Good old 2024 was a middling year for DLCs, with relatively few releases. Still, quality trumps quantity, and this year we had DLCs so good they were competing for the Game of the Year title atThe Game Awards.
Enjoy this parting gift to mark the year’s end: the best DLCs of 2024, ranked. There is something for everybody here, from obscure indie titles to AAA blockbusters, so take your pick.
8Rise of Ix
Dune: Imperium
The board game received theRise of Ixexpansion in 2022, but its virtual counterpart joined the party in 2024.
Dune: Imperiumbuilds upon the franchise’s tradition ofstrong strategy games, and this adaptation follows the aesthetic direction of the new films by Denis Villeneuve.
Every Dune Game, Ranked
Bring the politics and war strategies of Dune: Part Two to life in these forgotten games based on the massive world of Dune.
Rise of Ixis the first expansion available for the game, andit adds transformative elements to the game, primarily through the tech tree of innovations from planet Ix.
Besides new ships, theRise of IxDLC adds new leaders, abilities, and a whole new game mode that supports more concurrent players.
7Space Age
TheFactorioexperience depends on who you ask. Some will tell you it is aboutbuilding circuit boardswith extra steps. Others consider it a life-ruining addiction.
Whatever excuse you use to keep playing it,Factoriodelivered with itsSpace AgeDLC in October.
The expansion adds four new planets to explore, each with its peculiarities. Fulgora, for example, is a desert where you have nothing but persistent lightning strikes and scrap left behind by an alien civilization that either died or took off before you.
With new planets come new dynamics, augmented by the Quality mod which allows vertical upgrades as an alternative to the endless sprawl.
Rather than just launching a rocket and being done with it,the goal inFactorio Space Ageis to build a space platformthat can reach the edges of the solar system.
6Frontline-59 Campaign
Project Wingman
It has been four years sinceProject Wingmanentered the scene, with Sector D2 being the only developer brave enough to take the fight to Bandai Namco’sAce Combaton its turf.
TheFrontline-59campaign takespilotsto the forgotten Magadan Front, a major engagement happening concurrently with the base game’s timeline.
You play the role of a battered but not broken Pacific Federation pilot who redeploys from the Bearing Strait to defend against a major Cascadian invasion.
In traditional arcade flight sim fashion,Frontline-59has giant boss planes, insane tunnel-flying sequences, and a trip to extreme environments.
The DLC also adds a distinctive new artistic style that brings thatBattlefield 3nostalgia back.
5Winds of Change
WhenRegimentscame out in 2022, it was a breath of fresh air forreal-time strategyplayers tired of the sweaty meta gameplay ofWargame: Red Dragon.
The streamlined interface, realistic battle mechanics, and excellent ambiance made an impression, but the campaign length left many players wanting more. Bird’s Eye Games heard the cries, and it delivered with theWinds of ChangeDLC.
10 Strategy Game Hidden Gems You Need to Play
We have cossacks, tanks, and even submarines!
You get cool units and new countries, including the everlasting cool of the French Army’s late 1980s aesthetics, but what Wind of Change shines at is the new War Paths mode.
This dynamic campaign generator works beautifully and is one of the best examples of procedural generation done right.
Winds of Changeadds infinite replayability to this hidden gem of modern strategy, cementing it as one of the finest products of the MicroProse revival.
4Dawntrail
Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy 14
It was a busy year forFinal Fantasyfans. The year started with the epic release ofFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth(no matter whatthe haters writing the Square Enix quarterly reportssay) and kept up the pace with theDawntrailexpansion forFinal Fantasy XIV.
WhileFinal Fantasy XVI’sRising TideDLC floundered,Dawntrailmade waves in the community. As with any Square Enix release, it had its fair share ofdetractorsbut kept a positive balance.
Dawntrailtakes a more grounded approach to storytelling, moving away from the more dramatic ‘the world is ending’ shenanigans of previous expansions.
There is nothing revolutionary about it, but that can be a good thing.The low-stakes approach allowedDawntrailto focus more on storytelling, aided by the improved facial animations and beautiful soundtrack.
3The Lake House
Alan Wake II
Alan Wake 2
Remedy Entertainment has a rich IP library, and the Finnish company is not afraid to mix and match.
The Lake HouseDLC forAlan Wake IItakes you inside the mysterious brutalist wonders of the Federal Bureau of Control’s facility by Cauldron Lake. You play as FBC agent Kiran Estevez, who is the only familiar thing on this horrific site.
Alan Wake 2: 10 Best Easter Eggs, Ranked
Alan Wake 2 is packed full of Easter eggs and references to other properties - Remedy’s or otherwise.
The five floors of the research facility feel as infinite as they feel unsettling, and the developers managed to strike the perfect balance betweentension, horror, and pure enjoyment.
The Lake Housemakes you feel small compared to other Remedy titles, as you have no powers or supernatural gadgets to help you.
Once inside the facility,every corner of it brings nothing but terror, and you have to use whatever tools at your disposal to make it out alive.
2Shadow of the Erdtree
Elden Ring
Most DLCs live and die quietly, enjoying plenty of love from the game’s existing fanbase but never making serious waves elsewhere.
None of this applies toElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. We are talking about a DLC so good and thorough that it scored fournominations at The Game Awards(Best RPG, Best Art Direction, Best Game Direction, and the coveted Game of the Year category).
The nomination did not go down well with many gamers since we are talking about a DLC rather than a full game, but the message is clear: Shadow of the Erdtree is a banger.
We are talking about over 40 new bosses, an incredibly dense Realm of Shadow, and a soundtrack that goes hard.
The artistic value of the DLC is unmatched, but it is still held back by performance issues that can defeat powerful computers.
1The War Within
World of Warcraft
The year 2024 marked the 20th anniversary ofWorld of Warcraft, and Blizzard whipped up a worthy reward for players.
The War Withincame out in September, and it earned universal praise for being the bestWorld of Warcraftrelease in years.
Although at surface level this might seem similar to any decent DLC for the series, one of the standout features ofThe War Withinis thatit does not require you to be a full-time player to enjoy it.
You can comfortablypace yourselfthrough the story alone, with NPC allies joining you if you go dungeon-busting.
The expansion also rewards your time in ways that feel almost alien forWorld of Warcraft. From the cutscenes to the artistic impressions left in every corner of the DLC content,The War Withinfeels like a war cry.
World of Warcraftis not only alive, but it is improving. Saying “happy anniversary” never felt this joyful.
