Now that we’re officially halfway through 2024, it’s time to look back at all the PS5 games we’ve played so far this year and decide which are the current Game of the Year contenders. From our perspective, it’s been a solid six months, one that’s produced some fantastic titles across a variety of genres.
To discuss matters, we brought in the usual suspects from the Push square editorial team. Read about our favorites and then vote for your own in the poll at the bottom of this article. Oh, and feel free to totally disagree with our opinions in the comments too!
Aaron Bayne, Video Producer – Helldivers 2
The fervor has certainly died down, but after all these months I still haven’t had as much fun with another game as I did with Hellldivers 2. I love a good co-op experience, and Arrowhead Studios’ much-improved sequel dropped like a feather in my cap with tight gunplay and chaotic action. It was a stroke of genius to create your own Helldiver, a squishy little human who loses arms, legs, or his own head as he sends hordes of Terminids and killer robots after you. There’s a unique blend of scream-inducing tension and laugh-out-loud hilarity to the gameplay. It’s a real sh*t-hit-the-fan kind of game, and when that happens, there’s nothing quite like it. I just hope Arrowhead makes a small more to capture our attention with meaningful post-launch content as we trudge through the second half of 2024.
Khayl Adam, Editor – Helldivers 2
Despite what has been an incredible year for RPGs, I have to give it up for Helldivers 2. The gameplay is incredibly crunchy and unforgiving in an era of same-service titles, and it has hooked me in a way I didn’t think was possible for a game that regularly dishes out content. It’s the metanarrative surrounding the series, as much as it is the moment-to-moment stuff. The wild twists and turns developer Arrowhead has pulled with the community have kept me engaged (even if I don’t log in every week), but it still manages to surprise me. No mean feat after nearly 200 hours!
Liam Croft, Assistant Editor – Stellar Blade
If you had told me at the start of the year that Stellar Blade would be my favourite PS5 game six months into 2024, I never would have believed you. I wasn’t at all excited about the game in the run-up to launch, and basically wrote it off as something I’d play during a quiet period. But then I played it, and everything changed. I love Stellar Blade. Its gameplay loop of Souls-lite combat, fun exploration, stylish traversal, and satisfying rewards kept me hooked from start to finish. The story could be a lot better, but I just found the game so addictive that it didn’t matter. It’s the only game released this year – so far, anyway – that I simply want to play for hours on end, even when my PS5 isn’t on. I’d be a little disappointed if it was still at the top of my wishlist come December, but for now, Stellar Blade is my favourite PS5 title of 2024, and I’m proud of that.
Robert Ramsey, Assistant Editor – Dragon’s Dogma 2
Sometimes a game just clicks with you so much that its (often obvious) flaws are easily brushed aside. For me, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is that game. The simple truth is, I had more fun with this open-world RPG than any other release of 2024. The sheer number of memorable moments I experienced in Capcom’s weird fantasy far outweigh any complaints I have about its story or structure – to the point that I still find myself diving back into its world months after release. While I’m not confident Dragon’s Dogma 2 will remain my Game of the Year with such strong competition on the horizon, I simply can’t ignore its incredible combat and the intoxicating sense of adventure it conveys at every turn.
Sammy Barker, Editor – Stellar Blade
As an existing fan of the highly entertaining mobile shooter NIKKE: Goddess of Victory, I had been a fan of Stellar Blade from Korean developer Shift Up for a while. The final product exceeded even my sky-high expectations: the fights are flashy and exciting, the visuals are sublime and the soundtrack is an all-time classic. Sony has bet on a blinder here and while I have high expectations for Astro Bot and Star Wars Outlaws, it will be something Real especially to make this my Game of the Year.
Stephen Tailby, Assistant Editor – Balatro
I’ve played a lot of great games in the first six months of 2024, but nothing has yet topped Balatro as my favorite. In terms of pure game design, I’ve yet to play anything better. I’m struggling to find new ways to say it, but the ways it escalates its “poker but roguelike” premise are so clever. What starts as a simple card game is transformed by the many modifiers you pick up over the course of a run, and while some attempts fall flat, it’s incredibly satisfying when things fall in the right direction. I’ve barely scratched the surface, because not only do I still have things to unlock, I’ve also yet to dive into the challenges or higher difficulty settings. Mechanically dense but never overwhelming, Balatro is a generous game that rewards curiosity and ingenuity with such a simple elegance it’s almost funny. I wouldn’t be surprised if this remains in my top five this year, even considering what’s yet to come in the second half of the year.
Now that we’ve had our say, it’s your turn. Vote for your current Game of the Year for 2024 in our poll, then at least try to explain yourself in the comments below.