Gaming is up there when it comes to beloved hobbies, no longer an activity enjoyed by only a niche community but instead garnering widespread popularity. While every game will certainly find its way into some players’ hearts, some rise above the rest to become global sensations.

These trends happen in a reality where the gaming industry is very versatile with many subgenres helping expand this hobby further. For instance, we can take a look at online casinos. This is one of the subsectors that has been gaining traction thanks to the digitization of classic casino games such as poker and slots.

This is due to the fact that these digitized games retain the same core rules but differ widely when it comes to themes and features. This reflects the overall values of gaming, where every type of player can find an ideal option that will meet their needs and preferences. Online casino games are now also available on smartphones, meaning that it has joined the leagues of other mobile video games such as Grandblue Fantasy, which have made the mobile gaming field even more popular.

With such a wide variety of options and easy access, it is not surprising that so many people around the globe are now playing at an online casino for real money. This has led to even more widespread growth for the gaming industry overall.

On this note, we’d like to discuss some other games that we believe have a place in everyone’s gaming library. Especially for those who enjoy diverse gaming niches such as the one we mentioned above.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

We’ll start this list off with one of the best PS5 console games released this year – Grandblue Fantasy: Relink. This JRPG was announced in 2016 and finally available to players in February 2024, after experiencing multiple delays due to the original company that planned to develop it, Platinum Games, leaving the project in 2019.

Its release was met warmly by fans of the series, with a million copies shipped just in the first two weeks. In this release, the players are transported to the mythical realm of Estalucia, where you play the role of a Captain, with a crew consisting of well-written and beautifully designed characters.

The story starts with your character receiving a letter from their father, telling you to go to a mysterious island. Of course, on your perilous journey, you will also encounter plenty of real-time action combat, typical of JRPGs. While originally this was a franchise that started as a mobile game, as mentioned above, its turn to consoles was quite successful, with critics giving it generally favorable reviews.

As a last note, if you’re a fan of the genre, you might find the art style slightly familiar, perhaps it will even remind you of another epic fantasy RPG franchise. This is because one of the artists working on the game is Hideo Minaba. For those unfamiliar with the artist, he’s been closely working on the Final Fantasy series since its fifth release.

Baldur’s Gate 3

We couldn’t leave out 2023’s Game of the Year from this list. Baldur’s Gate 3 is the latest release in the franchise of the same name. Widely considered to be one of the best DnD-inspired video games available, it redefined the whole concept of AAA games globally.

Led by Swen Vincke, Larian Studios has done what few others have in recent years: focused on the quality of the game rather than the profits, millions of players have fallen in love with their work. This is also what led to some developer drama, with them worrying players will now set their expectations too high.

The plot of the game is quite a peculiar one, you start off on a mind flayer ship, where you get infected by a parasitic tadpole. From the get-go, you’ll get right into the action, as the ship gets attacked and you get the chance to escape with the help of some other characters you can find on the ship. This will give you the chance to steer, or, to put it more bluntly, crash the ship in Faerun, part of the Forgotten Realms.

From here on, you’ll encounter several fantastically written characters, who can later on join your party – depending on the choices you make. Speaking of choices, every decision you make in the game will impact what happens next and your ending. And to add to this pizzazz, a dice roll is added, so even a good choice can end up having a negative effect.

You’ll have the option to play as several DnD classes, like sorcerer, cleric, and barbarian, along with different races, such as elf, and drow. When it comes to the combat style, it is turn-based, akin to actual DnD gameplay which also includes a background dice check every time. This is perfect for those who prefer taking their time planning out a good attack strategy, while still yearning for realistic results.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Rounding up this list is another strong game, the latest installment in the sprawling Warhammer 40k franchise. This sci-fi CRPG is a great introduction to those who haven’t played any of the previous games and are unfamiliar with its lore. However, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader vastly differs from previous titles, in part due to the direction of its developer, Owlcat Games.

The combat system of this game is also turn-based, featuring a long list of actions. Apart from regular fights, players will also get to enjoy space combat, which can be as challenging as it is fun. The choices made here also have a major impact on the character’s alignment and the loyalty of the party.

The game is set in the Koronus Expanse, a world where there’s plenty of conflict going around. Here one will get to play as the Rogue Trader, choosing how they will handle their space empire, serving a good dose of quality colony management. Although the game fits so many seemingly different elements that might make it seem messy at first, it does manage to do so in a highly enjoyable way.