It’s been a very good year for free to play gaming. We’ve had fantastic new releases like The First Descendant, The Finals, Once Human, and, perhaps most notably, Throne and Liberty. That’s without mentioning early access classics like Brighter Shores. Heck, we’ve still got Delta Force and Path of Exile 2 still to come.
So we don’t envy The Game Awards having to put together a list of best games across the entire year. 2024 has been great for gaming in general, across all genres and platforms. However, the team has only gone and done it, and a number of free to play games have made the cut.
Let’s take a closer look at the nominees and why they thoroughly deserve their places on the list.

Destiny 2 – Best Ongoing Game
Bungie, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Regardless of how you feel about Destiny 2 at this point, there’s no denying the impressive feat Bungie has pulled off. We’ve had nearly eight years of storytelling out of this classic – 10 if you count the original too, which we totally do.
Not only that, but the gameplay has been expanded considerably, with new gameplay modes across all areas of the game. Gambit, to name just one example, gave us a taste of what PvPvE would look like in Destiny.
Destiny 2 went free to play in 2019, just two years after release, and has continued to receive expansions on a yearly basis since. It’s fitting, then, that it’s nominated for Best Ongoing Game.

Final Fantasy XIV – Best Ongoing Game, Best Community Support
Square Enix
FFXIV is so good that it’s nominated for not one, but two awards. It frequently appears in best MMORPG lists from the media and communities alike for good reason.
It’s also a heck of a comeback story. FFXIV originally launched in 2010, lasting a mere two years before Square Enix pulled the plug. It then relaunched a year later as ‘A Realm Reborn’, and the rest is history.
Since then, FFXIV has grown from strength-to-strength off the back of some incredible expansions. In terms of plot, you’re not going to find a better MMO, and it’s fitting that an entry set in the Final Fantasy universe wears that crown.
Best Ongoing Game speaks for itself, but it thoroughly deserves Best Community Support given the sheer number of events Square Enix hosts.

Fortnite – Best Ongoing Game, Best Community Support
Epic Games
To be quite frank, Fortnite is going to be pretty tough to beat in both of those categories. We’re not even sure it’s fair to refer to Fortnite as a game at this point. It’s more of a platform housing a bunch of different games, including Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival.
It’s even pushing into Roblox territory with its increasing list of games creation options.
No game quite features the level of cultural cache as Fortnite. The number of content creators dedicated to leaks attests to this: the community is so thoroughly engaged with what Epic is doing, and continues to do.
We’re heading towards a very exciting end to the year for Fortnite too, thanks to the addition of Chapter 6 and Fortnite OG. Watch this space.

AFK Journey – Best Mobile Game
Farlight, Lilith Games
AFK Arena briefly dominated the gacha gaming scene in the early 2020s, thanks to its series of fair monetisation mechanics that allowed anyone to compete without splashing the cash. It introduced an ability to have a set number of heroes attain the same power of your core team without the grind, which was unprecedented at the time.
But then Genshin Impact arrived and, well, it’s very difficult to compete with that. Lilith Games didn’t give up though, returning a few years later with a gacha that combines the fair monetisation of AFK Arena with the stunning 3D visuals of Genshin.
It’s not a direct copycat though, as AFK Journey maintains the ‘AFK’ nature of the experience. Unlike Genshin, you don’t have to stare at your phone for hours per day to stay on top of the content drops. But don’t mistake that for a lack of depth, as AFK Journey packs a heck of a challenge.
It’s a worth candidate for best mobile game, but it’s up against some stiff competition.

Pokémon Trading Card Game – Best Mobile Game
The Pokémon Company
This was a nailed on entry pretty much from the moment it was announced. Come on – it’s the TCG we all grew up with, but availably digitally on your phone. That means you can continue your card collection without the embarrassing evidence of a foil packet lying around your house.
That’s all there is to this one, really, but that’s all we needed. If you wished, like with Magic: The Gathering, you could play it digitally instead of physically, you’re onto a winner here.

Wuthering Waves – Best Mobile Game
Kuro Games
Wuthering Waves is the only game not developed by HoYoverse to come close to taking Genshin Impact’s crown. That’s an impressive feat for anyone, but even more so when you consider it’s from a relative newcomer.
So far, Wuthering Waves matches Genshin on the visuals and gameplay front, but what remains to be seen is whether Kuro can maintain the frequency of content drops. It’s not easy being Genshin!
Best of luck to Kuro Games and Wuthering Waves.

Zenless Zone Zero – Best Mobile Game
HoYoverse
Remember when we said that only HoYoverse games have come close to beating Genshin Impact? Well, Zenless Zone Zero is one of them, and it launched earlier this year.
It doesn’t seem to have the same hold as Genshin or Honkai Star Rail has on the community, but it’s early days. At the very least, it does cater to a different audience with a greater focus on skill-based combat.
It’s a tough year in this category, but Zenless is in with a shot.

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising – Best Fighting Game
Arc System Works, Cygames
What a year for Granblue! Not only did the series get its first single player RPG entry, Granblue Fantasy Relink, but we also got the excllent fighting game Versus: Rising.
If there was a ‘Best Fighting Game Visuals’ category, Versus: Rising would safely win it. It’s an utterly astounding combination of 2D and 3D, and may be the closest video game to looking like an anime movie come to life.
There’s plenty here for non-fighters too, as you can kick back in the lobby and participate in a bunch of different minigames. The best compliment we can give it is that it reminds us of Fall Guys.

MultiVersus – Best Fighting Game
Player First Games, Warner Bros. Games
MultiVersus is the closest you can get to true Smash Bros. on a non-Nintendo platform. The gameplay sure packs a punch, and flinging your opponent out of the arena feels just as satisfying.
Visually, it’s a bit of a treat too. It manages to run on pretty much anything while still looking like a game you’d want to play in 2024, and that’s thanks to its nifty cartoon visual style.
The best part? It combines characters from a ton of different franchises, including Batman, Looney Tunes, Game of Thrones, and Adventure Time.
We’re particularly impressed with MultiVersus getting a nomination this year, given that it was effectively pulled from release last year. It’s another example of an impressive comeback.

Counter-Strike 2 – Best Esports Game
Valve
Kicking things off in the esports category is Counter-Strike 2, a game that sits perpetually at the top of the Steam charts. Good luck to the other competitors!
CS2 thoroughly deserves its success though. It’s the culmination of 24 years worth of dominance in the esports shooting scene.
Did we just make you feel old? Sorry about that.
Pretty much every single esports shooter has drawn inspiration from at least one iteration of CS at this point, be it the OG, Source, or GO.
Its pinpoint accurate shooting, best-in-class map design, and perfectly-balanced weaponry is the reason it succeeds.

Dota 2 – Best Esports Game
Valve
Dota 2 and League of Legends have battled to be top dog in the MOBA space for over a decade now, and neither show any signs of slowing down. Dota 2 features a slightly more realistic visual style, but, other than that, it’s quite difficult to tell them apart.
It’s arguably a more fair experience than League though, as all heroes are free from the moment you download the game. You can purchase cosmetics, but nothing that has any effect on gameplay.

League of Legends – Best Esports Game
Riot Games
Of course League of Legends is on this list too. It wouldn’t be a list of best esports games without it.
League launched as a standalone competitor to the original Dota, which started life as a Warcraft III map. Dota might have kicked off the MOBA genre, but League of Legends arguably perfected it.
With a visual style that still stands up today and an unparalleled roster of heroes, it’s a difficult game to beat.

Mobile Legends – Best Esports Game
Moonton
League of Legends taking its sweet time to arrive on mobile with Wild Rift gave Moonton the perfect platform to launch Mobile Legends. It’s mobile League of Legends in almost all but name, with a similarly colourful theme and diverse range of heroes.
The only real downside with Mobile Legends is that it has the ever so slight whiff of pay to win about it. Heroes aren’t free, and require a fair bit of grind to unlock. You can also pay to boost their stats, though you can also achieve this through grinding.
It’s undoubtedly the least balanced experience of the three, but if you’re competing at the very top, you likely have fully maxed heroes anyway.

Valorant – Best Esports Game
Riot Games
Riot followed up its success with League of Legends by introducing a shooter variant of it. It combines the precision-focused gunplay of CS2 with the hero system of League to provide a game that can only be compared to Overwatch 2.
Valorant is a very different game though. Overwatch favours precision, for sure, but Valorant requires it.