Ah, 2023. You were a chaotic year in terms of wars, climate change, politics, and other bad news, but when it came to gaming, yet again, despite all odds, you were still able to deliver. Even though games got delayed, Nintendo Switch ports got sent out in the wild running at 10 frames a second, companies got shut down, and publishers tried to come up with new ways to make us fear for the future of the industry, a barrage of great games kept being released at a delightful pace all throughout 2023.
Do you want to understand the extent of the amount of great games released this year? Well, let’s just say that there were enough honorable mentions to come up with an entire Top 20 list for them. And the list would be as good as the games that actually made the cut. Such list includes:
With these titles out of the way, we can now talk about the lucky twenty which actually made the cut. Here’s WayTooManyGames’ Top 20 Best Games of 2023:
20 – Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
It made laugh. It made me cheer in pure joy. It made me become addicted to a shockingly detailed coliseum mode. And it also made me bawl like an infant with one of the, if not the most emotional endings to a video game I have ever seen since Metal Gear Solid 3. Let me just remind you, this was supposed to be a mere side story, an appetizer for the much bigger Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, coming out earlier next year. If Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio was able to come up with such a pristine game when it wasn’t even supposed to be the main attraction, then I don’t even know what to expect from their main dish. – Leo Faria
19 – Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
It almost feels ironic that the best games developed by Milestone, an Italian studio specialized in realistic racing simulators, are the ones about racing with silly miniatures around your living room. Their original Hot Wheels Unleashed was already spectacular. The sequel checks all of the necessary boxes: it has slightly better visuals, it features some brand new gameplay mechanics, its track editor is bigger and more varied, and it features even more tracks, cars, and modes. – Leo Faria
18 – Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars is a love letter to retro turn-based RPGs, with gorgeous pixel art, fun combat, a fantastic story, and endearing characters. Every last pixel is full of charm. I can’t recommend it enough for both newcomers and veterans of the genre. – Heidi Hawes
17 – Blasphemous 2
The Penitent One returns in Blasphemous 2, which is an incredible follow-up to the original game, with deliciously brutal kills, wild boss and NPC designs, and all the fast-paced, challenging combat you can handle. It would be a sin to let this game pass you by. – Heidi Hawes
16 – Valfaris: Mecha Therion
A truly fantastic sequel that not only continues Therion’s story, but also changes up its genre. While keeping its head banging metal roots, Steel Mantis delivers an engaging and challenging shmup. – Jordan Hawes
15 – Final Fantasy XVI
Boy, what a divisive game. I’ve seen every kind of reaction coming from Final Fantasy fans. Some loved Final Fantasy XVI. Some hated it. “It’s not an RPG”. “It’s the future of the franchise”. “What a predictable story”. “Oh my goodness those are the best characters the franchise has ever seen”. I get it if you dislike it, but for me, as well as many others on this site, Final Fantasy XVI was fantastic, surpassing my already sky-high expectations with gusto. – Leo Faria
14 – Hi-Fi Rush
This January surprise release featured cel-shaded visuals, a licensed rock soundtrack, a bagillion pop culture references, and a gameplay loop which could be summarised as “Devil May Cry meets Guitar Hero“. It’s almost as if Bethesda and Tango Gameworks had read my depraved little mind and decided to develop a game tailor made for my bizarre tastes and needs. More of this, please! – Leo Faria
13 – Dead Island 2
The sounds of a blade slicing through rotten flesh is oh so delicious. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Dead Island 2 as much as I did. To be honest, I assumed based on the trailers that it would be a game of dumb fun and rate a 7.5. It turns out that it’s a a game of dumb fun that rates a 9.5. It’s campy goodness and full of silliness. – Fernando da Costa
12 – Pikmin 4
Pikmin has been getting better with each and every entry and that can’t be made any more clear than with Pikmin 4, the first proper new game in the franchise to be released on the Nintendo Switch. The world is amazing to explore, and I’ve had nothing but a great time adventuring deeper into this weird and wonderful land. – Aaron Price
11 – I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine
Schell Games continues to impress with their VR James Bond themed escape room puzzle games. Cog in the Machine steps it up with fresh and fun new ideas and even more complex puzzle designs. – Jordan Hawes
10 – Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons
It’s sleek, with crisp visuals and, excuse my pun, a punchy combat mechanic. Nothing felt sluggish, with zero stutters or freezes to speak of. The optimization is pristine, and the soundtrack is, as the kids say, lit. I love it, specifically because it harnesses the old-school ideology of being fun. It doesn’t try to astound with innovation; it just wants to deliver memories. It achieves this desire expertly. – Fernando da Costa
9 – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
A lot of people like to dismiss Tears of the Kingdom as a mere expansion to Breath of the Wild. I get the discourse. The thing is, it’s more than just its predecessor, but with more content. It also fixes some of the issues which deeply irritated many of us from the 2017 release. It brought back dungeons… sort of. It made me actually give a damn about Princess Zelda, for once. It basically vindicated Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. It even made me have a ton of fun trying to find a way across an underground area with literally no light to guide me. – Leo Faria
8 – Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The magic and talent that went into Wonder is a tribute to the way that a Mario game can come together like nothing else. Each stage showing something new and different, difficulty that is demanding without being punishing, and that gorgeous Koji Kondo soundtrack proves that the best Mario titles are side-scrollers, and this one is the best in decades. – Oliver Shellding
7 – Dead Space
After 2013’s Dead Space 3, the franchise underwent a long, ten year hiatus. It returned in 2023, with a remake that remained incredibly faithful, but made so many small and impactful improvements that added up into something special. It gave Isaac a bigger role in the story itself, and used lore that was built into the sequels to deliver bigger twists and more impactful story moments. Not to mention creating a much more open-ended Ishimura, they made one of gaming’s best environments even better. With more scares and even more gore thanks to a brutally impressive dismemberment system, this one was a huge surprise. – Kyle Nicol
6 – Pixel Ripped 1978
The true joy of Pixel Ripped 1978 is this combination of its firm grasp of years past, what made them stand out, and its combination of all its ingredients. It isn’t just an homage to a past and fantastic Atari titles; it is a reminder of what it was like to play these. It is the difference between emulating and celebrating. I see you, ARVORE. – Todd Eggleston
5 – Baldur’s Gate 3
Against all odds, Baldur’s Gate 3 is everything it’s hyped up to be. An RPG with few if any equals. A project of passion, made by RPG fans for RPG fans. A niche game, developed with AAA quality graphics, sound, and animations. Phenomenal writing, compelling complex characters, and some of the best turn-based combat I’ve ever enjoyed. And best of all, for me personally, is that it does its predecessors proud. – Thomas Medina
4 – Cocoon
Cocoon was an utter delight to play and a shining example of what the indie scene can provide in creativity. While it didn’t have the level driven purpose of LIMBO or Inside, it more than made up for it with its smart puzzle design. It earned my first 10/10 and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a truly unique puzzle experience. – Jordan Hawes
3 – Resident Evil 4 Remake
Somehow the Resident Evil 4 Remake managed to not only live up to the 2004 classic, but surpasses it with intelligent changes to the level design and set pieces. It also has one of the best combat loops in a game since DOOM Eternal and immense replay value that still has me doing playthroughs some nine months later. Then we have the fantastic Separate Ways campaign and upcoming free VR release for PSVR 2 that solidifies this entry as a masterpiece. – Kyle Nicol
2 – Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
Bringing a touch rhythm game to the Nintendo Switch seemed like a challenge, but Square Enix blew me away in terms of control, incentive and, of course, musical selection. The fluid nature makes you feel like a super hero for accomplishing harder songs, and the consistent rollout of content – including Final Fantasy XVI tracks – keeps the longevity of this swan song going long after the final note. I’m still playing it TODAY. – Oliver Shellding
1 – Octopath Traveler II
Once again, an Octopath Traveler game is on top, and with good reason. Octopath Traveler II took everything that made the original game great, and further improved upon it. We now have interconnected storylines for certain characters, darker stories all around, even more dynamic lighting effects, and a blending of HD-2D graphics, retro pixel art, and 3DCG, which makes Octopath Traveler II jaw-droppingly gorgeous. – Heidi Hawes