The most exciting aspect of a wildcard is the unpredictability of what comes next. At first glance, they may seem unremarkable, only to disclose surprising layers. They’ll keep you on your toes: Will they pull a card and invoke a character from legends—then surprise you with an instantaneous defeat in the fighting game variant?
Alright, it’s quite apparent that I’ve indulged in too much Persona 4 Golden, as it turns out ‘wildcard’ can have various interpretations (or so my teammates inform me). Here, it signifies we’ve encountered a plethora of outstanding hardware throughout 2024, with the bizarre and fantastic not always neatly categorizing into our main sections. Nevertheless, beyond the regular favorites, such as the top graphics card or the finest gaming monitor, there’s a significant amount that deserves recognition.
Thus, the wildcard embodies our ‘best of the rest.’ From niche peripherals to sturdy performers that exemplify the ‘hard’ in ‘hardware,’ there’s quite an assortment below. Not only are the nominees as diverse as you’d wish, but they all attained high marks in our evaluations too; unlike last year, all three of our 2024 nominees achieved a review score of 90 or above, so you can be sure they each merit at least another glance.
Okay, my colleagues are vigorously signaling to hurry it along. So, without further delay, here are our three nominees:
Best of the rest 2024: the nominees
Thus, these are PC Gamer’s wildcard nominations, signifying hardware’s best of the rest for 2024. Although each one deserves the title, only one can claim it. We’ll announce the winner (presumably following a chaotic, Fall Guys-like showdown) on New Year’s Eve.