Game Rant’s Top 10 Games of 2023

2023 will likely go down as one of the best years in video games, filled with a relentless barrage of incredible titles of various scopes and sizes. In a typical year, there are a few games that feel like locks for Game of the Year and some interchangeable choices that end up on most top 10 lists. This year, there are so many deserving titles that it’s harder to narrow down a top 10 than ever.

For Game Rant’s Top 10 Games of 2023, there were some truly great games that just barely missed the cut and whose impact we don’t want to ignore. Titles like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Hi-Fi Rush, which bent genres and surprised in some incredible ways. But ultimately, only 10 titles could make the final list.

10. Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy is the closest that a video game has come to recreating the magic of Harry Potter without simply adapting the books/movies. With a story all its own, the game captures the spirit of being a student at Hogwarts and all the mischief and excitement that comes along with it.

Wielding magic, riding a broom, and mixing potions are all expected elements of a Harry Potter game, but it’s the way Hogwarts Legacy incorporates them into its experience that makes it so immersive. There is no escaping the cloud of controversy that hangs over the property, but looking purely at the game itself and what it delivers, Hogwarts Legacy has a certain magic that only exists in one universe.

9. Starfield

Bethesda Game Studios’ most ambitious game to date, Starfield puts a galaxy in front of the player and tells them to explore. Its world feels vast and occasionally empty, but the game rewards exploration and offers it on a level that few other developers can. Factions to join, characters to meet, and tons of loot to…loot, there is still that undeniable Bethesda touch all over Starfield but it also feels like something new.

There is also an additional layer to Starfield that takes everything that players think they know about the game and flips it on its head, in the process creating a game that actually becomes limitless. Todd Howard and his team deserve serious props for taking a step outside the familiar and trying something different. There is nothing like Starfield and likely won’t be anything like it in the future.

8. Street Fighter 6

With Street Fighter 6, Capcom has delivered one of the most content-rich fighting games ever made, from its over-the-top World Tour story mode to its extensive online multiplayer options. Fights are fast-paced and hard-hitting, with the new Drive Gauge system proving to be a game-changing addition to the Street Fighter formula. Multiple control options ensure that Street Fighter 6 can be enjoyed by hardcore veterans and newcomers alike, meaning it’s also one of the more accessible fighting games on the market.

7. Resident Evil 4 Remake

Resident Evil 4 Remake is the new benchmark by which all future remakes should be measured. It takes a title that was beloved and doesn’t change too much about it, only modernizing combat to make it more palatable in today’s time and switching up some sections to minimize frustration and ratchet up excitement.

Capcom’s RE Engine continues to impress with a presentation that is crisp and clean while still being foreboding and oppressive. Survival horror has had its ups and downs over the last decade, but Resident Evil has found a new life in almost every facet of the brand. Resident Evil 4 showcases both what the series has brought to the genre while also acknowledging how it can improve.

6. Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 is a game that has been over a decade in the making. Remedy Entertainment has used lessons learned from past games to instill confidence in its abilities as writers and designers and all of that is evident on the screen. In some ways, seeing how Alan Wake 2 turned out now and not any earlier makes that 13-year wait worth it.

The introduction of Saga Anderson gives newcomers an in-road to the world of Wake, but the game as a whole feels like the most “Remedy” game the studio has made yet. It’s weird, it’s bold, and it’s one of the best-looking games available; Alan Wake 2 is an experience that few will be able to shake off once they finish it.

5. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Insomniac Games has been on a roll as of late and that pattern continued with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Serving up a more personal story for Peter Parker while mixing in the development of Miles Morales as his own Spider-Man, the sequel was bigger in every sense of the word.

Combat has evolved to be more fluid and varied, playable New York expanded to include Queens, and an inevitable showdown with Venom is always sure to get Spidey fans excited. Not to mention, a full jump to PS5 allowed Insomniac to show off some of its technological wizardry when it comes to graphics and load times. In every sense of the experience, this is how you do a big-budget sequel.

4. Lies of P

Many games seek to emulate what FromSoftware has done with its Soulsborne series, but few are successful in capturing that spirit as Lies of P. More Bloodborne than Dark Souls, Lies of P wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but it also breaks from the mold with combat that forces patience, rhythm, and pattern recognition.

The game also features an intriguing story and lore, based on the story of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, and even the promise of a bigger universe just outside the borders of Krat. Ultimately, souls-likes live and die by their combat and boss fights, and Lies of P has some of the best the genre has ever seen.

3. Sea of Stars

Traditional turn-based RPGs are not as popular as they once were, but Sea of Stars shows what the genre can offer, albeit with some modern twists. So much of the game’s design can be traced back to some other successful RPG, but it’s the way this title combines and evolves the concepts of its predecessors that help it stand out.

An art style that is retro while still giving an impressive sense of scale, combat that keeps the player engaged, and a story that becomes more layered and nuanced the longer it goes; Sea of Stars is an example of how simplicity can be just as effective as grandiosity. Not to mention, the addition of one of this year’s best soundtracks.

2. Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the type of RPG that gamers are talking about when they say role playing game. It’s an experience that truly lets players embody a role and run wild with their imagination.

Choices abound in a story that is sprawling and filled with memorable characters around every turn. And best of all, this third entry never shied away from embracing its Dungeons and Dragons roots, literally giving players dice rolls anytime they seek to complete an action. With Baldur’s Gate 3 now having set a new bar, the RPG genre will likely be much different in the coming years.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Nintendo was able to top the multi-award-winning Breath of the Wild by leaning more towards the Zelda formula with the return of temples, while at the same delivering something completely new. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an incredible Zelda story and tale, but it’s also an amazing sandbox capable of birthing creations that run the gamut of creativity. Some are simple yet effective while others are downright jaw-dropping.

Tears of the Kingdom may be the end for this era of The Legend of Zelda and that feels fitting. It would be difficult to top the Ultrahand as a concept and this open world as a sandbox.

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2024 already looks to be a stacked year for video game releases but it will still be hard to top this year. The sheer volume of incredible titles that released in 2023 should make this one of the most memorable 12-month stretches in video game history.