The Greatest Games Coming in 2023

Following two years of false starts, 2023 looks to be the proper beginning of the PS5-Xbox Series generation, as Unreal Engine 5 support builds and an increasing number of developers drop support for Sony and Microsoft’s last-gen consoles. Starfield, Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Final Fantasy 16 are only a handful of games built exclusively for new hardware, though PS4, Xbox One, and especially Switch owners have plenty to look forward to as well.
With dozens of games delayed to 2023, a greater emphasis on new-gen hardware, and at least one major exclusive from each platform holder, next year easily houses the most exciting games lineup since the changing of the console guard in 2020. As we enter the new year, we’ve channeled that excitement into this list of 2023’s 45 biggest games, listed chronologically by release date.
Only games with officially announced 2023 release dates/windows were considered for this list. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023-2024) and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (“next winter”), for example, have release windows that expand into 2024 and therefore aren’t included. Games expected to move out of Early Access in 2023, such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Disney Dreamlight Valley, are also excluded.
Seasonal (e.g., Spring, Fall) release windows are based on the Northern Hemisphere.
January 2023 Games
Fire Emblem Engage
Nintendo kicks off a busy start to the year with Fire Emblem Engage on January 20. The Switch exclusive introduces an all-new protagonist to the series in the red-and-blue-haired Alear. This latest mainline Fire Emblem allows players to summon, or “engage,” heroes from the series' past, including original protagonist and Smash Bros. staple Marth. When a past hero is engaged, Alear inherits their weapons and skills.
Engage follows 2019’s excellent Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which earned a 9.5 from IGN.
Dead Space
2023’s Dead Space is a ground-up remake of the 2008 survival horror classic. It’s fully rebuilt in EA's Frostbite engine with “all new assets, new character models, [and] new environments” based on the original designs.
It’s still Dead Space at its core, though the team at EA Motive is keeping things fresh by introducing new systems such as Peeling, which allows players to shoot additional flesh, tendons, and bones off of Necromorphs. It’s both a visual treat for gorehounds and a clever health bar for Dead Space’s mutated baddies.
Release Date: January 27 | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
February 2023 Games
Hogwarts Legacy
One of the most anticipated games of 2021 (and then 2022) is now one of 2023’s biggest third-party releases. Following two years of delays, Hogwarts Legacy is set to launch on February 10, fulfilling Harry Potter fans’ long-held wishes to live out their own Wizarding World fantasy.
Players create a custom character and choose their desired house before beginning the game as fifth-year students at Hogwarts. The open-world RPG sets you behind your classmates, meaning you’ll have to complete quests to catch up. While there are a ton of areas to explore, secrets to discover, and activities to partake in, developer Avalanche Software was unable to incorporate playable versions of certain Hogwarts pastimes, such as Quidditch, Gobstones, and Wizard's Chess.
Release Date: February 10 (PS5, XSX|S, PC), April 4 (PS4, X1), July 25 (Switch) | Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Wild Hearts
Wild Hearts is EA’s answer to Monster Hunter, an all-new game in which players hunt and craft across a fantastical semi-open world inspired by Feudal Japan. For Wild Hearts, EA partnered with Japanese development studio Omega Force, best known for its action series Dynasty Warriors.
IGN went hands-on with Wild Hearts in October and, thanks to its challenging hunting, beautiful environments, and snappy building mechanics, we came away thinking it’s a legitimate Monster Hunter contender.
Release Date: February 17 | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Atomic Heart
Excitement for Atomic Heart has grown considerably since it was announced four years ago, thanks to a steady stream of increasingly bizarre, sci-fi-heavy trailers showcasing a Soviet-set, BioShock-like first-person shooter.
Atomic Heart has the potential to be one of 2023’s biggest sleeper hits. Whether that potential is fulfilled is another question entirely, though early impressions are promising: our first hands-on Atomic Heart preview called it “an engrossing world to get lost in, with dynamic combat, and inspired art and enemy design.”
Longtime Doom composer Mick Gordon created original music for Atomic Heart, which will be mixed with compositions from the ’50s-’80s. The result, according to developer Mundfish, is “Soviet-style pop meets juicy Doom-style remixes.”
Release Date: February 21 | Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC