What a year for gaming 2023 has been! And when it comes to the Xbox platform specifically, alongside Xbox Game Pass, we have been inundated with a ridiculous number of high-quality genre-defining titles across the spectrum of games, from unique indie titles to blockbuster AAA behemoths.
It’s the year where we’ve finally seen Xbox come into its stride, after many years of patience from fans, from the initial surprise release of Hi-Fi Rush, the fun IP-shift of Minecraft Legends, the return of Forza Motorsport, the arrival of Age of Empires on console, the (now-in-much-better-shape) Vampire slaying of Redfall and of course the much anticipated Starfield.
Regardless of your tastes and interests, I think Xbox has really given a little something for everyone this year, and that’s not to mention all of the incredible DayOne releases on Xbox Game Pass, like the fantastic Cocoon, Wo Long, Atomic Heart, and more.
However, it goes without saying that while it’s been a great year for us game players, it’s been an awful year for the people that make them – with over 9000 job losses across the industry in 2023, we’re filled with gratitude to all the amazing developers and unsung heroes in game studios across the globe that make our hobby so much fun, year in and out.
To whittle them down to a “Top 10” was no easy task this year, but without further ado, here is XboxEra’s Top 10 Games of 2023. Enjoy!
#10. Hogwarts Legacy
FairyEmpire:
Hogwarts Legacy did a lot of things right. It smartly took the world of the iconic wizard school and turned it into an almost Metroidvania-esque maze to explore, with moving walls, stairs, secrets, and vast lore at every corner and an incredible attention to detail. Sure, the open-world formula outside of the school could have been more innovative, but traversing these mystic lands on the back of a flying creature or a broom never got old, even after dozens of hours of gameplay.
But Hogwarts Legacy was not just a great world to explore and live in, but also an enjoyable game through and through. As is the case with virtually all Warner Bros. games, it does take cues from Rocksteady’s Arkham series, but without the physicality and melee aspect – it’s all about finding the right flow in combining tons of different kinds of magic, allowing us to juggle around enemies, petrify them, blaze them on fire, with the story even giving us the option to learn unforgivable spells. Hogwarts Legacy was easily one of the most engaging and satisfying games I’ve played all year.
#9. The Talos Principle 2
Genghis:
From the makers of the all-so ‘Serious Sam’ came a remarkable narrative puzzler by the name of ‘The Talos Principle’. From a company whose whole existence banked on a wise-cracking boomer bent on saving the world no matter the cost (and radical art style changes), The Talos Principle instead was a slower, more methodical-paced adventure that asked the player what it should mean to have “faith”—be it in a higher being or themselves. Alongside this backdrop was the creeping (and very creepy feeling) of a world that wasn’t quite itself. Built on strong puzzles and great movement borrowed from the Serious Sam games, The Talos Principle was a fantastic puzzler.
So how do you top something so good? The Talos Principle 2 did it and did it well. Expanding the narrative scope to be about societal conflicts and how people should move forward that would best benefit all was one way of building on the first. Developer Croteam built on the scope of the game, offering gorgeous large-scale hubs with puzzles you can tackle at any time, a narrative not only larger in scope but reactionary to your decisions and actions, a world that actively speaks to you through digital logs, and strong character developments, and lots of fantastic puzzles.
#8. Forza Motorsport
FairyEmpire:
This year’s Forza Motorsport was effectively a reboot of sorts, going back to the basics of Turn 10’s legendary simcade racing franchise. And indeed, hopping into the cockpit of these astonishingly beautiful racing cars feels better than ever, with a completely revamped driving model, brand new physics, proper tyre and fuel consumption, a revolutionized penalty system, and a lot more. There simply is no console simcade that looks, feels, or plays better than Forza Motorsport right now, and for the most part, it’s not even a close contest.
A handful of bugs, crashes, and some missing features, such as drift or drag races, definitely left a sour aftertaste for some players – with the new “caRPG grind” that forces players to use the same car a lot to fully be able to upgrade it and a campaign that certainly doesn’t reinvent much. What I want from a racing game like this is gripping, high-octane, and believable racing, and with most online races boiling down to insanely competitive and surprisingly fair spec races, I had some of my most memorable races in a console racer ever in Turn 10’s latest.
#7: Diablo IV
FairyEmpire:
No game released in 2023 has a gameplay loop this polished and this addictive, and for someone who focuses on gameplay first and foremost, it’s reason enough for me to put Blizzard’s latest on top of my chart for the year. There’s a lot to criticize and dislike about the management and Blizzard and the way they handled their post-launch windows, and I’m still mighty mad about how they treated the remaster for my beloved WarCraft 3. But when they sit down and tackle what they truly excel at, they still are able to crank out absolutely bloody brilliant game experiences.
#6: Lies of P
Aarsal:
An intriguing story, a beautiful setting, and some of the best combat in the genre, there’s a reason this game was able to stand out while so many other Soulslikes stumbled.
Lies of P is a game with heart and soul, a game about humanity that manages to approach the subject effectively. Too many games simply talk about emotional topics or story beats, especially in the Souls genre where more often than not, things always end badly. Lies of P bucks this trend by using music, something intrinsically tied to emotion, and to tell a story about both the presence and lack of humanity. Yes, the game is damn fun to play, but it’s this use of song and narrative that will make me remember it for a long time to come.
#5. Cocoon
Sik:
My personal number one this year, I could wax lyrical about all the cool stuff Geometric did to make Cocoon shine – but I think, more than anything, Cocoon delivered what video games should all be about - doing something only video games can do. To quote myself from my review earlier this year –
Cocoon is an impeccably designed game that stands as a shining example of how this medium alone can teach mechanics and intent without saying or displaying a single word. Any players who prefer to solve problems with their brain and not a gun, should without delay, go forth and discover the many beautiful worlds of Cocoon. The choice, and indeed, the world(s), is in your hands.
#4: Dead Space (2023)
Aarsal “SoulBlazerz”:
I avoided the original Dead Space for more than a decade. Why? Because I knew it just how scary it was and for a long time, horror video games were just a step too far. That changed recently, so I finally dived in with the 2023 Remake and yep, people weren’t wrong. Dead Space is goddamn fantastic.
Yes it’s a remake, but the gameplay mechanics hold up perfectly even today, the sound design is literally out of this world, and the visuals are incredible too. It has a perfect mix of dread and action, able to simultaneously scare the living hell out of you while also providing instant relief by tearing said scary enemies apart. You know in a horror movie when you get mad at the characters for not shooting or fighting the monster when they have the chance? Yeah well, this time you’re the one in the movie, and you have a very, very lethal laser slicer at your disposal. Time to use it.
#3. Hi-Fi RUSH
Austin “Proven”:
Entering 2023, no one could have foreseen what Tango Gameworks’ next game would end up being when ‘Hi-Fi RUSH’, a third-person rhythm-based action game shadow dropped in January. The even bigger surprise than the type of game Tango made was just how flawlessly they executed the concept. Tango Gameworks is best known for the survival horror series ‘The Evil Within’, and Hi-Fi RUSH is the polar opposite of that game thematically, featuring fast-paced frenetic combat, a beautiful art style, and flawless performance, great music, writing, characters, level design and so much more.
The game may present itself as a “smaller” game, but don’t let the lack of photo realism fool you. There probably isn’t a game with more quality packed into its 12-hour runtime that was released all year and you can feel the love poured into it throughout. Hi-Fi RUSH is an achievement, a studio in Tango Gameworks that likely felt overlooked amongst its fellow Bethesda colleagues made a clear statement as one of the most talented studios not only within its own Xbox and Bethesda family but one of the best studios currently in the entire industry.
#2. Starfield
Jesse:
“The Space Game” is how Todd Howard described Starfield. Bethesda Game Studio is one of the most successful developers in the industry. The Elder Scrolls and revamped Fallout series are beloved for their dedication to simulation. Starfield takes those core tenets, modernizes them, and expands the scope to span a galaxy. One filled with over a thousand planets, some of the best lighting I’ve ever seen, and a main storyline that is up there as one of my favorites of all time.
I pumped roughly 100 or so hours into the game pre-launch and enjoyed every second. I have loved Bethesda since first encountering their style in Morrowind on the OG Xbox. Starfield takes all the learnings of those previous games and puts them into my dream package. I’m not the exploring/modding type, so the moment-to-moment gameplay & story were what I was mainly interested in. Starfield features their best writing, and one of my favorite new game plus systems of all-time.
#1. Alan Wake 2
Jesse:
It has been thirteen years since Alan Wake was lost to the Dark Place. Remedy returns to Bright Falls, as FBI Agent Saga Anderson and her partner Casey are looking to solve a series of ritualistic-style killings. The titular hero of this story is back as well, looking to fight his way out from underneath (though not really) Cauldron Lake. Playing as Alan and Saga you’ll spend 15+ hours in a mad, gorgeous romp.
Alan Wake II is an incredible sequel, taking the oddness of the original and Twin Peaksing the hell out of it in the best way possible. It was the most represented on all of our lists, a game that everyone on the staff who played it adored. A mix of weirdness, terror, and excellent gameplay come together to make an unforgettable experience that you should play with as little knowledge of as possible.
