Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is Eurogamer's Game of 2024

It’s rare that a game released in the last gasp of December manages to not just make a lasting impression on almost a dozen-odd members of staff, but a big enough one to almost instantly supplant the last dozen months’ worth of equally excellent video games they’ve all been playing. But that’s precisely what Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has done to the Eurogamer team over these last few weeks, stealing in with hushed footsteps to lift this year’s most coveted prize before any of us really knew it was happening.

It’s a testament to the strength of what MachineGames has managed to achieve here with its globetrotting romp about a mysterious and ancient legend circling the planet, as well as its deep commitment to letting players create their own improvised fun within it. It’s also a lesson in how we as critics should always encompass the full scope of what any given year has to offer us, as to ignore such a brilliant, shining gem of a game just because it falls at an awkward time of year is simply a disservice to you, our readers.

This spirit of play and unbridled adventure is also what defines Eurogamer’s second game of 2024, Team Asobi’s joyous Astro Bot. It was quite a close-run race between these two games this year, and both stood head and shoulders above almost everything else when it came down to the final vote.

In some respects, these two games sit at almost opposite ends of the spectrum – one is a PlayStation family mascot platformer that rattles through 30 years of gaming history with delightful exuberance, while the other is a boisterous Xbox blockbuster that meshes breezy and spontaneous stealth systems with whip smart puzzles and brawny melee action. But I think they both speak to the same, underlying yearning we all feel – that we’re tired of being spoon-fed the same bland AAA fare year after year, and that what we really want is to poke, twist, prod and really get beneath the skin of what makes these games tick. We want to be challenged, to engage with what’s in front of us, and we want to feel thrilled and elated by it all as well.