On average, more than 1,000 new PC games are released on Steam every month. Keeping up with that many games is virtually impossible, which is why Steam’s wishlist feature is invaluable. See a game you think you might like? Add it to your wishlist right away so you don’t immediately forget about it. This feature is just as important for game developers as Steam is more likely to promote a game that thousands of users are excited about.
Steam has a list of the games that appear on the most wishlists, which is updated on a regular basis. Here are the most wishlisted Steam games of 2024 right now:
10. Nightingale
- Release date: February 22, 2024
Nightengale is another open-world survival crafting game, but what sets this one apart is its steampunk aesthetic. Journey alone or with up to five friends while harvesting materials, building an estate, exploring caves and ruins, and fighting mythical creatures.
9. The First Descendant
- Release date: Summer 2024
This third-person co-op action RPG shooter puts you in the shoes of a Descendant tasked with completing missions and defeating giant bosses to save humanity. There are many characters to choose from, each with their own unique active and passive skills. As you play, you’ll collect new weapons and equipment that can be customized and upgraded. Will The First Descendant give Destiny 2 a run for its money in 2024?
8. Enshrouded
- Release date: January 24, 2024
It’s a great time to be a fan of survival games. Rust, Valheim, Lego Fortnite, and more attract millions of players every month who want to build bases and fend off baddies while contending with the elements. Enshrouded is a new fantasy-themed survival game with all of the standard trappings: Crafting, building, exploring, and fighting. Up to 16 players can join up on a single server to build and battle together to save Embervale.
7. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- Release date: September 5, 2024
Fans of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. have been waiting nearly two decades for a sequel. This year, it’s finally happening. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a first-person shooter set in a 64-square-kilometer radioactive zone where you’ll be up against different human factions as well as dangerous mutants. As in the first game, you will have to contend with survival mechanics such as hunger, sleeping, and bleeding as you venture out into a world that couldn’t care less about you.
6. ARK 2
- Release date: TBA
Ark: Survival Evolved lets you tame and ride dinosaurs, so it’s no wonder it became one of the most popular games in this increasingly crowded genre. Studio Wildcard significantly upped the ante for ARK 2 by casting Vin Diesel (Fast X) and Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) as its lead characters. There will be more of a focus on story, but don’t worry — you can still craft weapons and tools, build structures, fight monsters, and of course, ride dinosaurs.
5. Frostpunk 2
- Release date: 2024
Frostpunk 2 is a survival strategy game set 30 years after an apocalyptic blizzard that left the world all but frozen. Your job is to build up a city with limited resources while keeping the people within from tearing themselves and each other apart. The first game was a smash hit, and fans have been waiting patiently for a sequel since 2018.
4. Black Myth: Wukong
- Release date: August 20, 2024
This action RPG from developer Game Science is based on the legendary Chinese novel Journey to the West, which also inspired a Netflix movie in 2023. Fight mythological creatures as you master new staff techniques and combine your prowess with new spells, abilities, and equipment you discover along the way. Could Black Myth be this year’s Lies of P?
3. Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Release date: TBA
It’s been five years since Team Cherry announced the follow-up to its beloved action platformer Hollow Knight. We still have no idea when or if this game is coming out, but we do know it stars Hornet, princess-protector of Hallownest who sparred with our Knight in the first game. She has a very different play style that looks more acrobatic and should differentiate this sequel from the original — if we ever get our hands on it, that is.
2. Manor Lords
- Release date: April 26, 2024
In this medieval strategy game, you take on the role of a manor lord in charge of building a city and an army to protect your citizens. Throw Civilization and Total War into a blender, and this is probably what would come out. Incredibly, Manor Lords was made by a solo developer, but you wouldn’t know it from the game’s gorgeous landscapes.
1. Hades II
- Release date: 2024 (Early Access)
After Hades made such a huge splash in 2020, it’s no surprise that the sequel made its way on to more Steam wishlists than any other game. The action roguelike starring Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld and the sister of Hades protagonist Zagreus, will expand upon the previous entry with new weapons, new upgrades, and new buff gods to ogle. It’s only entering early access this year, but it should still be worth playing on day one.
