At the core of our mission is the desire to spread the joy and camaraderie that gaming brings to everyone on the globe. Now, more screens than ever before can transform into an Xbox, all illuminated by an exceptional lineup of games brought to fruition by talented developers worldwide. These creative teams craft unforgettable gaming experiences that entertain and inspire players of all ages. To show our appreciation for these incredible creators and spotlight the favorites of gamers in 2024, we’re thrilled to unveil the winners of the 2024 Xbox Excellence Awards.
With over a thousand games launching every year on Xbox consoles, PCs, and the cloud, choosing recipients might have simply involved assembling a panel. However, the Excellence Awards are all about recognizing how players interacted with Xbox over the past year. In compiling the list, we focused on four key categories that best capture players’ passion, involvement, and love for these games. These four categories include:
Store Rating: The content with the highest ratings on our store released in 2024, with at least 500 ratings.
Player Engagement: Games that boasted the highest average playtime per gamer within the first six weeks of their launch.
Daily Active Users: Titles, expansions, or major updates boasting the highest single-day active user counts in 2024. In this category, you might spot some releases from prior years that had significant updates last year.
Units Sold: This category highlights the top-selling content available across Xbox and Microsoft stores.
The games showcased on this list present a diverse array of titles, brought to life by teams ranging from small groups to large staff across 15 different countries. Below, you’ll find the list of titles for each category, neatly arranged in alphabetical order.
| 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 | Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero | EA Sports College Football 25 |
| Lollipop Chainsaw RePop | Farming Simulator 25 | EA Sports FC 25 | EA Sports FC 25 |
| Metaphor: ReFantazio | House Flipper 2 | Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree | EA Sports Madden NFL 25 |
| Nobody Wants to Die | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | Fallout 4 | Farming Simulator 25 |
| Persona 3 Reload | Metaphor: ReFantazio | Fortnite | MLB The Show 24 |
| Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1, 2, 3 | Minecraft | Forza Horizon 5 | NBA 2K25 |
| Return to Grace | Palworld | Grand Theft Auto Online | NHL 25 |
| Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance | Phasmophobia | Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | Path of Exile 2 |
| Sonic x Shadow Generations | Roblox | Marvel Rivals | Palworld |
| Skull and Bones | Rocket League | New World: Aeternum | Star Wars Outlaws |
| Still Wakes the Deep | Star Wars Outlaws | NHL 25 | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 |
| The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria | The Outlast Trials | S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl | WWE 2K24 |
| Unicorn Overlord | Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 |
Developers and publishers will be receiving their awards quite soon, so keep an eye out for how they choose to celebrate this honor!
Thinking about joining the many gamers who helped make these games award winners? Browse through our curated selection of games that have snagged an Xbox Excellence Award for 2024, available on the Xbox Store.
