Christmas 2023 is fast approaching, so here’s our rundown of the best new games out this year that you might want to add to your list for Santa. The last thing you want on Christmas day is for the hype not to live up to expectations, so hopefully our list of the best games of 2023 will help you make the right choices.
The good news is that a lot of the games are already out, so we’ve had a chance to play test them to give you our seal level approval, but we’ll also include our take on the best of the games due to be released before Christmas 2023. However, we’ve only included titles that we know enough about to be confident that they will actually deliver the goods in terms of gameplay and impact.
AdvertisementThere is a good amount of variety in the list covering everything from horror and beat ’em ups to action adventure and platform games, so you should be able to find something that works for you. We’re only including games that have been released in 2023, but we’ll also include a few honorary mentions from previous years if you’re looking to go beyond everything that came out this year.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to see more on the latest video games releases, and you can see more details on each of the games over on YouTube.
# 10 Pikmin 4
AdvertisementIf you’ve played any of the previous games then you know just how much fun Pikmin can be, and Pikmin 4 elevates things pretty well to the next level. The environments are bigger, the game looks beautiful and there’s a lot to do, so if you like your puzzles and boss fights with a side helping of strange alien plant-like creatures, then Pikmin 4 should definitely go on your wish list for Christmas 2023. Read our Pikmin 4 review to learn more.
# 9 Street Fighter 6
It’s rare for fighting game to get quite so much praise as Street Fighter 6, but it pretty much delivered a clean sweep with high review scores across the board. It hits hard while still giving you that same pick up and play beat ’em up action that the series has been known for since Street Fighter 2 landed back in the 90s. However, if you prefer your finishers to be more fatal then you might want to check out Mortal Kombat 1, which also picked up good reviews.
# 8 Hogwarts Legacy
AdvertisementCreating a Harry Potter inspired game that doesn’t actually feature Harry Potter as the lead character was a pretty brave move, but it payed off in Hogwarts Legacy. It meant that we had the opportunity to experience a year at Hogwarts without knowing how it all ends.
In addition to the school of witchcraft and wizardry, you also get to explore the surrounding countryside with a host of memorable locations ranging from the Forbidden Forest to Hogsmeade and even the far flung coastlines. It’s a big open world action adventure that brings the magic of the books to your console and a new story set more than a hundred years before the events of the first book to enjoy.
#7 Super Mario RPG
This one might not be on everyone’s radar, but for anyone that missed the opportunity to play the SNES game when it first came out it’s a real opportunity. The original title was only ever released in Japan, so the rest of the world had to look on with envy, but that ends with the release of Super Mario RPG on November 17th, 2023.
As the name suggests, it’s a Super Mario game with an old-school RPG style similar to the mechanics of the original Final Fantasy series. It’s got a high camera isometric 3D viewpoint, similar to Mario + Rabbids Battle Kingdom and Sparks of Hope, and updated visuals for its Nintendo Switch launch.
#6 Resident Evil 4
Horror game remakes don’t get much better than Resident Evil 4. It’s got an impressive graphics reskin and managed to strip out annoyances from the original and introduce cool new mechanics. All of the old fun is back with an epic village attack sequence to start with and the brilliant spinning kick move.
It’s tough and brutal, while still keeping you smiling as you go, so it’s definitely one to consider for Christmas 2023 if you’re a horror shooter fan. The boss battles are bigger than before, the game looks way more impressive than before and it’s got some of the best locations in the Resident Evil series, so it get s big thumbs up from us.
#5 Star Wars Jedi Survivor
AdvertisementStar Wars Jedi Survivor returned to the story of Cal Kestis as he continues his fight against the oppression of the Empire following Order 66. It’s a strong 3rd person action adventure game with a solid story and good combat action, so well worth a play.
Some of the areas can be a bit fiddly to navigate, but on the whole it’s a big, beautiful and captivating title that expands the Star Wars narrative and lore. We don’t want to give the game away, but you get to fight some iconic foes, which result in some of the most memorable encounters of 2023.
#4 Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Stripped-back, stealth action is delivered in full in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. It’s a credible return to the origins of the series and gives you a stunning 9th Century Baghdad to run around in. Read our fill Assassin’s Creed Mirage honest review if you want to find out more about what works and what doesn’t.
#3 Super Mario Bros. Wonder
All you need to know is that it’s a new Super Mario side-scroll platform game and you can turn into an elephant. If that doesn’t say “way too much fun” then we don’t know what does. It’s out on October 20th, 2023, and it’s shaping up to be one of the must play games over Christmas.
#2 Spider-Man 2
AdvertisementOkay, so it was a tough call for the top two games, but Spider-Man 2 isn’t out yet and we already know that The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is practically flawless. However, we’re very excited about the prospect of Spider-Man 2, which will be coming out on the same date as Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Having recently replayed Spider-Man Miles Morales, which was a smaller, but brilliant second game in the series, everything is set up for an expanded adventure in Spider-Man 2. The first game was amazing too, if you haven’t already played that, but the third outing will feature Lizard, Kraven the Hunter, Venom and a game world that includes Brooklyn and Queens, so it’s shaping up to be the biggest game in the series.
#1 The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
As things stand, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is hands-down the game of the year. Only Spider-Man 2 could challenge it, but it may be too big a mountain to climb even if it’s as good as we’re hoping it will be.
Hyrule is much changes since the events of The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild gave us our first open world adventure in the series. In addition to the land, you also have the sky islands and the depths to explore and it’s a treat from start to never-ending finish.
AdvertisementThe replay value is off the scales and you’re bound to still have things to do in TotK years from now. The combat is perfect and monsters are massive, so buckle up for one of the greatest gaming experiences of your life.
Honorary mentions and DLC for Christmas 2023
It’s worth bearing in mind that the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 reboot will be coming out on November 10th, 2023. It very nearly made it into our list of the best games to consider for Christmas, but the reviews for the previous game weren’t that hot, so it was hard to justify.
It’s a similar story for EA Sports FC 24, which didn’t get the best reviews either. It was always going to be a tough one with no official license any more and the end of the FIFA era, but the game struggled to impress, so we’ll leave that call to you.
The game that we’d put into the the 11th spot if there was one in as top 10 best of list is Starfield. It’s very nearly a great game, but just misses the mark slightly with some convoluted systems and a main story that doesn’t stick the landing as well as it should.
AdvertisementHowever, the faction missions can be epic, especially the Crimson Fleet arc, so you might want to check it out if you’ve ever wanted to live the space travel life. You can read our full Starfield honest review to find out more about what’s good and bad about the game.
Another possible title to consider is the Dead Space Remaster, which game out early in 2023. It’s technically very good and does a similar job to Resident Evil 4 in terms of refreshing a classic horror experience.
It hasn’t been a great year for DLC with the expansion for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet falling a little flat (see our review for more details) and Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty being a bit too on-rails to excite the fans. The best option is the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Pack if you haven’t already got it and there’s the final wave still to come in time for Christmas 2023, so that gives you an extra 48 tracks and stacks of new characters to race.
In all fairness to the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, we’ve only had part 1 of 2, so there should be a whole lot more still to come from the expansion before Christmas day. It’s due out in winter 2023, but we should get an announcement from Nintendo soon on the exact release date.
You can also check out our computer games section to keep tabs on other releases or visit Wikipedia to see all games that came out in time for Christmas 2023 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_in_video_games.
