The best games for online gamers to try in 2024

To say that online gamers have been spoilt for choice over the last two decades would be one of the understatements of the century. Online gaming is one of the most significant areas in the global media and entertainment sphere; it continues to expand, innovate and create jobs at a phenomenal rate.

Now that we’re a couple of months into 2024, it looks as though this trend is set to continue. Online games can come and go, as can the fads that drive them, but there’s no disputing the incredible number of online games as more companies aim to innovate and grab a part of this market for themselves.

Poker

If you’re a fan of strategy and have patience, this classic casino game could be the one for you. It doesn’t mean you have to enter into a high-stakes poker game right away; there are many resources and free-to-play online poker games where you can build your knowledge before trying your luck against other, more seasoned players.

Once you have built up the necessary knowledge, you should feel confident enough to seek out reliable online casinos with poker tables.

As the only gambling game where strategy and skill can have some effect on the outcome, it has acted as a bridge for online gamers seeking out table-based casino gaming. Poker takes many forms, and you can play virtual poker as well as against other people online.

Bet365, LeoVegas and 888 are three of the biggest global names in casino gaming. They host an array of poker games, and there are other casino games to take a look at as well.

Responsible gambling

Ensure you build your knowledge and only gamble with money you can afford to lose. These are two non-negotiables in any gambling game; it doesn’t matter if it is poker, blackjack or a few spins on the slots. Bankroll management is imperative.

Many different red flags can signal an issue is developing. However, if you consider gambling to be a source of income, it is impacting your mood negatively or is beginning to cause you financial problems, these are all signs that you should reach out to somebody who can assist you.

Word puzzles

Scrabble, crossword puzzles and word searches have been popular for centuries. Long before the internet put its own spin on many of these classics, they would transcend countries and cultures, and have millions of people scratching their heads.

As with many other gaming genres, word games have been able to adapt to the growing market trends. While many new designs can get lost in the vast ether of the internet, games like Wordle proved that there’s still an enormous global market for brain-teaser games.

When the New York Times swooped in and slammed down a seven-figure sum to purchase Wordle outright, it resulted in a raft of new games trying to find their own unique, word-based angle to sell their big ideas to some of the world’s most prominent media companies.

However, the horse had bolted by that point. No word game has captured the imagination like Wordle did at the back end of 2021 and early 2022. It has meant, though, that there’s been a surge in new word games for online gamers to try.

This includes games like Wordle spin-offs such as Dordle and Quordle, and an array of other games like Scrabble. Several free gaming sites offer word games, so you’ll have no shortage of challenges if you want to stay sharp between the ears and not have to put your hand in your pocket.

Sports games

Millions of gamers play over a dozen top sports games online. Xbox, PlayStation and PC games attract vast numbers of people across the world. Online gamers, even those who aren’t sports fans, will be aware of just how significant this market is.

Few games draw out the competitive spirit in online gamers like sports games can. While online gaming is hugely popular, sports games also help to bring friends together for friendly tournaments and game nights.

If you’re an avid gamer, sports games are perhaps already your main pick. However, if you enjoy strategic, first-person shooter games or free-roam maps, then a sports game might offer a unique angle for you. You can match up against anyone else in the world, testing your skills (and your patience) to see if you have what it takes.

Combat martial arts

EA Sports’ UFC game has brought online gamers and combat sports fans together. Back in the early 2000s, the prominent combat sports games were Fight Night and Knockout Kings.

Unfortunately, the popularity of boxing has dwindled significantly due to a clash of fighter and promoter egos, and super fights happening years too late.

The UFC has taken advantage of the mess of professional boxing and developed a game in conjunction with EA Sports that has captured an audience.

Even if you’re not a fan of combat sports, the UFC game helps harness the direct one-on-one competition of combat sports and projects it successfully into online gaming.

Combat games aren’t just rooted in real life, either. There are plenty of fantasy and fiction-style fighting games, such as Mortal Kombat and Tekken, and with Tekken 8 being released to great acclaim in January, it shows that there’s still significant interest in this gaming genre.

First-person shooters

As one of the most popular gaming genres in the world, due to the incredible success of Counter-Strike and Call Of Duty, first-person shooter games bring a lot of casual gamers into the genre.

Sometimes, some games can appeal well beyond their usual market, and Counter-Strike, Call Of Duty, Red Dead Redemption, and Grand Theft Auto are just a few examples.

These games have transcended tastes and trends to create elite games that have become etched into gaming folklore forever. We understand that these games might not be to everyone’s taste, but you only need to look at the numbers to see how popular they are across the gaming spectrum.

Final thoughts

In summary, there are so many games for you to select from that you won’t run out of options, regardless of genre. While we might have mentioned some of the most prominent games in each respective genre, many are bubbling beneath the surface, too.

You can go to gaming forums and check out social media pages or figures on TikTok or YouTube that are on top of the latest gaming news, showing you the latest titles to keep an eye on.

While gaming trends in 2024 revolve predominantly around the top platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, mobile app gaming plays a more critical role in the overall design of some of the most popular current titles.

Free-to-play mobile gaming titles continue to push a lot of innovative ideas, but the real money remains in console gaming.

Home console and PC gaming are multibillion-dollar juggernauts, and the sheer volume of investment and innovation means that the majority of the best games are online games you can access via one or more of these consoles.

That said, you can’t go wrong with a freebie. Mobile gaming uses free gaming to bring over some of the tens of millions of gamers who play online every day, so in 2024, be sure to keep an eye on this sector to see how it unfolds.