The 10 Best And 10 Worst Video Games Of 2023

2023 has undoubtedly been an interesting year for gaming. We've seen a deluge of AAA releases from major studios, including some that fans have been waiting ages for. "Starfield" put Bethesda back on the map with a massive if somewhat familiar space adventure, Insomniac followed up its smash-hit "Spider-Man" with "Spider-Man 2," Nintendo blessed us all with a brand-new "Pikmin" game, and Square Enix introduced some big changes for the critically acclaimed "Final Fantasy XVI." Among all of those, we got "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor," the remake of "Dead Space," and of course, as is tradition, a new "Assassin's Creed" game for anyone who's still into that.

But it's not just huge blockbusters that have thrived in 2023. Indie game fans also have plenty to chew on, including highly anticipated sequels like "Oxenfree II," which delivered a satisfying continuation for its beloved predecessor. Add in great debuts like "Dredge" and "A Space for the Unbound," and you've got a nice catalog of smaller releases.

Of course, it can't all be good. We've gotten plenty of duds in 2023 as well — games that either fell drastically short of expectations or simply felt unfinished. The year isn't over yet, but let's take a look back at some of the best and worst video games of 2023 so far.

Let's get one thing straight at the top here: Making video games is hard. Making a video game based on one of the most beloved and well-known fantasy franchises of all time — a story that essentially created the modern genre — is even harder. Unfortunately, none of those facts make "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum" any better.

In some ways, the game was set up to fail. German developer Daedalic Entertainment had a long catalog of titles when it took on the project, but most of those were small point-and-click adventure games. "Gollum" was following up "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor" and "Middle-earth: Shadow of War," two massive action-adventure games that both received widespread acclaim. Though "Gollum" wasn't exactly marketed as a successor to those games (it extremely isn't), it simply couldn't stand up to the expectations fans had going in.

It didn't help, of course, that the game is kind of a mess. Bugs and frustrating controls aggravate a stealth system that would have felt clunky back in the 2002 "Splinter Cell" days. But the most glaring issue with the game is the design itself, which has players perform a bevy of menial tasks with very little to actually excite or engage them. The idea of crafting a low-action interactive story about Gollum's imprisonment in Mordor isn't a bad one on its face, but the execution here is just completely blundered. This is sadly a bad game with real-world consequences, as the horrible reviews led to Daedalic shutting down its development arm entirely.

Fortunately, not every fantasy game in 2023 was a disappointment. "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" is just about the opposite, in fact — the successor to one of the most acclaimed games of all time that somehow manages to one-up it in many regards. With tons of perfect scores from critics and an absurd 96 on Metacritic at the time of writing, the sequel to "Breath of the Wild" reasserted "Zelda" as a dominant force in modern gaming.

Given the series' iffy history with direct sequels, things could have turned out quite differently. "Majora's Mask" is beloved by many but also incredibly divisive, and "Phantom Hourglass," while a fine game for the Nintendo DS, has practically vanished with time under the shadow of "Wind Waker."

No such fate seems likely for "Tears of the Kingdom" — in part, that's because the game is simply too big to be forgotten any time soon. The map alone is enormous and filled with secrets thanks to the new sky islands and the Depths. And while all the familiar "Breath of the Wild" gameplay beats are still tons of fun here, it's the new Ultrahand and Fuse abilities that add exponential depth. Rarely has an open-world game ever felt as open as "Tears of the Kingdom," where every situation can be handled in so many ways by your own wacky, custom gadgets. "Tears of the Kingdom" is such a fun sandbox, it makes any previous games labeled with that word look basic by comparison.

Remember those early Nintendo Switch commercials where a bunch of hot young singles in your area played "Mario Kart" at a rooftop party? In addition to being completely unrealistic (we all know that kickstand isn't holding the thing up on a picnic table), those promos just felt out of touch. And yet, this nonexistent, Disney Channel, family-friendly young adult market is one that Nintendo has long seemed fixated on.

The company's latest attempt at cornering the "I just want some good clean fun" crowd is "Everybody 1-2-Switch!" — a sequel to 2017's "1-2-Switch." That first game was meant to show off the unique qualities of the Joy-Con controllers in a similar way to how "Wii Sports" sold the Wii Remote. But it wasn't anywhere near as successful, and "Everybody 1-2-Switch!" falls flat as well.

The big twist here is the addition of smartphone compatibility for some games, making the whole package a weird fusion of "Wii Play" and the popular "Jackbox" games. But where "Jackbox" provides tons of room for players to make their own fun, "Everybody 1-2-Switch!" feels more like one of those "Carnival Games" collections from the Wii days. With thrilling party games like "Bingo," "Squats," and "Kitchen Timer," who even needs dirty jokes or adult beverages? Beaver Cleaver might be able to find some fun in the mundanity of "1-2-Switch," but players and critics agree it's a dud.

Fighting games seem to always be on the way up or down in the modern era. There have been spurts of popularity for the genre since the arcade heyday of the '90s, the biggest of which was undoubtedly sparked by "Street Fighter IV" in 2008. "Tekken" and "Mortal Kombat" games come and go, but fighting games as a whole never seem to stay on top for long in the mainstream. Fortunately, fans of the genre will always turn out in support.

When "Street Fighter V" debuted with buggy netcode and a dearth of single-player content, it laid a brick wall in the path of the franchise's growing momentum. The gameplay was great, but everything around "Street Fighter V" just felt a little grimy. With "Street Fighter 6," Capcom didn't just rejuvenate the franchise. It gave the whole fighting game genre a shot in the arm and another landmark title to build around.

The fighting itself is as good as it's ever been here. While the new Drive system isn't so far removed from what other competitors (or even past "Street Fighter" games) have incorporated before, it's fluid and elegant, giving players a bevy of options in the middle of fights. The cast is diverse but balanced, and unlike "Street Fighter V," "6" has a ton of content for both single-player and multiplayer modes. The fact that Capcom gave us one of the silliest character creators ever to boot is just the icing on the cake.

The "Payday" franchise might be somewhat niche, but its unique approach to cooperative shooter gameplay has always made it stand out from the crowd. "Payday 2" in particular has been quite popular for years, building up a dedicated player base thanks to fun mechanics, a constant stream of new content, and plenty of progression systems to keep people coming back. All of that should have been the foundation for a fantastic "Payday 3," but when the threequel was released in September 2023, fans quickly began expressing their disappointment.

It didn't help that the game's servers completely buckled under the weight of the launch. Many loyal fans descended on the game upon release, excited to see what the new title had to offer, only to get bounced out. But even after these issues were settled, more and more complaints kept surfacing, mostly focusing on the lack of content and the "always online" requirement.

Critics wrote the game off as forgettable and bland, but the most damning fact may be how popular "Payday 2" has remained since the launch. According to a report from Eurogamer published on October 25, 2023, the second game's playerbase on Steam is roughly 10 times larger than that of "Payday 3."

For years, the idea of a third "Baldur's Gate" game seemed elusive. The landmark Dungeons & Dragons RPG from 2000 shaped the genre in many ways, but Bioware eventually moved on to other, original franchises like "Dragon Age" and "Mass Effect." Finding the right team to continue the beloved series was a tall task, but after the immense success of "Divinity: Original Sin," Larian Studios seemed like an obvious choice. And on August 3, 2023, the studio released "Baldur's Gate 3" to critical acclaim.

At the time of writing, "Baldur's Gate 3" is the only 2023 game other than "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" to receive a 96 on Metacritic. And while the two games exist in very different genres, they share the core pillar of immense player choice. Where "Zelda" allows players to approach scenarios in any number of ways by creating different devices, "Baldur's Gate 3" stays true to its tabletop role-playing roots. You're constantly presented with opportunities for stat checks and dice roles, opening up every quest to a bevy of possible solutions. And the turn-based combat is just as intricate and rewarding as it has been in Larian's other recent games.

Lastly, there's the writing and character work, which is magnified immensely by the extensive performance capture and universal voice acting that the game boasts. In short, "Baldur's Gate 3" is the definition of a fantasy game you can get lost in.

It's been a great year for some fantasy video games, but not such a great year for others. Since "Forspoken" was released all the way back in January, many may have forgotten the splash made by the action RPG. And yet, few games short of "Gollum" have received more backlash in 2023.

The story of "Forspoken" follows Frey, a human woman from our world who's transported into the magical realm of Athia to embark on a grand adventure. The development team, Luminous Productions, featured many members of the group that made the acclaimed "Final Fantasy XV." It was no surprise, then, that "Forspoken" goes even farther down the action side of the action RPG genre, building gameplay around a range of customizable abilities and a ton of mobility options to help players get around nimbly.

To be fair, the gameplay in "Forspoken" is far from the worst — at least once things open up and you get a good range of abilities, which takes longer than it should. The backlash mostly came regarding the story, writing, and characters. Frey herself received particular criticism for her flippant, snarky, MCU-esque style of dialogue, which many felt was mocking the very genre the game exists in. This odd pairing broke the whole illusion for many players, which is surprising for a project with writers like "Rogue One" scribe Gary Whitta and video game writing legend Amy Hennig. "Forspoken" isn't the worst game of 2023, but it's one of the most embarrassing and misguided. After poor sales, Luminous was folded back into Square Enix proper.

Some might see it as a grim sign that one of the best games of 2023 is a remaster of a 2002 release. But in reality, that's less a condemnation of this year and more a testament to just how masterful "Metroid Prime" still is. The first-person action-adventure classic got a new coat of paint from original developer Retro Studios, and when it dropped on the Nintendo Switch in February, critics and players went wild.

With a staggering critical score of 94 on Metacritic, "Metroid Prime Remastered" is one of the most lauded games of the year. That's largely thanks to its timeless design. Just like in the GameCube and Wii versions, you play as galactic bounty hunter Samus Aran on a mission to the mysterious planet of Tallon IV. There, you voyage through ancient ruins, sweltering caverns, and frozen wastes in pursuit of your mechanized rival Ridley, his Space Pirate forces, and the strange substance known as Phazon.

The world of "Metroid Prime" was always its main draw, and it's lovingly recreated here with updated graphics. The controls are also brought up to snuff, offering several different layouts including a dual-analog option for the first time in series history. If you've never played the game before, now is the perfect time, and if you're a diehard fan, "Remastered" is a great way to revisit a classic. It's a promising tease of what we might be getting if "Metroid Prime 4" ever manages to come out.

On the other side of remake success from "Metroid Prime Remastered," we have "Colossal Cave," a polygonal recreation of 1976's "Colossal Cave Adventure," which many view as the most influential early adventure game.

"Colossal Cave Adventure" was strictly text-based. The remake crafts a full world out of the original's imagined chambers, but it ends up feeling far less magical. The gameplay loop is simple: You enter a sprawling subterranean expanse in search of treasure, all while avoiding various hazards. But while the new game updates things by letting you walk around first-person, it makes frustratingly few modernizations to the gameplay itself. The game looks old (not in a good way) and plays stiff, with the new graphics occasionally even complicating puzzles that used to work better.

This is all extra disappointing because "Colossal Cave" was designed by Ken and Roberta Williams — the couple behind old Sierra adventure games like "King's Quest" and "Phantasmagoria." The duo came out of retirement to make "Colossal Cave" — a game that influenced both of them in their youth — after working on it casually during the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a hobby quickly became a much more ambitious project with a team of 30 people. It's great to see legends of the industry step back into action for a passion project, and maybe this will lead to the Williams team doing more modern development. Unfortunately, the game itself is only really worth the money for diehard fans.

If you got a nickel for every time a remake of a GameCube classic earned critical acclaim in 2023, you'd have two nickels — which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right? "Resident Evil 4" doesn't have the common decency to stick a nice "remake" at the end of the title, but that doesn't take anything away from the phenomenal survival horror game that it is.

This is much more of an upgrade than "Metroid Prime Remastered," with new quests, moves, and gameplay mechanics on top of the gorgeously updated visuals. Many of the lessons learned by Capcom on the "Resident Evil 2" and "Resident Evil 3" remakes can be felt here to the benefit of the game. The writing is better, the characters are stronger, and the game feels better than ever to play.

Like "Metroid Prime," "Resident Evil 4" is an incredibly important and influential game. It helped shape the way that third-person shooters and action games at large were designed for the ensuing decades. The new version keeps that legacy alive and strong, paying tribute to the original without ever feeling trapped by its idiosyncrasies. At the time of writing, the remake boasts an impressive 93 on Metacritic.

Oh, "Madden," what are we going to do with you? That's the question that players have been asking for years at this point, and it's the question that the folks at EA Sports clearly still haven't pondered enough. For years, the studio's answer has been some combination of "how about the same thing we did last year" and "make it all clunky." "Madden NFL 24" is sadly no exception.

There are some upgrades here and there. The physics engine is as strong as it's ever been, for instance, making on-field collisions more exciting and realistic. Most critics agreed that the core gameplay is an improvement over last year's game, but it's buried inside the same collection of clunky menus, cumbersome loads, and dull Franchise Mode minigames that have plagued the series for years. Some of the modes have new names, and plenty has been shifted around, but it still feels like the same core package — one that's stuffed to bursting but lacks truly engaging content.

At this point, the notion that "Madden" is stuck in a rut is old news. It's just a shame to see yet another example of EA eschewing real innovation.

Mario has had a good few years. You could say that he's rarely had a bad year ever, but the stretch since "Super Mario Odyssey" has been particularly strong. We got a great Mario movie, a loaded if brief 3D adventure in "Bowser's Fury," and when "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" dropped in October 2023, we got the best side-scrolling Mario game in years.

The "New Super Mario Bros." series produced some fun titles and plenty of chaotic co-op gameplay, but it lacked the style and ingenuity that the recent 3D games have boasted. In "Wonder," those worlds are combined to spectacular results. The same tightly controlled, hand-crafted platforming anchors the game, but there are tons of new ideas here, from the massive roster of characters to the badge system that allows players to customize their own special abilities. The main attractions, though, are the levels themselves.

Each stage brings something new — a fresh mechanic, graphical style, or win condition that makes the whole game a whimsical journey of discovery. "Wonder" clearly takes inspiration from more modern side-scrolling platformers like the latter-day "Rayman" games and Retro Studios' "Donkey Kong Country" sequels, but the core here is beautifully, unmistakably Mario. As was the case with 2021's "Metroid Dread," "Super Mario Wonder" is a reminder that side-scrolling games can be just as great today as their 3D counterparts. It's no wonder that critics and players fell in love with it instantly upon release.

It's always sad to see a studio with a great track record tarnish it with a dud release. In May 2023, that fate befell Arkane Studios with the release of "Redfall." Since the first "Dishonored," Arkane was on a roll, redefining the immersive sim genre and expanding what could be done in a first-person action game. The company got its biggest critical hit to date with "Deathloop" in 2021, but "Redfall" promptly ended the winning streak — hard.

The core problem here, as many critics noted in their reviews, is the all-too-common modern blockbuster game trend of an overly buggy launch. "Redfall" dropped in a woefully unfinished state, loaded with bugs that ranged from the hilarious to the downright game-breaking. But even if you can look past all that, you're still left with a game that just isn't all that fun. Unlike most of the games Arkane is known for, "Redfall" is a co-optional "looter shooter," taking nods from games like "Destiny" and the "Borderlands" franchise. But everything, from the gunplay itself to the enemy AI and even the NPC writing, feels half-baked.

There's little flavor added by the game's vampire aesthetic, as the world lacks the dimension that fans of "Dishonored" might expect. Overall, "Redfall" just isn't worth the money or the time.

If it weren't for "Hades" becoming one of the greatest games ever made, more people would probably be talking about "Dead Cells" today. While they have different perspectives, both are combat-heavy roguelikes built around razor-sharp movement and steep difficulty curves. "Hades" may be the better game, but "Dead Cells" is still a triumph and may even be preferable to fans of classic side-scrollers like "Castlevania."

Enter "Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania," a major expansion that combines Motion Twin's modern hit with the beloved franchise it clearly took inspiration from. New "Castlevania" games have existed mostly in the dreams of fans since Konami took a step back from regular game development, but between Netflix's spectacular animated series "Castlevania: Nocturne" and the "Dead Cells" add-on, 2023 has been a strong year for the vampire franchise.

Of course, fan service can only take you so far. "Return to Castlevania" rose to just under a critical score of 90 on Metacritic by delivering fantastic gameplay alongside the nostalgia. The boss fights are arguably the best they've ever been, and the new weapons bring back "Castlevania" classics while adding meaningful depth to the game's overall combat puzzle. At just $10, "Return to Castlevania" is an incredible package that's hard not to recommend.

"Six Days in Fallujah" isn't like the other "worst" games on this list. It's not here because it's some buggy mess or design travesty, but because the very notion and core content of the game is morally questionable.

Originally announced by Atomic Games back in 2009, the tactical first-person shooter was meant to take place during the Second Battle of Fallujah — one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Iraq War. However, a swift and widespread backlash resulted in Konami terminating its publishing deal with Atomic, and the project eventually died. At the time, the controversy was mostly a matter of "too soon," but in 2021, it was announced that the project was being revived by Highwire Games. It was released in early access on June 22, 2023.

Though more than a decade has passed since the original game's cancellation, "Six Days in Fallujah" remains a highly controversial title. More recent years have shed light on the many atrocities committed by U.S. troops during the battle, including the use of white phosphorous weapons, the execution of wounded Iraqi combatants, and the indiscriminate killing of civilians. In response to accusations that the game would essentially be American military propaganda, Highwire claimed "Six Days" wasn't meant to be political. "I don't think that we need to portray the atrocities in order for people to understand the human cost," publisher Victura's Peter Tamte told GamesIndustry. "We can do that without the atrocities." No matter what side of the controversy you fall on, one must ask if such a game wouldn't simply have been better left in the cancellation bin.

Overall, 2023 has been dominated by AAA games. However, there have still been plenty of incredible indies, and the best of the bunch might well be "Cocoon." Given that the game was published by Annapurna Interactive — the same company responsible for artsy hits like "Outer Wilds," "Kentucky Route Zero," and "What Remains of Edith Finch" — that shouldn't come as a surprise.

At face value, "Cocoon" is a puzzle game, albeit one with a gorgeous art style that coats its alien worlds. The player character journeys through various words contained within orbs, which are also used as tools to solve puzzles. Diving any deeper into the gameplay loop would spoil the beautiful experience of discovering "Cocoon," but suffice it to say that it gets a lot of mileage out of a relatively simple core mechanic.

Like many of Annapurna's games, though, "Cocoon" is just as much about the aesthetic and emotional experience as the gameplay. The whole game is anchored by a phenomenal soundtrack by Jakob Schmid, and though puzzles remain the primary mechanic, "Cocoon" rarely prioritizes head-scratchers over serenity. With a critical score of 88 on Metacritic at the time of writing, the consensus on this hidden gem is clear.

At a glance, you might suspect that "Crime Boss: Rockay City" is a "Grand Theft Auto" clone — an open-world action-adventure game that pays tribute to classic gangster cinema. In reality, it's more of a "Payday" clone. And sadly, just like "Payday 3," it falls woefully short.

The big point of focus in the game's marketing campaign was the star-studded cast of Hollywood alums. Michael Madsen, Kim Basinger, Danny Trejo, Danny Glover, Michael Rooker, and Chuck Norris all voice characters who physically resemble their younger selves. Unfortunately, star power can only take a game so far. At some point, the gameplay has to do the heavy lifting.

As most reviews noted, "Rockay City" is notably lacking in that department. Buggy heist designs, sloppy mechanics, and an overall lack of originality all make the game difficult to recommend, even if your favorite actors are voicing the main characters. Even there, the game falls flat, as very few members of the big-name cast deliver more than the bare minimum with their performances. It looked like 2023 might have been a stellar year for "Payday 2" fans, but with both first-person co-op heist shooters released this year winding up as duds, all that's really left is disappointment. But hey, at least that 2013 game is still pretty good, right?

For years, Remedy Entertainment has been something of an anomaly in the gaming industry. It's a AAA studio that often feels more like an indie developer, with games that explore the bizarre corners of science fiction. While not all of their projects have been universally acclaimed, the Finnish studio brings a unique style every time. And after finally getting a true smash hit in 2019 with "Control," Remedy has delivered another big winner with the long-awaited sequel "Alan Wake II."

Like its predecessor "Alan Wake II" is a third-person action horror game that follows the titular protagonist, a Stephen King-esque author trapped by a dark and malevolent supernatural presence. All of the King and "Twin Peaks" influences remain, but "Alan Wake 2" ups the ante on its gameplay by embracing a more traditional survival-horror style. Combat is weightier with harder commitments required to survive, and there's a greater sense of exploration. Many of these changes manifest through new co-protagonist Saga Anderson, who splits the story with Alan. An FBI agent, Saga gives players new mechanics like dialogue trees for interrogating suspects and the "Mind Place" where clues can be accumulated and reconciled.

Though the shooting may not be half as frenetic or fluid as that found in "Control," "Alan Wake II" excels at what Remedy does best: narrative-driven gameplay that balances the dark and serious with the laughably campy. With a Metacritic score hovering around 90, it's also one of Remedy's greatest critical achievements.

What's worse than a sequel that regresses in many ways from its predecessor? A sequel that regresses in many ways from its predecessor while also erasing that predecessor from existence. Such is the cruel story of "Counter-Strike 2," a sequel to the immensely popular team-based competitive first-person shooter "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive." "Counter-Strike 2" is a reminder that critical scores aren't always what matters. Though the game reviewed well enough, the response from fans of "CS:GO" was largely negative.

Players quickly took to forums to launch a series of complaints. Issues of lag, other technical problems, poorly balanced changes to the shooting mechanics, and an overall lack of content were the main gripes, and many of those issues are still being called out by fans of the franchise. But what truly earns "Counter-Strike 2" a spot on this list is that its release coincided with the removal of "Global Offensive" from Steam. A similar move was made by Blizzard in 2022 when "Overwatch 2" came out and completely replaced its popular predecessor. And as has happened with "Counter-Strike," "Overwatch" fans complained that they would have much rather kept playing the original than transition to a bare-bones sequel.

These erasures of past entries are obvious business tactics. The new games are where all of the development time is going to be spent, and therefore where all of the microtransactions and other money-making mechanics will be strongest. But the complete removal of consumer choice is incredibly hard to justify, and it seems to be turning into a trend.

These days, video games do a lot of different things. Some are multiplayer masterpieces that focus entirely on complex gameplay systems. Others are strictly narrative in nature, with gameplay that practically "beats" itself. And while this immense range is part of what's made the medium great in recent years, all video games are still, ultimately, meant to be fun. And if you want to have fun in 2023, you should be playing "Pizza Tower."

A side-scrolling platformer with high-octane gameplay, "Pizza Tower" takes its main inspiration from the "Wario Land" series. However, it supercharges those Nintendo classics, combining their core gameplay ideas with a psychedelic style similar to "Hotline Miami," but with pizza instead of homicide. As the heroic Peppino Spaghetti (and other characters), you traverse the various levels of the titular tower and face off against the evil Pizzaface. Still, you remain your own greatest rival. The game's momentum and combo systems make high scores addicting in an old-fashioned kind of way, with every jump and shoulder check feeling as smooth as butter.

"'Wario Land' needs a spiritual successor," developer McPig (aka Pizza Tower Guy) told Gaming Reinvented. "It needs a 'Bloodstained' or 'Hat in Time' or 'Wargroove.' It needs something that shows Nintendo that yes, the fans are indeed interested in Wario as a bad*** treasure, and that'd [sic] they'll support a new game should one be released." If you play one game in 2023 just for fun, make it "Pizza Tower."