My standard coverage of recent games showcases has consisted of TOP FIVE lists. Last night’s The Game Awards had so many new game announcements (over forty total) that I decided to go with a TOP TEN list — it also happens to be the tenth anniversary of the show, so why not.

Geoff Keighley continues to level up The Game Awards each year with bigger celebrity guests, stunning musical performances , and more world premieres. After last year’s complaints of not mentioning all of the layoffs and studio shutdowns in the industry, it was nice to see Amir Satvat (a true gaming industry hero) be presented with this brand new award — the Game Changers Award. Amir has been like a gaming job Santa Claus, helping unemployed developers find new opportunities for nothing in return. What a great dude!

Although we’re mostly here to see world premiers and updates on our most anticipated games, this is still an awards show. Something remarkable happened this year — for me. Something that hasn’t happened in a couple of years of The Game Awards. I actually played through this year’s Game of the Year — Astro Bot. In the past couple of years, I hadn’t played the GotY winners — in fact, I may have missed all or most of the nominees.

Astro Bot won big at this year’s The Game Awards. Team Asobi took home a couple of awards other than the most coveted Game of the Year. Also, almost all of the nominees for Game of the Year took home at least one statue. It would be strange for a Game of the Year nominee to lose in a different category to a non-Game of the Year nominee, right?

Anyway, the show was great but let’s get to my top ten announcements.

10 | Turok: Origins

I grew up playing the 1997 Turok: Dinosaur Hunter on the Nintendo 64. For some reason this game and the name “TUROK: DINOSAUR HUNTER” have always stuck with me. I think back on the silly secrets, like DISCO MODE. Anytime I see dinosaurs and guns in a game I think, has Turok finally returned? It happened when Capcom announced Exoprimal last year.

Now, after all these years we are finally getting a brand new Turok game — Turok: Origins. Back in 1997, hunting dinosaurs with future weapons sounded like a cool idea, but the execution was just fine. With where video games are today, I think this is the perfect time to reintroduce gamers to Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.

9 | Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Ninja Gaiden is also coming back with a brand new game from the creators of Blasphemous. I really enjoyed the look and gameplay of Blasphemous II, the story just didn’t quite grab my attention. I’m still excited to see what they can do with this established franchise.

It’s always nice when a smaller developer gets the chance to create something of their own inside of an already established world. I loved Crypt of the NecroDancer and seeing them get to create a new game in the world of Zelda, Cadence of Hyrule, was very exciting. 

League of Legends creator Riot Games has been doing the same with Riot Forge Games. They lend out parts of their bigger game to indie studios which have created games like Hextech Mayhem, Song of Nunu, Ruined King and others. This is always a good way to gain new fans for your franchise.

8 | Borderlands 4

Every Borderlands game has the same problem for me — I like the shooting, but there’s way too much looting. There are so many weapons and items that inventory management is always what takes me out of these games.

I will admit that I told myself I wasn’t going to pick up Borderlands 3 when it came out. On the day it was released I picked up the Super Deluxe Edition. I’m a fan of the gameplay, the cel-shaded art style, and so many things. It’s the small details that make me want to quit these games. All of the looting and finding mediocre weapons.

Still, this first trailer was pretty neat, so I will keep an eye on this next entry into the series.

7 | Okami Sequel

I have yet to play Okami, it’s a twenty year old game. Ever since Okami HD was released on the Nintendo Switch I have thought about picking it up, but I have still yet to do that.

The way this game was revealed, with the full orchestra and that one dude on the giant drum, I am sold. I will most likely pick up Okami HD at some point. I know this is one of those big games that I just happened to miss out on.

6 | Rematch

There’s been a lot of speculation as to where developer Sloclap would go next after 2021’s hit, Sifu. Many were hoping for a John Wick game or some new martial arts adventure. An online soccer/futbol game is not where I saw Sloclap going next.

Rematch looks like a mix of EA Sports FC (formerly known as FIFA) and FIFA Street from back in the day — a mish-mash of arcade and sports sim games. There’s also a bit of Rocket League in there. This answers the question of, What if Rocket League was soccer with people instead of cars? Even though Rocket League already answers the question of, What if soccer but with cars instead of people?

The way Sloclap handled martial arts in Sifu has built a believer out of me. Do I need a new soccer or sports game in my life? Probably not, but if it has the DNA of Sifu then I am down to check it out.

5 | Mafia: The Old Country

I have always been curious about the Mafia games, but I have never given them a chance. They remind me of the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead games, but set in a very different world.

I grew up watching all of the Mafia-inspired films (real life mafia, not movies inspired by these video games) — The Godfather Trilogy, Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco, The Untouchables, and so many more. Maybe it’s my Italian heritage — although I was adopted by Cubans.

I don’t know if I’ll finally take a plunge into the previous Mafia games, but taking it back to “The Old Country” is what makes this new entry stand out to me. My favorite mafia stories are the ones that take place back in time.

4 | The Witcher 4

I have always wanted to return to The Witcher 3, which is the only game from The Witcher series I have played — other than some Gwent recently. I watched some of the Netflix series and enjoyed it. I even read the first book and thought it was fantastic.

Geralt of Rivia is an interesting character, but I’m so hyped to play as Ciri. She was a great character in The Witcher 3, but seeing her pop up in the Netflix series made me more obsessed with her. Now she’s all grown up and the new Witcher in town. I can’t wait.

This did not feel like a game trailer, but instead like a short film. The visuals were so crisp.

3 | Split Fiction

This was my most anticipated announcement of the evening. It would be number one, but it had already been known that Josef Fares and Hazelight Studios would be announcing their brand new co-op game coming next year.

It Takes Two was such a big game for me, because it opened up new possibilities of games to play with my girlfriend. We even went back and played Josef’s two previous games, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out. Both games were much darker than It Takes Two. She’s still mad about the way A Way Out ended.

Still, it’s thanks to It Takes Two that we have played co-op action adventure games, dungeon crawlers, fighting games, and so many more genres as a couple. The one part that scares me is the pig-to-sausage level that Josef quickly skipped over. I might have to find someone online to help me complete that one, but I look forward to the release of this game.

Thank you Josef, for releasing your last two big co-op games right around my birthday!

2 | Stage Fright

Another co-op game we’ve been hoping for is Overcooked 3 or some new form of a new Overcooked from Ghost Town Games. Stage Fright looks similar to Hazelight’s Split Fiction as a co-op adventure game, which makes it like a bonus co-op game announcement. If we get to play both these games in 2025 I will be a happy camper.

Overcooked is the G.O.A.T. of co-op for us. Every time a new couch co-op comes around I am secretly comparing it to Overcooked. This was also a super fun trailer, and the way it jumped off the screen and Geoff even got involved made it extra special. Stage Fright looks like the chaotic couch co-op game we’ve been waiting for, and since it follows more of a storyline with these main characters I’m a little more excited than I would be for an Overcooked 3 — but still, please work on Overcooked 3.

Maybe next year we’ll see an award for Best Couch Co-op?

1 | Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

Naughty Dog is one AAA game studio that has my complete trust. If they were making more The Last of Us or more Uncharted, I’d be happy to explore those worlds some more. I’d even be happy with more Crash Bandicoot or Jak and Daxter.

What’s great about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is that it takes place in a completely different world — outer space. Their last two big franchises, Uncharted and The Last of Us, are very different, but are both set on Earth with humans — one features paranormal elements and the other has zombie-type creatures. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will take us to new “uncharted” frontiers.

I’m pretty sure Kumail Nanjiani was the bounty in the trailer, Colin Graves. I love Kumail and it would be great to see him in a game as a big gamer (see podcast The Indoor Kids). Product placement in games is always a bit strange to me, but the way it’s done with a Porsche spacecraft and future Adidas is kind of silly and fun.

Due to my love for Uncharted and The Last of Us and Naughty Dog as storytellers, I am already excited about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Will this be a one-off or will it become the next great Naughty Dog franchise?

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Honorable Mention (and games to keep an eye on)

Even with these ten games there are still thirty others that I did not talk about. I just want to mention a few that I will continue to monitor.

Dispatch | Looks very much like an animated series with the DNA of a Telltale game. Also, Laura Bailey and Aaron Paul, plus many more.

Den of Wolves | I’ve never played a Pay Day game or GTFO, but have been into the idea of them. If only they were local co-op.

Slay the Spire 2 | I’ve played a few hours of the original Slay the Spire, so why not more. From the trailer it looks like more Slay the Spire.

Thick as Thieves | Beautiful trailer. Nice world and visuals.

“Untitled Project” | If we knew the name I would think it was coming out soon. No name means probably won’t see this one for a while. Really neat trailer though.

Project Century | I love the idea of a Yakuza or Like a Dragon-style game set in 1915 Japan. There’s also the juxtaposition of the old-timey jazz music, mixed with lots of blood and violence.

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Yesterday’s Ten Year Anniversary of The Game Awards really did a great job of showcasing the best games of 2024 and showing off some upcoming games (mostly in 2025). We didn’t see any real shadow drops other than some DLC or content. We usually see a few game trailers featuring, “and you can play it right now!”

Today, I’m struggling with the classic showcase hangover. You see all of these upcoming exciting games and think, Well, what the hell am I supposed to play now? The answer is, I still have a huge backlog of games to get through.

Team Asobi also announced a new Astro Bot level magically showed up yesterday in the game. So, I guess I will get into that tonight and then plan for my future of gaming. Speaking of Team Asobi, I loved Astro Bot so much, but I would also love to see them pull a complete U-turn for their next game. I hope they pull a Sloclap (from Sifu to soccer) kind of move.

Tell us your top announcements from last night’s The Game Awards in the comments…