GOTY 2023
The games that I enjoyed most in 2023 (including ones released several years ago).
21 Games
A dream game for open-world enjoyers who obsess over mechanics more often than narratives.
1
Halo Infinite is finally inching out of early access. In a time when most shooters focus on a single competitive format, Halo is a tasting menu for every shooter mood: casual TDM, tense objective play, co-op, campaign, and a rich custom games community.
2
Fantasy is cringe and top-down RPGs are poison for my twitchy FPS hands, and yet I cracked 100 hours.
3
It's incredible what talented studios can do when they have the runway to actually finish games.
4
I got back into Siege this year, and it was a good one.
5
Confident and constantly fun, if overly familiar at times. I could hang with these characters forever.
6
Battlefield 2042 got really good once it figured out classes.
7
The most original, elegantly designed multiplayer game of 2023. What if Hitman was a slick FPS?
8
A wonderful game that launched terribly. A soulslite with PS2 platformer energy and a pretty good story.
9
A Steam hit that fell out of heaven: simple, smart, hilarious, small, and cheap. We must cherish games that make us laugh with friends.
10
If you're as burnt out on artsy puzzle games as I am, let this gem warm your cold heart.
11
There's no catch with Battle Bit. A slick FPS with huge maps that cleverly borrows from Battlefield and Squad to carve out a new niche: the lo-fi casual milsim.
12
A delicious slice of cake for meticulous movement fans while we wait another year or two for Death Stranding 2.
13
I'm surprised it finally happened, and I'm impressed it's really good. Outclasses Dying Light in many ways, but I ran out of steam two-thirds through.
15
Still working through this one with my partner. Great levels, not so great co-op.
16
Not the triumphant return to classic AC that I hoped, but miles better than the AC RPGs, and an honest-to-god stealth game (we're not getting many good ones these days).
17
It's good
18
Not done with this one yet, but easily my favorite "zone out with podcasts" game of 2023.
19
Mario Maker by way of Doom 2016. I kept running out of steam with this one, but I appreciate how easy it is to jump in and appreciate folks' creative level design.
20
Proof that I like fighting games when the controls are good.
21