Key Takeaways

• The list of upcoming PC games showcases a wide range of genres and styles, from RPGs to looter-shooters, providing something for everyone in the PC gaming community.
• Games like Ark 2 and State of Decay 3 offer fresh takes on survival gameplay,
• Meanwhile, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2's journey through delays due to the conflict in Ukraine shows the dedication behind these highly anticipated titles.

The PC is a platform with unlimited possibilities, offering games in every genre imaginable. We get almost all the best console games (except for Nintendo titles), plus games that the PS5 and Xbox Series X could only dream of running. New games are released on storefronts every day, such as Steam, Epic, GOG, and smaller platforms. However, there are always a few big titles that excite the PC community more than any other.

With 2024 shaping up to be another stellar year for releases, and many more games further into the future, I wanted to highlight the ones that might inspire you to upgrade your PC to play them.

1 Ark 2

Survival of the fittest

The original ARK put a great twist on the survival genre by adding tons of dinosaurs you could fight and tame. The world went beyond just survival, though, and built a deep lore through its many expansions leading to ARK 2. This sequel will take that same base idea of surving in a strange world filled with dinos, but have a deeper and more engrossing story involving Vin Diesel for some reason.

2 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl

Go back to the zone

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R games have always been very hardcore, and the sequel doesn't look like it will be pulling any punches either. This title suffered terrible delays as the developer, GSC Game World, is located in Ukraine and had to pause work on their game to fight the ongoing conflict. Despite all these forces working against it, the game is now set to arrive this year and I couldn't be more excited to support the team for all they have been through.

3 State of Decay 3

Zombieland

The first two State of Decay titles had some jank to them but were very ambitious zombie games that stood out from the crowd. We don't know much about the third game as of now, but the support the first two have gotten is enough for me to feel confident at least recommending you keep it on your radar.

4 The First Descendant

A lootin' and shootin' good time

Take the best parts of Destiny 2 and Warframe and you have an idea of what The First Descendant is at least attempting to be. It will launch completely free, so we will say to watch out for what microtransactions are put in, but will no doubt be worth a shot for any looter shooter fans out there looking for a new world to dive into with some friends.

5 Warhammer 40,000: SPACE MARINE 2

For the Emperor!

This is another long-awaited sequel that looks like it will be one of the easiest entry points into the Warhammer 40K universe. This is a boots-on-the-ground third-person shooter with heavy weapons, bloody combat, and overwhelming numbers of enemies on screen at all times. You won't have to face the Tyranid hoards alone, either, since the game supports co-op with up to three friends.

6 Perfect Dark

A Rare reboot

Some say Golden Eye was the best N64 shooter, but the true best FPS on the system was Perfect Dark. You play as an agent of the Carrington Institute investigating an alien conspiracy being carried out by a rival corporation. This new version will be a reboot, but details of what will be changed or kept the same are still scarce. It appears the game will have a greater focus on ecological issues, but if it is half as interesting as the original then it will be well worth the wait.

7 The Outer Worlds 2

You've tried the best. Now try the rest.

The Outer Worlds was the sci-fi-flavored spiritual successor to Fallout I had always dreamed of. It was a deep RPG, had amazing characters, divergent quests that reacted to your choices, and hilarious moments around every corner. The teaser promises the same but more, which is all I needed to hear to get excited.

8 Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

An unreal showcase

This one is right around the corner, but I'm confident it will blow my socks off with surprises. I don't want to undersell just how amazing the game looks graphically, but it's the story of Senua that has me invested. The way the first game handled mental illness was a breath of fresh air, and the sequel seems like it will only push deeper into those uncomfortable topics.

9 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

The night is nearly upon us

Nothing makes me feel my age more than realizing it's been about 20 years since the first Bloodlines game, but at least with the sequel on the way I can pretend to be an immortal vampire. You will be free to choose what vampire clan you are part of, each with their own traits and standings among the rest, while finding ways to feed on humans without revealing yourself to the modern world. It is something of an immersive sim, which we get far too few of in my opinion.

10 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Back to the beach

Hideo Kojima could announce a new pen that can't hold ink and I'd be there to buy it on day one. I was initially somewhat disappointed to hear he was working on a sequel already since it would take away some of the mystery of what the game would even be we had with Death Stranding, but each trailer shown so far has only convinced me that I actually have no idea what's in store. Kojima is the kind of director where you are either all-in on anything he does or have already bounced off and have no interest.

11 The Elder Scrolls VI

Back to Tamriel

There's only one problem I see happening with Elder Scrolls VI, and that's expectations. Skyrim has soared to a legendary status in gamers' minds, and Starfield was decent but not anywhere close to that level. By the time we get Elder Scrolls VI, it will be 15 or more years since Skyrim which is a lot of time for expectations to grow. I hope Bethesda can deliver, but let's wait and see what the game really is before going crazy with hopes and dreams.

12 Crysis 4

Will you be able to run it?

Will your PC be able to run Crysis 4 when it launches? Who knows, because the game is so early on we don't even know when it will release, but how could the PC crowd not have at least some level of nostalgia for one of the first shooters that made console gamers take notice of what PCs could do? The later games were more hardware-friendly, and we suspect this fourth game will be as well, but Crytek does love to push the envelope in terms of visuals. It might just be a generic FPS under all that shine and polish, but I'm here to see what this game cooks up.

13 Clockwork Revolution

Steam Shock

First we had System Shock, then the Bioshock series, and while Ken Levine is working on his new Judas project, inXile is taking a stab at the first-person immersive sim with Clockwork Revolution. What has me the most excited is the world on display, featuring crude automatons and steampunk technologies that give the world a strange feel of both retro and modern vibes. What is most ambitious about the game is its focus on time travel, which is tricky to pull off at the best of times, let alone in a video game. If it manages to pull it off, this could be another classic game in the making.