2024 was a surprising year — games from small teams rocketed up the charts, while big releases from major companies slowed. Here are our favorites from a diverse year, sortable by platform and genre.

In an effort to address child safety concerns, digital gaming platform Roblox announced Monday that it is rolling out a major update to its safety features and parental controls.

The Nintendo Music app lets you listen to dozens of hours of music from games like Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong.

The success of Silent Hill 2, and the announcement of several other projects, begs the question: How serious is Konami about revitalizing its most beloved franchises?

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has superb combat and charismatic companions but if you're hoping for a return to the series' origins, you'll be disappointed.

If you've spent the day canvassing and just need to take a breather, here are three games that have hit the spot recently for our pop culture critic.

'Jamboree' feels scattered and altogether too eager to please. But while the game's a mixed bag, it's still one of the best in the chaotic Nintendo series.

The Nintendo Museum opens in Kyoto, Japan, today. Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto never expected the company to make the museum, since it has an ethos of letting its games speak for themselves.

Nintendo's latest game is the first to truly star Zelda in the series that has borne her name since 1986. It boasts innovative mechanics but is still a little too linked to the past.

Where Tears of the Kingdom felt like a triumphant end of an era, Echoes of Wisdom may well be an understated but confident start to something new.

As Dungeons & Dragons turns 50, critic Glen Weldon looks back on playing the game in its early years — and stumbling upon the fierce, shoulder-padded illusionist that would become his first character.

Performers are on strike against major video game companies, and AI is the sticking point. Here’s how game development has evolved since early animation.

In 1989, a big gray brick with a tiny monochrome screen became gaming's new smash hit. Nintendo's Game Boy revolutionized portable gaming. As part of NPR's special series of historical moments, a NPR reporter spoke to business executives turned Game Boy fans in 1990.

Morning Edition want to hear what Dungeons & Dragons means to you.

You'll need a hug after Shadow of the Erdtree gets its claws around you. The follow-up to the 2022 gaming phenomenon presents a new realm to explore, new mysteries to unravel, and new bosses to get utterly demolished by.