Through preordained fate or pure chance, 2023 will go down as one of the best years ever when it comes to the quality and quantity of games released throughout the year. Most of these games were likely originally targeting 2022 or even earlier, but the global pandemic threw everyone’s plans in the air and forced us to wait until 2023. As they say, though, good things come to those who can wait.
With the notable exceptions of Redfall and Forspoken, every major triple-A game launched this year more or less delivered on its promises, earning either critical or commercial success (usually both). RPG fans were especially thrilled with games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Starfield, and Diablo IV, although action/adventure and fighting genre fans were equally overwhelmed by the amazing titles published in 2023.
Wccftech’s Best Games of 2023 lists: Shooter, Fighting, RPG, Action, Indie, Adventure, Horror, Sports & Racing, Platform, Expansion/DLC, Strategy/Sim, Multiplayer
Baldur’s Gate 3 (9.5)
The winner of most Game of the Year awards so far, Larian’s latest work proved beyond any doubt that there is a sizable crowd looking for triple-A cRPGs with high-quality polish and voiceover. Francesco De Meo wrote in his review:
Before release, Baldur’s Gate 3 promised to be an extremely good cRPG, but Larian Studios exceeded all expectations by creating one of the best games of the past five years. The huge amount of possibilities given to the player, combined with excellent story and characters, solid turn-based combat and tons of replayability, make the journey to save your characters from the mind flayers’ tadpoles one that has to be experienced by all those who have even just a remote interest in role-playing games.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (9)
Following the smashing success of Breath of the Wild, Nintendo chose to make a direct sequel with Tears of the Kingdom. The result is yet another masterpiece that further refined the award-winning formula. Nathan Birch wrote:
Any concerns that Tears of the Kingdom is merely “Breath of the Wild DLC” is misplaced as Nintendo is offering multiple full AAA games worth of new things to do. There are easily hundreds of hours of content for those who want to explore every nook and cranny of the revamped Hyrule.
Alan Wake 2 (9)
Remedy finally got to craft a second installment in the Alan Wake franchise thirteen years after the original. This sequel moves from the action/adventure genre toward survival horror, adding another playable protagonist and some mind-bending twists that make it a memorable experience. Francesco said:
Despite not aiming to revolutionize the survival horror genre, Alan Wake II is an amazing game that no one who enjoys a good trippy horror story should pass on. Remedy Entertainment really outdid themselves, releasing their best game to date and one of the most immersive gaming experiences of the past few years.
Final Fantasy XVI (9)
Final Fantasy fans had been waiting seven years for a new installment in their favorite series. XVI massively changed the formula, taking inspiration from Game of Thrones for the tone and God of War for the gameplay, and the result is an amazing, if different, take on Final Fantasy. Kai wrote:
Final Fantasy XVI heralds in a new standard for Japanese role-playing games and while the RPG components themselves are limited by Square-Enix standards, it’s the narrative and gameplay that exceed all expectations. What begins with kingdom-wide subterfuge and destruction ends with a world forever changed and the player, as Clive Rosfield and Ifrit together, are the driving force to see it all through until the end.
Starfield (9)
Bethesda’s Todd Howard had long wanted to add a sci-fi franchise to the studio’s Elder Scrolls and Fallout portfolio. Starfield did exactly that and became the biggest launch ever for the studio. Francesco said:
At the start of my journey in Starfield, my experience was admittedly rather dull and boring, but as I collected more Artifacts and got involved in the sprawling sci-fi universe created by Bethesda, I started warming up the game, getting to the point that I have some difficulty putting it down. While Starfield refines more than innovates the typical Bethesda formula, it is undoubtedly one of the best games ever made by the studio and one of the year’s finest titles.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (9.5)
Nintendo is featured once again in the Top 10 chart thanks to the latest 2D Mario game, which Nathan praised to heaven and back in his review.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the plumber’s best platformer this generation. We haven’t been able to say that of a 2D Mario for a long time, but this game measures up to the best and most beloved side-scrollers Nintendo has ever made, delivering joyously-creative level design and rock-solid platforming in a gorgeous wrapper. Get ready to kick it old school, because 2D Mario is back on top of the flagpole.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (8.5)
Insomniac has found its groove with Marvel’s Spider-Man, a global phenomenon that convinced Sony to purchase the Californian studio. It made sense to create a sequel that improved rather than overhauled such a solid recipe. Here’s what I said in my review:
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 feels like the perfect, albeit safe, evolution of the formula first introduced with the 2018 game. With a highly emotional story, much-improved traversal, great visuals and performance, and industry-leading accessibility, this sequel is very likely to win over most fans of the original.
Diablo IV (8.5)
After everything it went through in the past couple of years, Blizzard desperately needed a win. Diablo IV provided that, even if it could have been a bit more experimental. Here’s my take from the review:
Diablo IV is a return to form at a much needed time for Blizzard. It delivers incredibly fun hack and slash action combat, a greatly improved skill system, and a ton of things to do, not to mention the best story told in the franchise yet. It also looks awesome, sounds great, and runs well (except for rare instances of traversal stuttering).
Street Fighter 6 (10)
CAPCOM fans were very curious to see whether the publisher’s golden touch could extend to its premiere fighting game franchise. Street Fighter V didn’t have a great launch, after all, but this new installment more than made up for that. Francesco absolutely loved it:
Back when I tried Street Fighter 6 for the first time during last year’s first beta, I had the feeling I had played something special, and the final version of the game only confirmed these feelings. With its excellent play modes, attention to accessibility, almost flawless online experience, and incredible game and character design, Street Fighter 6 is not only one of the best entries in the series but one of the best fighting games ever made, a game that is more than worthy of a perfect score.
Hi-Fi Rush (9)
The true surprise of 2023. We didn’t even know this game existed, as Tango Gameworks, Bethesda, and Microsoft experimented by announcing and releasing the game at the same time. Ule had a real blast with this unique rhythm-based action game:
Hi-Fi Rush is a fantastic game that combines two very popular genres and makes a wonderful and innovative game with a low skill floor but a high skill ceiling. The game is both accessible to newcomers to rhythm games and very challenging for veterans looking to be tested in several other areas that don’t necessarily have to do with just rhythm games. The combat is varied, the combos you learn are great to execute, and the music is a joy to listen to. Overall, a great success.
Honorable Mentions
Way more than ten fantastic games were released in 2023. If those we selected aren’t to your liking, here’s another ten amazing titles launched last year.
