It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was true when Dickens said it in A Tale of Two Cities, and it was true about 2023 for gaming. We had some high highs of incredible releases, and low lows of epically horrible layoffs.
As for the former, there were so many good games that came out in 2023, and nobody got a chance to play everything they wanted to. So, I wanted to honor all these great games and their hardworking makers by putting together a list of every new game our writers recommended from 2023. And, to be honest, I thought this would be a convenient way to keep an easily accessible to-play backlog list for myself lol. Our contributing writers have varied tastes, and our EOY of the year series reflects that.
Some parameters:
- I included only new releases, which included remakes.
- Remasters or significant ports were at my discretion; however, I largely didn’t include them.
- DLCs or significant updates, in my opinion, do not count. I don’t care that the 2.0 Update and Phantom Liberty came out this year; Cyberpunk 2077 was released in 2020. However, games that were previously released in early access but came out this year officially are fair game.
- I only included games authors genuinely seemed to recommend/like as a “Best of 2023.” (For example, Sam’s list features a tiered ranking of all games he played this year, not all of them worthy of “best of.” I asked him which tier he wanted to include on upwards).
- The blurbs below include the title of course, the developer, available platforms, and all the EOY lists on our site that the game was featured on. (There were 3 clear favorites!)
I can speak on behalf of the entire editorial team here at the Punished Backlog when I say that we were absolutely thrilled that so many of our writers contributed EOY lists this year. Sometimes, marking the passage of time can feel surface-level, but when it comes to our favorite hobbies, it’s nice to memorialize the stories and games that made an impact on us.
Happy New Year, and happy gaming!
– Amanda Tien, Editor at The Punished Backlog
Our Best Video Games of 2023
The list includes 48 games recommended from 12 of our writers across 14 different pieces, in alphabetical order. Add the best games of 2023 to your backlog; we sure will.
Alan Wake 2
Remedy Entertainment | Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC
Featured in: Year of Fear: Clint’s Best Horror Games of 2023, Alyssa’s Top 6 Video Game Moments of 2023, Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood
Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian Studios | Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, Mac
Featured in: Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood, 5 Game Mechanics That Jason Is Thankful for in 2023
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and The Lost Demon
Platinum Games | Nintendo Switch
Featured in: Kris’ Top 10 Games of 2023
Blasphemous 2
The Game Kitchen | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Featured in: Donovan’s 7 Most Therapeutic Games of 2023
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Team Reptile | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Featured in: Kris’ Top 10 Games of 2023, Gary’s 10 Favorite Games of 2023
Cocoon
Geometric Interactive | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Featured in: Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023, Gary’s 10 Favorite Games of 2023
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
Toge Productions | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac
Featured in: Allison’s 6 Favorite Cozy Games of 2023, Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood
Connections
Wyna Liu and The New York Times | Browser
Featured in: Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood, David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023
Dave the Diver
MINTROCKET | Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac
Featured in: Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood, David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023
Dead Space Remake
Motive Studio | Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC
Featured in: Year of Fear: Clint’s Best Horror Games of 2023
Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands
Deathbulge | PC, Mac
Featured in: Alyssa’s Top 6 Video Game Moments of 2023
Diablo IV
Blizzard Entertainment | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC
Featured in: 5 Game Mechanics That Jason Is Thankful for in 2023
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Gameloft | Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac
Featured in: Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood
Dordogne
Un Je Ne Sais Quoi and Umanimation | Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, PC, Mac
Featured in: Allison’s 6 Favorite Cozy Games of 2023
Dredge
Black Salt Games | Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Featured in: Year of Fear: Clint’s Best Horror Games of 2023, David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023
Fire Emblem Engage
Intelligent Systems | Nintendo Switch
Featured in: 5 Game Mechanics That Jason Is Thankful for in 2023
Ghostrunner 2
One More Level | Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC
Featured in: David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023
Hi-Fi Rush
Tango Gameworks | Xbox Series X/S, PC
Featured in: Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, Gary’s 10 Favorite Games of 2023
Lies of P
Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio | PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac
Featured in: Gary’s 10 Favorite Games of 2023
Lil Gator Game
MegaWobble | PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac
Featured in: 5 Game Mechanics That Jason Is Thankful for in 2023, Zack’s Ranking of All the Games He Played in 2023
Mail Time
Appelmoes Games | Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, Mac
Featured in: Zack’s Ranking of All the Games He Played in 2023, Amanda’s Entry in The 17 Best Cozy Video Games (and Why the Genre Works)
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Insomniac Games | PS5
Featured in: Amanda’s Best Video Game Cries of 2023, Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood, David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023, Anthony’s Brothers For Life: The Best Part of Spider-Man 2
Metroid Prime Remastered
Nintendo | Nintendo Switch
Featured in: Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List
Mineko’s Night Market
Meowza Games | Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, Mac
Featured in: Allison’s 6 Favorite Cozy Games of 2023
Octopath Traveler II
Square Enix and Acquire | Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC
Featured in: Kris’ Top 10 Games of 2023
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Capcom | Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Mac
Featured in: Year of Fear: Clint’s Best Horror Games of 2023, Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, Kris’ Top 10 Games of 2023, Donovan’s 7 Most Therapeutic Games of 2023
Risk of Rain Returns
Hopoo Games | Nintendo Switch, PC
Featured in: 5 Game Mechanics That Jason Is Thankful for in 2023
Saltsea Chronicles
Die Gute Fabrik | Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, Mac
Featured in: Allison’s 6 Favorite Cozy Games of 2023, Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood
Sea of Stars
Sabotage Studio | Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC
Featured in: Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023
SEASON: A Letter to the Future
Scavengers Studio | PS4, PS5, PC
Featured in: David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023
Slay the Princess
Black Tabby Games | Mac, PC, Linux
Featured in: Year of Fear: Clint’s Best Horror Games of 2023
Smushi Come Home
SomeHumbleOnion | Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac
Featured in: David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Respawn Entertainment | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC
Featured in: David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Summerfall Studios | Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC
Featured in: Alyssa’s Top 6 Video Game Moments of 2023
Street Fighter 6
Capcom | Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC
Featured in: Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, Kris’ Top 10 Games of 2023, 5 Game Mechanics That Jason Is Thankful for in 2023, Donovan’s 7 Most Therapeutic Games of 2023, Gary’s 10 Favorite Games of 2023
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Nintendo | Nintendo Switch
Featured in: Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023, Gary’s 10 Favorite Games of 2023
Super Mario RPG Remake
ArtePiazza | Nintendo Switch
Featured in: Alyssa’s Top 6 Video Game Moments of 2023, Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
Deconstructeam | Nintendo Switch, PC
Featured in: Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo | Nintendo Switch
Featured in: Year of Fear: Clint’s Best Horror Games of 2023, Sam’s 2023 Games of the Year Tier List, Kris’ Top 10 Games of 2023, 5 Game Mechanics That Jason Is Thankful for in 2023, David’s 25 Favorite Things of 2023, Zack’s Ranking of All the Games He Played in 2023, Donovan’s 7 Most Therapeutic Games of 2023, Gary’s 10 Favorite Games of 2023
Venba
Visai Games | Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC
Featured in: Amanda’s Best Video Game Cries of 2023, Allison’s 6 Favorite Cozy Games of 2023, Amanda’s 10 Best Video Games of 2023 for Every Mood
What Are Your Favorite Games of 2023?
Whether you agree or disagree, or have suggestions for something we missed, please let us know in the comments!
