Video games are more mainstream than ever in 2023. Games are an essential for men and women alike now. Technology has expanded, and both creators and fans have more ideas than ever before to take gaming to the next level on consoles and mobile applications. Independent developers and big conglomerates both help motivate each other to produce even more ambitious projects, all in a bid to create the very best video games. We’re so excited for some of the best video games of 2023 coming up, so we thought it would be a great time to preview some of the most hotly anticipated titles of the next 12 months.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” essentially saved Nintendo when it was released with the Switch in March of 2017. After the financial failures of the Wii U, the famous Japanese software giant needed a rejuvenation potion to restore its once mighty status atop the video gaming market. The open-world adventure game did all of this and much more, and fans have been waiting patiently for the sequel for half a decade. The curtain will finally open on “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” in May of this year, and we’re more than ready for a second helping of the franchise’s new style. It should serve as a great bookend to the Switch era as people start to wonder where the Big N will go next to compete with Sony and Microsoft for the rest of the 2020s.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Indie titles have often been the forebear of new trends in video games, just as they’ve been able to re-establish classic game development techniques. The original “Hollow Knight” was somehow able to accomplish both back in 2017, and the sequel to this cult classic should come out on consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X before June of this year. The developers promise more Metroidvania-style gameplay, even more lush graphics, and an attention to detail that has become rare in even the biggest titles in console gaming.
Diablo IV
Developer Blizzard has been in the news for a lot of negative reasons the last couple of years, mainly due to accusations of workplace harassment towards employees. The company will try to put these bad times in the rearview mirror when it resurrects one of its most famous properties for a fourth time. The “Diablo” games might seem a little outdated in 2023, but “Diablo IV” still has longtime fans of the series ready for more hack-and-slash fun and a return to the tone of the first two games after the more light-hearted approach of “Diablo III.”
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel has inundated the market with its properties for years now, but fans certainly aren’t complaining about that when it comes to the critically acclaimed sequel to 2018’s “Spider-Man” on the PlayStation 4. The immersive experience these games provide helps gamers feel like they can live out their dreams as Peter Parker and save the city just like in the movies. This is what video gaming is all about: Making players feel like their most innocent, childish selves, even if it’s for a fleeting moment each time they pick up a controller.
Hades 2
“Hades” was the magnum opus of indie developer Supergiant Games when it was released in 2020 for the PC, Mac, and Switch. It won several end-of-year awards that would normally be preserved for larger games, but this small titan captured the hearts of all types of gamers. “Hades 2” should continue to build a legacy of rogue-like greatness, mixing new elements with the ones that made the first game stand out from the crowd of genre competitors.
