The UK’s most hotly anticipated video games of 2024, according to new study 

• Tekken 8 is the most anticipated game of 2024 in the UK, averaging 28,975 monthly searches over the last 12 months. 
• Ubisoft’s delayed pirate adventure Skull and Bones placed second in the study, with an average 22,123 monthly searches.
• Star Wars Outlaws also featured among the UK’s five most anticipated games of 2024, with monthly Google searches averaging 19,555 for the title.

As 2023 winds to an end and gamers enjoy their last adventures of the year, a new study has revealed the UK’s five most-anticipated games of 2024.

The experts at Gameyard analysed Google search data from the last 12 months on 81 of the biggest gaming titles coming in 2024. Over 242 terms were assessed and totalled, revealing a ranking of the games with the highest average monthly search volume.

1. Tekken 8

Release date: 26^th January 2024 

Players don’t have to wait long to dive headfirst into the latest instalment of the iconic franchise Tekken. A total of 32 characters have been confirmed for Tekken 8, with fighters ready to face off against Tekken’s original protagonist, Kayuza Mashima, who is now the main villain. Gamers in the UK are excited for Tekken 8, averaging 28,975 monthly searches over the last 12 months. These figures place Tekken 8 at the top of the study as 2024’s most talked-about game in the UK. Luckily, gamers only have a few weeks left to wait before they load up Bandai Namco’s latest fighting game juggernaut.

2. Skull and Bones

Release date: 16^th February 2024 

First announced at E3 2017 by Ubisoft and following a string of long delays, Ubisoft’s co-op pirate adventure Skull and Bones is finally set to release in 2024. Despite the lengthy delays, gamers in the UK are ready and waiting to jump on a ship and sail the seas with friends on what promises to be an entertaining pirate simulator. People in the UK search for terms relating to Skull and Bones more than almost any other game releasing in 2024. Averaging 22,123 monthly searches, Skull and Bones placed second in the study of the UK’s most hotly anticipated games of 2024.

3. Nightingale 

Release date: 22^nd February 2024

New Canadian developer Inflexion Games is adding to the ever-popular survival crafting genre with its first video game Nightingale. Set in a post-apocalyptic Victorian landscape rife with monsters, portals and deadly enemies, Nightingale has proven very popular with UK players. Nightingale has accumulated the third-highest average search volume for a 2024 video game release, cementing its position among the most anticipated gaming titles of the year. On average, people search for terms relating to Nightingale 20,220 times a month.

4. Star Wars Outlaws

Release date: Unspecified date in 2024

2024 will be a big year for fans of a galaxy far, far away, with publisher Ubisoft set to release the first-ever open-world Star Wars game. Star Wars Outlaws will see gamers play out an original story as scoundrel Kay Vess as you scour the galaxy’s outer rim and attempt to pull off an ambitious and daring heist. People in the UK can’t wait to get their hands on another Star Wars video game, with average monthly searches over the last 12 months reaching 19,555. Despite no definitive release date set, Star Wars Outlaws still secures a spot as the fourth most-anticipated game of 2024.

5. Ark 2

Release date: Unspecified date in 2024

First revealed three years ago with Vin Diesel attached as an executive producer and leading role, Ark 2 is yet another game pushed back from an initial 2023 release. It seems the delays have built excitement around the survival game’s release, with people in the UK searching for terms relating to Ark 2 an average of 17,690 times a month. An Xbox Series X/S console exclusive, Ark 2 will see the sandbox survival experience enhanced with Souls-like combat, new traversal options, and unique crafting upgrades as you and your friends tame dinosaurs to help make your survival that little bit easier.

A spokesperson from Gameyard commented on the new study: “As search volumes show the most talked about games releasing in 2024, it will be interesting to see if these titles will live up to the hype and how search trends change throughout the year as embargoes drop and upcoming releases gather momentum.”

“With GTA 6 set to dominate the gaming landscape in 2025, the field is wide open for a title to steal the attention and adoration of gamers in 2024. As reviews, reactions and sale figures roll in throughout the year, keep an eye out for how many of these games find themselves on ‘best of the year’ lists or even secure a coveted ‘Game of the Year’ nomination.”