The Most Anticipated Games According to Steam Wishlists
Despite being halfway through 2024's first month, it still feels weird to acknowledge it. Last year, we had a slew of highly anticipated titles and many surprise releases (that were both great and, unfortunately, terrible). One of the top-wishlisted games of 2023 turned out to release to Mixed (and quickly heading towards Mostly Negative) reviews, and many were massive flops that closed the year out.
So I wanted to look towards 2024 — retrospectively, which of these titles will have been delayed? Which games are releasing, and what is the Steam community looking forward to the most beginning 2024? When we're near the end of the year, it'll likely be a shocker to see which of these games come out to negative reception or — contrariwise — which surprise hits appear that were in no one's radar. Starting with...
#10 — The First Descendant
170,514 followers at the time of writing.
The first in our list is the 10th most wishlisted title on Steam — The First Descendant; enter NEXON, the team responsible for last year's surprise hit, Dave the Diver, and their upcoming looter shooter. This looter shooter is being built on Unreal Engine 5, and it'll be free to play, offering up to a four-player co-op with huge bosses, a unique story, and a lot of customisation for your loadout.
This might be the biggest Unreal Engine 5 game to release that is coming out free to play from the get-go, which already sets The First Descendant apart from other titles. You can play both single-player and in co-op with up to four other players; this one is one I'm looking forward to for sure. 2023 was a grim year for Destiny 2, and perhaps it could be that The First Descendant comes and claims at least a sprinkle of its throne. I look forward for more of this to come to light as we delve closer to its release, with currently only a "2024" tag slapped on the release date.
#9 — Enshrouded
121,195 followers at the time of writing.
The world has never — and likely will never — gotten tired of survival base-building titles, and Enshrouded is proof that going into 2024, gamers are still excited to play more. You are the Flameborn, and you have one simple task: restore Embervale from the fog (known as The Shroud) that has consumed and corrupted it.
This one is no surprise — V Rising was a surprise hit and continued strong even through 2023. No one expected such a hit title to release in 2022 by the developers of Battlerite, yet Stunlock Studios managed to wow gamers and release a highly successful title that even I — a person who notoriously doesn't like survival titles — found some love in. Enshrouded is set on a similar path, where you'll be able to save the world and craft your way through it all, especially with the voxel-based building that looks like a clunkier (albeit higher-quality) version of Minecraft. And best of all? You won't have to wait long for it to be released, as it's coming out in just a few days, on the 24th of January.
#8 — Palworld
127,649 followers at the time of writing.
Let me paint you a word picture for you to imagine: you are in an open-world setting with cute graphics, gorgeous and vibrant colours, and some cute, Pokémon-esque creatures. Now slap in guns, set it in the PC sphere (where Nintendo would never venture into), multiplayer, and character customisation that lets you be pretty much anything you want to be, and you have Palworld, the 8th most-wishlisted item starting the year.
Sound like fun? Good! Because it's surprisingly a real thing that's happening in just a few days — the 19th of January is the release date for this wacky, gun-smithing creature collector. It's coming out in Early Access, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be getting your magnums ready to shoot up some adorable pocket monsters. Because it's happening. And it's real. And it's here.
#7 — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
195,971 followers at the time of writing.
I don't know what's gotten into gamers and the industry lately, but our #7 is another survival (albeit, a much darker one than Enshrouded), as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl takes up #7 and beats both previous entries in terms of followers!
Set out to Earth's most notorious ground zero for radiation as you take up armaments and fight mutants as an S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (a group of people that head to the centre of horrors to find riches) and find the truth concealed in the heart of Chornobyl (now you get why the name!). Its environments are gorgeous (and stomach-churning), it's a life simulator that'll make you fight for survival, and it'll even receive a free multiplayer update after its release! Don't miss out on GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl when it releases on the 4th of September of this year.
#6 — ARK 2
127,420 followers at the time of writing.
ARK has been a notorious franchise for the longest time — players have spent hours on the thousands taming dinosaurs and losing them in wars and raids in survival crafting that hasn't been explored in any other title. And to follow this strong lead, Studio Wildcard looks to the sequel of this time-faring adventure — it's time to survive the past!
There's little to say that many won't recognise with such a big franchise — it's a survival with MMO features where you can tame your favourite dinosaurs; what more could you want? With souls-like combat, an epic story, and so, so much more, ARK 2 seems like a dream for survival-crafting enthusiasts and veterans alike, but don't get too excited yet — this is the first title of the list that isn't set to release this year. ARK 2's release date (heck, even release window!) is yet to be announced.
#5 — Frostpunk 2
100,594 followers at the time of writing.
The world has fallen into an eternal blizzard, and you are the leader of the City and its community — set 30 years after the events of the previous title, you'll need to get your coats and prepare once again to survive. The City is growing, and factions are inevitably forming with different (and often divisive) views of the future of humanity — The Council needs a Steward to mediate and ensure society doesn't fall because of conflicts. Can you survive?
Frostpunk 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the original Frostpunk, so it's no surprise that it takes one of the top spots in wishlists going into 2024! 11 bit studios returns once again to create a nail-biting adventure of survival in this post-apocalyptic city builder, but more than just managing a human settlement, you'll need to manage conflicts and ensure that — out the other side — the only thing that can drive humans to extinction is kept in check: human nature itself.
#4 — Black Myth: Wukong
262,435 followers at the time of writing.
Wukong may be the single, most popular Chinese deity thanks to many representations in media. From the deity that inspired Son Goku from Dragon Ball to even his representation in League of Legends and the Netflix movie in The Monkey King, many are acquainted with this mythological character, but never with his raw, true story.
Enter Black Myth: Wukong, the ambitious title by Game Science releasing in the 19th of August, and you have one of the first, biggest titles to delve into Chinese mythology in the videogame industry thus far. This action RPG is combat-focused as you take control of the Destined One and explore the gorgeous myths, tales, and legends of Chinese history. So grip at the Ruyi Jingu Bang and fight epic battles with this upcoming title!
#3 — Hollow Knight: Silksong
270,919 followers at the time of writing.
From myth to reality to meme, Hollow Knight: Silksong has had quite the development journey over the last four years since it's been announced. Team Cherry, famously known for their ever-famous debut title Hollow Knight, has been building up this metroidvania adventure for quite some time, and with little information, it has transcended into meme by devout fans that just can't wait to play it.
Hollow Knight: Silksong has become a culture, with many claiming its a social experiment and others doing crazy things, like defeating Hornet until the game comes out... daily (that particular video series has 837 entries). One thing is for certain, though: everyone's excited and ready for the release of one of the most highly anticipated titles (rivalling even Starfield when they were both still unreleased). Though... Team Cherry still has the release date set as "To be announced", so whether it'll come out in 2024 is still up in the air, much to the dismay of everyone (and Ilnar K, who might still have to fight Hornet a few hundred times).
#2 — Manor Lords
248,701 followers at the time of writing.
If you haven't heard of Manor Lords... well, you really wouldn't be alone — I wasn't all that aware about it until research for this article started. This debut title by Slavic Magic takes the prestigious #2 spot as Steam's second most-wishlisted game entering 2024, and upon a minor glimpse, there's no question as to why. It's a city-builder where you'll be able to play in medieval strategy with large-scale wars and gridless building — perfect for any mediaeval enthusiast (such as myself!).
It's the best mediaeval simulation title we've had since the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance in 2018. You'll be able to create your own cities, manage resources, create your town of dreams, and even embark in mediaeval warfare with formations and in-depth combat! If battle and warcries aren't your thing, you can even use a robust diplomacy system to ensure you can sway them to see your viewpoint... or intimidate them into it. It's coming out this year, so you won't have to wait too long for it to release on the 26th of April!
#1 — Hades II
111,432 followers at the time of writing.
And #1 spot comes as absolutely no surprise to anyone — Hades II. Supergiant Games brings back their fan-favourite action roguelike set in Greek myth, though this time, you won't be taking control of lovable Zagreus... and the story might not be as light-hearted.
Our second pick for the most-anticipated title in 2023, Hades II is pretty much a no-brainer for anyone who loves Greek myth, the original entry, roguelikes... if Supergiant Games manages to capture even a fraction of the magic and charm of their original release, it'll likely be the best game releasing for many. It'll be coming out in Early Access (as the original did) sometime in Q2 2024, so keep your fingers crossed. I look forward to playing this upcoming title!
We have a slew of very strong contenders going into 2024, and we can't wait to see what surprise announcements and releases we have over the year, too! After all, no one saw Hi-Fi RUSH coming, and that was great — what surprises await 2024?
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