As the end of 2024 approaches,Steamis celebrating another successful year with the “Best of Steam” list for the year, showing the platform’s most popular and profitable games - and while many of the usual suspects are present, the list also contains some surprising entries.
As has been a yearly tradition since 2017,Steam has released itsBest Of 2024list, showing off 2024’s top-performing releases across multiple categories - Top Sellers, New Releases, Most Played, Steam Deck, Controller, and VR. Games in each category are arranged across several tiers, from Platinum at the top to Bronze at the bottom, and ordered randomly within each tier. Of the included games, there are, as expected, several ongoing live-service games, likeCounter-Strike 2,Dota 2,Destiny 2, andHelldivers2, butthe list also displays a surprising amount of variety, even at the highest ranks.
The Highlights From Steam’s Best Of 2024
Some Unexpected Games Have Strong Showings On Steam’s Best Of 2024
Along with live-service titles, which, by their nature, players might reasonably expect to dominate in terms of profit and player population,non-live-service games have also made a notably strong showing, withBlack Myth: Wukong,Elden Ring, andBaldur’s Gate 3all reaching high placements in the Top Sellers, New Releases, and Most Played categories. These three titles are also joined by several other, slightly less successful games, likeDragon’s Dogma II,Stardew Valley, andManor Lords.
Steam Concurrent Player Counts Skyrocket Into Record-Breaking Numbers, & These Three Games Could Be To Thank
The concurrent player number on Steam reached a record-breaking 39 million largely thanks to the huge release of Marvel Rivals and Path of Exiles.
Equally notable are games that have reached high spots on the list despite being released only towards the end of the year.Marvel RivalsandPath of Exile II, for example, were both released on December 6, but despite having been available for less than a month, have reached the Platinum and Gold tiers for New Releases, respectively. Special mention should also go toMonster Hunter Wilds, which is Bronze in the Top Sellers category, and the only game on the list to not be currently playable in one form or another, having made the list solely from preorders.
Steam’s Best Of 2024 Has Games From (Almost) Every Genre
Even Relatively Niche Genres Have Made Appearances On Steam’s Best Of 2024
Notably,there’s also a variety of genres represented in Steam’s Best of 2024, with even some relatively niche genres appearing. For fighting games,Street Fighter 6is a Bronze Top Seller, andTekken 8 isSilver and Gold for Top Sellers and New Releases, respectively. The previously mentionedManor Lordsis an RTS game, a genre that is also represented bySins of a Solar Empire II. While not as niche, turn-based RPGs are also very well represented, withMetaphor ReFantazio,Dragon Quest III,Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealthand, of course,Baldur’s Gate 3all making it onto the list.
Cyberpunk 2077 Has Been Dethroned As Steam’s Most-Played Single-Player Game
After holding onto its record for nearly four years, CDPR’s Cyberpunk 2077 has been toppled as the most-played single-player game on Steam.
It’s important to note that a game’s gross profits and popularity aren’t the only way to gauge its worth - my two personal favorite games of 2024, for example, areNine SolsandTactical Breach Wizards, neither of which are present on the list at all. WhatSteam’s Best of 2024 list does show, though, is that there’s still value in a variety of game genres and models and that while some types of game are more represented than others, more niche titles can still find success.
Steam
Developed by Valve and released in 2003, Steam is a popular video game distribution service originally used by the company to provide updates for Valve games. In 2005, Steam expanded to distribute third-party titles. Steam users can not only browse games for purchase, but they can also post reviews and upload self-made content.
