From iconic names like Indiana Jones and Final Fantasy to indie sensations like Balatro and Animal Well, 2024 has provided gamers with an array of incredible experiences. IGN is in the process of selecting our Game of the Year, but now’s your chance to make your voice heard in the IGN People’s Choice Tournament.
Together with our partners at Truth, we selected 64 of the best titles of the year, which we placed in brackets and randomly sorted into groups. They will go head to head, with the winner moving on to the next round and the loser being eliminated. As the rounds progress, the competition will become increasingly fierce until only one title remains, voted by fans as the Game of the Year. If you know how March Madness brackets work, it’s the same concept.
Tournament schedule and voting method
The vote will take place on Instagram IGN starting today, December 18. We’ll post the matches on our Instagram stories around 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT / 11:00 PM PT and you’ll have 24 hours to vote. The 32 winners will advance to the next round where the process will be repeated. Here are the release dates for each round (around the same times as listed above), so be sure to check our Instagram stories to continue voting for your favorite games:
- Round 1: December 18
- Round 2: December 20
- Round 3: December 23
- Quarterfinals: December 27
- Semi-finals: December 30
- Finals: December 31
Which games are grouped together?
As we mentioned earlier, the slots in the brackets of the 64 games we selected were random. They were divided into four groups, like March Madness regions. Group 1 is led by several robust players: Helldivers 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. However, they will have to contend with the groundbreaking independent film Animal Well. In addition, there are three popular sports games: Madden NFL 25, College Football 25 and MLB The Show 24. We also cannot forget about the handsome graphics of Unicorn Overlord and Infinity Nikki.
Group 2 is led by the excellent remake of Silent Hill 2, but will face stiff competition from three RPG games – Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Nintendo’s offer also includes announced remasters and remakes, such as Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. We also can’t ignore the technical marvel of Senua’a Sage: Hellblade II or another standout indie film in the form of Lorelai and the Laser Eyes.
Group 3 finished with three games that were sorted out for awards season: Astro Bot, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Black Myth: Wukong. They are joined by an eclectic group of competitors. There are entries from huge brands in Star Wars Outlaws and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (which will face each other in Round 1). Tekken 8 and Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble feature games from other long-running franchises. The latest version of sports brands is available in EA Sports FC 25 and NBA 2K25. But also some notable novel IPs from Stellar Blade and Slitterhead.
All in all, Group 4 is also full of gigantic names. First up, there’s the beloved indie Balatro, which also did very well this awards season. However, it will have to go through two massive RPG sequels in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Dragon’s Dogma 2, as well as the popular RPG remake in Persona 3 Reload. They will face several family opponents in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, LEGO Horizon Adventures, Super Mario Party Jamboree and The Plucky Squire. Not to mention the often overlooked Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and the surprise hit Enshrouded.
As you can see, this year’s race will be extremely tight. So be sure to visit Instagram to vote for each matchup and lend a hand determine which matches continue and which ones are sent packing. It will all lead up to the gigantic reveal of the fan-voted game of the year. Have fun voting!
