There are certain years in art that go down as time where culture is rocked. 1982 put out cult hit after cult hit with groundbreaking genre film that is still influential and discussed today. 1999 had so many influential films that books have been written about it. Video games too have come close. 2011 was the year that broke gamers’ wallets. In 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time released alongside the first Baldur’s Gate, both getting respective sequels in the year of 2000, and each time a landslide of revolutionary releases filled the pack. In 2023, we saw Tears of the Kingdom and Larian Studio’s Baldur’s Gate III duke it out over the Game of the Year award, and yet month after month, week after week, the year was packed with incredible games that are, and will be, worth our while for a long time. This is our top 26 games of 2023.
Alan Wake 2 – Remedy Entertainment
Survival Horror’s most anticipated and long-awaited sequel, Alan Wake 2, was everything we wanted and more! It took 13 years for a direct numbered sequel in the Alan Wake franchise, but the game was worth the wait. Alan Wake 2 captures its predecessor’s surreal narrative experience and dark action while injecting it with a huge dose of horror. I loved every minute of it!
Alan Wake 2 heightened everything in this next adventure. The environments were expansive to give the player more chances to explore, the enemies were creepier and packed a serious punch, and there were plenty of collectibles to find. But it’ll be hard to tear yourself away from the main story! Alan Wake 2 had such a complex and thrilling story. An older Alan— and the new main character FBI Special Agent Saga Anderson, were great leads through this dark investigation and horror tale. [Justin Carreiro]
Aliens: Dark Descent – Tindalos Interactive
Aliens: Dark Descent is the game I never knew I wanted so badly until I saw it. Alien games have had a spotty track record, which makes just how incredible Dark Descent turns out to be all the more outstanding, artfully blending both the run and gun gameplay of a twin stick shooter with the squad strategy elements of XCOM to make something wholly unique. Dark Descent has you controlling a squad of 80s cinema’s most memorable badasses – the Colonial Marines – as they try to escape a planet infested with xenomorphs, human cultists and renegade synths. In each deployment, your squad is sent into large, open levels with a laundry list of tasks to complete to advance the story, such as clearing our Xenomorph nests and recovering equipment to fix your grounded mothership, all the while managing your squads stress levels and ever depleting health and ammo.
Each team member is fully customizable, can be renamed, and eventually level up into specialist classes like snipers, technicians or medics; giving you all the more incentive to make sure they come home alive, and in more or less one piece. In a very big and busy year for video games, I want to make a special shout out for Dark Descent, a game I know will fall in-between the cracks for a lot of people out there, but I will champion as my personal game of the year. Don’t sleep on this one, it’s the game I’ve found myself coming back to again and again when I get burnt out on this year’s big AAA games, and I truly believe it deserves time in the spotlight. [Miles Stanton]
Armored Core XI: Fires of Rubicon – FromSoftware
The king of mecha action has returned to claim it’s throne after a ten-year hiatus. Armored Core hasn’t lost any of its style, bringing back its unique brand of highly customizable robot chaos. AC6’s deliberate balance of speed and gunplay makes it a decidedly more well-rounded game than the breakneck high-velocity dogfights of AC4 and the more grounded, heavier combat of AC5. AC6 has also been more influenced this time around by From Software’s Souls series, as AC6 has a much heavier emphasis on melee and shields than in previous titles, making AC6 feel a lot more of a souls/mech hybrid. As a long time veteran of the Armored Core series, it’s great to see the franchise back in the spotlight, especially after its “best action game” win at the VGA’s this year. Hopefully, if Armored Core tradition holds, we will shortly see an expansion follow-up that will expand the parts catalog and give us more of the visceral 1v1 arena combat and, hopefully, some much needed additional multiplayer modes. [Miles Stanton]
Baldur’s Gate 3 – Larian Studios
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a staggering achievement in video game development and production. It is a rarity in the era of DLC, live service games, and microtransactions: a game with hundreds of hours of story, compelling characters, and tactical gameplay that can be as deep as you want it to be. Larian Studios’s translation of Dungeons and Dragons captures the magic of role-playing by creating a world that reacts to your actions as a player without explicitly revealing what these inflection points are. The scope of possibilities is almost impossible to appreciate without multiple play-throughs or without comparing notes with other players. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a rare game that is almost as fun to talk about as it is to play. I’ve put 200 hours into the game across single and multiplayer campaigns and I’m still experiencing new encounters, quests, and characters. [Jose Cordova]
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk – Team Reptile
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a perfect example of what happens when fans of a dead franchise refuse to wait any longer for a reboot of the game they love, and just do it themselves. The folks over at Team Reptile are clearly some of the most die hard fans of Jet Set Radio, as they are now producers of one of the greatest spiritual successors a faithful Rudie could ask for. Every character, track, stage and mechanic is a loving nod to the Dreamcast classic, though with a healthy dash of JSR Future thrown in for good measure. Team Reptile does a phenomenal job of recreating the look of the 6th generation sleeper gem, down to the chunky polygonal character models and mid 2000s high contrast art style, and even manage to bring back Hedeki Naganuma, JSR’s lead composer for some Funky Fresh Beats in the OST as well. Special mention goes to the electric soundtrack put together for BRCF, with a fantastic electronica score by some big names in the JSR fan scene, like 2Mello and Grrl. With Bomb Rush’s smash success in the rearview and the long awaited return of Jet Set Radio on the horizon, the future of this funky little niche genre is looking bright. [Miles Stanton]
Cassette Beasts – Bytten Studios
Attempts to capture the Pokémon formula go about as well as Game Freak’s own these days, but Cassette Beasts does it with style. Using an isekai set up to create a strange and anachronistic world, Cassette Beasts gives itself a wide berth to make weird creatures that don’t just look like Ken Sugimori’s rejects and an adventure that slots alongside the classic Pokémon games well. Then it goes even further, adding the ability to build relationships with friends, fuse monsters, and more. This wonderful package is tied off with some unsettling boss fights against eldritch nightmares, which come with an all time great musical score. Cassette Beasts matures the monster taming genre without being too focused by responding to its originator. Ironically, that’s what allows this little indie to successfully fill the gap left by the transition to open world gameplay that the big dogs have all taken. [Travis Hymas]
Cocoon – Geometric Interactive
The newest work from the creator of Limbo and Inside, two games known for their dark and mysterious atmospheres, Cocoon is a continuation and evolution of the clever puzzles found in those past entries but expanded in unpredictable new directions. Players take on the role of a little insectoid alien as it traverses between barren landscapes. The goal of your journey remains vague and mysterious but the imaginative environments and beautiful soundtrack go a long way to making the experience much more immersive than its simple gameplay mechanics would imply. There’s more action than there seems initially, there are some very inventive boss battles, the mechanics are simple to pick up, and the use of colored orbs to interact with the map and jump between alternate worlds is deceptively complex. A bite sized puzzle game with a unique reality altering hook, Cocoon is a perfect play for those looking for a bit more of a hypnotic and mesmerizing world to engage with than most of its contemporaries. [Quinn Parulis]
Dave the Diver – MINTROCKET / Nexon
Dave the Diver, easily one of the standout games of the year, wears many hats. A somewhat action-adventure game in which our protagonist spends his days diving into a mysterious and somewhat procedurally generated sea catching as much fish as he can carry, at night time the game switches over to a business management sim where you help run a seaside sushi bar and sell the fish you collected during the day. While starting off simple, the game continuously builds off of the systems you master by introducing new mechanics (things that range from hiring and training staff to help at the bar to operating a hatchery to get the most out of your hauls) that are perfectly spread out so that you never get into too much of a gameplay rut. The underwater sections are both calming and engaging, an experience where battling off sharks feels just as satisfying as collecting the exact piece of seaweed needed to make a recipe requested by one of your regulars, and the restaurant sections keep you constantly on your toes without overwhelming you to the point of frustration the way in a way that might be a turnoff to fans looking for a more chilled out experience. A game with as much depth as your wetsuit and oxygen tank can handle, Dave the Diver is the synergy of so many complimentary gameplay styles that it has emerged as one of the most exciting and must play games of the year. [Quinn Parulis]
Dead Space – EA Redwood Shores, Motive
The legacy of the original 2008 Dead Space is hard to oversell, a game from a studio at its apex, with every aspect of the project coming together and meshing so well, it was an instant classic as soon as it hit the shelves. Unfortunately, while Dead Space‘s core mechanics and art style have aged gracefully over the last 15 years, the technical and graphical fidelity have definitely been showing its age. After nearly 10 years of radio silence from EA about the franchise, it was revealed that Motive Studios (Developers of the fantastic Star Wars: Squadrons) would be undertaking not just a remaster for modern consoles, but a full fledged remake.
Having played through the original enough to have it become near muscle memory, I am very happy to announce that the remake is not only very faithful to the original, but some of the tweaks and remixes to the original gameplay make it feel like a much smoother experience in 2023. Changing the game to be less of a linear haunted house ride and more of an exploratory Metroidvania was a bold choice, but one that ultimately pays off in its favor, remixing enemy placement and types even in places already traversed.
Another big change to the original is giving a voice to the previously mute protagonist, ship engineer Issac Clarke, with his voice actor Gunner Wright returning from Dead Space 2 and 3 to reprise the role. Motive Studio even reworked some of the original’s clunkier setpieces to flow together better, like the railgun section and a fair amount of boss fights. The smash success of the remake and some newly added story hints point at a potential redux of 2 as well, meaning there is no better time to get back into the world of Dead Space. [Miles Stanton]
Final Fantasy XVI – Square Enix
The Final Fantasy franchise hasn’t run out of steam yet. Final Fantasy 16 arrives with a vengeance Dabbling in a Game of Thrones-like aesthetic, and returning to its medieval roots, the 16th entry stands strong as a Final Fantasy game, both connecting to the tone of the franchise while setting itself apart.
The “action” side of this Action-RPG comes out in full force, with the game sticking to the free-flowing fight style of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 15. The world is expansive with plenty to explore, and the new Active Time Lore system helps explain any story details (trust me, you’ll need it.) However, it’s the battles and the Eikon fights (Final Fantasy 16’s versions of Summons) that were the standouts. Final Fantasy 16 becomes the game equivalent to a cinematic blockbuster whenever the Eikons come on screen. [Justin Carreiro]
HiFi Rush – Tango Gameworks
Who would have thought that one of the biggest games this past winter was from a subdivision of Bethesda making a radical departure from their usual design style that would be one of the shining examples of what Xbox Game Pass has to offer? That’s exactly what Tango Gameworks of The Evil Within fame did when they shadow dropped HiFi Rush in January of 2023. While rhythm games are becoming increasingly popular in the indie scene, we’ve seen a slow emergence of combat based games with that focus.
Not unlike another Game Pass highlight from last year in Metal: Helsinger, HiFi Rush shines in its own way by reminiscing the best of Capcom and Sega arcade character action games of yesteryear with a bit of a hipster splash that will have players recalling the love they had for Scott Pilgrim of all things. HiFi Rush is not only visually charming and tight in controls, it is a shining beacon in accessibility, as the game gives players every conceivable method to keep on beat, even going so far as to design the rhythmic beat of each level into the environment design. [Evan Griffin]
Honkai Star Rail – MiHoYo
Honkai: Star Rail is the latest game from Genishin Impact developer miHoYo. The elevator pitch is simple: Persona-style turn-based set in space in a free-to-play game with gacha mechanics. Honkai: Star Rail’s turn-based combat is easy to understand but contains enough depth for those that want to tinker with different team builds and bust out the spreadsheets to maximize their character’s stats. The endgame activities in particular provide great challenges and force you to make use of all your characters. The production values and level of polish are exceptional.
Whether you’re playing on mobile or PC, the game is full of characters with unique designs and beautiful animations. After the most recent content drop, there is a wealth of content to play through and the gacha mechanics are easily avoidable. The greatest compliment we can give this game is that grinding never feels like a chore thanks to the variety of activities available and the engaging combat. [Jose Cordova]
Jusant – Don’t Nod
A solitary and contemplative experience that invites players to clear their minds and focus on the tasks at hand while still encouraging them to take the time to absorb the beauty of the world around them, Jusant — a French word for the ebbing tide — is a highly original puzzle/platformer in which your silent character attempts to scale a rocky tower that reaches above the clouds. The game teases plot through collectable journal entries while the main draw is the clever climbing mechanics in which you must manually control each of your arms and hands with the trigger buttons of the controller, gripping handholds in the mountainside with such well-designed and realistic physics that it becomes a rush when you fall into the rhythm and groove of climbing. Relaxing and meditative yet never boring, Jusant is never particularly challenging but rarely feels too easy. It achieves a delicate balance that keeps your momentum and investment in the adventure, in the process becoming one of the most imaginative games of the year. [Quinn Parulis]
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo
Nintendo’s follow up to the medium-warping Breath of the Wild was always going to be good. What no one could have expected was that follow up would be significantly more dense and layered than BotW could ever dream of being. Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t reinvent the wheel as much as it triples down on it; using that foundation to refine and polish more than simply do “more.” Shrines and side quests are significantly more worthwhile to detour for the experience alone. Much was kept to Nintendo’s chest leading into the release, but a whole third map is so wild to fathom, it still barely feels real. Possibly most incredible is that it all works so well without delivering the same crippling performance issues as other flagship Switch games, much less AAA titles. All games are a miracle, but TotK is more of a revelation. [Travis Hymas]
Lethal Company – Zeekerss
On first look, Lethal Company could easily be written off as another Twitch bait game; something meant to bring in variety streamers for a few months of trending sales and then live a quiet life as something for friends to play online in-between releases. What’s great is that Lethal Company is that game and also a game that is quite thoughtful about its subject matter. Instead of just sending players into a haunted area just because, Lethal Company sends players into horror because they’re effectively indentured servants. The ills of capitalism ooze out of every one Lethal Company’s little quirks — players are judged by how much profit they generate, unlocks come at the cost of your own funds, what little joy there is to obtain comes at the cost of things that are needed to survive, and every single time a question must be answered: is this worth the risk? [Travis Hymas]
The Mageseeker – Digital Sun
A gorgeous hand drawn action game should always get a good look in even without borrowing League of Legends’s clout. That said, Digital Sun’s The Mageseeker leverages that clout to make a surprisingly interesting story of rebellion out of only one of League’s massive roster. Sylas of Dregbourne is not exactly a likable character and is pretty aggressive in his war for vengeance. However, where many mainstream stories of rebellion against injustice are often held back by a desire to not blame the status quo for issues, The Mageseeker chooses to avoid villainizing Sylas or the rebellion he joins, even as they wreak havoc over the land and are perceived by others as terrorists. It’s a surprising turn that pairs well with the challenging action in Mageseeker’s gameplay. [Travis Hymas]
Metroid Prime: Remastered – Retro Studios
There isn’t much that hasn’t been said or unearthed about this 2002 GameCube classic by 2023, especially not by yours truly, but we’ll go over it one more time: Metroid Prime is one of the greatest Metroidvania (or search-action if you prefer) games of all time, and there is a reason that people still talk about it. Not only does the original level design, music and atmosphere hold up, Retro Studios’ modern team returned to the storied shooter with ambition as this remaster is one truly in every sense of the word as the entire world map has been repainted from top to very very deep beneath the planet core.
With added controls that finally allow players who’ve no patience for motion or tank controls to play the game as though it were a Halo entry, and at a great price, there’s no reason to not pick up this title in preparation for Metroid Prime 4, whenever that comes. The only gripe is that we wish Nintendo would include the original staff credits even as an extras unlock, but that says more about modern games publishing as a whole than anything else. [Evan Griffin]
Octopath Traveler II – Square Enix
Octopath Traveler 2 refines the previous title in pretty much every sense of the word. Where the first title told eight small stories that only sort of sowed seeds of something bigger, Octopath Traveler 2 manages to tell those stories while making the party more connected and friendly with each other. The ability to overlap and interact with one another helps build greater familiarity with the characters than before, and also fills out the world. The gameplay has been updated as well, with each traveler given a class-specific skill on top of the existing battle system. This choice again helps each traveler feel more distinctive. All of this is for the best because the stories for each traveler in the sequel are far more complete and interesting than the previous cast. Octopath Traveler 2 makes the original game look like a beta test. [Travis Hymas]
Pikmin 4 – Nintendo
It’s unbelievable that after eight years in development hell, not only is Pikmin 4 good, it might be the best game in the franchise. The list of good non-PC Real Time Strategy games is a short one, to say the least, but at the top of most people’s lists, Pikmin 1 sits rather proudly, a fantastic mesh of resource management, time allocation, and gardening of all things. The Pikmin series pulls off an incredibly difficult trick on the player, by making your cute little troops so personable and loveable you actually form a bond with the tiny buggers, making you fight all that much harder to guarantee their safety. Pikmin 4 adds an extra element to the fray in the form of Otachi, your adorable bipedal rescue dog, who will grow to become your greatest companion in the campaign, not only acting as a Pikmin carrier but as a second, swappable playable character as well. While the main campaign itself was a blast on its own, I found the REAL meat of the game to be post-game content, where Pikmin 4 gives you a separate, mini campaign in the style of Pikmin 1, complete with day timer and ship parts to collect. Pikmin 4 raises the bar to new heights, and absolutely deserves its win as 2023s best RTS. [Miles Stanton]
Resident Evil 4 Remake – Capcom
Over the past few years, we have gotten gorgeous remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 in Capcom’s incredible looking RE Engine. These remakes were a nostalgia trip for the longtime fans and an exciting entry point for the new fans to the series. In 2023, the remake of Resident Evil 4 came out and fans new and old agreed: it’s fantastic. With gorgeously updated graphics, the same gripping (and weird) story, and the power of the next gen consoles, this feels like a completely new game.
While the remakes of the previous two games looked gorgeous, this game noticeably plays beautifully, and the updated weapon handling is very much appreciated. This game really is perfect for players who may have just wandered into this universe with the last two remakes and for those who played the original game way back in 2005. Capcom continues to do these classic games justice and hopefully will continue to remake and update their catalog in the future. – [Tyler Carlsen]
Sea of Stars – Sabotage Studios
From the team that made The Messenger, a game that transported classic Ninja Gaiden styled action to the modern era, comes their newest effort at updating a classic genre – this time JRPGs – Sea of Stars. Featuring all the tropes you expect from the genre yet tackling them from angles that make a point to upend those expectations, Sea of Stars toes the line between veneration and homage that feels like the turn-based role playing equivalent of a warm hug. Equipped with a remarkable amount of quality of life/accessibility options, the gameplay and depth of combat mechanics are addictive, and mastering the various systems feels like a genuine accomplishment as you see your young heroes grow in strength in tandem with the narrative hurdles they overcome. For fans of classics like Chrono Trigger (by far its biggest inspiration) as well as newcomers to the genre, Sea of Stars is a game that has taken all the lessons of its predecessors and honed them into an RPG with no fat, becoming a modern classic of the genre that will be the standard to beat for quite some time. [Quinn Parulis]
A Space for the Unbound – Mojiken
This title may have flown under the radar due to a surprisingly strong start for games in 2023, but A Space for the Unbound is absolutely worth pulling out of your backlog. An adventure game that pulls strongly from anime that ties the end of the world and one’s emotional state at the same time, A Space for the Unbound tells the story of Atma and Raya, two high schoolers trying to figure out their future while Raya’s reality warping powers threaten to end reality.
Leveraging its unassuming status to go to places that are very hard for big AAA titles to engage with, A Space for the Unbound is a heavy play once you realize what’s actually going on, but the story is one worth having that realization about. As an added bonus, this is a great example of the burgeoning development scenes in locations like Indonesia (where A Space for the Unbound is also set) that give a look into a different part of the world from the US and see how different – and alike – we really are. [Travis Hymas]
Star Wars Jedi Survivor – Respawn Entertainment, EA
Back in 2019, Respawn Entertainment gave gamers what we’ve been dying for: a good Star Wars game. When Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order came out, it amazed fans as it gave them the power of a Jedi and sent them on a wild adventure. In 2023, the sequel to this game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor came out and took what fans loved about the first game and improved upon it. With bigger maps, more customization options, the addition of new lightsaber stances including one with a blaster, and a truly impressive story, this game was worth the wait. This series excels at making the player feel like a true Jedi more than any other game before it. The launch of the game wasn’t without flaws of course, but that didn’t stop most players from digging in and experiencing every amazing detail. [Tyler Carlsen]
(Marvel’s) Spider-Man 2 – Insomniac Games
Following the massive success of Insomniac’s games Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, fans of the series have been chomping at the bit for the next installment. This fall, we were blessed with Spider-Man 2, and oh boy, did it live up to the hype (and the Venom.) While the first two games let you play as only one Spider-Man, this game allows you to be both and weaves this mechanic into the plot. We see Peter encounter the dreaded symbiote and become a darker and more violent person while a new villain named Kraven begins to wreak havoc in NYC. The story delivers on all the emotion, action sequences, and fun side quests that fans of the series have grown to love, elevating them all to a new level. With the addition of the wingsuit, you can traverse the even bigger map in two different and unique styles. [Tyler Carlsen]
Super Mario Bros Wonder – Nintendo
We don’t need to tell you that a 2D Mario game is worth your time, but in a decade where this aspect of the franchise has received diminishing returns on innovation while games like Mario Odyssey and Bowsers Fury get the limelight, the 2D team got a fire in their stomach as fans the world over kept asking where the format could go after the two entries in the Mario Maker series. Shiro Mouri (Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds) said “Bet” and created a game bursting with style, probably the most seen in a 2D Mario game since Yoshi’s Island and Super Mario World – both some of the greatest games of all time and have drawn many comparisons to Wonder since its release. Nintendo has worked around multiplayer nicely as playing with friends is incentivized in classic couch co-op while online play incorporates, of all things, Strand-like and Souls-like ghost data to encourage players to move forward and complete those harder levels. Despite the game’s semi-traditional, partly linear routes, the options for challenge levels really do test the metal of even the most adept players of classic 2D Mario. [Evan Griffin]
World of Horror World of Horror is an atmospheric and, at times, torturous bevy of tales that delivers a lot in a single sitting, and offers more to delve into each time you return. In the most complimentary way, it is visually macabre, but it also uses that tone to tell a mechanically tight novella with hair-raising art direction and adept horror writing, and is certainly a recent stand-out in the horror games of 2023, especially in the indie genre. After a very long development stage, the game just recently achieved its official 1.0 launch out of early access and has spent the last few years slowly inching its way to a polish that effectively encapsulates the artist and genres it so vividly depicts. [Dylan Griffin]
Based in the northern stretches of New England, Evan is an elder high-wizard and co-founder of the inbetweendrafts.com. Leading the Games section, Evan is determined to make people remember the joys of older games which have since lost their way. Evan’s voice can be heard in podcasting, YouTube videos, essays, and overlong diatribes on media he wants you to have the full context on.
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