to chase the pursuit of misanthropy in its multiplayer world.
Survival of the fittest not only pertains to the player experience, it also relates to the studio’s approach to updating the survival game. February saw the arrival of backpacks, at long last, and there are multiple patches intended to improve the world through unique buildable areas like canyons and lakes.
While its players beat each other to death with whatever they wash up with, Facepunch Studios has used Rust to raise £1.3million ($1.7million) for charitable causes over the decade.
Enshrouded
Though a lot of survival games pride themselves on their severity, Enshrouded is much more welcoming. After entering early access at the end of January, over two million players have explored the corrupted world of Embervale to eke out their own existence.
Supporting up to 16 players at the same time, one of Enshrouded’s biggest draws is in letting players pick their own fantasy-style class, which ranges from Wizard to Warrior. However, picking your role isn’t the be-all-end-all – specialising into a new role to try a particular playstyle isn’t punishing. The caveat is that developer Keen Games is keeping Enshrouded in Early Access for the next 12 months, but fans of The Legend Of Zelda and Valheim will definitely want to jump in early.
Dead By Daylight
Unlike the horror films that it is inspired by, Dead By Daylight is getting better and better with each instalment, so to speak. The asymmetric multiplayer provides an almost endless amount of entertaining storytelling in its matches between the survivors and the killer.
Right now, a new Survivor and a new Killer are available in the public test build ahead of the All Things Wicked chapter that’s expected to arrive in early March.
Persona 3 Reload
The remake of the acclaimed fourth entry of the endlessly popular RPG, Persona 3 Reload sweetened the original experience with a slew of updates.
Previous players will appreciate the lessons learned from Persona 5 that have been woven into the game, alongside extras like new explorable areas in Tatsumi Port Island and Tartarus. On the other hand, those curious about the series have an excellent entry point that feels modern while setting the scene for the overarching Persona story.
“The Dark Hour, illuminated by the sickly green glow of a gigantic moon, is over-the-top gothic goodness, while the soundtrack is crammed with J-pop bangers,” said NME in its four-star review of the remake.
A Little To The Left
Originally launched in 2022, NME dubbed this puzzler “an island of tidying tranquillity“. In it, the player must solve organisational puzzles in over 100 settings, from organising a basket of cat toys to arranging spice jars by the shade of what’s inside.
It’s not as action-packed as others on this list, admittedly, but its player numbers eclipse many popular shooters, sprawling RPGs, and multiplayer maelstroms. A Little To The Left also offers players a daily puzzle that puts a twist on the developer’s favourites, while an Archive lets fans complete the previously limited-time seasonal levels.
Before Your Eyes
Inspired by the play Death Of A Salesman, Before Your Eyes tells the story of the esteemed artist Benjamin “Benny” Brynn as he recounts his life’s memories to the Ferryman taking him to Paradise.
While it has a pleasant and captivatingly charming art style, those with a webcam will be able to turn on the game’s eye-tracking technology to play. Memories will appear and disappear with a blink of an eye, emphasising how ephemeral life is, and allowing the player to choose how the story unfolds.
That’s that on the ever-expanding world of Steam, for the time being. We’ll be updating this list whenever new games emerge from the shadows to soak up our spare time as well as with PC ports of established favourites.
For a look at what’s in store on a grander scale, check out our article on 15 huge games that we can’t wait to play in 2024. If you’re looking to expand your computer’s gaming library across all storefronts, here are the best PC games to pick up.
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