2022 was the year where we felt the true brunt of the impact that COVID had on game development across the industry, with a number of major titles that were originally due out in the year being pushed back. It seems, however, that things are finally getting back on track. 2023 is looking absolutely packed, and though you can never rule out the possibility of further delays, as things stand right now, it looks like the next 12 months are going to see a whole bevy of major, exciting new releases. Here, we’re going to take a look at a bunch that have piqued our interest.
For the purposes of this feature, we’re only looking at games that have confirmed 2023 release dates or windows. Also keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, so if you notice any omissions, let us know via your comments.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM
We’ve waited a long time for this, but the sequel to Breath of the Wild seems to finally almost be upon us. Due out in May, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will take us back to the open world of Hyrule while adding what looks to be a whole new explorable map floating in the sky, along with other new mechanics and features that are promising to put an interesting twist on Breath of the Wild’s formula. It’s safe to say that this is going to be one of the biggest games of the year.
STARFIELD
Anytime Bethesda Game Studios releases a new RPG, you can’t help but sit up and take notice- and Starfield is looking like it has the potential to be one of the studio’s finest outings yet. Plenty of factions, a renewed focus on RPG mechanics and player choice, a vast collection of systems to explore, the promise of an epic space-faring adventure – there’s no shortage of reasons to be excited about this one.
MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2
With Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Insomniac has delivered among its two finest titles in recent years, and even though we’ve seen next to nothing of Spider-Man 2, the expectations are that it will keep that trajectory going. With Peter and Miles both sharing the spotlight and the likes of Venom and Kraven the Hunter stepping into the scene as well, it seems to be shaping up to be an exciting sequel.
FINAL FANTASY 16
Final Fantasy 16 has generated a ton of excitement for a number of reasons, from its darker and more mature tone to the fact that every time we see more of the game, it looks more and more promising. Due out in June, it definitely ranks as one of the year’s biggest releases.
ARMORED CORE 6: FIRES OF RUBICON
Wwith the likes of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, FromSoftware has climbed to the top of the industry over the last several years. Now, it’s ready to go back to Armored Core, and the hope is that we’ll see similar results. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is going to be a very different kind of experience, but given the massive level of trust FromSoftware has generated, expectations are still high.
HOLLOW KNIGHT SILKSONG
The wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong has been almost torturous, but after years of restless anticipation, it seems like the game is finally ready to release in the relatively near future. Supposedly due out sometime before July, if Silksong can somehow manage to find a way to recapture the masterful magic of its predecessor, there’s absolutely no way it won’t rank as one of 2023’s best games. Let’s just hope it actually comes out this year.
DELIVER US MARS
Deliver Us Mars is coming to Xbox One, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC on February 2nd, 2023. The game sees Kathy Johanson traveling to Mars with the Zephyr and its crew. There’s exploration as players attempt to survive the conditions of Mars while the group Outward has stolen the ARK colony ships, and your job is to get them back.
HOGWARTS LEGACY
Here’s another game that we’ve been waiting for for quite some time, especially when you consider the fact that we’ve known about its existence since a couple of years before it was even announced. Thankfully, Hogwarts Legacy’s February launch is fast approaching, and it’s one that’s got plenty of people excited. The prospect of having an open world RPG set in Hogwarts has always been an alluring one, so here’s hoping the game does justice to it.
RESIDENT EVIL 4
Capcom has had an excellent track record with its Resident Evil remakes so far, but it’s fair to say that none of them have shouldered the kind of expectation that RE4’s remake has, simply by virtue of the fact that it’s RE4. It’s the sort of a game that you don’t want to mess around with too much- though clearly, there’s areas that could do with some improvements as well. It’ll be interesting to see how Capcom strikes that balance when Resident Evil 4 launches in March.
DEAD SPACE
2023 is very much the year of survival horror, and that’s kicking off as early as later this month. It’s inarguable that Dead Space is one of the best horror games ever made, and after a long absence (that’s been felt hard), the series is finally making its comeback with a remake of its legendary debut. Based on everything we’ve seen so far, it looks like the Dead Space remake is going to be outstanding – here’s hoping it sticks the landing.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL
To call developer GSC Game World’s circumstances behind-the-scenes complicated would be a massive understatement, but even amidst what’s been going on in Ukraine, the developer is still putting together what’s looking like one of the most promising games of the year. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is promising an intense, visually stunning, and expansive experience in a fascinating setting, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.
STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR
2019 saw one of the best Star Wars games in recent memory with Jedi: Fallen Order, so it’s no surprise that there’s plenty of hype surrounding its sequel. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is promising some exciting improvements in terms of both story and gameplay, and though we haven’t seen an awful lot of it so far, what has been shown off has looked promising. With the game out in March, it won’t be long before we power up that lightsaber again.
LIKE A DRAGON: ISHIN!
The Yakuza franchise is undergoing a major shift, as evidenced by the fact that it’s changing its name in the west to align with its Japanese name, Like a Dragon. The first step on that new journey is going to be Like a Dragon: Ishin! next month, a remake of a niche yet fan-favourite spinoff that hardcore series fans have been hoping to see for quite some time. It’s essentially Yakuza with samurai in Edo Japan – with an elevator pitch like that, how can your curiosity not be piques?
LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN: THE MAN WHO ERASED HIS NAME
Later this year, we’ll get another Yakuza spinoff with Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and despite that mouthful of a title, it’s one that most series fans will be very curios to jump into. Former series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is taking the spotlight again, and with a story bridging the gaps between Yakuza 6, 7, and 8, and a gameplay system that brings back the series’ brawler-style combat, Like a Dragon Gaiden is certainly shaping up to be an enticing prospect.
BALDUR’S GATE 3
Larian Studios has established itself as a master of the arts in this particular corner of the RPG genre, but somehow, Baldur’s Gate 3 is looking even better. An even wider scale, a more expansive story, an even greater emphasis on player choice and agency, and significantly better production values- there’s no shortage of reasons to be incredibly excited about Baldur’s Gate 3’s August release.
DEAD ISLAND 2
Yep – another game that we’ve been waiting for for years on end. After years of development issues, changing studios, delays, and what have you, Dead Island 2 is finally on track to release in April. Its promise of high octane combat and an open world LA brimming with the undead is still one with a lot of potential, though it remains to be seen whether it’ll be worth the long, long wait. We’re certainly hopeful, and thankfully, it finally seems like we won’t have to wait too long for a definitive answer.
AVATAR: FRONTIERS OF PANDORA
Years ago it was announced that Massive Entertainment was working on an Avatar title, and though we still don’t have a firm release date, at least we have a firmer idea of what it is. We’re yet to see gameplay for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and reports have suggested that, like many other titles, it’s faced development issues behind-the-scenes, so some trepidation is definitely warranted here. The game is set to launch before the end of the next fiscal year, which means it could technically launch in Q1 2024, but hopefully, we’ll at least get more details on the game in the near future.
FORZA MOTORSPORT
The Forza Motorsport line of games has taken a bit of a brother these last few years, with the Horizon series picking up the slack in its stead, but Turn 10 is ready to return with what’s being positioned as a series reboot. Forza Motorsport will be out for Xbox Series X/S and PC sometime this Spring, and to no one’s surprise, it looks like the series is once again going all-out in its drive for authenticity and fidelity.
REDFALL
Arkane has almost never missed the mark for almost as long as its been around, and with Redfall, the studio is taking its biggest step forward yet. Will it be able to deliver the emergent and addictive gameplay that Arkane titles have always been known for while also transitioning to an open world as well as an emphasis on co-op? That remains to be seen, but given the developer’s track record, we’re certainly optimistic.
ASSASSIN’S CREED MIRAGE
After years of continuous bloating, Assassin’s Creed is finally ready to get back to the basics with Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Instead of a massive action RPG, Mirage is going to be set in a single city, shorter in length, and much more focused on stealth and parkour. Series fans have been begging for a back-to-the-basics approach for some time now, and we’re excited to see how successfully Mirage does that.
THE WOLF AMONG US 2
The Wolf Among Us probably still stands as one of the best games Telltale Games has ever made, so The Wolf Among Us 2 is going to have some very, very high expectations to live up to – which is compounded even further by how long fans have been waiting for it. Of course, the return of Bigby and the promise of another engrossing tale is something that’s turned a lot of heads, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the game will live up to expectations.
ALAN WAKE 2
Remedy Entertainment has been trying to get Alan Wake 2 made for a long, long time, and with the help of Epic Games, it’s now finally doing that. The writer is returning, and this time, we’re going to be in for a full-fledged survival horror experience. That’s an incredibly exciting prospect, especially when you take into account Remedy’s impeccable track record. We’re just hoping the game manages to stick to its 2023 launch window.
DIABLO 4
At long last, we’re getting a new Diablo game, and Blizzard is making massive promises with this one. From its open world structure to the scale and style of content its offering, Diablo 4 is shaping up to be the sequel that series fans have been dreaming of for over a decade at this point – though, understandably enough, Blizzard’s spotty track record in recent years has led to some trepidation. Hopefully, that will prove to be unfounded when the game launches in June.
HORIZON CALL OF THE MOUNTAIN
Guerrilla Games is two for two so far with the Horizon franchise, with Zero Dawn and Forbidden West both being incredible games. Now, the series is making the jump to VR, with Horizon Call of the Mountain releasing as a launch title for PS VR2. Obviously, it’s going to be a different experience from what series fans will be used to, but everything that we’ve seen of it so far has looking intriguing. It remains to be seen whether that carries over into the final product as well.
WO LONG: FALLEN DYNASTY
With Nioh and Nioh 2, Team Ninja has delivered probably the two best Soulslike games out there that haven’t been developed by FromSoftware, and though Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a new IP with its own new setting, mechanics, and ideas, it is looking to further hone that formula. As you’d expect from this genre, Wo Long is shaping up to be a grueling and challenging experience, but one that Soulslike fans are likely going to find hard to put down. It’s out in early March, so we won’t be waiting long for this one.
SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE LEAGUE
It’s been eight years since Batman: Arkham Knight, but Rocksteady is finally ready to step back into the limelight. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is obviously something very different from the studio – tonally, it’s pretty much the direct opposite of Batman, while it’s also emphasizing co-op gameplay. It’s also got a fascinating premise though, while Rocksteady is also a developer that a lot of people trust implicitly. Whether that trust will be rewarded remains to be seen – we’ll find out when the game launches in March.
FORSPOKEN
Pre-launch Forspoken has been pretty mixed, whether that’s for its trailers, quotes from its developers, or even its recent demo, but at the same time, it’s clear that the game’s doing some interesting things. Chief among them is its magical combat system, while its high-flying open world traversal system has also turned some heads. The game’s out later this month, so we’ll know soon enough if those aspects are good enough to carry the experience.
WILD HEARTS
Capcom has effectively had next to no competition for Monster Hunter, but EA and Koei Tecmo’s Wild Hearts, which is due out next month, is taking a shot at that throne soon enough. From monster design to the combat, it seems to be nailing to fundamentals in all that we’ve seen so far, while unique mechanics like its focus on building for both combat and traversal are also looking promising.
ATOMIC HEART
Atomic Heart has been in the works for a while, and its development hasn’t exactly been smooth all the way through, but Mundfish’s first person shooter is finally coming out next month – and it’s looking really good. The crazy killer robots are looking appropriately bizarre, the setting looks all sorts of weird, the combat is looking bloody and flashy. Of course, there’s no way to know for sure just yet whether all of that will come together the way it should, but thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long to find out.
STREET FIGHTER 6
It very much seems like Capcom is leaving no stone unturned with Street Fighter 6, a game that is looking hellbent on making up for the disappointing state its predecessor launched in. From its roster of characters to its online offerings, from its surprisingly ambitious campaign to the introduction of a number of exciting new mechanics and features, Street Fighter 6 is looking well-positioned to be yet another high point for the series when it launches in June.
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