The Stuff Gadget Awards 2024: Best games and gaming gadgets of the year

Raising the bar for gamers!

In 2024, gaming reached new heights, and our awards reflect that with standout titles and gadgets that push the envelope. Whether you're indulging into intense PC platformers, exploring PS5 exclusives, or taking your gaming on the go, our winners this year are the ultimate game-changers—delivering fresh challenges, immersive worlds, and some groundbreaking tech.

Master the perfect hand in Balatro, where Poker meets Solitaire on mobile, or move around in the crafted universe of Astro Bot on PS5—there’s something here for every gamer. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown brings platforming nostalgia to PC, while the Audeze Maxwell gaming headset takes audio to new heights with its premium sound and impeccable build.

These picks set the standard for what gaming can be!

Mobile game of the year: Balatro

Balatro can be played on PC and console as well but since we can only give the award spots to one game each, Balatro is a close winner in any platform you choose to play. Specifically, it is available on your Apple Arcade subscription which means you can take this game anywhere you want because you will want to! Imagine Poker rules but bent to your will. Balatro takes the classic Solitaire appeal and marries it to Poker like no other game. It’s simple yet very addictive and when you see those triple digit points flame up into more, the satisfaction is unmatched. We dare you to stop after a single round. The rules are simple, you have to make enough points with a set number of hands to beat the Blind. However, the twist is to add Jokers to modify your Poker hands.

HIGHLY COMMENDED 

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket

ALSO SHORTLISTED

Zenless Zone Zero

Console game of the year: Astro Bot

If you’re a PS5 owner feeling a bit glum at the paucity of titles that truly make the most of the console’s immense power, Astro Bot is the perfect tonic. Nothing less than a heartfelt love letter to the PlayStation era, this cutesy platformer wrings every drop of potential out of the haptics-packed DualSense controller, while running like an audiovisual dream: it’s a gorgeous, Pixar-esque adventure set in a pristinely rendered universe, with a gleefully eclectic score. It’s also a wonderfully involving and challenging 3D platformer with superb level design (full of secrets to uncover) and brilliantly inventive boss fights. Sony’s desire to keep PS4 owners happy has meant genuine PS5 exclusives have been way too thin on the ground, but this game feels like one that every owner of the new console should experience.

HIGHLY COMMENDED 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

ALSO SHORTLISTED 

Tekken 8

PC game of the year: Prince of Persia: the Lost Crown

Surprisingly, our PC and Console games of the year are platformers and if you’re a fan, then these two picks are some of the best in the last decade. And this revival of one of the most beloved series has managed to please our expectations. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is challenging, rewarding and filled with fresh lore. Everyone who loves platformer games is going to enjoy this a lot and the 25-hour story is perfectly long enough to not overstay its welcome. It’s also one of the few Ubisoft games that took us by surprise, and that doesn’t happen often. After Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013), this has to be our favourite Ubisoft game of all time.

HIGHLY COMMENDED 

Helldivers 2

ALSO SHORTLISTED 

Dragons Dogma 2

Gaming gadget of the year: Audeze Maxwell

Whatever headphones you’re using for gaming are not going to sound half as good as these. That’s why the Audeze Maxwell is our undisputed pick for the best gadget you can use while gaming. It’s not only pumping top-quality audio in your ears but it also manages music extremely well. Something gaming headsets have never managed to do. Seriously, the audio quality is so good it could rival those fancy highend headphones. The battery life is insane, the build quality feels super premium, and it’s comfy to wear for hours. And for that, these deserve a spot at the Stuff Gadget Awards.

HIGHLY COMMENDED 

Asus ROG Ally X

ALSO SHORTLISTED 

Lenovo Legion Go