It’s no surprise that 2023 has been full of sequels, remakes, and remasters so far. We’re talking about videogames, here: constantly repeating its hits while simultaneously failing to preserve most of its history is what this industry is all about. What is surprising is how many good sequels and remakes have come out this year. Our list of the best games of 2023 is full of ’em. And before you call it an indictment of the medium, a sign that there’s no originality or creativity left in games, and that they’re all essentially designed by spreadsheet crunchers in suits, well, let us point out that the top two games on our list are sequels that innovate and introduce brand new concepts to two series that have been around since the 1980s. Just look to those two games if you want to see what a good sequel looks like—and proof that a good sequel can be a great game. And this isn’t to say there hasn’t been interesting, enjoyable new games in 2023 that are the start of a story instead of a continuation or revisitation of one; you’ll find a few like that in the list below. So let’s stop theorizing and conjecturing and get down to the heady business of ranking the best games of 2023 (so far) into a barely defined list.
10. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Cal Kestis has been my reentry point into Star Wars. Heading into Jedi: Survivor, he’s a character with a slate informed by one game and a limitless future. And the new Rumor System taps into what I love about the franchise, the way stories live on within the confines of the media created as much as for audiences. As a franchise, the galaxy is held together by stories, legends that persist across the planets about rebels and Jedis and that are told through the people who encounter them. The Rumor System taps into this to allow the player to pick up side quests, but for me, it’s a welcome return to that world of stories. While I’m entirely overwhelmed by the amount of Star Wars there are right now, their existence makes me think of how many generations will continue to make their first memories with the franchise, or what will make others like me come back to it. I could see Jedi: Survivor work for both. As a videogame, there is a lot to grab onto even outside of the Star Wars of it all. It has stellar combat, killer platforming, and a story that’s accessible to people who aren’t well-versed in Star Wars lore, but still has enough of it to hint at the depth and scope of this universe.—Kate Sánchez
9. Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16 isn’t short of reasons to be hesitant about it, but despite them, it sings better than you might think. The story may suffer from the classic Final Fantasy dilemma of tackling a lot of characters and trying to find a time and place for them all, but also holds nothing back in regards to its main themes along the way. The developers may stumble on their way to realizing a fully diverse cast, but that cast is also hugely talented and commands their scenes when needed, bringing layers to characters that could’ve been afterthoughts or simple fodder. Even when Final Fantasy 16 turns away from most of the systems that would make it a compelling and tactical RPG, it embraces a deeply rewarding combat system that lets it be expressive in its own way entirely. It’s a button-mashing, occasionally awkwardly sexed-up and mature action game that seems at least a bit ashamed to fully be an RPG, opting instead to fill the space those systems would occupy with timed button prompts a decade out of touch and endless spectacles. It is, at once, this cosmically confused product on one hand, and the most self assured thing on the other. In other words, it’s an RPG fitting of the era, and one of the best games of 2023 so far.—Moises Taveras
8. Tchia
Tchia‘s depiction of the unique Melanesian culture of its developers’ homeland, one rarely seen in mainstream global entertainment, is what makes this Zelda-inspired game so special. Although based in a fictional setting, Tchia underscores the importance of New Caledonia’s traditions through the emphasis on the “coutume,” a customary greeting gift that drives much of the game’s collection. Tchia’s most vibrant moments come after you earn the trust of a village, which often leads to a post-dinner celebration with music and dancing. These elaborately choreographed and directed dance numbers double as rhythm mini-games, with Tchia playing along on a ukulele or various percussion instruments while you try to tap buttons according to the onscreen prompts. And although rural settlements are found throughout the game’s many islands, it also goes out of its way to show that small Oceanic countries like New Caledonia have developed urban centers filled with cars and tall buildings. Tchia doesn’t just want to share New Caledonia’s traditions, but flout whatever stereotypical expectations players from larger countries might have about the archipelago. You can file the unrealistic, sci-fi trappings of the story under that latter goal; instead of relying simply on mysticism and folklore for its more fantastical elements, Tchia mixes that up with a spot of sci-fi to subvert expectations. New Caledonia might be a small country in the middle of the Pacific, the developers at Awaceb seems to say, but that doesn’t mean it stories have to remain stuck in the past.—Garrett Martin
7. Season: A Letter to the Future
Season: A Letter to the Future perfectly encapsulates why we need to meaningfully record the world around us. You play as Estelle, who leaves her mountain village for the first time due to her friend’s prophetic dream. Your mission is to capture the world as this season ends and the next begins by taking photographs, sketching scenery, taping sounds, and interacting with people you meet along the way. All of your cataloging has a purpose: to ensure that people remember what your time was like before things change irrevocably. Few games hold the distinction of both making you want to delve further into their world, while also compelling you to step outside into our own. With Season, you can get lost in the animators’ artistic work for myriad hours, but the overwhelming experience of this game will inspire you to savor our world, too.—Clare Martin
6. Resident Evil 4
Where do you start when remaking a classic? For many, Resident Evil 4 is the quintessential survival-horror game. Time has proven that the game’s shift to action was ultimately the best move. Resident Evil 4 has long been considered an immutable text, and yet at the same time, a large enough contingent of its adorers have clamored for a remake, something that’d necessitate some degree of change to validate its costly existence. The answer, even if it sounds sacrilegious, has been to remix and refine what’s there for a modern crowd .The best possible thing you all could’ve hoped for did come true: The Resident Evil 4 remake is a smashing success. It’s both scary and thrilling, and clears up that not only was its initial success no fluke, but that few titles have properly challenged it ever since. Whether this is your first or most recent trip through its wacky Spanish cult-fest, I’m positive you’ll find lots to love in this game that seems built to last.—Moises Taveras
5. Metroid Prime Remastered
I’m usually reluctant to put remasters and remakes on lists like this, but this year’s surprise release of Metroid Prime Remastered deserves recognition. The original is one of the two or three best Metroid games ever made, and an all-time Nintendo classic, and the fact that the remaster only needs to make a few minor changes to upgrade it for the modern day only underscores how excellent its foundations are. This is a vital piece of gaming history that has barely aged a day in over 20 years, and one of the best games of 2023 for the Switch.—Garrett Martin
4. Hi-Fi Rush
Hi-Fi Rush is my dream game come true. I’ve always been a sicko for action and rhythm games, but have admittedly only excelled at the latter since music was a significant part of my upbringing. And though I’ve always heard the analogies about combos in action games being rhythmic, few games have ever taken the actual step towards visualizing that in the way Hi-Fi Rush does, or made it as simple to understand. That is just the first in a long string of things that the game gets right. Setting players up against a metronome that’s brought to life in the world around you makes the game feel magical, and by extension you are magic for harmonizing with it. I loved, for example, during one particular combo that needed me to hit the light attack four times with a rest breaking it up into two segments, that the rest was realized in the character model, clearly delineating when it was time to continue. Because of the constant visual and audio aids, slapping enemies with your magnetically assembled impression of an electric guitar to the beat has never made it simpler to execute short but satisfying combos, only made better by many of their flashy finishes, which also demand accuracy to land most efficiently. I swear the game will have you counting beats, and I often caught myself head banging ever so slightly to Hi-Fi Rush’s impeccable score while wailing away at enemy encounters.—Moises Taveras
3. Dredge
Dredge is over before you know it, in part because it’s genuinely a short game, but also because it kind of wraps you in its eldritch tendrils and doesn’t let go until you’re done with it. I’ve rarely played a game with a more satisfying and simple loop in an intriguing and dubious world I just wish I could’ve seen more of. Between the cults (yep, this game has got those too) and the sort of unexplained nature of Why This Stretch Of Sea Is Like This™, I think it’s actually a world ripe for even more exploration. But even if nothing more should come out of it, Dredge is a wonderful experience in smooth sailing over choppy (maybe even supernaturally charged) waters.—Moises Taveras
2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Tears of the Kingdom looks like Breath of the Wild, sounds like Breath of the Wild, and even plays like Breath of the Wild, and yet it’s so fundamentally different that it’s almost impossible to confuse the two. The sequel to our favorite game of the last decade expands greatly on the original’s map, introducing both upper and lower levels to trek through, and also introduces an Erector Set-style construction toolset that gives you an extreme amount of freedom to experiment and explore. Many love it more than Breath because of that freedom, while others (uh, like me) think it overcomplicates the elegant, immersive beauty of Breath just a little too much. Still, it’s an absolutely amazing Zelda, one of the best games for the Switch, and a clear-cut favorite for one of the best games of 2023.—Garrett Martin
1. Street Fighter 6
All long-running games eventually have to figure out how to attract new players without disenchanting their fans. It’s even tougher with fighting games, and especially one as old, beloved, and rich in history as Street Fighter. Street Fighter 6 has figured out how to cater to its massive following while still welcoming new players, and then providing both with the innovation of a surprisingly deep RPG on top of the core fighting game. Whether you’ve been mixing it up in those streets for decades or never even reeled off a single hadouken before, Street Fighter 6 should be on your fight card. It’s the new standard in fighting game excellence, and the best game of 2023 so far.—Garrett Martin