Over the past few years, remakes and remasters within the gaming industry have been getting more and more popular as time goes on as classic titles are being revived for a new generation of gamers to enjoy.
Even though there are plenty of new games that are being released on a regular basis, the gaming industry is relatively run through with ideas, at least for now, allowing for the opportunity for developers to look back into their past to brighten up the future.
Due to remakes and remasters becoming so popular, gamers have been able to enjoy some of their favourite games with substantial upgrades to graphics and even gameplay mechanics that have allowed them to enjoy their favourite games in a whole new way. As well as bringing new players into the franchise, allowing it to live on, and even tempt developers into reviving said franchises with new titles and revivals.
Below are some of the best remakes and remasters from 2024 that have managed to bring gamers back to their roots and remind them how amazing gaming used to be while showing the improvements that the gaming industry can now make to their favourite franchises due to improved technology.
5. Beyond Good and Evil

Let’s start with one of my personal favourite remakes to be released within 2024, and that is Beyond Good and Evil. After 20 years, the Beyond Good and Evil franchise finally had some form of attention from Ubisoft as a remaster was released to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary.
What makes this remaster so unique is the fact that it wasn’t just a standard remaster with slightly improved graphics, as it also had a few changes and improvements that many fans of the franchise had been waiting for, with one of these changes being a tease for the second game in the franchise.
Players have been waiting eagerly for more information regarding Beyond Good and Evil 2 after the game has spent nearly 2 decades in development hell, and this remaster all but confirmed that the second game is still being worked on (until an official announcement was made) as it allowed players to explore a new quest line that introduced them to characters who would be making an appearance within the second installation as long as things go to plan.
This alteration to the original game is what has made the title stand out amongst the rest of the remakes and remasters released in 2024, as it didn’t just stick with the original content, but it added to it and finally provided a form of closure to a two-decade-long debate and fear many fans have had.
4. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is the next title that we will talk about, as a remake of the title was released within the early months of 2024, and it took the gaming community by storm as fans of the original title back in 2013 were blown away by the graphical overhaul that the title received, providing a whole new look and feel to the popular title.
However, that didn’t mean that the original title didn’t already look good, as it did have a wonderful art style that matched with its powerful storyline, but with the graphical overhaul that it received, the development team were able to provide even more detail and attention to the title, allowing them to make the story even more impressive.
Now, thanks to this remake, a whole new generation of players can try out the incredible story of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons on current generation consoles with some of the best graphics, performance, and gameplay improvements of recent years.
3. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2

After its initial release 25 years ago, an anniversary remaster was released for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2, just like Beyond Good and Evil, in an attempt to celebrate a franchise that featured many firsts within the gaming industry, such as cut-scenes with voice lines and a deep storyline.
Now, thanks to the company Aspyr, a remaster of these two games has been made with a few upgrades to boot in an attempt to relive the glory days of the gaming industry as well as bring attention back to the classic franchise.
Even though these two titles included some major advancements for the time, there were still a few drawbacks that the title required to be a complete masterpiece, and now with better technology, these improvements have been made.
Things like better camera controls, a small graphical update to assets, especially the boss fights, and even a map and compass system allowing players to navigate easier have all been added to improve upon the title to create a fantastic remaster that gamers were begging for.
2. Silent Hill 2

After the unfortunate news of Hideo Kojima’s Silent Hill project P.T. being cancelled, many gamers were worried that the franchise would slowly decline into the past and be forgotten about. However, thanks to the Silent Hill 2 remake that was released in 2024, gamers can now enjoy one of the franchise’s best installments on current-generation consoles with improved features.
Whether it be a graphical overhaul, better camera angles, improved combat, or even changes to the puzzles, there are plenty of improvements that made the Silent Hill 2 remake stand out amongst the rest.
Now, thanks to the popularity this title has received, it is likely that other titles from the franchise will also be remade to fit the current generation of consoles, similar to the Resident Evil franchise, which has slowly been updating its installments, with the most recent being Resident Evil 4.
One can only hope that after the remake’s positive reception, the publisher’s Konami finally decides to boot up the franchise once again and create a new title that players have been begging for.
1. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

The Final Fantasy franchise has been around for over 35 years and has spanned numerous different games, which would be too long to list. However, one game has been receiving the remake love over the past few years, and that is Final Fantasy VII (7).
With its original release date of 1997, Final Fantasy 7 was arguably one of the most popular games in the franchise, as it was a part of the early stages of changing the mind set of a Final Fantasy game as well as using upgraded graphics and gameplay.
But now the remakes have taken Final Fantasy VII to a whole new level as the graphics received a complete overhaul, moving away from blocky designs to a near-lifelike design, as well as upgrading the overall design of the game itself to suit the times.
However, what makes Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth stand out is that this title is the second part of the Final Fantasy VII remake collection that continues the altered story of the original game. Just like other titles in this list, the Final Fantasy VII remake is not a true remake as it has also received changes to alter it from its original source material, creating a brand-new story from one fans already know.
This was an idea that many fans of the franchise were sceptical about, as the original story is part of what gripped them in the first place, but now a new story will be formed that could create brand-new memories for those long-term fans as well as generate a new love for the franchise that could lead to other titles in the franchise being remade or even green light a new project within the franchise.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our review of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 or how Arrowhead Game Studios may finally be delivering on a long-forgotten promise.
I am a long-time writer who enjoys talking about numerous different game genres as well as playing them. My main focuses are games like Helldivers 2, Warframe, and so much more.