The best games we played at PAX West 2024: Monster Hunter, Infinity Nikki, and more

Seattle was once again the center of the gaming world as PAX West 2024 took over the Emerald City. Players, developers, and cosplayers galore met to play the biggest upcoming titles, meet new friends, and party deep into the night. Digital Trends was there (on our best behavior, of course) to uncover the most promising upcoming games that you should have your eye on. Whether it’s the biggest franchises or the smallest hidden gems, we looked high and low, on and off the show floor, to create this list of the can’t-miss games.

Pizza Bandit

I don’t know what I was expecting from Pizza Bandit, but Overcooked-meets-Gears of War was certainly not it.

The demo I played had me atop a small platform as I juggled gathering ingredients and baking various pizza orders that would then load into launchers. As chaotic as it was trying to manage all of that without sending the wrong order or taking too long, a near-constant horde of mutant-like creatures kept spawning. Knowing when I had time to finish carrying a case of soda to fulfill an order or when I needed to spin up my minigun to turn the incoming monsters to pink mists added to the sense of chaos. I was by myself (though it supports up to four-player co-op), so I had to make do with automated turrets and grenades to provide cover. When I narrowly completed the mission, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. It was awesome. ~ Justin Koreis

Unknown 9: Awakening

Unknown 9: Awakening journeys through real-world-inspired locales from India to Portugal with Haroona, a superpowered heroine who channels her powers from a mysterious dimension called the Fold. She can temporarily take control of another person’s body, turn invisible for a sneak attack or to evade detection, or even telepathically push enemies off ledges. In my 60-minute playthrough, the abilities covered a wide range of playstyles and leaned into stealth and environmental puzzle-solving in a way that made me appreciate the work put into her abilities and the