Best Adventure Games of 2024

What is an adventure title? Well, it's one that rather than focusing on the action experience, seeks to give players a thrilling time largely using the environment around them and the tools their character has. This can involve action, but instead of action being the solution to every problem, here we're getting a bit creative. Is this a definition I've pulled out of my head on a Monday morning? Yes, but let's ignore that as we dive into the list.

5. Outcast: A New Beginning

Twenty-five years after Cutter Slade graced our screens, we're back with an open-world adventure that feels equal parts time capsule and modern title. Exploring the world of Adelpha was a real treat, with plenty of unique flair in the world and abilities that made Outcast: A New Beginning a seriously fun and underrated entry this year. If you missed this one and want a sci-fi Just Cause experience, you'll want to give it a go.

4. Rise of the Ronin

Okay, this might fall more into the action/adventure category, but I really am struggling to find a place to talk about this game. Swept under the rug by Dragon's Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin is essentially a very strong Assassin's Creed Shadows experience, released a year before Ubisoft got their mitts on Feudal Japan. It's set in a different era, but exploring the regions of Team Ninja's first foray into the open-world space showed plenty of promise, mixed in with some great combat, too.

3. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

A latecomer to the party but a seriously welcome one. There might not be a game that more purely encompasses the idea of adventure than Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in 2024. Whip-cracking, fedora-wearing fun is to be found all over, and Machine Games can safely be proud of the work it has done bringing the beloved character of Indy to our gaming screens.

2. Astro Bot

Here he is, the little bot that could. While Astro Bot has and will continue to feature on a lot of our Game of the Year coverage, sometimes there is simply a game that stands out that much. Astro Bot might be more of a 3D platformer to you, but in many ways it perfectly encapsulates the idea of adventure. Running around the different worlds, saving bots, it's the type of adventure you remember most in your childhood gaming experience.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Speaking of childhood memories, there are few franchises that will take you right back to nostalgic days like Zelda. And, to cap off our list of 2024's best adventure games, we have The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Toning down the epic scale from Tears of the Kingdom, Echoes of Wisdom still packs a lovely adventure with charming visuals and gameplay into a title we didn't think we'd get so late in the Switch's life cycle.