AS A new year begins, I am looking ahead to the biggest games of 2024. At the top of my list is , an open-world role-playing game (RPG) set in the famous galaxy far, far away. Trailers released so far suggest you will play as Kay Vess, a Han Solo-like pirate trying to get ahead while dodging both the Galactic Empire and the criminal underworld.
I am hoping that this will be everything 2023鈥檚 Starfield wasn鈥檛, with a focus on a few planets rather than an algorithmically generated sprawl. There are some big boots to fill 鈥� the classic RPG , released in 2003, still triggers fond memories. With a remaster of Star Wars: Dark Forces, a 1995 shooter, also set for release in 2024, everything is looking good for fans of George Lucas鈥檚 universe.
Speaking of nostalgia, while my days of painting plastic miniatures are definitively over, I am really looking forward to . If you aren鈥檛 familiar with the 40k universe, as it is known to aficionados, imagine a vision of the future where the Pope is a cyborg and everything looks like it has crawled off the cover of a 1980s heavy metal album. This game is a sequel to the 2011 shoot/hack-em-up, and I can鈥檛 wait to mow down hordes of aliens.
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For something a bit more cerebral, I have my eye on , a horror game set in the 1970s aboard a decrepit oil rig off the coast of Scotland. In the trailers, the sea comes across as a roiling, consuming threat, and I am intrigued to learn what the drilling has unearthed鈥� you know it can鈥檛 be good.
In a complete tonal shift, I would also like to know more about , which explodes with comic-book colour in what I have seen so far. You play as Pax, who is travelling across a strange-looking alternate version of the US with what appears to be a punk band in a tour bus driven by robots.
One game I am extremely surprised to put on this list is , the sequel to a charmingly satirical physics puzzle game in which you build bridges and other structures out of, well, goo. The original was released in 2008 and there had been no sign that another one would ever come out.
Elsewhere, is probably going to be a hard sell if you aren鈥檛 already into video games, since it is the second game in a planned trilogy remake of 1997鈥檚 acclaimed Final Fantasy VII (although, you don鈥檛 need to have played the preceding six).
Final Fantasy VII Remake was seriously impressive, and I am expecting Rebirth will be one of this year鈥檚 bigger games. And yes, despite the fantasy name, it does belong in New Scientist, because it is all about a group of self-proclaimed eco-terrorists trying to prevent an evil corporation from over-exploiting the planet鈥檚 natural resources. OK, fine, there is also magic鈥�
Finally, there is a game with the dubious honour of appearing for the third time in a row on my preview list. To be fair, the Ukrainian developers of , a sci-fi survival game set in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, have a good excuse for pushing back a planned 2022 launch since their country was invaded by Russia.
The game is now slated for some time in 2024, but I wouldn鈥檛 be surprised if we are still waiting this time next year.
Jacob Aron is New Scientist鈥檚 news editor. Follow him on Twitter @jjaron
Massive Entertainment
PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Saber Interactive
PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
The Chinese Room
PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Red Thread Games
PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S
2D Boy in collaboration with Tomorrow Corporation
Platforms to be announced
Square Enix
PlayStation 5
GSC Game World
PC, Xbox Series X/S
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