At the core of our mission is the belief that amazing games are essential to spreading the joy and community that gaming brings to people everywhere. Thanks to technological advancements, more screens than ever can function as an Xbox. These screens are illuminated by an impressive array of games, each one brought to life by skilled developers from all around the globe. These creative teams are responsible for crafting unforgettable gaming experiences that capture the imaginations of players of all ages. To show appreciation for these talented creators and to highlight the games that captured players’ hearts in 2024, we’re excited to reveal the winners of the 2024 Xbox Excellence Awards.
Every year, over a thousand games make their debut on Xbox consoles, PC, and the cloud. You might think choosing winners is just about convening a panel for decision-making, but the Excellence Awards are a true reflection of how you’ve engaged with Xbox over the past year. We focused on four key categories that reveal players’ enthusiasm, involvement, and love for these games. These categories are:
Store Rating: The highest-rated content released in 2024, determined by a minimum of 500 ratings.
Player Engagement: Games that achieved the highest average playtime per player during the first six weeks post-launch.
Daily Active Users: Games, expansions, or major updates that saw the most active users on a single day in 2024. Some games on this list might not have been released this year but received significant updates.
Units Sold: Top-selling content across Xbox and Microsoft stores.
The result is a diverse collection of outstanding titles, created by teams ranging from a few dozen developers to thousands, spread across 15 countries worldwide. You’ll find the games that excelled in each category, presented alphabetically, below.
| 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 | EA Sports College Football 25 | Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero |
| Lollipop Chainsaw RePop | Farming Simulator 25 | Dragon’s Dogma 2 | EA Sports FC 25 |
| Metaphor: ReFantazio | Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail | Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree | EA Sports College Football 25 |
| Nobody Wants to Die | House Flipper 2 | Fallout 4 | EA Sports FC 25 |
| Persona 3 Reload | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | Fortnite | Farming Simulator 25 |
| Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1, 2, 3 | Metaphor: ReFantazio | Forza Horizon 5 | MLB The Show 24 |
| Return to Grace | NBA 2K25 | Grand Theft Auto Online | NBA 2K25 |
| Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II | New World: Aeternum | Marvel Rivals | NHL 25 |
| Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance | NHL 25 | Minecraft | Path of Exile 2 |
| Skull and Bones | Palworld | Palworld | Phasmophobia |
| Star Wars Outlaws | Phasmophobia | The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria | Roblox |
| Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege | Rocket League | The Outlast Trials | Star Wars Outlaws |
| Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 | The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria | Unicorn Overlord | S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl |
| Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 | WWE 2K24 | ||
| WWE 2K24 |
Soon, developers and publishers will receive their well-deserved trophies, so keep an eye out for their celebrations!
If this has you curious about jumping into the worlds of the games that took home the awards, check out our curated collection of the 2024 Xbox Excellence Award-winning titles on the Xbox Store.
