Adventure games allow players to embark on epic quests, unravel engaging mysteries, and experience rich storytelling. As the new year approaches, there are many highly anticipated adventure titles releasing in 2024 for PC and consoles. This article covers the top 10 most anticipated adventure games of 2024 based on hype, potential, and early previews.
Overview
The adventure genre remains a mainstay in gaming thanks to its ability to immerse players in interactive stories and fantastical worlds. 2024 has a stellar lineup of upcoming adventure games that long-time fans and newcomers alike are excited for. Here are some factors that helped determine the most anticipated 2024 adventure games:
- Established franchises – New installments in popular series like The Legend of Zelda, Assassin’s Creed, and Resident Evil
- Promising new IPs – Brand new franchises that offer fresh stories and worlds
- Pedigreed developers – Games from acclaimed studios known for quality titles
- Innovative concepts – Intriguing premises that could redefine genres
- Stylized art – Visually stunning games with distinct art directions
- Platform variety – Titles releasing across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch
Without further ado, here are the 10 most anticipated adventure games slated for 2024:
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Release Date: May 12, 2024
Platforms: Nintendo Switch The sequel to the critically acclaimed Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom is the most anticipated Nintendo game of 2024. It builds on the first game’s open-world mechanics with new powers for Link and expanded skyward exploration.
Key Features:
- Massive open world to traverse on ground and in the skies
- Innovative new abilities for Link like phasing through objects
- Uncover the mystery behind the name “Tears of the Kingdom”
- Epic boss battles against Ganondorf’s forces
- Potential dark turn for the traditionally family-friendly series
Tears of the Kingdom takes everything fans loved about Breath of the Wild and amplifies it to the next level. It’s shaping up to be an essential Switch title.
2. Starfield
Release Date: First half of 2024
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC As Bethesda Game Studios’ first new IP in 25 years, Starfield brings epic science fiction exploration to the creators of Skyrim and Fallout. It offers seamless planet-to-space travel and hundreds of star systems to discover.
Key Features:
- Explore and survey over 1,000 unique planets
- Customize your character with unique traits and abilities
- Join factions and guilds across various star systems
- Next-gen visuals powered by Creation Engine 2
- Bethesda’s signature open-ended gameplay and freedom
With a vast universe begging to be traversed, Starfield leads the charge in bringing immersive sims to the final frontier. It’s shaping up to be Bethesda’s most ambitious game ever.
3. Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Release Date: 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC Assassin’s Creed Mirage takes the action back to ninth century Baghdad and promises a tighter, more focused experience compared to recent entries. Players take on the role of Basim, a cunning street thief with mysterious origins.
What to Expect:
- Return to stealth-driven gameplay
- Dense, vertically-oriented city layout
- Fluid parkour movement and combat
- Intriguing protagonist in Basim and his backstory
- Exploration of the early Assassins Brotherhood
- Smaller scale than bloated recent games
Mirage strips away RPG elements to refocus on the core tenets of the Creed – stealth, parkour, and assassination. It brings a refined approach to the long-running franchise.
4. Resident Evil 4 Remake
Release Date: March 24, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S Arguably the most iconic Resident Evil game, Resident Evil 4 is getting a full-fledged remake treatment for modern platforms. The 2024 remake will revamp the story and visuals while retaining the brilliant action and horror.
What to Expect:
- Completely reimagined graphics, audio and modernized gameplay
- Revised storyline with added/expanded content
- Over-the-shoulder shooting perfected for current gen
- Terrifying encounters with the Ganados enemies
- More emphasis on survival horror over action
- Familiar faces like Leon, Ada Wong, and Merchant return
Few games defined the action-horror genre as well as Resident Evil 4. The 2024 remake is poised to perfect the formula and introduce new fans to this classic.
5. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Release Date: May 26, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Rocksteady Studios returns to the DC universe with the chaotic Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. It features cooperative gameplay where Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark battle The Flash, Green Lantern and other heroes.
Key Details:
- Fast-paced combat against brainwashed Justice League members
- Seamless co-op integration for 2-4 players
- Open world Metropolis and Hall of Justice to explore
- Unique abilities for each Suicide Squad member
- Signature Rocksteady fluidity and cinematic presentation
- Next-gen exclusivity on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S
DC fans eager for their next fix after the Arkham trilogy will find plenty to enjoy in Kill the Justice League‘s irreverent take on the iconic characters.
6. Hollow Knight: Silksong
Release Date: TBA 2024
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC The sequel to the beloved indie metroidvania finally emerges from development hell in 2024. Hollow Knight: Silksong puts players in the nimble shoes of Hornet in a quest across the kingdom of Pharloom.
What to Expect:
- Massive interconnected world teeming with life and lore
- Fast-paced combat and acrobatics with Hornet’s needle and thread
- Over 150 new foes to face off against
- Creative new tools and abilities to gain
- Haunting art style and music
- Dozens of hours of challenging 2D exploration
With the pedigree of its predecessor, Silksong is destined to be a modern 2D masterpiece and one of the best indie games of 2024.
7. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Release Date: Fall 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5 Insomniac’s follow-up to 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man introduces Miles Morales as a second playable hero along with Peter Parker against Venom and other threats.
Key Details:
- Two playable Spider-heroes with complementary abilities
- Expanded map of Marvel’s Manhattan
- New enemy types like Venom and the Sinister Six
- More varied side activities and crimes
- Support for ray tracing and 3D audio
- Likely ties to the Spider-Verse sequel
With its expanded scope, new gameplay opportunities, and next-gen polish, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 shapes up to be 2024’s most spectacular superhero experience.
8. Avowed
Release Date: TBA 2024
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC As a new first-person RPG from Obsidian set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, Avowed holds tremendous promise. It aims to bring AAA production values to Obsidian’s signature reactive narratives and worldbuilding.
What to Expect:
- Stunning first-person visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5
- Massive open world with diverse biomes
- Deep character customization and progression
- Intricate magic and combat systems
- Branching quests with consequences
- Next-gen features like ray tracing and 3D audio
With the team that created classics like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds behind it, Avowed could become a modern RPG great.
9. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Release Date: 2024
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC The long-awaited sequel to the cult classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series emerges more than a decade later. Heart of Chornobyl promises a chillingly realistic and reactive world influenced by player choices.
Key Details:
- Huge open world Zone with A-Life ecosystem
- Based on the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
- Resource scarcity creates tense, tactical combat
- Factions with dynamic reputations and relations
- Anomalies and artifacts change the world
- Next-gen graphics including ray tracing
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fans have waited patiently for the series’ signature world simulation and survival mechanics to enter the modern age. Heart of Chornobyl aims to fulfill that promise.
10. Dead Island 2
Release Date: April 28, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC The long-in-development sequel to the tropical zombie action game Dead Island finally releases in 2024. Dead Island 2 brings visceral first-person melee combat against hordes of undead in an open world Los Angeles.
What to Expect:
- Satisfyingly gory zombie slaughter
- Parkour movement and close-quarters combat
- Cooperative multiplayer for up to 3 players
- Deep weapon crafting and upgrades
- Reactive open world with simulated zombies
- Tongue-in-cheek humor mixed with horror
Few things are more satisfying than bashing in zombie skulls in slow motion. For those who have waited nearly a decade: your patience is about to pay off.
Most Anticipated Adventure Games of 2024 – Summary
Here are the 10 most hotly anticipated adventure games slated for release in 2024 based on early impressions:
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Starfield
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Avowed
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- Dead Island 2
With highly-requested sequels, exciting new IPs, and reimaginings of classics, 2024 is gearing up to be a phenomenal year for adventure across various genres and platforms. Which of these upcoming games are you most excited to play when they launch next year?