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There will be a lot of Best Upcoming Games in 2023 that will be a big hit
Video games are also popular, with titles such as FIFA, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto being some of the most popular among UK gamers.
With more than 176 million copies sold across all platforms, “Minecraft” is currently the most popular video game in the world.
The player character and non-player characters (NPCs) like villagers, as well as arrows and item drops, are all called “entities” in Minecraft. These include mobs like zombies, skeletons, and creepers. There are unique properties, abilities, and behaviors for each entity in the game.
A collection of 45 games spanning all genres and platforms that promise to be the best of the year.
With Unreal Engine 5 support in the works and developers dropping support for Sony and Microsoft’s last-generation consoles, Best Upcoming Games in 2023 looks like the official start of the PS5-Xbox Series generation. Some of the games are exclusive to new hardware, such as Starfield, Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Final Fantasy 16, buy PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch owners will also have plenty to look forward to.
This list only includes games with officially announced release dates or windows for 2023. There are a few titles, including Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023-2024) and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (“next winter”), with release windows that extend into 2024, so they haven’t been included. Disney Dreamlight Valley and Baldur’s Gate 3 are also excluded from Early Access in 2023.
We follow the Northern Hemisphere’s seasonal release windows (i.e., spring, fall).
Having been delayed twice in 2022, Forspoken will finally launch on January 24 for PS5 and PC. For several reasons, Square Enix’s upcoming action RPG is worth following, including its all-star writing team, which includes Gary Whitta from Rogue One, Amy Hennig from Uncharted, and Allison Rymer from Shadowhunters.
The isekai narrative concept of Forspoken transports protagonist Frey from present-day New York City to Athia, an imaginary world filled with magic and mythology. Throughout the journey, Frey will learn other-worldly abilities that will help her in both combat and navigation.
PS5, PC | Release date: January 24
Adapting the 2008 survival horror classic, Dead Space comes out in 2023. According to EA, it is a fully rebuilt game based on the original designs, with “all new assets, new character models, and new environments.”.
While Dead Space remains Dead Space at its core, EA Motive keeps things fresh with new systems like Peeling, which lets players peel flesh, tendons, and bones from Necromorphs. Both gorehounds and mutant baddies will appreciate this health bar.
The game will be released on January 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
Among the biggest third-party releases of 2023 is one of the most anticipated games of 2021 (and then 2022). Hogwarts Legacy is a very famous game to play in UK launches on February 10 after two years of delays, fulfilling fans’ long-held dream of participating in their own Wizarding World.
In the Best Upcoming Games in 2023, players become fifth-year students at Hogwarts after creating a custom character and choosing a house. To catch up with your classmates, you will need to complete quests in the open-world RPG. Despite the game’s large number of areas, secrets, and activities, Avalanche Software wasn’t able to include playable versions of certain Hogwarts pastimes, including Quidditch, Gobstones, and Wizard’s Chess.
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC. Release date: February 10 (PS5, XSX|S, PC).
A game based on Feudal Japan inspired by a fantastical semi-open world, Wild Hearts is EA’s answer to Monster Hunter. Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force partnered with EA on Wild Hearts.
In our hands-on with Wild Hearts in October, IGN found it to be a true Monster Hunter contender thanks to its challenging hunting, beautiful environments, and snappy building mechanics.
PlayStation 4, Xbox One X, PC, and PS5 release date: February 17
On January 20, Nintendo launched Fire Emblem Engage, the first game of the year. In the Switch exclusive, Alear, a young woman with red and blue hair, is introduced to the series for the first time. The latest Fire Emblem offers players the ability to summon, or “engage,” characters from the series’ past, such as the series’ original protagonist and Smash Bros. staple Marth. A past hero’s weapons and skills are inherited by Alear when he is engaged.
A 9.5 from IGN was given to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which came out in 2019.
Platform: Switch | Release Date: January 20
In the four years since Atomic Heart was announced, the game has become increasingly buzzworthy with increasingly bizarre and sci-fi-heavy trailers that showcase a Soviet-set, BioShock-inspired first-person shooter.
Among 2023’s sleeper hits, Atomic Heart has great potential. It remains to be seen whether that potential is realised, although our hands-on preview described Atomic Heart as having “dynamic combat, inspired art, and an interesting enemy design.”
Music from the 1950s-’80s will be mixed with original compositions by longtime Doom composer Mick Gordon for Atomic Heart. A Soviet-style pop melody meets a juicy Doom-style remix, according to Mundfish.
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. Release date: February 21
A standalone VR spinoff based on Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Call of the Mountain takes place in the same universe. Besides traversal, it focuses on bow-and-arrow combat and satisfying climbing mechanics. When climbing, you have to reach from ledge to ledge, whereas when bow-shooting, you pantomime the real action: you reach back for a bow, nock it, aim, then release the arrow.
A launch date has been set for February 22, along with the launch of PSVR2.
The PSVR 2 will be released on February 22.
It will be the first mainline entry of Company of Heroes in a decade, bringing with it two separate campaigns set during World War II, one in North Africa and one in Italy.
Tactical Pause and a fully dynamic campaign map are just some of the features that Relic is hoping to incorporate into Company of Heroes 3.
The final preview for Company of Heroes 3 said, “It feels like good old Company of Heroes tactical action, with more units than ever before and an array of unorthodox objectives to break up the more traditional maps.” “Intuitive controller support” and a custom console interface are included on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S release date: February 23
One of the best survival-horror games on PC is back with Sons of the Forest. You are dropped on an eerie island like its predecessor with nothing but your wits to survive. To avoid becoming a victim of the island’s cannibal population, players must forage materials for weapons and shelters.
This release will be released on February 23 for the PC platform
Kerbal Space 2 Early Access launches on February 24. The sequel features new environments, improved visuals, a completely redesigned interface, 350 new rocket parts, and ship customization.
KSP 2 Early Access is set entirely in a reimagined Kerbolar system from the original game, complete with new terrain and atmosphere systems. Developer Intercept Games plans to expand the game after launch with additional systems and custom bases, as well as support for both multiplayer and mods.
A PC version will be available on February 24 (PlayStation and Xbox versions to follow).
With eight protagonists whose stories intertwine in Octopath Traveler 2, Square Enix has delivered another excellent HD-2D JRPG. In the latest preview for Octopath Traveler 2, we’ve learned about two of these characters: the scholar Osvald and the merchant Partitio, as well as the new system of Latent Powers, which activates special abilities when characters take enough damage or break enough enemy shields.
Additionally to Nintendo’s hybrid console, Octopath Traveler 2 will launch on PS5, PS4, and PC.
The game will be released on February 24 for PS5, PS4, Switch and PC
There are few games more anticipated in 2023 than The Day Before, an open-world survival MMO that trails only Hogwarts Legacy in wishlisting on Steam. Developer Fntastic pushed back the release date of The Day Before to 2023 due to a shift to Unreal Engine 5.
The Day Before blends survival gameplay, in-depth combat, and Animal Crossing-inspired base building in a zombie-filled post-pandemic America.
The game is due out on March 1 for the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S versions in the near future.
Ninja Gaiden and Nioh developer Team Ninja is back with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, their next action game. This soulslike game is set in a dark fantasy version of China’s Three Kingdoms.
We described Wo Long’s combat as “fantastic” in the preview, and Team Ninja promises Wo Long will be “an extremely challenging and demanding game.” What sets Wo Long apart from many soulslikes is its breakneck speed.
It will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on March 3
A storybook-inspired prequel to Bayonetta 3 is being developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames following Bayonetta 3’s release in 2022. In the full narrated quest to save Cereza’s mother, both Cereza and the Lost Demon Cheshire are yours to control.
Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor follows five years after Jedi: Fallen Order. As the Empire’s most-wanted fugitive, Cal Kestis remains on the run as a more mature, more rugged character. IGN’s list of the best soulslike games ranks Survivor second on its list of best-selling Star Wars games of all time.
The game releases on March 17 on PlayStation 5, Xbox One X, and PC
In March, Capcom will release its ground-up remake of Resident Evil 4, following the January release of Dead Space and the February release of Sons of the Forest.
Capcom’s RE 4 remake builds on the success of Resident Evil 2 and 3, updating gameplay and visuals while retaining the original’s foundational elements. A “reconstruction” of the story has also been made to account for the series’ 17-year narrative evolution.
One of the most notable survival horror games of all time is Resident Evil 4. In our recent list of the best Resident Evil games, it topped the list.
Playstation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC | Release Date: March 24
Crime Boss: Rockay City was one of the wildest announcements from The Game Awards 2022. It’s an action-FPS starring an eclectic bunch of prominent actors: Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen, Lethal Weapon’s Danny Glover, Machete himself Danny Trejo, Vanilla Ice, and Chuck Norris.
Crime Boss is set in a fictional version of ’90s Florida with an aesthetic to match. You and up to three other players complete heists and compete for turf on your way to the top of Rockay City’s criminal underworld.
Release Date: March 28 | Platforms: PC (consoles at a later date)
Another genre-defining game being remade for 2023 is System Shock, the 1994 first-person action-adventure game that inspired the likes of BioShock and Deus Ex. System Shock puts you in orbit around Saturn aboard the Citadel Station. You play as a nameless hacker attempting to shut down a rogue, maniacal AI named SHODAN who’s overtaken the station.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016, we finally got hands-on with the remake in 2022 and came away impressed by its “haunting sci-fi atmosphere and breathtaking environments.”
Release Window: March 2023 | Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
System Shock Remake: An Influential Legend Is Reborn
Other Notable Q1 2023 Games:
Following an eight-year development journey across three different studios, Dead Island 2 will finally see the light of day in 2023. It may be hard to believe but given the amount of gameplay shown toward the end of 2022, it appears Dead Island 2 will actually be released on April 28. Based on those videos, Dead Island 2 will give you countless gruesome, gory ways to slice, dice, mash, and smash the undead.
Release Date: April 28 | Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Among the dozens of big games due out in 2023, none is bigger than The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo’s follow-up to what IGN crowned the best game of all time.
Nintendo has been careful not to show too much of Tears of the Kingdom, perhaps in an effort to preserve that same sense of awe and wonder that made Breath of the Wild so special. What Nintendo has shown is an expanded traversal system that sees Link exploring the lands of Hyrule and the vast skies above it. We can’t wait to uncover what secrets Tears of the Kingdom holds when it hits Switch on May 12.
Release Date: May 12 | Platform: Switch
Our Best Guesses at What The Heck is Going on in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Rocksteady earned its reputation as one of the industry’s leading action-game developers with its excellent Batman Arkham trilogy. Now, eight years later, the team is back with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Kill the Justice League is set in the same universe as Rocksteady’s Arkham games, though this time around players will step into the shoes of one of four DC supervillains: Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, or Harley Quinn. Playing alone or with up to three other players, you’ll venture through Metropolis to take out corrupted versions of DC heroes including Batman, voiced one last time by the late, great Kevin Conroy.
Release Date: May 26 | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Street Fighter 6, the series’ first new entry since 2016, introduces a robust character creator for its World Tour mode, allowing your custom fighter to take on Street Fighter legends and master their moves. Among the 18 fighters at launch are series staples Ken, Ryu, and Chun-Li, as well as newcomers Jamie and Kimberly.
Those sceptical about Street Fighter 6 following the many troubles of its predecessor have good reason to be optimistic: IGN’s fighting-game expert Mitchell Saltzman called street fighter 6 Beta the best he’s ever played.
Release Date: June 2 | Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Diablo 4, Blizzard’s first open-world action-RPG, returns in 2023. With a story centred around the big bad Lilith, Diablo 4 returns to the franchise’s darker roots. Luis Barriga, former game director, described it as “a bleak and shattered hellscape filled with demons.”
We said Diablo 4 has “a plethora of story, content, beauty, character customization, and more” after spending 12 hours with it. Once it launches on June 6, Blizzard says he’ll continue to provide support for years to come, anchored around cosmetic items and story-driven expansions.
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC | Release Date: June 6
A third-party game with a fantastical setting set in medieval Europe, Final Fantasy 16 is one of the biggest third-party games of 2016. In contrast to its predecessor, FF16 features an area-based design similar to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, a semi-open world game. Players control protagonist Clive Rosfield in a real-time, fast-paced battle, while companion characters are controlled by AI, according to producer Naoki Yoshida.
The PS5 exclusive launch window for Final Fantasy 16 is six months.
As part of its new-gen-only Forza Motorsport reboot, Turn 10 returns to the release circuit in 2023. As the franchise’s first Xbox Series X|S-dedicated game, Forza Motorsport 6 will be a technical showcase for Microsoft’s Xbox console.
It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2023 on Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Microsoft and Mojang will release another Minecraft spinoff in 2023 after the success of Minecraft Dungeons in 2020. The latest spinoff of Minecraft is an action-strategy game that combines the brand’s family-friendly approachability with reasonably deep RTS mechanics.
The release date will be in spring 2023, and it will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC
In Hollow Knight: Silksong, players explore Pharloom, a mysterious world far from the kingdom of the original game, and follow in the footsteps of IGN’s best Metroidvania game of all time. Hornet is an enemy-turned-ally in Silksong, whose agile moves allow for faster, more vertical gameplay.
PC, PS5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, First Half 2023
After 20 years, Gearbox has released Homeworld 3, a space RTS for Windows XP. Asteroids, space freighters, and megastructures form the terrain on its battlefields. As the terrain introduces new, game-changing cover mechanics to Homeworld 3, these floating objects pave the way for new tactical opportunities.
A release window of the first half of 2023 and a platform of the PC is expected
The highly anticipated game Redfall is the first in a series of two due out in 2023 from Bethesda. Featuring vampires, human cultists, and twisted vampire gods, Redfall is an open-world vampire shooter from Arkane Austin.
A portion of Redfall’s map is bigger than Prey’s entire Talos I space station. The game, Arkane claims, shares the same creative values as its previous games.
Initially scheduled for release in the first half of 2023 on Xbox Series X|S and PC
On March 9, Ubisoft’s pirate adventure will finally come to an end after five years of delays. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’s multiplayer expansion Skull & Bones launched in 2013 and has since evolved. As a result, Ubisoft decided to create an open-sea adventure without a structured campaign. Rather, players captain customizable pirate ships, which can take on contracts, gather resources, and engage in battle with merchants or other players.
Release date: “Early” in Ubisoft’s fiscal year 2023-24 (starting April 1) | Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
In the 13 years since its cancellation, re-revealing, and delay, STALKER 2 has finally arrived 13 years later. As a result of Russian invasions, some Ukrainian developers were forced to work in cramped spaces while others stepped away from the development to join the Ukrainian defence forces. In our opinion, this is an incredible behind-the-scenes story that we hope will benefit the development team and gamers alike.
It is expected that STALKER 2 will launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC sometime in the first half of 2023.
Initially scheduled for release in the first half of 2023 on Xbox Series X|S and PC
Bethesda Game Studios and Todd Howard are collaborating on the next epic single-player game, Starfield, for Xbox 2023. Howard himself compares the game to “Skyrim in space,” noting that it’s one of the first original games in 25 years.
With Starfield, you are given a deep character creator before you enter its many worlds, where you can join factions, recruit companion characters, and complete quests. According to Howard, Bethesda’s next game will feature more than 1,000 planets to explore and the longest storyline in a BGS game.
Initially scheduled for release in the first half of 2023 on Xbox Series X|S and PC
As part of Telltale Games’ 2023 Comeback Tour, Telltale Games will release The Expanse, a choice-based narrative adventure based on the acclaimed TV series of the same name. During a mutiny aboard the Artemis spaceship, you play as XO Camina Drummer.
Life Is Strange: True Colours is being developed by Telltale’s revived team in collaboration with Deck Nine Games. During 2023, the studio plans to release two games – The Wolf Among Us 2 is the second.
The cult story-driven Xbox 360 game Alan Wake 2 is part of Remedy’s expanding connected universe. It is billed as Remedy’s first survival horror game, but the horror won’t be for shock value, but rather to serve the story. In the words of Sam Lake, creative director and lead writer, “you can expect a psychological, layered, deep mystery to delve into.”
The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or S, and PC in 2023
Vin Diesel, the president of Creative Convergence at Studio Wildcard, will lead Ark 2’s expanded story. Through its primaeval world, Ark 2 lets you mantle, free-climb, slide, swing, and even ride dinosaurs.
Xbox Series X|S and PC are scheduled for release in 2023.
It featured expected (if not welcome) giant robots fighting explosively in the trailer for Armoured Core: Fires of Rubicon.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, CEO of FromSoftware, told us Fires of Rubicon will be set in a ruined world while retaining the challenging boss battles of Armored Core.
Armoured Core 2 has been in development since at least 2016. Fires of Rubicon will be the first new game in the series since 2012.
With Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Ubisoft returns to its more linear, stealth-focused roots as a blockbuster franchise. Assassin’s Creed Mirage eliminates RPG elements introduced in the modern series, returning gameplay to its three original design pillars: stealth, parkour, and assassinations. Twenty years before Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the story takes place in ninth-century Baghdad.
The game will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and PC by 2023
The sequel to IGN’s 2020 Game of the Year, Hades 2, launches in Early Access sometime in 2023. In the first game, you play as Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld; in the second, you play as his sister, Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld.
With an emphasis on replayability and action, Hades 2 is similar to its predecessor. According to developer Supergiant Games, it also incorporates “deep connections to the dawn of witchcraft” into the Greek mythology developed in the original game. Supergiant assures newcomers that playing the original isn’t needed to understand or enjoy Hades 2, even though it’s a direct sequel to Hades.
The release date is set for 2023 | Platform: PC (consoles to follow)
Lies of P – a soulslike in which you play as Pinocchio – may sound (and look) like a well-polished Dark Souls mod, but it is not only real, but it looks pretty good as well. A classic 19th-century tale, this action RPG contains analogs to Pinocchio, Geppetto, and even Jiminy Cricket based on the classic story. The main character’s decision to lie or not impacts gameplay in Lies of P true to the source material.
The game will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and PC by 2023
This year, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is Sony’s biggest first-party game. As the story of Peter Parker and Miles Morales continues, Venom, voiced by Candyman actor Tony Todd, is introduced. Spider-Man 2 is “darker” than the original, Marvel’s Bill Rosemann said, calling it the Empire Strikes Back to the first game’s “A New Hope.
Platform: PlayStation 5 | Release Date: Fall 2023
Several long-in-development games are set to release in 2023, including Payday 3, which entered production in 2017 and is scheduled to release in 2023.
Developed by Erik Wonnevi, Payday 3 will be a decade after its predecessor; its story will reflect the time jump. The cops-vs.-robbers series will come to life in a “living, enormous representation” of New York City, said Erik Wonnevi.
Platforms: “Consoles” and “PC” | Release Date: 2023
Following 2013’s Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4 will be Pikmin’s first home-console game in a decade. A 30-second trailer of Pikmin 4 reveals a peaceful garden setting before settling on a sleeping Grub-dog. Nintendo expects to release Pikmin 4 sometime in 2023, so we should see more throughout the year.
Platform: Switch | Release Window: 2023
From Gun Interactive and the creative team behind Friday the 13th comes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, an asymmetrical multiplayer game based on an iconic horror licence.
During The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, four victims are trapped by Leatherface, the Hitchhiker, and the Cook. While we haven’t spent much time with Texas Chainsaw Massacre yet, the movie license and gameplay loop look like they are going to make for a great match.
The game will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and PC by 2023
A seemingly dormant franchise will return in 2023 as Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. In Space Marine 2, Titus, the captain of the Ultramarines who played in the original game, continues his journey as the game’s protagonist continues his quest. The debut gameplay trailer showed Titus laying waste to hordes of Tyranids and other monsters as he vows to defend mankind through gruff narration.
The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or S, and PC in 2023
Following Telltale Games’ closure in 2018, the game was thought to be dead, but Telltale is back with another neon-soaked episodic mystery featuring Bigby Wolf and the other residents of Fabletown. While Bigby is suspended from his role as sheriff in Wolf Among Us 2, he is undergoing anger management treatment six months after the first. Despite Bigby’s deep breathing, the Big Bad Wolf cannot be repressed for long as he dives back into Fabletown’s dangerous underbelly.
The game will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and PC by 2023
Let us know what game you’re most excited about Best Upcoming Games in 2023 by voting in the poll above or commenting below! You can also use IGN Playlist to keep track of your favourites and build your own custom rankings. Keep an eye on IGN for updates on all these games and more throughout 2023.