Fantastic games lie at the core of our goal to share the joy and camaraderie of gaming with everyone. Today, almost any screen has the potential to host an Xbox, illuminating it with a fantastic array of games born from the creativity of skilled developers worldwide. These teams craft gaming experiences that etch unforgettable memories, captivating and stirring players of all ages. To express our gratitude to these visionaries and spotlight the beloved games of 2024, we’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 Xbox Excellence Awards.
Every year, more than a thousand games debut on Xbox consoles, PC, and the cloud. The Excellence Awards celebrate how you, as players, have interacted with Xbox over the past year. We’ve honed in on four categories that reflect players’ enthusiasm and love for their chosen games. These categories are:
Store Rating: Showcasing the highest-rated releases of 2024, with each game needing at least 500 ratings to qualify.
Player Engagement: Honoring games that have captured players’ time, tracking the highest average hours played within the initial six weeks following their launch.
Daily Active Users: Recognizing games, expansions, or major updates that attracted the most single-day active users in 2024. Some titles not released this year made the cut due to significant updates.
Units Sold: Highlighting the best-selling games across Xbox and Microsoft stores.
The resultant list showcases a diverse mix of titles developed by teams ranging from small groups to extensive squads, spread across 15 countries globally. Here are the nominees, organized alphabetically, by category:
| Store Rating | Player Engagement | Daily Active Users | Units Sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balatro | Dragon Age: The Veilguard | Apex Legends | 7 Days to Die |
| Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | Dragon’s Dogma 2 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora |
| Botany Manor | EA Sports College Football 25 | Dead Island 2 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 |
| Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | EA Sports FC 25 | Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred | Dragon Age: The Veilguard |
| Little Kitty, Big City | F1 Manager 2024 | Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero | EA Sports College Football 25 |
| Lollipop Chainsaw RePop | Farming Simulator 25 | EA Sports FC 25 | Dragon’s Dogma 2 |
| Metaphor: ReFantazio | Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree | EA Sports College Football 25 | Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail |
| Nobody Wants to Die | Fallout 4 | EA Sports FC 25 | House Flipper 2 |
| Persona 3 Reload | Fortnite | Farming Simulator 25 | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth |
| Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1, 2, 3 | Forza Horizon 5 | Grand Theft Auto Online | MLB The Show 24 |
| Return to Grace | Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | Marvel Rivals | NBA 2K25 |
| Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II | New World: Aeternum | NBA 2K25 | NHL 25 |
| Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance | NHL 25 | Minecraft | Path of Exile 2 |
| Sonic x Shadow Generations | MLB The Show 24 | Palworld | Phasmophobia |
| Still Wakes the Deep | Palworld | Skull and Bones | Roblox |
| Star Wars Outlaws | Rocket League | The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria | Star Wars Outlaws |
| Unicorn Overlord | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 | Rune Factory 5 | The Outlast Trials |
| Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege | WWE 2K24 | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 | WWE 2K24 |
Soon, developers and publishers will receive their well-deserved trophies, so keep an eye out for their joyous celebrations!
If you’re considering diving into the gaming world that turned these titles into fan favorites, explore the Xbox Excellence Award winners for 2024 available on the Xbox Store.
