What games are you most excited about in 2023?
Written by @Kef
The new year has arrived, and you know what that means: 365 more days of new games! There’s a ton coming out this year that I’m excited about, but for the sake of this collection, I narrowed it down to five choices that I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on.
A quick note before I start: I also put together a collection last year of my five most anticipated sequels, four of which are likely coming out this year. I’m not going to include any of those picks on this list, so be sure to check that one out as well if you’re looking for even more to get hyped over.
Release date: June 22, 2023
It’s impossible not to be at least a little excited for the next mainline entry in the biggest Japanese RPG franchise ever. Even without the Final Fantasy name, though, I’d be excited for Final Fantasy XVI.
There’s one simple reason that I’m certain this is going to be a great game: Naoki Yoshida. He’s the director of Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix’s greatest success story of modern times, and he’s now serving as a producer on Final Fantasy XVI. If the trailers are anything to go by, this game will include the deep writing, well-developed world, and political intrigue of Square’s hit MMO, but with much faster and flashier combat.
268398Nightingale (PC)
Release date: First half of 2023
Survival games can be hit and miss, but there are several reasons to be hopeful that Nightingale delivers. For one, it’s being developed by Inflexion Games, a new studio made up of folks who used to work at BioWare, including former BioWare studio general manager Aaryn Flynn.
More importantly, though, Nightingale has a very appealing and unique style, one that Inflexion describes as “Victorian gaslamp fantasy.” In practice, that means the game blends fantasy elements with technological innovation in fascinating ways, all while players discover and jump into magical portals that can teleport them to new realms. Toss in the crafting and base-building you’d expect from a survival game, and Nightingale has all the potential in the world.
250469Release date: March 17, 2023
2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was not just a great Star Wars game but probably the best Star Wars game in at least a decade. Now developer Respawn Entertainment is picking up where that game left off with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. This third-person action-adventure game follows the tale of Cal Kestis, one of the last surviving Jedi Knights as he’s hunted across the galaxy by powerful Empire forces.
Even if you don’t like Star Wars, Fallen Order had excellent action, engaging exploration, and a surprising dose of Metroidvania elements where Cal gained access to new paths as he built up his powers. If Survivor can deliver that same type of gameplay but more, it will be must-play.
268399Valorant Mobile (Android, iOS)
Release date: TBA 2023
Valorant is one of the most popular competitive titles on PC, and developer Riot Games has already proven it can handle mobile ports of its popular PC titles with League of Legends: Wild Rift. Valorant already has some competition on mobile devices, but I can’t wait to play the real thing.
The only catch? Riot hasn’t actually announced an official release date for Valorant Mobile yet. When it was announced back in 2021, the studio was hopeful that it would launch in 2022. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but I’m cautiously optimistic that it’ll make it this year.
176944Zenless Zone Zero (Android, iOS, PC)
Release date: TBA 2023
Between the nonstop action of Honkai Impact 3rd and the expansive fantasy adventure of Genshin Impact, developer MiHoYo has quickly become one of the most exciting studios in the mobile games space. MiHoYo’s next game is Zenless Zone Zero, and so far it looks awesome, with a near-future urban setting, roguelike gameplay, and fast-paced, gun-heavy combat.
MiHoYo hasn’t announced an official release date for Zenless Zone Zero yet, but there have already been content-packed and relatively polished versions of it available for closed beta testing. Hopefully, that means we’re not far off from launch, because this game looks like a blast.
234844💬 Those are five of our most anticipated games for the year ahead, but there are dozens more that easily could have made our list. What games are you most looking forward to in 2023?
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