The biggest video game anniversaries of 2024

Half-Life 2
(Image credit: Valve)

The biggest new games for 2024 are getting closer as we wade deeper into the year. From upcoming Xbox Series X games such as Avowed and Fable, to the biggest and brightest exclusive upcoming PS5 games, and the best upcoming PC games and upcoming Switch games, there's loads to look forward to in the weeks and months ahead. 

But what about the games that are now firmly in our rearview mirror? We can't quite believe it's been 20 years since the arrival of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Half-Life 2, for example, or a full decade since Alien: Isolation and P.T. scared our socks off. Believe it or not, it's now been a full 30 years since the first Tekken hit our screens; and a quarter of a century since Crazy Taxi took the wheel (and then promptly lost control of it). 

All of which is to say: there are a lot of big video game anniversaries in 2024 – so much so that we've rounded up all of our favorites here. Separated into five-year intervals, we start below with some of the biggest games celebrating their 10th birthday, before working all the way back to the heady days of 1994.

Games turning 10 in 2024

Sunset Overdrive

(Image credit: Insomniac)

Games launched in 2014

  • The Last of Us Left Behind (DLC) – February 14
  • Dark Souls 2 – March 11
  • Titanfall – March 11
  • Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes – March 18
  • BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode Two (DLC) – March 25
  • Transistor – May 19
  • Wolfenstein: The New Order – May 19
  • Watch Dogs – May 27
  • Divinity: Original Sin – June 30
  • Five Nights at Freddy's – August 8
  • P.T. – August 12
  • The Sims 4 – September 2
  • Destiny – September 9
  • Bayonetta 2 – September 30
  • Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor – September 30
  • Alien: Isolation – October 6
  • The Evil Within – October 14
  • Sunset Overdrive – October 28
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – November 3
  • The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth – November 4
  • Assassin's Creed Unity – November 11
  • Halo: The Master Chief Collection – November 11
  • Far Cry 4 – November 17
  • Dragon Age: Inquisition – November 18 
  • The Talos Principle – December 11

Games turning 15 in 2024

Uncharted

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

Games launched in 2009

  • Halo Wars – February 26
  • Resident Evil 5 – March 5
  • Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars – March 17
  • Minecraft (Java Edition; full release launched in 2011) – May 17
  • Infamous – May 26
  • Wii Sports Resort – June 25
  • Batman: Arkham Asylum – August 25
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – September 24 
  • Stalker: Call of Pripyat – October 2 
  • Brutal Legend – October 13
  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – October 13 
  • Borderlands – October 20
  • League of Legends – October 27
  • Bayonetta – October 29
  • GTA 4: Episodes from Liberty City (DLC) – October 29
  • Dragon Age: Origins – November 3
  • Demon's Souls – November 12
  • Assassin's Creed 2 – November 17
  • Left 4 Dead 2 – November 17
  • Final Fantasy 13 – December 17 

Games turning 20 in 2024

Halo 2

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Games launched in 2004

  • Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 – January 20
  • Battlefield: Vietnam – March 14
  • Katamari Damacy – March 18
  • Far Cry – March 23
  • Counter-Strike: Condition Zero – March 23
  • Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow – March 23
  • Red Dead Revolver – May 4
  • Hitman Contracts – April 20
  • Silent Hill 4: The Room – June 17
  • Driver 3 – June 21
  • Doom 3 – August 3
  • Burnout 3: Takedown – September 7
  • Call of Duty: United Offensive – September 14
  • Fable – September 14
  • The Sims 2 – September 14
  • Pokemon Emerald – September 16
  • Star Wars: Battlefront – September 21
  • Rome: Total War – September 22
  • Tony Hawk's Underground 2 – October 4
  • GTA: Advance – October 26
  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – October 26
  • Counter-Strike: Source – November 1
  • Killzone – November 2
  • Ratchet and Clank 3 – November 2
  • Spyro: A Hero's Tail – November 2
  • WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW – November 2
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap – November 4
  • Halo 2 – November 9
  • Jak 3 – November 9
  • Need for Speed: Underground 2 – November 9 
  • Half-Life 2 – November 16
  • Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines – November 16
  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – November 17 
  • Super Mario 64 DS – November 21
  • Dragon Quest 8 – November 27
  • Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within – November 30
  • Garry's Mod – December (Source mod; released standalone in 2006)
  • Gran Turismo 4 – December 28

Games turning 25 in 2024

Crazy Taxi

(Image credit: Sega)

Games launched in 1999

  • Super Smash Bros – January 21 
  • Syphon Filter – January 31
  • Crazy Taxi – February 1
  • Final Fantasy 8 – February 11
  • Silent Hill – February 23
  • GTA London 1969 and 1961 (expansion packs) – April 30 and April 29
  • Pokemon Stadium – April 30
  • Discworld Noir – June 19
  • Crash Team Racing – June 20
  • Driver – June 25
  • Dungeon Keeper 2 – June 28
  • Dino Crisis – July 1
  • Tekken Tag Tournament (Arcade) – July 1  
  • WWF Attitude – July 9
  • System Shock 2 – August 11
  • Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – August 16
  • Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun – August 26
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater – September 2
  • Resident Evil 3: Nemesis – September 22
  • Age of Empires 2 – September 27
  • Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions – September 30
  • WWF Wrestlemania 2000 – October 12
  • Grand Theft Auto 2 – October 22
  • FIFA 2000 – October 26
  • Medal of Honor – October 31
  • Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! – November 2 
  • Pokemon Gold & Silver – November 21 
  • Donkey Kong 64 – November 22 
  • Unreal Tournament – November 22
  • Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation – November 24  
  • Urban Chaos – November 30 
  • Vib Ribbon – December 9
  • Planescape: Torment – December 10
  • Gran Turismo 2 – December 11
  • Shenmue – December 29

Games turning 30 in 2024

Sonic 3

(Image credit: Sega)

Games launched in 1994

  • Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – February 2
  • Daytona USA – March 2
  • Super Metroid – March 19
  • Beneath a Steel Sky – March 17
  • UFO: Enemy Unknown – March 26
  • Final Fantasy 6 – April 2
  • Star Wars: TIE Fighter – July 20
  • Tekken – September 21
  • System Shock – September 23
  • Earthworm Jim – October 14
  • The Lion King – November 4
  • Warcraft: Orcs and Humans – November 15
  • Donkey Kong Country – November 18
  • Madden 95 – November 18
  • The Need for Speed – December 2
  • King's Field – December 16
  • Marathon – December 21

Had enough of the past? Check out our comprehensive rundown of upcoming video game release dates

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Joe Donnelly
Contributor

Joe Donnelly is a sports editor from Glasgow and former features editor at 12DOVE. A mental health advocate, Joe has written about video games and mental health for The Guardian, New Statesman, VICE, PC Gamer and many more, and believes the interactive nature of video games makes them uniquely placed to educate and inform. His book Checkpoint considers the complex intersections of video games and mental health, and was shortlisted for Scotland's National Book of the Year for non-fiction in 2021. As familiar with the streets of Los Santos as he is the west of Scotland, Joe can often be found living his best and worst lives in GTA Online and its PC role-playing scene.