The 14 most underappreciated games of the last year that you shouldn't have ignored

[Zed Clampet]

I can't believe I didn't write this article, but this is a better swing at this sort of thing than I usually come up with. Of course, my efforts would be significantly better if I were getting paid

The 14 most underappreciated games of the last year that you shouldn't have ignored

Roguelike repair, demonic politics and high-caliber pinball. Here’s some of 2024’s best, once more in the spotlight.

www.pcgamer.com

Games mentioned

Skin Deep​

Released: April 30, 2025
Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (738)
PC Gamer coverage: 88% review (Morgan Park)
Peak player count: 490
$20 on Steam

Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop​

Released: December 5th, 2024
Steam reviews: Very Positive (771)
PC Gamer coverage: "A delightfully tactile spaceship repair sim" (Mollie Taylor)
Peak player count: 953
$20 on Steam

Loco Motive​

Released: November 21st, 2024
Steam reviews: Very Positive (659)
PC Gamer coverage: Prototype Impressions (Andy Kelly)
Peak player count: 336
$18 on Steam

Straftat​

Released: October 24th, 2024
Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (7523)
PC Gamer coverage: Best FPS 2024 Award
Peak player count: 960
Free on Steam

Penny’s Big Breakaway​

Released: February 21st, 2024
Steam reviews: Very Positive (800)
PC Gamer coverage: 80% review (Dominic Tarason)
Peak player count: 228
$15 on Steam, currently on sale

Solium Infernum​

Released: February 22, 2024
Steam reviews: Very Positive (1,362)
PC Gamer coverage: "I harnessed the power of deceit to conquer hell" (Jody Macgregor)
Peak player count: 1,108
$40 on Steam

MechWarrior 5: Clans​

Released: October 17th, 2024
Steam reviews: Mostly Positive (4303)
PC Gamer coverage: 82% review (Jonathan Bolding)
Peak player count: 5,548
$30 on Steam

Xenotilt​

Released: November 12th, 2024
Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (594)
PC Gamer coverage: 92% review (Kerry Brunskill)
Peak player count: 81
$20 on Steam

Anton Blast​

Released: December 3rd, 2024
Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (2919)
PC Gamer coverage: Launch news (Dominic Tarason)
Peak player count: 1,104
$20 on Steam

The Thaumaturge​

Released: March 4th, 2024
Steam reviews: Very Positive (2866)
PC Gamer coverage: 82% review (Maddi Chilton)
Peak player count: 2,733
$35 on Steam

Still Wakes the Deep​

Released: June 18th, 2024
Steam reviews: Very Positive (5639)
PC Gamer coverage: 86% review (Elie Gould)
Peak player count: 729
$35 on Steam

Dungeons of Hinterberg​

Released: July 18th, 2024
Steam reviews: Very Positive (1597)
PC Gamer coverage: 84% review (Maddi Chilton)
Peak player count: 486
$23 on Steam

Drova: Forsaken Kin​

Released: October 15th, 2024
Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (6618)
PC Gamer coverage: "My favourite hidden gem of 2024" (Shaun Prescott)
Peak player count: 2,717
$25 on Steam

1000xRESIST​

Released: May 9th, 2024
Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (3471)
PC Gamer coverage: "The best sci-fi story I've experienced in years" (Jess Kinghorn)
Peak player count: 278
$20 on Steam

 

[neogunhero]

Skin Deep, Penny's Big Breakaway, The Thaumaturge, Still Wakes the Deep and Dungeons of Hinterberg have all been on my list of game that I'm quiet interested in and would love to check out but not sure when I'll ever get around to that. The last two games are on Game Pass, and Thaumaturge is currently on this month's Humble Bundle Choice subscription, so they can be played for cheap. Skin Deep is probably the game I'll get around to first of this list since I'm a huge sucker for immersive sim games, plus Blendo Games makes some awesome games, they're a great studio.

 

[DXCHASE]

I think its a good idea when whoever makes that little red box appear at the top with some news, that a thread is started about it.

As for the list, Mechwarrior 5 Clans is good. I think Mechwarrior 5 is a good mech game in general but i just long for a Mechwarrior 3050 variant. Like an ARPG-styled Mechwarrior game.

I got The Thaumaturge in a humble bundle but havent played it yet. The only other one thats peaked my interest on the list is Drova: Forsakin Kin. Its a neat artistic style. I dabbled a little in it. They do a great job at hiding stuff from you that you have to explore, that part stuck out to me the most.