With over a thousand games launching each year across Xbox consoles, PC, and the cloud, gamers are spoiled for choice. But the Xbox Excellence Awards 2024 focus on more than just the games—they highlight how you, the players, engaged with them throughout the year. Whether you’re into sprawling RPGs, fast-paced shooters, or indie treasures, these awards reflect the titles that captured your attention and passion.
The Four Key Categories of the Xbox Excellence Awards
To determine the winners, we focused on four essential categories that showcase player passion, engagement, and love for the games. Here’s what each category means:
1. Store Ranking
This category features the highest-rated games across the Xbox and Microsoft stores released in 2024. Only titles with at least 500 ratings made the cut, ensuring that every game had widespread feedback. These are the games that resonated deeply with players, earning top marks and glowing reviews.
2. Player Engagement
Engagement goes beyond just buying a game—it’s about how much time players spent enjoying it. This category highlights games with the highest average hours played per player in the first six weeks of release. These titles kept gamers hooked, whether through compelling storylines, immersive worlds, or addictive gameplay.
3. Daily Active Users
Some games stay relevant long after their release. This category celebrates the titles, expansions, or major updates with the highest single-day active users in 2024. You’ll see both new games and older titles that received significant updates, proving their staying power in the Xbox community.
4. Units Sold
Sales numbers tell their own story. This category showcases the best-selling games across Xbox and Microsoft stores in 2024. From blockbuster hits to surprise indie successes, these games captured the attention—and wallets—of gamers worldwide.
A Global Celebration of Gaming
The final list of nominees represents a diverse range of titles from studios big and small, spanning 15 different countries. Whether developed by a small indie team or a massive studio with thousands of employees, these games reflect the global nature of the gaming industry and the passion of the Xbox community.
Find Out Which Games Made the Cut
Curious if your favorite game is on the list? You can check out the full lineup of titles for each category—listed alphabetically—right here: Xbox Excellence Awards 2024.
Conclusion:
The Xbox Excellence Awards 2024 are a testament to the incredible games and dedicated players that define the Xbox community. Whether your favorite made the list or you’re discovering a new title to try, one thing’s clear: 2024 was an unforgettable year for gaming.