2023 will go down in history as one of the best years for new video game releases. Not a single month has passed us by without an experience that was truly worth our collective time and attention, regardless of any genre preferences or platform allegiances. It's as if a release valve had been opened; a steady stream of creative, imaginative adventures pouring out of the best and brightest developers in the business after years spent mitigating pressures relating to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and challenging macroeconomic conditions. The years since the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X have been widely challenging, but we're now seeing what is truly possible with this technology.
It is however difficult to look back at 2023 and not reflect on the business side of play. Despite record profits and towering player numbers, the industry is struggling to properly account for the people working behind the pixels. Barely a month has passed us by without publishers executing layoffs, with estimates putting the total number of lost jobs in the thousands. Video games have the power to bring us all together in a way that no other artistic medium can manage, and it's important that we remember the challenges the global workforce is enduring to make that a reality.
"It's easy to assume that 2023 will be remembered as the year that the RPG reigned supreme"
That's especially true when so many seminal, genre-defining experiences have been packed into a single calendar year. I think it would be easy to assume that 2023 will be remembered as the year that the RPG reigned supreme, but the truth is benchmarks have been raised across almost every place of passion out there. Three horror games raised the bar on visual fidelity, a smattering of action-adventures redefined fluid game-feel, the soulslikes demonstrated their true potential in a post Elden Ring world, and some ingenious puzzle games unlocked new quadrants of our minds. You'll see all of this and more reflected in our pick of the best games of 2023.
It's worth noting how the 12DOVE Game of the Year list works before we get into the good stuff. Every new video game released in 2023 was eligible for inclusion – excluding expansions and early access launches. Even with those caveats in place, the editorial team at GR+ nominated over 60 titles for consideration, and we've spent the past few weeks crunching the numbers and debating it down to what we believe are the strongest 25. So that's what you'll find below: our 25 best games of 2023 in ranked order, counting down to our ultimate GOTY pick.
Game of the Year 2023
25. Street Fighter 6
Developer: Capcom | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
There are few modern fighting video game franchises that feel as stylistic and bombastic as Street Fighter, and developer Capcom has absolutely proven why with Street Fighter 6. The vibrant colors practically leap off the screen as special moves on both offense and defense fly fast and furious with mechanics that are easy to learn – thanks in large part to a robust training system and smart accessibility options – but hard to master. And then there's the brand-new World Tour mode, an unusual hub of sorts, explored by your very own custom character, filled with activities and fights that feels like something out of an RPG more than it does a mode from a fighting game. Though it eschews the blood and gore featured in some of its most noteworthy contemporaries, the sheer energy and spectacle of Street Fighter 6 cannot be denied.
24. Viewfinder
Developer: Sad Owl Studios | Platform(s): PC, PS5
To play Viewfinder is to mutter 'what the actual fu…' every 30 seconds or so as photographs form warped realities in front of your face. The phrase 'the next Portal' has been thrown at almost every video game with a hint of weirdness in its puzzle solving, but for us it's only Viewfinder that actually comes close to earning that honor. No amount of understanding on how the pictures come to life, or how their stretched perspectives look when conjured from images, ever dulls the impact of seeing it happen. The core mechanic, deployed so expertly by Sad Owl Studios, is so mind bending that it really is incredible it was ever corralled into a coherent set of solvable puzzles. The shift from using existing images to getting a camera that lets you take your own pictures of anything, only doubles down on the wonder of what Viewfinder is able to achieve.
23. Blasphemous 2
Developer: The Game Kitchen | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X
Blasphemous 2 wears its inspirations on its torn and bloodied sleeve. It's an expansion of everything put into place by The Game Kitchen's original soulslike-metroidvania from 2019, tapping into the iconography of Roman Catholicism through the lens of Spanish culture. The masterfully-designed map is up there with the best of the genre, impressively weaving depth and verticality into a two-dimensional space; wherein new unlockable abilities progressively open up once inaccessible areas. And its deft combat, varied arsenal of weapons and spells, grotesque enemies, and ultra-challenging bosses reflect the best of FromSoftware's Dark Souls series. Through all of this, and with refinements in just about every area compared to its predecessor, Blasphemous 2 is among the best in what it does, with a clear sense of what it hopes to achieve.
22. Horizon Call of the Mountain
Developer: Guerrilla Games, Firesprite | Platform(s): PSVR 2
PlayStation needed a showstopper to launch the PSVR 2 back in February and thankfully Horizon Call of the Mountain delivered. A joint partnership between developers Firesprite and Guerrilla Games, it managed to transfer the world of Horizon successfully to virtual reality – not an easy feat when we're talking about giant robot dinosaurs and movement-focused combat. But the result is magnificent. From the opening moments of being held captive in a boat and watching a Tallneck stride over you, to later climbing up a Tallneck and riding it into battle. It's a stunning display of what the PSVR 2 can do with its enhanced specs and new controller capabilities, both visually and interactively, with neat touches to ammo crafting, climbing, and other features that bring the world and its characters to life in first-person for the first time.
21. Jusant
Developer: Don't Nod | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Don't Nod has always been open to experimentation. A decade on since the studio made its debut with Remember Me, it has delivered what is perhaps its most memorable experience to date in Jusant. It's a stark, solitary climb towards the peak of a desolate tower, where progression is measured in the inches between perilously-placed anchor points. As you are serenaded by little more than the sound of howling winds and long, exasperated breaths, Jusant gradually wills you into a world that's as difficult to grasp as it is to step away from. Forget Death Stranding; Jusant is undoubtedly the best representation of the delight and danger drawn out from scaling a series of breathtaking biomes. Without a single word spoken, Don't Nod delivers a towering adventure which only tightens its grip on your heartstrings the higher you climb.
20. Assassin's Creed Mirage
Developer: Ubisoft Bordeaux | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Reconnecting with the past isn't easy. In Assassin's Creed Mirage, Ubisoft Bordeaux sought to embrace the ethos which defined Altair and Ezio's earliest adventures – a turn away from the widely-scaled open worlds which have defined the publisher's most recent tours of history. What's staggering is not only how effective Mirage is at recreating a different era of Assassin's Creed, but its willingness to drive so many of the series' foundational principles forward. The result is a slickly manifested stealth experience which recenters its action around swift assassinations and free-flowing parkour, allowing you the opportunity to deftly, boundlessly navigate a beautifully-rendered cityscape with the sharp end of a hidden blade as your guide. Assassin's Creed Mirage is the sort of memorable adventure that the Animus was always built to deliver.
19. Lies of P
Developer: Neowiz | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Few video games have captured the characteristic flow of FromSoftware's action-RPGs while feeling so unique. Neowiz didn't just understand that assignment, it did extra credit. Lies of P is an explosive, stylish experience that, while undeniably carved from the gothic pulp of Bloodborne's bone marrow, evolves the genre to suit its own needs. Slice, burn, or melt your way through enemies – the choice is yours, since most weapons are made to be taken apart and reassembled anew. And what would a game like this be without merciless boss battles to test your mettle? Even if you're not big on sharp difficulty spikes, a set of comprehensive customization systems ensure that this macabre playground always puts experimentation front and center. Innovative, tough, and a bloody good time, Lies of P is well and truly worth your attention.
18. Planet of Lana
Developer: Wishfully | Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Planet of Lana is a beautiful exploration of the power in companionship and connection. At its heart, this adventure is about two characters who need each other to get through difficult, often dangerous circumstances – their bond strengthening with every step you take. With effective companion-focused mechanics, putting you in control of Lana and an adorable cat-like creature called Mui, you set out to save your sister and village after they're taken by mysterious machines. While Planet of Lana has shades of games like Limbo and Inside through its puzzle design, Wishfully's adventure is able to carve its own path through gorgeously-cinematic scenarios, a beautiful hand-painted art style, and heartfelt story. To top it all off, expert pacing balances suspenseful moments with quieter scenes that tug at your heartstrings and keep you invested throughout.
17. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Developer: FromSoftware | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
FromSoftware has cultivated a reputation for punishing RPGs with interconnected worlds. As a linear mech action game, Armored Core 6 obliterates most of that with missiles, yet still delivers one of the studio's most engrossing, replayable, and satisfying experiences. It is punishing, but with the terrifying force of a custom-made Armored Core at your fingertips, it's often you who's doing the punishing. It's exhilarating in a way the Souls games simply aren't, to the point that the sheer kinetic overload takes some getting used to. Elden Ring was the culmination of 10 years of Souls games, and in a different way, so is Armored Core 6. This is what FromSoftware used to make, but also what it's always made: unforgettable bosses and airtight combat. Mech heaven revisited after a decade away, with all the accumulated resources and experience.
16. Sea of Stars
Developer: Sabotage Studio | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Sea of Stars is so much more than a love letter to the past. Developer Sabotage Studio hasn't been shy about its intentions, unabashedly drawing on the best retro games of the '90s – from Chrono Trigger to Final Fantasy to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars – to help define the shape of this unlikely successor to The Messenger. What's truly stunning is how keenly Sea of Stars seems to understand the intricacies of the RPG systems it so brilliantly replicates, and how willing Sabotage is to intuitively build upon each of them. What begins as an exercise in embracing nostalgia quickly transforms into something more distinct: an adventure which feels like the natural evolution of some of the best SNES games of all-time. As a result, Sea of Stars stands as one of the most visually wondrous and staggeringly expansive RPGs of the year.
15. Starfield
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios | Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X
Typically, all we want from Bethesda is a massive world which affords us the opportunity to explore and see what we can find, and in Starfield it gave us an entire universe. It's an interesting mix of elements from past Bethesda games, but also, ironically enough, completely alien. There's magic in those first days (and then weeks) of wandering, a sense that you never know what's coming next as you rattle between between deserted bases and faction quests – doing everything from hunting aliens to corporate espionage. Upgrading and improving your spacecraft is a game in its own right too; adding parts to grow it from a tiny shuttle to a slab-shaped battle cruiser is always a joy. But more than anything, Starfield succeeds because it lets you do whatever you want to, whenever you want to. A true simulation of living a life on the final frontier.
14. Hi-Fi Rush
Developer: Tango Gameworks | Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X
Tango Gameworks is enjoying something of a renaissance. The studio dared to dilute its survival horror formula with the sublime Ghostwire: Tokyo, a move which made it difficult to anticipate where the studio would invest its creative energies next. Even still, few could have anticipated Hi-Fi Rush. A vivacious rhythm-based action game, inspired by the films of Edgar Wright. Combat isn't merely set to the sound of overdriven guitars, it's driven by it; beneath that vivid visual style is the beating heart of a technical action game, albeit one where every hit must be timed to the snap of the snare. Wonderfully energetic environments, not to mention a story infused with free-flowing comedy, only help propel Hi-Fi Rush to new heights. It's a shining example of how first-party studios can creatively leverage Xbox Game Pass to explore new ideas.
13. Final Fantasy 16
Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit III | Platform(s): PS5
Final Fantasy 16 loves spectacle like a Chocobo does gysahl. It can not get enough of it. Developer Square Enix Creative Business Unit III, the studio responsible for Final Fantasy 14, wastes no time in thrusting you between explosive, lavishly-designed battles that eclipse entire horizons – shifting effortlessly between instances of tightly-woven combat and massive encounters with titanic Eikons. It's thrilling from start to end, but what's so impressive is that the story can still find room to breathe through all of the dazzling action. Square Enix positions a darker, more complex worldstate, pulling you into an eternal conflict between warring nation states; it works wonders for keeping you invested in the brooding characters and their interweaving political stances, effortlessly selling the fantasy of this Game of Thrones-inspired adventure.
12. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
Developer: Deconstructeam | Platform(s): PC, Switch
In a year stacked with fantastic storytelling, it's developer Deconstructeam who delivers the finest exploration of choice and consequence. The concept is deconstructed, redistributed amongst a deck of tarot cards – it's with these that exiled witch Fortuna begins redefining her destiny, one draw at a time. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a quiet and introspective adventure, and a masterfully written one at that. The humid visual design and lo-fi soundtrack is an invitation to get comfortable, and a masking of something slightly off-kilter – it isn't the hand of fate which guides Fortuna, but your own as it draws one hand-crafted card after the other. Between deals with demons and conversations with a reforming coven, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood leaves you free to make choices – so long as you're prepared to live with the consequences.
11. Dead Space
Developer: Motive Studio | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Dead Space has the power to make you sick with fear. The inherent claustrophobia of the USG Ishimura settles into your bones near-instantaneously, so too does the realization that developer Motive has somehow managed to make one of the scariest game locations ever created even more terrifying. This remake isn't a mere tread down some viscera-soaked memory lane, instead it is able to confidently and capably amplify everything which helped make the original legend. With very little light to guide you through a maze of Necromorphs and puzzles, Dead Space eagerly toys with your expectations – ratcheting up tension wildly, exposing you to sharp shocks of violence between smatterings of quiet exploration. Dead Space set a new benchmark for survival horror in 2008, and what's stunning is that it has done it again 15 years later.
10. Dredge
Developer: Black Salt Games | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
A fishing horror game is not something we expected 2023 to deliver, let alone one which is utterly essential. Dredge is able to succeed in part because of a simple, incredibly compelling gameplay loop – with developer Black Salt Games thrusting a constant sense of reward upon you as you fish, sell, upgrade your ship, and come back "for just one more trip." The more time that you sink into this weird world, the more capable you become, and confident in sailing across increasingly treacherous and twisted open waters. But there's so much more to Dredge lurking (quite literally) beneath the surface; an Eldritch mystery, one that's as terrifying and inexplicable as the wild blue void which always surrounds you. Even if you've never had an appetite for Lovecraftian angling before, Dredge will undoubtedly turn you into a true believer.
9. Diablo 4
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Whether you're exploring its depths alone or fighting against the forces of darkness with friends, Diablo 4 is a hell of a time. A diabolical assault on the senses where simple, repetitive actions are rewarded with an endless stream of powerful items – the growth of your character measured in the smallest of percentages. It's a compulsive and familiar loop, one which works all-too-well within the expressive, persistent open world that developer Blizzard Entertainment crafted and has continued to evolve. Strong foundations were set at launch and have been smartly expanded upon in the months since, leading to this sense that Diablo 4 is always angling for some new way to draw out an intoxicating, impulsive drive for experimentation in all who dare to join the battle for Sanctuary's soul. If you aren't careful, Diablo 4 has the power to decimate your free time.
8. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Developer: Respawn Entertainment | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor succeeds where so many sequels stumble. The last time Cal Kestis was placed within our control, the Padawan of a fallen order rose to Jedi Knight status – surviving an encounter with one of the most powerful Sith Lords in the galaxy. It would have been all too easy for developer Respawn Entertainment to have disentangled Cal's connection to the Force, leaving him vulnerable enough to spend half of a new adventure relearning his way around a lightsaber. Instead, Jedi: Survivor simply ups the ante from the outset. Forcing you to travel more challenging terrains and contend with a higher density of enemies, pressuring you to deftly wield a powerful, ever-improving skill set with deadly efficiency and impressive acrobacy. The resulting experience is one of the finest Star Wars adventures of the modern era.
7. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Developer: Nintendo EPD | Platform(s): Switch
We didn't think a side-scrolling Mario platformer would emerge as one of the most innovative and refreshing games of the year, and yet here we are. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is filled with surprises, fuelled by the titular Wonder Flowers which, once discovered in a level, will completely change what you're doing. Whether that's turning levels into a top-down maze, transforming Mario and friends into Goombas, or turning everything into a musical – it's impossible to anticipate where Wonder will take you next. It's easily one of the best Mario games ever made, with a refreshing attitude to multiplayer that gives options for both online and local play. Wonder is a delight to play, with plenty of creativity and humor squeezed into every animation, not to mention some of the most inventive and wide-reaching new power-ups to feature in a 2D Mario.
6. Resident Evil 4 Remake
Developer: Capcom | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
There's no such thing as a perfect video game – but Resident Evil 4 came damn close in 2005. So much so that generations of players have believed that this survival horror was untouchable, even after Capcom rendered such impressive returns to the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon City into reality. Perhaps that's why the Resident Evil 4 Remake is such an achievement. An audacious prospect met with ambitious execution; a reimagining of one of the best games of all-time that is able to sand down some rough edges without losing sight of the utterly outrageous scenario and narrative design which defined the original. It's silly and scary, campy and corrosive – a brilliantly-weighted action experience that never fails to surprise and delight. With Resident Evil 4, Capcom has unequivocally cemented its reputation as the master of the modern remake.
5. Cocoon
Developer: Geometric Interactive | Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Spend an hour with Cocoon and you'll feel like the smartest player to ever pick up a gamepad. Run it through, and you won't quite understand how you managed to reach the credits. Geometric Interactive does such a good job of quietly teaching you esoteric solutions to exceptionally conceptual puzzles that you won't grasp at the absurdity, or enormity, of the actions you are instinctually undertaking until you've successfully completed them. Cocoon is an astoundingly smart, ingeniously creative adventure where you are tasked with weaving different worldstates together to progress across an astoundingly-beautiful biomechanical tapestry. It's one of the best puzzle games of the generation and a stunning debut, a team leveraging its past experience working on Limbo and Inside to deliver a truly unforgettable, dreamlike adventure.
4. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Developer: Insomniac Games | Platform(s): PS5
Despite the fact that expectations were perhaps never higher, developer Insomniac Games absolutely delivered this year with Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Proving that there's still plenty to explore and address in the world of Spider-Man – even after the original and Miles Morales – is no mean feat, especially with the wonder of swinging through Manhattan at top speed already being familiar territory. And yet somehow, Spider-Man 2 manages to weave the personal, professional, and superhero lives of Miles and Peter together in a way that both feels nostalgic to classic comic fans and a synthesis all its own. Kraven and Venom are by no means new characters, but the game makes them feel fresh and even menacing. The fine folks at Insomniac took the responsibility of Spider-Man as a franchise seriously, and a powerful sequel is the result.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Developer: Nintendo EPD | Platform(s): Switch
Nintendo broke from Zelda tradition in 2017, transforming the series into a freeform open world that's so impactful the entire industry is still catching up. "It's like Breath of the Wild" became shorthand for compelling open-world design, and it's appropriate that it took a half-decade – and the full might of Nintendo's first-party development resources – to finally improve on the modern classic. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is "like Breath of the Wild," yes – but it's better. That's because of Ultrahand; Tears of the Kingdom's building mechanic is as intuitive as building with Lego and twice as efficient, allowing you to quickly construct everything from simple bridges to flying saucers that rain down terror on enemies from above. Where once you had to merely survive in that land, Tears of the Kingdom gives you the tools you need to conquer it.
2. Alan Wake 2
Developer: Remedy Entertainment | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
A spiral into darkness from Remedy Entertainment, the developer leveraging its most imaginative and idiosyncratic impulses to deliver a horror story unlike any other – a nightmare violently assaulting two interweaving realities. It's taken Remedy over a decade to write this sequel into our reality and the resulting experience works hard to constantly defy expectations at every turn. The introduction of a second hero protagonist in Saga Anderson was an inspired creative choice, her crawl through the wilds of Bright Falls offering countless opportunities for the heavy, horrifying combat and abstract personalities which occupy the world to shine. While the decision to blend Alan Wake's descent through the Dark Place with live-action film and spectacularly-rendered cinematics only propels this adventure to new heights. Alan Wake 2 is a triumph.
1. Baldur's Gate 3 – Game of the Year 2023
Developer: Larian Studios | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Baldur's Gate 3 so special, but to some extent that is what makes it so special. In its attempt to replicate the infinite imagination of Dungeons & Dragons, developer Larian Studios has pushed the concept of player freedom as far as possible, crafting a rewarding experience even for those who push the critical path to its limits. But technical excellence can only take you so far, and a world you can manipulate means little if there's no incentive to do so. Thankfully, Baldur's Gate 3 excels there too, with a world that begs you to explore, and characters that take you on their sprawling adventures, which in turn twist and adapt as you test the edges of your own story. There's nothing quite like it.
2023 has been a nearly unprecedented year, one where so many top-quality games launched that every platform had a front-running contender for Game of the Year. Perhaps it's that competition – from Activision, Capcom, EA, Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios, and so many others – that makes Baldur's Gate 3 seem like such an achievement. Larian has created an enduring classic, a new gold standard by which the entire industry will be forced to measure itself for years to come. But the truth is, Baldur's Gate 3's success ran far further than its initial launch.
In a year as busy as this, simply releasing an excellent game wasn't necessarily going to be enough, and for months the Baldur's Gate 3 team has risen to that challenge – cultivating a vibrant, positive community that's hungry for the game's success as the development team continued to improve upon their RPG. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from Baldur's Gate 3, and I hope they continue to resonate throughout the industry for a long time to come.
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