After a great 2022 with so many fantastic games, it is almost time for something new. With the new year nearly upon us, it seems only fair to look forward to the new game releases coming out all throughout 2023. The first half of the new year is set to be a very exciting time for gamers everywhere.
While a few of these games are remakes of older, popular games, most of them are highly-anticipated sequels to the other older, popular games. These games span several genres and have something for every player, from action-adventure to tactical RPG, promising several hours of fun between each game release.
Dead Space Remake
The upcoming Dead Space game is a remake of the cult classic first game in the Dead Space series released back in 2008. It is a third-person atmospheric horror shooter game that perfected the art of jumpscares during its original run. Now the series returns to scare a new generation of players in the remake that releases in January 2023.
The story of Dead Space is set in the 26th century where you play Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent to check up on the status of the massive planetary mining ship, the USG Ishimura. The ship goes silent and the status of its crewmembers is unknown, leading you to explore the ship after getting a distress call. What ensues later are all manners of horror that players need to experience first-hand to get the full experience.
Diablo IV
Diablo IV is the long-awaited sequel to Diablo III and its expansion Reaper of Souls, which was released over 10 years ago. This is hardly surprising to long-time hardcore players since Blizzard loves to take its time with its releases to ensure a quality finished product. After the controversial launch of Diablo Immortal, the news of the upcoming Diablo IV release was a breath of fresh air.
The game follows up from where Reaper of Souls left off after the Prime Evils were sealed and the forces of Heaven were utterly annihilated in the war between Heaven and Hell. This led to the daughter of Mephisto, Lilith, taking advantage of the situation and establishing her own control over Sanctuary after she felt betrayed by her partner, the angel Inarius.
What happens next is up to the player as you control one of five very familiar faces from Diablo II. The game is set to release in June 2023.
Final Fantasy XVI
Final Fantasy XVI is the latest entry in the long-running and well-known Final Fantasy series which gained widespread popularity since its first iteration. The series gained a cult following after the releases of the critically-acclaimed Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII games, with each subsequent installment garnering praise from fans and casual players alike.
With the exception of Final Fantasy XIV, which is an MMORPG, the rest of the games have stayed true to the RPG roots of the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy XVI continues that tradition, bringing in the open-world style of Final Fantasy XV with the classic battle system of the series, seamlessly combining melee-style action and magic together.
The world of Final Fantasy XVI is chaotic as a war runs through the six nations fighting in Valisthea. How does it all go down? We will know once June 2023 comes around.
Fire Emblem Engage
The classic Fire Emblem series returns to the main stage with its latest offering, Fire Emblem Engage, primed for a January 2023 release. By its roots, the Fire Emblem series has always been a tactical RPG with an interesting story and memorable protagonists that followed each game. Fire Emblem Engage takes it a step further by allowing you to bring back protagonists from previous games through Emblem Rings.
For the most part, the gameplay of the game remains unchanged from its predecessors, with graphical enhancements and quality-of-life upgrades being the most notable additions. The game is set on the continent of Elyos where the Divine Dragon Alear is awoken from his Millennium-long slumber to defeat the Fell Dragon rampaging through the land, and you have to help him do so.
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy is the latest addition to the Wizarding World universe created by J.K. Rowling set to release in February 2023. Despite the author being surrounded by various controversies, the game seems to be one of the most anticipated of all time, even being the most wish-listed game on Steam. This is probably down to her lack of involvement in the production of this game and the matter of being the first true open-world game set in the Wizarding World.
Hogwarts Legacy allows players complete freedom during their time in Hogwarts, including dabbling in the dark arts if they so choose. Players start as lowly witches or wizards in their first year, all the way up to established ones in their final year. Hogwarts Legacy is also the only game that is set about 200 years before the plot of Harry Potter and features a lot of historical events that take in that time period, including the famous Goblin Revolution.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Another remake of a cult classic game released in the 2000s, Resident Evil 4 follows the string of remakes that have hit the first three games in the Resident Evil series. Arguably one of the top three fan-favorite games in the series, Resident Evil 4 is set to take the fear and unease of its predecessors and ramp them up even further with enhanced visuals, improved gameplay, and a darker atmosphere.
The game puts you in the shoes of Leon Kennedy, a U.S. Agent sent on a mission to rescue Nicole Graham, daughter of the President of the United States. The problem here is that she has been captured by a dangerous, bloodthirsty cult called the Los Illuminados who worship and offer sacrifices to a deadly, ancient parasite. The journey to get there is terrifying and gripping, promising hours’ worth of entertainment. The game is set to release in March 2023.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Rocksteady Studios, the game development studio behind the massive DC successes of the Batman: Arkham series comes back for a fifth installment in the series with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, set to release in May 2023. After the troubled launch of Gotham Knights, which was not a Rocksteady Studios game, fans have been clamoring for a return to the Arkham series’ style of combat and traversal.
And their prayers have been answered with this game. Kill the Justice League takes place after the events of Batman: Arkham Knight and is the first game in the series to not feature Batman himself as the protagonist. Instead, the game allows you to play as one of the four Suicide Squad members: Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark, on a mission to save the Justice League and defeat the supervillain, Brainiac.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
After a successful showing of the Star Wars franchise with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, it seems like Cal Kestis will make his return to the gaming scene in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Set to release in March 2023, the game continues the story of Cal, one of the last Jedi survivors, five years after the events of the previous game as he struggles to survive against the might of the Galactic Empire.
Jedi: Survivor ramps up the intensity of the series, throwing even greater challenges at Cal than he experienced in the previous game, with the developers stating that Cal has to do whatever it takes to stay alive in this harsh, unforgiving galaxy he finds himself in. The focus of the game’s development has been around the quality of the game and its performance when it comes to the high-speed battles and lightsaber clashes the Star Wars universe is known for.
Street Fighter 6
After years of waiting, fans have been treated to the launch date of Street Fighter 6. Set to release in June 2023, the game will feature updated visuals and smoother combat compared to its predecessors. Street Fighter 6 also features a roster of 18 different playable characters, with the classics making their return along with new fresh faces never seen before.
The game features three different modes to choose from, including Fighting Ground, World Tour, and Battle Hub. Fighting Ground is the arcade battle mode that features local or online battles. World Tour is the single-player story mode of Street Fighter 6 featuring a custom hero with action-adventure elements. Battle Hub is the newest feature to come to the game, featuring an online lobby with more explanations set to come as the release date draws closer.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the latest entry in one of Nintendo’s oldest and most popular franchises, The Legend of Zelda. The game is set to release in May 2023 and is the sequel to the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Being a Nintendo-exclusive title, it will only be released on the Nintendo Switch, so now would be a good time as any to own one.
Along with updated graphics and gameplay elements, ears of the Kingdom features several new concepts that Nintendo was not able to implement during their development of Breath of the Wild. One of these features includes a sky traversal system by which players can travel between floating islands above Hyrule. The rest of the gameplay elements are what you would come to expect from the Zelda series, only updated and improved using modern capabilities.
