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At the core of our mission is the goal of sharing the joy and camaraderie of gaming with everyone around the globe. Today, there are more screens than ever that can turn into an Xbox, and these screens showcase an exceptional variety of games crafted by imaginative developers worldwide. These creative teams are responsible for unforgettable gaming experiences that entertain and inspire players of every age group. To express our gratitude towards these talented creators and to spotlight the games that captured players’ hearts in 2024, we are thrilled to unveil the recipients of the 2024 Xbox Excellence Awards.
With an impressive number of over a thousand games debuting each year across Xbox consoles, PC, and the cloud, deciding on the awards could simply involve forming a panel of judges. However, the Excellence Awards are truly about how you, the players, engaged with Xbox over the past year. We’ve honed in on four key categories that reflect players’ passion, involvement, and love for these games:
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Store Rating: We looked at the highest-rated content released in 2024 within our stores, requiring a minimum of 500 ratings.
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Player Engagement: These are the titles with the most average hours spent per player during the first six weeks after launch.
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Daily Active Users: This category includes games, expansions, or major updates with the peak one-day active user count in 2024. Some older games may appear here if they received significant updates last year.
- Units Sold: Here, we identify the best-selling content across Xbox and Microsoft stores.
The final list is a rich tapestry of titles originating from studios with team sizes ranging from just a handful to thousands of developers, spread over 15 different countries worldwide. Below, you’ll find the titles for each category, arranged alphabetically.
| 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 | EA Sports College Football 25 | Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero |
| Lollipop Chainsaw RePop | Farming Simulator 25 | EA Sports FC 25 | Dragon’s Dogma 2 |
| Nobody Wants to Die | Forza Horizon 5 | Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree | EA Sports College Football 25 |
| Persona 3 Reload | Return to Grace | Fallout 4 | EA Sports FC 25 |
| Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1, 2, 3 | Rounds | NBA 2K25 | Farming Simulator 25 |
| Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance | Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II | NHL 25 | NBA 2K25 |
| Sonic x Shadow Generations | Still Wakes the Deep | Path of Exile 2 | MLB The Show 24 |
| Palworld | The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria | Phasmophobia | NHL 25 |
| Star Wars Outlaws | Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege | Roblox | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 |
| Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 | WWE 2K24 | Star Wars Outlaws | WWE 2K24 |
Expect trophies to be sent out to developers and publishers shortly, so stay tuned to see how they celebrate their achievements!
Interested in exploring the award-winning games that made headlines this year? Head over to the Xbox Store to check out all the Xbox Excellence Award winners of 2024 and maybe find your next favorite game.
