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For a puzzle-and-exploration adventure, start with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom on Nintendo Switch. For lively 3D platforming, choose Astro Bot on PlayStation 5. For a cinematic action-adventure, consider Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. These are recommendations, not a definitive genre-wide ranking: “adventure” can mean anything from story-first puzzles to action and platforming, and the sources support different kinds of recognition for each game.
Three recommended adventure games from 2024
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom — exploration and puzzles (Nintendo Switch)
Choose Echoes of Wisdom if you want to explore, solve puzzles, and take on combat as part of the journey. BAFTA’s 2025 Games Awards longlist describes Zelda and Tri exploring Hyrule, battling monsters, conquering dungeons, and solving the riddle of the rifts; it lists the game for Switch. The longlist is recognition, not an award win. BAFTA’s longlist and game description Gamereactor placed the game first in its 2024 adventure-games list, an editorial ranking rather than an industry award. Gamereactor’s 2024 adventure list
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Astro Bot — playful 3D platforming adventure (PlayStation 5)
Pick Astro Bot for a bright, platforming-led adventure rather than a point-and-click or primarily story-driven experience. The Game Awards named it Best Action/Adventure in 2024, the clearest award result among these three picks. The Game Awards 2024 results PlayStation also described it as a platforming adventure in its 2024 reader-voted awards coverage. That poll received over 1.6 million votes globally across 19 categories; PlayStation did not give a separate vote count for Astro Bot’s category. PlayStation.Blog’s 2024 reader-voted awards Gamereactor ranked it second on its adventure list while acknowledging that some players may primarily classify it as a 3D platformer. Gamereactor’s 2024 adventure list
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Consider Indiana Jones and the Great Circle if cinematic action-adventure is closer to what you mean by “adventure.” Gamereactor ranked it third on its 2024 list and recommended it as a strong fit for the genre. That placement is the cited editorial recommendation; the sources here do not establish an award win for the game. Gamereactor’s 2024 adventure list
#1 Best Overall
Which one fits your idea of an adventure?
| Game | Play style | Platform established here | Recognition cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | Exploration, puzzles, dungeons, and combat | Nintendo Switch | First on Gamereactor’s editorial list; included on BAFTA’s 2025 longlist, not a win |
| Astro Bot | Playful 3D platforming adventure | PlayStation 5 | Second on Gamereactor’s editorial list; The Game Awards 2024 Best Action/Adventure winner |
| Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | Cinematic action-adventure | Not stated in the cited sources | Third on Gamereactor’s editorial list; no award win established here |
The award record is useful context, but it is not a single shared ranking. Metacritic’s tracker groups awards and nominations under “Adventure (or Action-Adventure) Game of the Year”; its displayed Metascores are the tracker’s scores, not scores issued by award bodies. The tracker’s final update was April 9, 2025. Metacritic’s 2024 awards tracker
In that category, the tracker displays Astro Bot at 94, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle at 86, and Echoes of Wisdom at 85. It also includes 1000xRESIST (86), Animal Well (90), Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (86), Silent Hill 2 (86), and Star Wars Outlaws (75). Those scores are attributed Metacritic figures, not objective measures of quality, and the category combines adventure with action-adventure rather than declaring one consensus winner.
Rank #2
- Explore a Massive World: Meet Hello Kitty and Friends across distinct biomes with more than 100 hours of adventure and affecting stories to experience. Brave Kuromi’s haunted mansion in the Spooky Swamp, unearth ancient secrets with Retsuko in fiery Mount Hothead, grow rare flowers with Wish me mell in the Merry Meadows, discover new treasures underwater in Rainbow Reef, and so much more.
- Be Who You Want: Express yourself as an original, Sanrio-style avatar with a wide range of adorable character customization options. Select from dozens of faces, features, and body shapes, then collect hundreds of clothing items. Change your appearance at any time.
- Craft, Create, Collect: Bake delicious recipes with Hello Kitty, brew magic potions with Kuromi, collect critters with Keroppi, learn to fish from Badtz-maru, and so much more. Share gifts and complete quests to deepen your friendship with even more beloved characters.
- Team Up in Multiplayer: Everything is better with friends. Invite other players to your island and complete multiplayer challenges to boost each other’s stamina, solve the island’s trickiest puzzles, chase new high scores, or build beautiful vacation homes together. Multiplayer guests can even decorate their own Friendship Cabins on your island.
Why the award year can differ from the release year
A game appearing in a 2024 awards roundup is not necessarily a 2024 release. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom won the 2024 Japan Game Awards Grand Award, but it was released in 2023, so it does not belong in a list specifically about games released in 2024. The award’s description praises the freedom to explore from sky to underground. Japan Game Awards 2024 results
More 2024 games to explore
Metacritic’s awards-category tracker also points to 1000xRESIST, Animal Well, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Silent Hill 2, and Star Wars Outlaws. It records different awards and nominations for different titles, so these are additional names to investigate—not a uniform endorsement or a ranking that places them all on equal footing. The sources cited here do not establish platform availability for every one of these additional games.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales - Amazon Exclusive Edition includes a double-sided poster.
- Hope is Timeless. A brand-new action RPG from the creators of OCTOPATH TRAVELER and BRAVELY DEFAULT – The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales features a bold narrative, deep exploration, robust customization, and intense real-time combat. The adventurer Elliot and his fairy sidekick Faie set off on a journey across four ages to fulfill a thousand-year mission. Enjoy intuitive and rewarding action-based battles with strategic support abilities from a fairy as you reveal this world’s mysterious history.
- Seven Weapon Types and Fairy Magic - Arm yourself with up to two weapons at a time to do battle with the beast tribes that overrun the continent. Faie’s fairy magic will prove handy in clearing both the fiends and puzzles that stand in your way.
- The Four Ages of a Millennium - To lift a curse, Elliot and Faie will cross through the Doorway of Time to visit different periods in history. Across every age, a terrible threat looms over Elliot and Faie’s adventure.
- Personalized Adventuring with Magicite - Customize Elliot’s weapons by equipping different combinations of magicite found during the journey. Try out all sorts of variations and confront obstacles using your own methods.
Rank #4
- Explore the much-loved world of Horizon and come face-to-face with the game’s awe-inspiring machines – all faithfully recreated in LEGO bricks.
- Experience thrilling online and couch co-op action with friends and family (Online play may require a paid online subscription).
- Enjoy an exciting mix of action, exploration, customization, and laugh-out-loud LEGO humour.
- Engage in explosive combat with spectacular weapons, power-ups, and gadgets.
- Soak up stunning cinematic visuals, built with life-like LEGO bricks.
Rank #3
- True to the Original
- Striking Art Direction and Score
- Respectful Representation
- Officially Licensed & Supported
- Deluxe Edition Content: Full game, Cowboys & Critters DLC, 3 art cards, Reversible coversheet
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