It took awhile but here we are. The writers of Desk Chair Analysts’ favorite games they played in 2024. This does not always mean new games but games that we enjoyed last year.
Kevin’s Pick: Balatro
“Balatro was a game that made my year. I haven’t played a game this good in a very, very long time. I think about Joker combinations. I talk about Joker combinations with friends. I look up Joker combinations everyday! I am so close to being a Balatro streamer! I knew this game was going to be a problem when I clocked 15 hours on the demo. THE DEMO! Then 50 hours in the full game on Steam. I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent on the iPad. I play it on the couch, in bed, making dinner, eating dinner, on phone calls. I play it often. When we were out of power due to Hurricane Helene, I played Balatro to keep going. It saved me! Balatro is my game of the year in 2024. I was overjoyed when it won awards but it is just that good and LocalThunk deserves their flowers! Now if you excuse me, I will be playing it now!”
Syn’s Pick: Final Fantasy X
“There is something that hits different when you can fully appreciate a game and that’s what happened here with Final Fantasy X. A lot of things about what people were doing, why, and how that is reflected in the real world had me a lot more focused on the storyline and the character lore this most recent playthrough (which was my first full playthrough). Much of the game felt familiar just because of the story beats, but familiar as I was with some of the turns, it was nice to revisit this game with more experienced eyes.
For example, I raged at Wakka so often, I made a supercut of it.”
Merge’s Pick: Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
“What can one Dwarf do against a planet full of bugs? Well, it turns out that one Dwarf can do a ton of damage if provided with a wide assortment of weapons. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is my single most played game of 2024, and for good reason. Combine simple combat, multiple biomes, ramping difficulty, achievements, and rogue-like mechanics, and you have a recipe for a game that I still come back to playing a year after its full release. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor works flawlessly on the Steam Deck, so I can play on the go. The developer, Funday Games, has released multiple updates that introduced new biomes, abilities, weapons, and balancing patches while keeping the gameplay simple and approachable.
Kill bugs, upgrade weapons, and survive. “
Anca’s Pick: Destiny 2: The Final Shape
The culmination to Bungie’s 10 year long saga was everything I never thought I needed. For certain, one thing that Bungie gets right with this game is its cinematics and storytelling. As I played through The Final Shape DLC, final dots connected and the realization of how everything played out through the years made perfect sense. The scenery was absolutely mesmerizing, and breathtaking. Venturing into the portal the Witness created on the Traveler teleported us all back to our D1 days in a way that no one anticipated. It was simultaneously emotionally riveting and somber. The new enemies gave us a run for our money, especially in the Salvation’s Edge raid. We said hello to new adventures ahead, and said a painful, yet loving goodbye to those who laid down their lives for the future of Sol. If I could, I would absolutely love to experience this DLC all over again for the first time.
Never dim your lights, guardians
And there you have it!
Another year in the tallybooks and though we are 3 months in. 2025 is going be a very interesting year for games. I hope that next year, as DCA grows and we get more writers/collaborators, we will have a list a mile long. Plus, I hope we can actually get this done before Spring of 2026, lol. Here’s hoping!
