Here are the biggest trailers from the 2024 Game Awards

It’s understood at this point that nobody really watches Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards for the awards themselves, the results of which usually run the gamut from inevitable to irritating. No, people watch for the trailers, because Keighley and his team might be miles away from building an Oscars for video games, they have created its Super Bowl, with advertisers paying big money to debut trailers, and even outright announce projects, to the events’ million-plus viewers.

So, while we’ll note the winners in passing tonight, we’re much more interested in the trailers, i.e., the part that constitutes actual news. As such, we’re going to update this list throughout the night as more big promos roll out, starting with an Elden Ring spin-off, a completely bonkers Pac-Man game, and a trailer for a new Witcher game that we’re only mildly irritated seems to ignore our own personal Witcher 3 ending.

Shadow Labyrinth

Was this game designed solely to screw with those of us who’ve already seen Prime Video’s Secret Level, with its super-edgy take on Pac-Man? Who can say, but the idea of adding Pac-Man powers into a Metroidvania is genuinely pretty cool.

The Witcher IV

We don’t know why our Ciri, who was very busy ruling the world at the end of The Witcher 3, is now running around in the dirt fighting nasty monsters, but at least she looks like she’s having a good time.

Elden Ring: Nightreign

Does this feel like a mercenary effort to get more blood out of the Elden Ring stone? Yes. Will we play the hell out of it with our buddies? Also yes.

Untitled genDesign game

You don’t need a name when you have a tease like this, showing what appears to be a mecha version of the kind of technology previously seen in creator Fumito Ueda’s Shadow Of The Colossus. Consider us teased.

The Outer Worlds 2

We didn’t love The Outer Worlds, but it’s still nice to see a studio like Obsidian getting the support to make something bigger (and hopefully better) than its past efforts.

Split Fiction

Hazelight makes consistently interesting games, even if they’re sometimes too ambitious for their own good. This latest, about dueling writers, looks to continue the trend.

Steel Hunters

Big robots, big Transformers vibes.

The Long Dark 2: Blackfrost

Beautiful and mournful.

Borderlands 4

Yup, that sure is a Borderlands trailer. (At least there aren’t any jokes.)

Virtua Fighter

For a minute, we were just really bummed that this wasn’t a new game in Like A Dragon spin-off series Judgment. Still, there hasn’t been a new main series Virtua Fighter game in more than a decade; it’ll be interesting to see what Sega cooks up.

Project Century

Speaking of Like A Dragon: This sure looks like a more lavish installment of that series’ periodic trips into the past. Surprisingly bloody!

Onimusha: Way Of The Sword

Gross demons, good-looking fights.

The First Berserker: Khazan

CGI action trailers with no gameplay all turn into sludge in our mind; we don’t know how the Russo brothers got roped into presenting this.

Arad

We didn’t actually think this trailer looked very cool; we just like when the camera cuts back from the trailer and you can tell Keighley is embarrassed about what he’s showcasing.

Dying Light: The Beast

Dying Light is one of the more interesting zombie games out there; pretty flamethrower effects on display in this one.

Stage Fright

Overcooked and its sequel still get play any time we need some reliable multiplayer chaos. Exciting to see the studio branch out into something new while still holding to its cooperative roots.

Game Of Thrones: Kingsroad

We don’t know who a new Game Of Thrones games is for in 2024, but we will have to update our comprehensive look at the video games set in the franchise.

Den Of Wolves

This mostly looks like a shooter with some heist elements, but the gameplay looks stylish, and the pedigree (from creators of the Payday games) seems solid.

More to come…