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With the end of 2022 right around the corner, the games coming out in 2023 seem closer than ever. Here is a list of the top upcoming games of 2023 you should look forward to.
Atomic Heart
Release date: February 21, 2023
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
This FPS game with a touch of RPG has fans of the Stalker and Metro series rather excited. It occurs in a dystopic Russian laboratory where things go horribly wrong. Similar to Portal, you will be dealing with an AI controlling the entire facility. This AI will throw countless robots in your direction, ranging from cleaning bots all the way to huge monstrosities equipped with sawblades.
You will be equipped with multiple types of guns and special abilities to deal with this mayhem. These abilities might remind you of the Bioshock series since some are similar. Puzzles will also be an essential part of the game, forcing you to put your guns aside and think for a second.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Release date: May 12, 2023
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Everybody’s favorite timeless hero is back, and it looks like he is taking to the skies again. Similarly to Skyward Sword, which came out in 2011, Link will face a more vertical world this time. The land of Hyrule will be filled with floating islands that you must reach and explore.
We don’t have much information about the gameplay yet, only a few trailers that didn’t give away much. But given Breath of the Wild’s success back in 2017, it is safe to assume that this game will also be a hit. So for fans of the Zelda series, 2023 looks like a good time.
Starfield
Release date: Q1/Q2 2023
Platforms: Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X/S
After apparently working on it under total secrecy, Bethesda have finally unveiled their latest project in 2022. Starfield is a potentially excellent Sci-Fi RPG, combining elements from games like No Man’s Sky and Mass Effect. It promises a ton of freedom to explore its vast world, offering you tens of systems. Each of those systems will have multiple planets that are fully explorable.
But this talk of complete freedom also sounds too good to be true. What good are fully explorable planets if they are mostly empty except for mission sites and other scripted events? We all know what happened to No Man’s Sky when it launched, so the promise that they will be able to pull off the same level of freedom and detail from the launch sounds a bit iffy. Only time will tell if Bethesda can pull it off, so here’s hoping they will.
Street Fighter 6
Release date: sometime in 2023
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Arcade
The king of the fighting world is finally back with a new iteration, and fans are dying to see more of it. Most of the classic characters will be in the game, with a couple of totally new ones to spice things up. Graphically, the game is extremely impressive, with each character rendered with a ton of detail and some genuinely amazing animations.
But real fans will mostly be wondering about the gameplay. Fighting game fans are known to be apprehensive of change, but by all accounts, it seems like Street Fighter 6 is looking good so far. They’ve kept most of the same systems in place while simplifying certain aspects to make the game more accessible. We will have to wait and see if this will all pan out while not angering the hardcore fans.
Dead Island 2
Release date: April 28, 2023
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
This zombie shooter has been in development by Techland for almost ten years. It had a very hellish development cycle, plagued by delays, internal issues, and other difficulties. But it will finally see the light of day in 2023. Just like the first game, you will take control of a character trying to survive during a zombie apocalypse. How you deal with every situation and the countless NPCs offering you missions is entirely up to you.
The game primarily focuses on you using melee combat, bashing and slashing at zombies with countless weapons. These weapons can also be fully customized, allowing you to increase specific stats like damage, durability, or attack speed. Ranged weapons will also be present, even though ammo will be scarce, forcing you to use them only when necessary. The noise made by firearms will also attract unwanted attention, giving you more reasons to resort to melee combat.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Release date: August 2023
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
After their incredible success with the Divinity series, Larian Studios are hard at work in bringing us a new Baldur’s Gate game. Baldur’s Gate is one of the most beloved series of RPGs from the late 90s, so the fact that we have not seen a new game in the last 20 years was a sad state of affairs. Luckily, the experience that Larian has under their belt regarding RPGs seems to indicate that the series is in good hands.
The story seems to take some inspiration from older games, with a few recurring characters such as Minsc. The world you will have to deal with is already looking pretty grim. You will be thrown into the middle of a plot by an evil cult of Mind Flayers that is preparing to invade and take over the realm of Faerun. In classic RPG fashion, you and your party will be the only thing standing between them and total dominion of the land.
Regardless of your favorite genre of game, it looks like 2023 has got you covered. There is something for everyone, with some intriguing new titles alongside multiple sequels. How many of these will actually be successful, we will have to wait and see.
