Amazing games are at the heart of our mission to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. Now, more screens than ever can be an Xbox, and those screens are lit up by the incredible portfolio of games brought to life by talented developers around the world. These teams create unforgettable gaming experiences that engage and inspire players of all ages. As a thank you to the creators of those games, and to shine a light on the games that players loved in 2024, today we’re announcing the recipients of the 2024 Xbox Excellence Awards.
With over a thousand games launching annually on Xbox consoles, PC and cloud, this could be a case of simply picking a panel to decide – but the Excellence Awards are all about how you engaged with Xbox over the last year. To assemble the list, we selected four key categories which are indicators of players’ passion, engagement, and love for these games. Those four categories are:
Store Rating: Highest-rated content across our stores released in 2024, with a minimum of 500 ratings.
Player Engagement: Games with the highest average hours per player within the first six weeks of release.
Daily Active Users: Games, expansions, or major updates with the highest single-day active users in 2024. You may notice games that weren’t released in 2024 in this list – that’s because they got a significant update last year.
Units Sold: Top-selling content across Xbox and Microsoft stores.
The final list represents a diverse collection of titles produced by studios comprised of anywhere from tens to thousands of developers, located in 15 different countries worldwide. You can find the titles for each category – listed alphabetically – below.
Store RatingPlayer EngagementDaily Active UsersUnits SoldBalatroDragon Age: The VeilguardApex Legends7 Days to DieBanishers: Ghosts of New EdenDragon’s Dogma 2Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Avatar: Frontiers of PandoraBotany ManorEA Sports College Football 25Dead Island 2Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Like a Dragon: Infinite WealthEA Sports FC 25Diablo IV: Vessel of HatredDragon Age: The VeilguardLittle Kitty, Big CityF1 Manager 2024EA Sports College Football 25Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZeroLollipop Chainsaw RePopFarming Simulator 25EA Sports FC 25Dragon’s Dogma 2Metaphor: ReFantazioFinal Fantasy XIV: DawntrailElden Ring Shadow of the ErdtreeEA Sports College Football 25Nobody Wants to DieHouse Flipper 2Fallout 4EA Sports FC 25Persona 3 ReloadLike a Dragon: Infinite WealthFortniteEA Sports Madden NFL 25Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1, 2, 3Metaphor: ReFantazioForza Horizon 5Farming Simulator 25Return to GraceMLB The Show 24Grand Theft Auto OnlineMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024RoundsNBA 2K25Indiana Jones and the Great CircleMLB The Show 24Senua’s Saga: Hellblade IINew World: AeternumMarvel RivalsNBA 2K25Shin Megami Tensei V: VengeanceNHL 25MinecraftNHL 25Sonic x Shadow GenerationsPath of Exile 2MLB The Show 24PalworldStill Wakes the DeepShin Megami Tensei V: VengeancePalworldPhasmophobiaThe Lord of the Rings: Return to MoriaSkull and BonesRobloxStar Wars OutlawsThe Outlast TrialsStar Wars OutlawsRocket LeagueThe Lord of the Rings: Return to MoriaUnicorn OverlordWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of ChornobylWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2WWE 2K24Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six SiegeWWE 2K24
Developers and publishers will receive their trophies shortly, so be on the lookout to see how they celebrate!
Thinking of joining the many players that helped these games become award winners? Take a look at our collection of games that have received an Xbox Excellence Award for 2024 on the Xbox Store.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings