2024 Gaming Year in Review: Milestones, Games, and 2025

2024 was a tumultuous year for the gaming industry. It felt like watching a speedrun of Dark Souls. The year hit hard, took names, and at times left everyone gasping for air. Though beyond all the ebb and flow, you could say the bonfire has been restored. There were more unfortunate layoffs in the industry, which is always sad to see. Games punching way above their weight class, esports moments that belonged on ESPN, and technology so futuristic it made our GPUs sweat. Oh, and Bloodborne still doesn’t have a remaster. Naturally.

But it wasn’t all games and tech. 

We had many pertinent conversations around important industry topics where transparency shaped the narrative too. And just when the year seemed to be all about difficulties, the Game Awards turned into an absolute frenzy of reveals and performances. 

Grab your health potions and stat upgrades. We’re breaking down every triumph, gut punch, and glowing victory screen that defined 2024. Maybe a hint of what lies ahead in 2025?

Layoffs and Industry Shifts

Mass Layoffs

The continued layoffs into 2024 was hard to miss. Layoffs hit some of the biggest names in gaming:

• Unity downsized 25% of its staff due to a ‘company reset’. This came on the heels of their controversial runtime fee model changes after public backlash.
• Twitch shed just over 500 staff, citing intense competition in streaming from platforms like Youtube and Kick. 
• Riot Games, despite being one of the industry’s wealthiest developers, laid off a total of 562 staff across several teams, 530 early in the year, and 32 more in the fall. 
• Microsoft Gaming reduced its workforce by over 2500 employees, over the course of the Activision Blizzard acquisition, raising concerns about the sustainability of AAA development budgets.
• Sony Interactive Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, and Ubisoft were part of significant layoffs as well, affecting many upcoming and in progress titles.

Spotlight on Worker Advocacy

But here’s the silver lining: the gaming community stepped up like an RPG healer in boss fights. Activision Blizzard staff became the biggest certified video game union in the US. Platforms like Games Community, run by Amir Satvat became lifelines for developers. By the way, he snagged the first-ever Game Changer Award at The Game Awards, check out his moving speech here! People found jobs, found solidarity, and hope.

Gamers are a resilient bunch. Don’t count us out.

Games That Defined 2024

The AAA Heavyweights

• Astro Bot: This wasn’t just cute. It was Game of the Year cute! Team Asobi reminded everyone that platformers are alive, thriving, and better than ever. Levels so creative they felt like magic tricks, a hero so adorable it could charm a dragon. It’s no surprise Astro Bot swept at The Game Awards.
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Nostalgia with a side of audacity. Square Enix said, “Let’s rewrite your childhood memories again,” and somehow nailed it. Massive open areas, a soundtrack that won Best Score and Music, and a twist that had longtime fans in shock!
• Black Myth: Wukong: What happens when Chinese folklore meets Souls-like punishment? Pain. But the good kind. Game Science’s debut in the AAA scene delivered jaw-dropping visuals, mythological depth, and bosses that laughed at your dodge rolls. It took Best Action Game and the Players’ Voice Awards at TGA! It also won Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joysticks, because of course it did.
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree: FromSoftware decided to give us a DLC before Elden Ring Nightreign comes next year. They made an emotional endurance test instead. The Lands Between got bigger, darker, and somehow meaner. It says something about the fact that we all loved every excruciating minute of it.

The Indie Gems That Stole 2024

While AAA studios were throwing around their weight, indie devs were out here saying, “Watch this.”

• Balatro: A roguelike poker game made by a SOLO DEV, LocalThunk, went from “Oh, cute” to “It’s 3 a.m. and I’m still playing.” It swept indie categories at The Game Awards. The awards are their own royal flush: Best Independent Game, Best Mobile Game, and Best Debut Indie Game!
• Neva: Nomada Studio gave us a heartbreaking, breathtaking game that looked like a moving painting and left players quietly sobbing into their controllers. Artistry? Impeccable. Emotion? Maximum. Tissue? A whole box, please.
• Venba: Who knew cooking could hit so hard? Venba mixed Indian cuisine, family dynamics, and gorgeous visuals into a narrative game. Comfort food for your soul. Though released in 2023, it took Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game at the 26th annual Independent Games Festival Awards!
• Zero Hour: Bangladesh said, “We’re here,” and IGN agreed. Zero Hour became the first Bangladeshi game to hit global headlines, reminding everyone that talent lives everywhere.

Gaming Milestones and Memorable Moments

• PlayStation’s 30th Anniversary: Sony gave us a gorgeous retrospective video celebrating its legacy. And then, like absolute menaces, they dropped a Bloodborne clip with “It’s about persistence” at the end. No remaster, no sequel—just trolling. I mean, they’re not wrong, but dang.
• Nintendo Music: Nintendo finally answered our prayers with Nintendo Music, a streaming platform where you can vibe to Zelda tracks on loop. It’s free. It’s amazing. It’s about time. Somewhere out there, a Lo-fi Zelda playlist is already studying for finals.
• Steam’s Biggest Year Yet: Valve couldn’t stop winning. Gabe Newell remains gaming’s version of Santa Claus, but for backlogs we’ll never finish. Player engagement hit record highs at 38.3 million concurrent players, indie titles soared, and the Steam Deck continues to convert handheld skeptics.
• Nostalgia: In 2024, Steam players spent twice as much time replaying classics as they did exploring shiny new releases. Who needs ‘new game smell’ when your backlog smells like childhood victory?

Esports: A Record-Breaking Year

• Riyadh Esports World Cup: A jaw-dropping $60M+ prize pool. Tournaments for Valorant, Dota 2, and LoL smashed viewership records.
• India’s Esports Surge: The Indian market exploded, now valued at INR 6,715 crore ($805.8 million USD)! Over 138 million gamers now call India home. 
• The International Olympic Committee announced the inaugural Olympic Esports Games, set for Saudi Arabia in 2025. Yes, esports will be an Olympic event! Mom, esports is a career.

Gaming-Related Media: The Year of Adaptation Domination

If 2023 proved gaming adaptations could work (The Last of Us, we’re looking at you), 2024 made sure we’d never doubt them again. This year gave us wasteland survival, animated brilliance, and anthologies with Hollywood-worthy casts. Here’s what had us glued to our screens when we weren’t grinding the Elden Ring DLC or Black Myth Wukong.

Fallout: Vault Boy Would Be Proud

Amazon Prime’s Fallout was a post-apocalyptic home run. Power armor, gory moments, and Walton Goggins chewing every scene as the Ghoul? Beautiful. It won Best Adaptation at The Game Awards and sent Fallout 4 & Fallout 76 player counts skyrocketing.

Arcane Season 2: Still the GOAT

Netflix dropped Arcane Season 2, and it was worth the three-year wait. Piltover and Zaun are messier than ever, Jinx and Vi are even more tragic, and Fortiche’s animation makes Pixar look like amateur hour. “Greatest animated series of all time”? Hard to argue.

Secret Level: Love, Death, and Video Games

Amazon also snuck out Secret Level, an anthology series that turned games like Sifu and Warhammer 40K into short-form brilliance. One episode had Keanu Reeves narrating a samurai story. Yes, really.

In other news:

• The Last of Us: Season 2 is coming… eventually. HBO spent all year teasing fans with behind-the-scenes glimpses of The Last of Us Season 2, coming 2025.
• The Legend of Vox Machina returned for its third season. Critical Role’s brand of D&D-inspired storytelling is unstoppable. A fourth season has already been confirmed, and an animated adaptation of The Mighty Nein campaign is in the works.
• Fortnite hosted events with tie-ins to The Boys and Fallout, proving there’s no IP too big for Epic Games to toss into a battle royale.
• Valorant got cinematic teasers that looked like they belonged on IMAX screens, not Twitter feeds.

Awards Season: Celebrating Gaming Excellence

Golden Joystick Awards 2024

• Ultimate Game of the Year: Black Myth: Wukong
• Best Storytelling: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Best Multiplayer Game: Helldivers 2
• Best Indie Game: Balatro

PlayStation Partner Awards

The Grand Award recipients, recognized for exceptional worldwide sales and contributions, included:

• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

In celebration of PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, special awards honored classic titles from each console generation:

• PlayStation (PS1): Final Fantasy VII
• PlayStation 2 (PS2): Final Fantasy X
• PlayStation Portable (PSP): Monster Hunter Portable 3rd
• PlayStation 3 (PS3): Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
• PlayStation Vita (PS Vita): Persona 4 Golden
• PlayStation 4 (PS4): Elden Ring

The Indie Game Awards

2024 gave us the inaugural Indie Game Awards, produced by Six Indie One, and wow—did the indie scene deliver.

• Game of the Year: Balatro by solo developer LocalThunk. The little roguelike deck-builder that could. Turns out, card mechanics + chaos = pure indie magic. Who knew your deck could also be a weapon of mass destruction?
• Emotional Impact Award: Neva by Nomada Studio. Tears? Check. Stunning visuals? Check. The feeling that you’ll never recover emotionally but it was worth it? Double check.
• Accessibility Award: Another Crab’s Treasure by Aggro Crab. Crabs with guns and accessibility done right? A genre-defying win.
• Debut Game Award: Little Kitty, Big City by Double Dagger Studio. Meow? Meow. Translation: They absolutely crushed it.

The Game Awards 2024

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Game Awards delivered jaw-dropping moments:

• Game of the Year: Astro Bot
• Insane Reveals:
  • Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Ōkami 2, and Onimusha: The Way of The Sword. Millennials can return to the last save before they had lost all their serotonin.
  • Naughty Dog’s all new sci-fi IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, promises music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Gamers, we’re in our Nine Inch Nails era again!
• Musical Performances:
  • Snoop Dogg, d4vd, Royal and the Serpent, Twenty One Pilots, AND the Game Awards Orchestra? It’s giving Coachella, Geoff Keighley.
• The Witcher IV: The trailer teased “unannounced NVIDIA RTX GPUs,” leaving gamers hyped and PC rigs shaking in fear. Better start saving now. 2025’s graphics are coming for your electricity bill.

Anticipating 2025: What’s Next

2025 is already shaping up to be monumental:

• Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Elden Ring Nightreign, & Dying Light: The Beast: Pain returns. We welcome it with open arms and carpal tunnel wrist braces.
• Indie Hits on the Horizon: Titles like Split Fiction (from the rad studio behind It Takes Two) and Slay the Spire 2 are poised for breakout success. 
• Coming to PC: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and The Last of Us 2. Modders, get ready.
• Tech Leap: Between the Witcher IV trailer and rumours, NVIDIA’s next-gen RTX cards are coming. Stay tuned for our coverage on CES 2025! Let’s hope your GPUs survive the “RTX On” button long enough to tell the tale.

2024 tested us, rewarded us, and occasionally trolled us. It was a year that tested the industry’s mettle and left us with moments we’ll be talking about for years. And if The Game Awards’ reveals are anything to go by? 2025 is about to hit even harder. 

Gaming’s golden age isn’t slowing down for anyone.

– Ameera Rahaman, Content Manager