With the final hours of this year coming closer, it´s the perfect time to count down the the best gaming experiences I had in 2024.
The Best Hidden Gem Games Of 2024
2024 has been a wild year. The Xbox Series X and the Playstation 5 were released and most of us hadn´t had the chance to buy these new consoles. But being stuck at home for some months gave me the time to work my way through my gaming backlog and really take my time with new games that came out in 2020. And one thing I noticed is that AA games and indie titles really delivered this year! I hope this trend continues in 2025!
With that said grab yourself some pizza and a coffee kick back and make yourself comfortable and let´s get the kick out of gaming!
Let´s kick off the Top 10 Best Hidden Gem Games Of 2024 with….
10. The Blind Prophet
“Half adventure game, half graphic novel, The Blind Prophet is an interesting ride once it gets going.”
The game is a perfect combination of point and click quests, mystery solving and a great deal of old-school mini games! I loved every aspect of The Blind Prophet. I adore the comics-style art, and the music was completely in tune with the story. The music is also heavily reminiscent of 90s techno, which I’m always down for.
I am a big fan of blood and gore and The Blind Prophet certainly delivered. It reminded me of some old school comics like Spawn or Lobo. Definitely not a kids game.
A dark horror murder mystery wrapped up in a moody point and click adventure. Definitely worth experiencing. I ended up getting about 8 hours playtime out of it.
9. Destroy All Humans Remake
“…the game that the internet fun police doesn´t want you to play!”
An Alien invasion in 2020 seems fitting. Mixed with some satire and absolutely no political correctness. Destroy All Humans is a breath of fresh air when playing games in 2020, and all it took was a remake of a 15 year old game!
Playing as an Crypto, the loveable murderous alien and going on a reckless adventure, complete with dark homor, enhancement graphics and updated gameplay gives the original story a fresh new touch.
8. Children Of Morta
“Don´t let the simple graphics of Children Of Morta fool you – this is one of the best Indie games available!”
Technically a 2019 release I still count this as one of the best games in 2020!
The story telling is amazing and the gameplay loop is surprisingly fun. Reminded me of the good old Diablo 2 times. Highly recommended.
7. Zombie Army 4: Dead War
“The must play coop experience if you love classic Left 4 Dead 2 gameplay and quick scoping Zombies!”
Ever wanted to dodge zombie sharks while on a quest to destroy the undead axes of evil? Well, it doesn’t get much better than Zombie Army 4: Dead War.
After we played through Zombie Army Trilogy in just two sitting this year and had a blast, me and my friends decided to grab a copy of the newly released Zombie Army 4.
And we haven´t looked back since! A challenging new campaign with solid gameplay and devil-may-care craziness. If you’re a fan of co-op zombie shooters, there’s a heck of a lot of fun to be had taking on the hellish hordes.
6. Black Mesa
“Half Life is back!”
I guess Half Life Alyx would have made this spot…if I had a VR headset for my PC! But instead I got the next best thing. And I´m not even mad about it! For a budget price you can play the remaster of one of the best FPS games of all time! And what is more fitting to play in the 2020 than a game about a government conspiracy and a world ending event!?
5. Streets Of Rage 4
“Beating goons in the back alleys never felt more satisfying in 2D!”
Thanks to the Xbox Gamepass (one of the best gaming services) and the recommendation of my buddy Stephen Wilds I gave Streets Of Rage 4 a try!
And I´m happy I did! Beating goons in the back alleys never felt more satisfying in 2D! From a fresh art style, brilliantly simple gameplay and a modernist soundtrack that made the series so memorable. It´s all here.
4. Huntdown
“Deliver some bounty hunter justice on the mayhem-filled cyberpunk streets of the future.”
From the beginning to the end, this game is an absolute thrill.
Huntdown is an excellent retro styled co-op arcade shooter set in a cyberpunk world. The combat is fun, brutal and funny. The visuals and soundtrack are top notch. Every level is just short enough to keep you feeling like you’re moving along nicely with memorable boss encounters at the end.
Don’t let Huntdown go under your radar, because there will be a bounty on your head for doing so.
3. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
“The fairy tail like atmosphere combined with a beautiful soundtrack and a perfect 2D jump & run gameplay make this one of the finest games of 2020!”
It expands on the original in every way and you will not find a better game in the Metroidvania genre. It delivers on all levels!
Emotional story telling, top notch gameplay and an interesting world to explore with really challenging gameplay in the later levels.
2. Ghostrunner
“Ghostrunner is a first-person platformer that feels like Ninja Gaiden and Hotline Miami had a cyberpunk baby!”
If you haven’t had enough of some good cyberpunk games on the waiting list, you’re in luck. Ghostrunner seems to be scratching the cyberpunk itch and exploring a stunning cyberpunk dystopian city at a breakneck pace never felt more satisfying.
Nailing that perfect run feels exhilarating. Somewhere right in the middle of the dashing and time-slowing, when you realize you’re onto something special, you feel exactly as cool as you think a techno-cyber ninja should.
Ghostrunner features stunningly immersive visuals and a sick synthwave soundtracks to dash and slash to.
1. Cyberpunk 2077
“Cyberpunk 2077 is the next level Deus Ex game I have been waiting for! If you have an Playstation 5, Xbox Series X or decent PC than play it!”
YES! Cyberpunk 2077 is my game of the year! And yes, I know technically not a hidden gem! But right now it seems everyone on the internet is hating on Cyberpunk 2077! And not a lot of gamers are playing it! I say give it a chance! (maybe not on the base PS4 or Xbox One)
I really enjoyed my time in Night City with Johnny Silverhand and my crew of misfits. Cyberpunk takes the best of modern RPG, first-person shooter, stealth and open world games and masterfully blends it all together! There are hundreds of weapons, augmentations, upgrades and the Witcher 3 style side missions (expanding the character backstories in meaningful ways) and I never once felt bored.
I played on my Xbox One X and while there where some glitches there was nothing breath…I mean game breaking. Go in with realistic expectations and you will have an amazing time!
Honorable Mentions
A few games didn´t make the list but are still worth checking out:
- World Of Horror
- Maneater
- Halo 3 (PC)
- Sam & Max Save the World Remake
- Mechblaze
The cool thing is that at the end of 2024 they all come at an budget price!
2024 is over!
That´s it! My Top 10 Best Hidden Gem Games Of 2024! Let me know in the comments which games helped you get through 2024! I´m really looking forward to 2025 and I have the feeling that in the next years Xbox is going to make a huge leap forward and catch up to Playstation.
But most importantly: Have a great day and get the kick out of gaming!