The biggest video games to be released in May 2024

With so many games released on so many platforms, it can be hard to sort through them all. This month's game menu offers something for everyone: demanding strategy, high-action, horror and family-friendly games across PC, consoles and handheld systems.

If you want something that will last you for hundreds of hours or even afternoons, this list has them too. This list includes three games that fans have been waiting for for over a decade. If you're looking for something new to play, here's what you can look forward to this month.

Animal pit

Release Date: May 9 Platforms: PC (Steam), PS5, Nintendo Switch

This is the first game published by YouTuber Jason “Dunky” Gastro's studio Bigmode Games, and the buzz has been consistent since the first previews. Animal Well features old-school games and platformers that promise to fit alongside games like Celeste and Super Butcher. Animal Well is full of puzzles, mysteries and challenging platforms.

Home world 3

Release Date: May 13 Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)

Dragon's Dogma 2 fans thought they'd been waiting a long time when the 2012 game finally got a sequel earlier this year – but fans of this real-time strategy game have nothing on it. Homeworld 2 was released in September 2003, almost two decades ago. Like its predecessors, Homeworld 3 is a real-time strategy game set in space where players manage a fleet in three dimensions as they battle The Anomaly, a new threat from the outer edges of space.

Senua Saga: Hellblade II

Release Date: May 21 Platforms: PC (Steam, Windows Store, Game Pass), Xbox Series X|S

Action Studio's Ninja Theory Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice garnered praise for both its action and its portrayal of Senua's mental illness. Senua Saga: Hellblade II was one of the first games to be announced for the Xbox Series of consoles, and was a graphical showcase for the systems. This new chapter takes Senua to Viking Island.

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami

Release Date: May 23 Platforms: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch

While some of the games on this list can take dozens and dozens of hours, sometimes you just want an afternoon or two of fun. Duck Detective: The Mysterious Salami promises 2-3 hours of silliness and fascinating mystery as you interrogate suspects and piece together clues to solve the case. Duck Detective has bright, bold art and is fully voiced, promising a few hours of fun when it hits later this month.

Paper Mario: Millennium Gate

Release Date: May 23rd Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Sometimes the best games are the ones we know and love. Paper Mario: Millennium Gate was released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004, and is even now a popular entry in both the Paper Mario series and the larger collection of Mario games. This remastered version promises to bring the original to the Nintendo Switch, updating the visuals and music. The game will reportedly run at 30 frames per second as opposed to the original 60, but hopefully the change won't affect the classic game too much.

The world of Gu 2

Release Date: May 23rd Platforms: PC & Mac (Epic Games Store), Nintendo Switch, Linux

World of Go is still a fan favorite 15 years later, thanks to its goofy, greasy art style and engaging physics puzzles. The first world of goo uses little googly-eyed balls of goo to create lovingly modified structures that probably don't follow anyone's version of code. This new entry promises updated visuals and many more puzzles.

Honorable verses

There are too many games on digital shelves this month to cover them all. If none of these games take your fancy, consider religious horror game Indica, survival horror game Crow Country, the full official release of vampire-themed action RPG V Rising, underwater exploration game Infinite Ocean Light, or the upcoming console release of System Shock's remake, Braid. Other re-releases including the Anniversary Edition, and the Tsushima Director's Cut PC version.

Edited by Andrew Hayward.

Editor's Note: These are all “Web2” or traditional video games without crypto or blockchain elements.