The Best General Release Sneakers Of 2024 (So Far)

It’s no secret that when it comes time to rank the best sneakers of a given decade, year, or even (in this case) six-month period, the most limited and hyped products typically end up near the top. Scroll through these kinds of best-of lists at this publication, or any others that dedicate many thousands of words to dissecting sneakers and their cultural impact, and you’ll find top spots snagged by shoes that often feel unattainable.

Yes, Travis Scott’s Jordans are cool, but how cool are they when nobody can really get them? Sure, Virgil Abloh perfected the sneaker-to-designer crossover by bringing Nike and Louis Vuitton together, but the tier of exclusivity that project existed on made it almost, well, nonexistent.

So this time, Complex is dedicating some space to the best general release sneakers, the best stuff that you feel like you can actually buy without the assistance of a bot, bribes, or major clout at your local sneaker store. This group is what we feel are the best, biggest, relatively accessible non-collab sneakers to come out so far in 2024.

Their “general release” status is a bit difficult to quantify—sneaker brands are notoriously protective of information about just how many pairs they produce of a given style. And some of these things are relative—there are clearly more of the “Military Blue” Air Jordan 4s than there are for a more neighborhood-style drop like the “Ultramarine” Nike Air 180. (And clearly a brand like New Balance is going to make even fewer.) Also, just because the shoes landed on this list doesn’t mean we’re saying they’re easy to get. Sneaker collecting is a mainstream hobby these days, so even if Nike makes 999,999 pairs, you might be battling against a million people to get them. Hopefully you got them, or hopefully you’ll find some good sneakers here that don’t demand too much effort to actually enjoy.

Release Date: 3/26/24
Price: $160

The latest Air Max model, the Dn, had the daunting task of leading Nike’s Air Max Day offerings for 2024. With that position comes a laundry list of responsibilities. It needs to exude innovation on a visual level, despite primarily being a lifestyle shoe. But it also has to be capable enough to actually withstand the type activity that the campaign implies it’s made for. Design wise, it has to have mass market appeal. Like the Air Max 270 and Air Vapormax before it, the Dn is expected to move units, and a lot of them. And most importantly, it has to invoke irrational anger amongst Air Max purists, which comes easy with its mere existence. Taking all that into account, the Air Max Dn is a success. The tech, while obviously derivative, appears different enough to still seem interesting. Its design offers ample color blocking opportunities, and looks particularly bold in the “All Night” launch colorway. What we appreciate the most though is that even if it appears to be a shoe created by a strict marketing brief, we’re going to be seeing a lot of the Dn in the future, so at least it’s something actually new. —Zac Dubasik

Release Date: 3/1/24
Price: $155

Like some of the other sneakers on this list, the New Balance 1906R is one of those styles you will see on countless feet if you step outside. Not only does it fall perfectly in line with the current mesh runner trend, but it’s readily available in a multitude of colorways. The silhouette took a little time to gain momentum since returning in August 2022, but is making a lot of noise right now. Part of that is due to a recent collab with Action Bronson.

But one of the best 1906Rs we’ve seen is this “Licorice” pair that was released back in March. It’s hard to really articulate, but the color scheme on these—a tan mesh upper with an iridescent purple overlay and subtle yellow hit on the midsole—just makes them feel special for some reason. It’s like something you'd expect to have to visit a more niche boutique to come up on. There’s a pretty high chance that if you walked into your closest shopping mall right now, you can scoop these up hassle free. Not having to jump through hoops for a good pair of sneakers is a great feeling, especially when you don’t feel like you’re just settling for what’s in front of you. These are the definition of a sleeper. Go grab them before everyone else wakes up.  —Mike DeStefano

Release Date: 2/15/24
Price: $95

We’ve officially reached another Mesh Boyz Summer, and the official shoe this year might be the ASICS 1130. The sneaker became popular last year with the resurgence in Y2K mesh running shoes, and ASICS kept the heat going on the model this year. It’s funny that this shoe has become the one for the brand, in some aspects. Back when it first released in 2008, it was the takedown version of the 2130, which was still just a shoe that was sold to runners or suburban parents looking for a comfy shoe. And I sold the frick out of them at Foot Locker. But no one “cool” ever bought or wore the shoes. It wasn’t even an “IYKYK” shoe or whatever. But it’s found a new audience in 2024. It’s become the go-to sneaker for people who want something non-hype that’s wearable and easy to purchase. The white and silver pair is everywhere. And that’s what a general release should be all about.  —Matt Welty

Release Date: 5/24/24
Price: $150

I’m so glad these came back this year and that Nike made them the right way. The Air 180 is one of the lesser celebrated original Air Maxes from the line’s golden era, but it’s also one of the most unique. Its Ultramarine colorway stands out on its own—it’s the first sneaker with a 180-degree Air unit, and it’s also the only classic Air Max shoe that doesn’t have Air Max in its name. Nike brought back the Air 180 in May with the help of certified sneaker OG Leon Witherow, and his number-one objective was to make the sneaker as true to its 1991 form as possible. This included using a larger Air unit on the shoe and leveling out its shape to include a less-pointed toe than previous retros. The shoe was released and sold out, which was surprising. But here’s to hoping that Nike will put more of them out.  —Matt Welty

Release Date: 4/24/24
Price: $150

Many people are saying the New Balance 1000 bears similarities to the Air Max 97. And that makes sense to some extent. The shoe first came out in 1999, so it’s of that era. The 1000 was billed as a running shoe for the brand, although there’s very little historical information on the model. Some suggest the 1000 name comes from a one-up of the 990 series. The New Balance 1000 was re-released this year for the first time ever and has become New Balance’s silhouette of focus this year. It was launched with a collaboration with Joe Freshgoods in two colorways. And there was also a general release pair that dropped shortly after in black and silver. While the public was unsure of the model at first, these two releases proved that the shoe is the flavor of the moment and has staying power, at least for now. There’s an upcoming Aime Leon Dore project with the 1000, and it looks like that will be successful. But people are still excited to see more widely available colors release, too. —Matt Welty

Release Date: 2/29/24
Price: $240

Are Foamposites back? They never left for long, although they’ve been scarce as retros in this decade and certainly hit a nadir in the last with deplorable colorways like the “Weatherman” and “Thermal Map.” The alien-looking Nike basketball shoes from the ’90s are in redemption mode right now, with Nike apparently set on reminding sneaker consumers how good Foams are at their best—that is, in solid, versatile colors and the occasional graphic makeup. For Foams, it doesn’t get much better than the “Eggplant,” a colorway that debuted when the Foam line was really gaining retro momentum in 2009, came back in 2017, and just dropped again in February. Sure, they’ve been here for years, but it still feels like a bit of a comeback. —Brendan Dunne

Release Date: 4/13/24
Price: $190

It took years of social media bickering and backdoor negotiations, but it finally happened—you can actually buy Nike Kobe sneakers. Yes, they are sometimes limited (to the dismay of Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa). There are still ones that don’t feel like general releases given just how many people adopted an extreme thirst for the shoes following Bryant’s tragic passing in 2020. But with some patience and a bit of luck, grabbing a pair of Kobes in 2024 is usually not that hard. And that’s a good thing. One that feels particularly salient is the “Venice Beach” Kobe 8, a lurid colorway that is heavy at gym runs and on city corners. —Brendan Dunne

Release Date: 5/4/24
Price: $215

Unlike 2024’s “Bred Reimagined” Air Jordan 4, the “Military Blue” Air Jordan 4 returned exactly as it was originally imagined—albeit with a different nickname. Much ado was made about the name change from “Military Blue” to “Industrial Blue,” but the fact remains that this differentiation really only existed in the Nike SNKRS product page—even the box tag still includes “Military Blue” in the colorway. And it’s not like there was a SNKRS app around when this Jordan originally released in 1989, so it’s an arbitrary point to begin with. Call it what you want, but it remains one of only four original versions of the Air Jordan 4, and the final pair of those four to return with the “Nike Air” logo on the heel. It was a big deal for both purists, as well as new fans not sweating the details but simply riding the Air Jordan 4’s recent resurgence in popularity. —Zac Dubasik

Release Date: 2/16/24
Price: $120

At this point there isn’t really anything new to say about the Adidas AE 1. You’ve read and heard us talk about it and just about every time you open X these days, someone else is singing the praises of the best current signature basketball sneaker. While it might be getting to be a bit much at this point, the hype is there for good reason. The Adidas AE 1 is the best non-Yeezy “hype” product that the Three Stripes has produced in recent memory, and the popularity of Edwards himself has created a perfect storm that’s led to the model’s constant coverage. 

Not to mention the ad campaigns behind the AE 1 have been clever and for the most part tactical, reacting to the reverence behind the shoe as well as leveraging Ant’s relatable personality. Of all the colorways we’ve seen so far, there were really only two options here: the “All-Star” version and the pair Edwards wore for two of the top dunk posters of the season. Design-wise, the “All-Star” iteration has a bit more going for it and for my money will be the standout selection from the 2023-24 season’s AE 1 drops. —Ben Felderstein

Release Date: 2/17/24
Price: $215

This is one of those sneakers that it’s easy to feel good about. The Air Jordan 4 “Bred” was already a great shoe, one of those universally loved “classics” that’s very much deserving of that hackneyed designation. It didn’t need any tweaking or reimagining. Jordan Brand should be able to release the original, 1989-style version with the nubuck every couple of years ad infinitum and do just fine with it. So why change the look? One of Jordan Brand’s toughest tasks is balancing exactly how much to bring old shoes back out, how many units to make, and how much to make them different from the last version. We love Air Jordans partly because of nostalgia, so making them familiar is important. But we love buying them again and again because we love new shoes, so making them feel novel in some way is also important. Enter the “reimagined” version of the Air Jordan 4 in the black and red colorway, a kind of simple sneaker that keeps the equation of the original the same while pulling out the nubuck upper and swapping it for leather. Crucially, unlike misfires like that suede “Royal” Air Jordan 1, the result is something that looks like it could have actually come out in the model’s original run. And it didn’t feel like Jordan was fussing over them too much or making them too precious. They flipped the material, made enough pairs for everyone to eat, and flooded the streets with a sneaker that hasn’t looked this good since 1989. —Brendan Dunne