Looking Ahead to 2023: Nick’s Top 15 Upcoming Games

2022 has been a very good year for video games and 2023 looks like there will be loads more to play. There are so many games that have already been announced that are coming out next year, but there are definitely going to be more that have not been announced yet. I already have over 25 games that I am extremely looking forward to playing next year, but I thought that would be too much for this piece. So, I have condensed this list to my top fifteen that I am very interested in. Please note that this isn’t a list of most anticipated to least, rather it is sorted in when they release (excluding the Honorable Mention). Also, I just got a gaming computer this year so I will be playing more PC games, but I still do not have an Xbox console at the moment; therefore, there won’t be any Xbox exclusives on my personal list.

#1: Fire Emblem Engage (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo – January 17)

Fire Emblem: Three Houses was honestly my first real introduction into the universe of FE and since that release, I have gone back and played a few of the ones that came out on the DS/3DS along with the two Switch Warriors games. I haven’t gotten my Wii or Gamecube set up to play the ones on these systems, but someday I definitely will. Fire Emblem: Engage is a title that has a new story; however, it will be connecting older heroes with these new ones through the use of rings. It looks amazing from the visuals and snippets of gameplay that have been shown off so far. I don’t think there will be multiple paths in this game like Three Houses/Hopes had, but I believe that there will be plenty for Fire Emblem fans to enjoy.

#2: Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake (Purple Lamp Studios/THQ Nordic – January 31)

While I might be an adult, I did grow up on Spongebob throughout my childhood. Both by playing the video games and also watching the television show. I played the original Spongebob Squarepants: Battle For Bikini Bottom and thought that the Spongebob Squarepants: Rehydrated game was very well done. When the team at Purple Lamp Studios announced they were working on a new game instead of a second remake, I was happy. I wanted to know what new material they can create from the source but not just reskinning an already made game. I am super excited to get my hands on it and play their latest title. While it might have taken a while for the game to release, it is now coming at the end of January and I am definitely ready to be a kid again and not have a care in the world about what anyone else thinks.

#3: Octopath Traveler II (Team Asano/Square Enix – February 24)

Octopath Traveler was the first game in the HD-2D art style that we have seen so much already in this day. We saw it with Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy, Live-A-Live (2022), and now with the numbered sequel to Octopath. I think Octopath Traveler is such a fantastic title that is a classic JRPG with modern classic elements; however, there are some issues with it that I experienced like how characters didn’t interact with one another minus the final extremely hard dungeon. This one will change that by having two characters intertwine with side stories and I am very ready to go and explore this game. From everything that we have been shown thus far, it looks like it might be one of my favorites from next year… and I haven’t even played it yet.

#4: Star Wars: Jedi Survivor (Respawn/EA – March 17)

Star Wars is an IP that I have a love-hate relationship with. There are a lot of different things I like in the universe of Star Wars, while there are some things that I can’t stand (the last trilogy being not great). However, saying this though, the Star Wars games are always a fun time even if I cannot understand every little intricacy with some of the smaller plot points. Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order was a fantastic game and I was very excited when Respawn came out on record and said they are working on a sequel. It has been radio silent for a while, but finally got a blowout at The Game Awards 2022 and I think I am ready to learn more about Cal and what he and the rest of the universe have been through, and what will happen in Survivor.

#5: Have a Nice Death (Magic Design Studios/Gearbox Publishing SF- March 22)

Playing as death and trying to be the boss of your company Death Inc is actually kind of ironic in a lot of ways. As a boss, you need to control and harness your employees and with this game, you get to be the boss to show your employees who is in charge. This is a 2D action-adventure roguelike that looks stunning from the trailers that they have shown thus far. I have stayed away from this game right now, even though it is out currently in early access, I never had a gaming PC before November 2022. I just recently got one and I want to play the game now, but the game is launching fully on March 22nd for Nintendo Switch and with the beautiful looking art style, I want to play the game on the OLED screen and see how beautiful it is in both docked and undocked mode instead of just being locked into the PC version of the game. I am ready to be killed and to also kill in this very beautiful and dark adventure.

#6: The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo – May 12)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a great game and full of adventure. Being a fully open-world adventure in the Zelda franchise is something that was new and it was very well received. It even won GOTY in 2017 through a lot of places. The game has so many layers from the openness of the world, the story which allows you to choose the order you complete the game, the great art within the game, a great score, and so much more. Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the game, and it appears as though we are getting even more to explore with being in the sky. Link’s arm in this one seems to have been seriously damaged and there is a lot within this title that Nintendo is keeping locked up tight. Nintendo may not have shown a whole lot with this game so far, but there is a lot at the same time. Fans just have to be patient for them to reveal more sometime before the game launches in May.

#7: After Us (Piccolo Studio/Private Division – Spring 2023)

Most games do not have a massive effect on me and my emotions, but one of the few that did in 2022 was a game called Arise: A Simple Story. It was a game that was ported to the Switch and I finally got to play it this year. It has no dialogue, but the emotional impact of the story, art, and soundtrack all combine into a game that will stay with me for a long time. After Us may have a different looking style, but just from the original trailer that was announced at The Game Awards, I know this game is going to have a big impact on me next year, just like Arise did, and I am very excited to play it. After Us was definitely one of my highlights from TGAs and I just am ready for it to release. I mean, just look at the trailer and try to tell me you are not interested in this adventure. Spoiler: I don’t think you can!

#8: Hollow Knight Silksong (Team Cherry – No Later Than June 2023)

Okay, I said this in my Twitter thread from games I’ve beaten this year, but I was very late to the party for Hollow Knight. I started Hollow Knight back in 2020 and had to put it down for other titles and personal reasons, but this year I finally finished it. The game is a stunning metroid-vania adventure that I loved. I was able to explore a world that was both creepy and full of wonder. Team Cherry finally showcased more information about the game back at the Xbox/Bethesda showcase in June 2022. Now, while we do not have an official announcement from the developers, Xbox confirmed on Twitter that the game will be released before the end of June 2023. Will this come true after so many delays or will we have another delay for this game? It was originally going to be DLC but the team had too many ideas and decided to make it into a full game on its own where we get to play as Harriet. I am excited regardless of when it launches, but I hope there are no more delays!

#9: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (Team Reptile – Summer 2023)

Hey, do you remember the early 2000s with all of the fun skating around where you had graffiti everywhere and on everything? Well, SEGA clearly doesn’t since Jet Set Radio continues to be a dormant IP. Honestly, it might not be needed. Team Reptile is releasing Bomb Rush Cyberfunk which is looking like the spiritual successor to the Jet Set Radio IP and I have been anticipating this title for a while now. Team Reptile is even bringing an original composer from Jet Set, yes, Hideki Naganuma! We have seen this game get delayed multiple times but it appears that Summer 2023 might finally be the time when the game will release. I am so excited to explore this new world and see what this team can do to bring me back to days of old with skating around and painting everything imaginable. The art was stunning from what was shown a while ago, and now it’s probably even better.

#10: Marvel’s Spiderman 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE – Fall 2023)

Spider-Man from Insomniac Games on the PS4 and then the remastered version along with Miles Morales on the PS5 are my favorite game versions of the Spider-Man universe. We all knew that they were not going to just stop at the first game with the success of the IP and game; but when the SM2 was finally announced, it was a big reveal. While it is a shame that we have to wait until Fall 2023 for the game to release, I rather it be ready for the public instead of being rushed out the door. Plus, Venom being in the game in some regard is a cool thing, Is Venom going to be an enemy in the game, or would they play him as a hero you could never fully trust kind of thing? I trust Insomniac with the Spider-Man universe after the first two games and this one is hopefully gonna improve a lot from the 2018 title.

#11: Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio – 2023)

Once I saw this game, I knew I had to have this game and it looks so fabulous from what Sabotage has showcased. The original announcement was a big one as it is a big difference compared to The Messenger which was their other game that was published by Devolver Digital. This time, Sabotage Studio is publishing this game on its own with the help of a great Kickstarter campaign that brought a lot of support for the project. I was a backer of this game back in 2020 and I am very happy that it appears to finally be coming out in 2023. A 2D old school turn based RPG that has similarities to classic SNES titles while being its own unique thing, yeah. I am just so excited to finally get my hands on it when it launches this coming year.

#12: Eternights (Studio Sai – 2023)

A game that is made by an Indie team that was influenced by let me see here… PERSONA? Sign me up for that game! If you know me, Persona is one of my all-time favorite franchises and this game draws inspiration from it while being its own unique adventure that I am really excited to explore. There are lots of games that draw on others for ideas, and Eternights is no exception. You can clearly see relationship building, a day counter, heavy combat focus, and a lovely art style with a great soundtrack. However, something that is entirely different is the game is an action RPG with you seemingly being able to control multiple characters that each have their own abilities. I love RPG games and this one looks so great already just from the first trailer that was shown in June of 2022. Imagine how good it may look now, six months later. I wish a release date would come for it soon, but for now, all I can do is wait for it to be ready to play.

#13: The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures/Devolver Digital – 2023)

There are a whole lot of Devolver Digital games that they are releasing in 2023 that I want to play, but as of right now The Plucky Squire is at the top for them. A platformer game that is both 2D and turns 3D when you pop out of a book intrigues me a whole lot. I am very interested in why the main character is a squire and what the plot line of the game will be. The way they showed off the first trailer and knowing Devolver, they will release it when it is ready but I am already sold from the tiny bit we have seen in the first gameplay where you have platformer while also being an adventure title in different parts of the world.

#14: Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games/Annapurna Interactive – 2023)

During The Game Awards 2022, there were a few demos that people could play on PlayStation and Thirsty Suitors was one of them. I was always interested in the game from everything that was shown, but after playing the short 30-minute demo, I am even more ready for this game to release next year. The game is a story-driven game surrounding you with former love interests that has skateboarding, cooking, RPG-style combat, a beautiful art style, and jamming music all wrapped up in a killer way that works so well it surprised me. The console demos are no longer available to download; however, if you are interested in checking this game out (AND YOU SHOULD BE), it is still up on Steam. AI and Outerloop may not have a firm date for this title yet, but I am eagerly anticipating this one.

#15: Hades II (Supergiant Games – 2023)

One of the biggest reveals that a lot of people did not expect from The Game Awards 2022 was Supergiant’s next adventure, let alone being a sequel to the hit Hades. Supergiant hasn’t done a numbered sequel game yet and this game looks to be even more Hades greatness but this time instead of playing as the son of Hades, you are now the daughter of Hades with the original trailer showing Hades chained up. This game just looks like it will be an amazing adventure and after getting the Platinum trophy on PlayStation, I haven’t been back yet. Now, sometime in 2023, Hades II is coming to PC early access, just like the original one. I think this is really a great way to build a game like this. This game might be the first game I do an early access game for as I really want to go back to the underworld and I am not sure if I want to wait longer for the full release. I will wait and see what Supergiant has, but honestly, I don’t have any concerns about this adventure after the first one was so terrific!

Honorable Mention Game: Stellar Blade (Shift Up/SIE – 2023)

Formally known as Project Eve, this game is looking to be a great action title and it is coming exclusively to the PlayStation 5. Action games are always a fantastic time for me, and the king to me still to this day is Platinum Games; however, what Shift Up and Sony have shown at the last State of Play back in September 2022 makes me extremely interested in getting this game. I love action-adventure games, and action games in general and it seems like there will be a lot of different elements that people will love. Throughout the music, art, intriguing story, and visuals that have been shown thus far; I am already sold on this game from this Korean studio.

Honorable Mention DLC: Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores (Guerilla Games/SIE – April 17)

I finished Horizon FW at 90 hours and I felt like I could do so much more. I am glad that the Burning Shores will allow me to go back and hunt more mechanical beasts and dive into more story elements of what is occurring in Hollywood. The main game ended on a note that implied either DLC is on the way or a third single-player adventure is coming. I do still think that there will be a third game in the Horizon IP, but it is fantastic that fans do not have to wait a few years for more Horizon to reach players. We know that there is a multiplayer project within the universe that is in the works and that will be loads of fun, assuming it is pulled off correctly. I am thinking this DLC might be similar in length to Frozen Wilds, which was a solid 6-8 hours of content so I am ready for it!

These are just a handful of titles I am excited about, although I have a bunch more. So many games have been announced for 2023 and whether it be indies or AAA titles, there are boatloads to play. Indies make up a lot of great games that people should always look out for, more than just the big AAA blockbusters. We haven’t even hit the new year yet, so I am definitely ready for even more games to be announced, even if I will continue having a backlog that will never end. I still have a few games to get through from this year, but they will be completed in 2023. Is there something that you are excited about that I missed? Let us know in the comments about some of your most anticipated games in 2023. What do you think my most anticipated game is?