Discover the top 15 games released in 2023 – 12/31/2023 – Tech

If 2022 was lacking in major releases, the games industry caught up in 2023.

The news postponed until this year, and the titles already planned, resulted in what has been considered by many analysts as one of the best games in recent times.

The year was one of consolidation for the current generation of consoles, with some of the main games being released exclusively for Xbox Series S|X and PlayStation 5.

These were the cases, for example, of “Spider-Man 2”, Sony’s biggest release in the last year, and “Starfield”, Microsoft’s bet to boost its subscription gaming service, Xbox Game Pass.

Still, in the Switch’s sixth year, Nintendo hasn’t been left behind. Amid growing signs of the arrival of a new console in 2024, the company launched titles praised by critics and the public, such as “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” and “Super Mario Bros. Wonder”, in what may have was the device’s swan song.

Even with so many big releases, the industry went through a turbulent year with mass layoffs at several studios.

Analysts have attributed the phenomenon to a return to more realistic expectations after the investment boom during the Covid-19 pandemic. If that’s true, this sequence of great games should take time to repeat itself.

From the surprise launch of “Hi-Fi Rush” in January to the debut of “Alan Wake 2” at the end of October, see which were the main games of 2023.

Alan Wake 2

PC (R$ 180), PS5 (R$ 270.90), Xbox Series X/S (R$ 216.72)

Using video games as a base to explore other media, Remedy Entertainment created one of the most daring and innovative games of recent times. A true work of digital art.

The horror game takes up the story of “Alan Wake”, released in 2010, but is not afraid to be bold compared to its predecessor. There is a new protagonist, new gameplay mechanics and an even crazier story, which promises to connect other games from the studio, such as “Control”, “Max Payne” and “Quantum Break”.

Armored Core 6

PC (R$ 257.90), PS4/PS5 (R$ 299.90) and Xbox One/X/S (R$ 299.90)

Japanese studio From Software had a strong year in 2022 with the launch of “Elden Ring”, a new fantasy RPG that masterfully follows in the footsteps of “Dark Souls”. The developer’s 2023 release, “Armored Core 6”, was equally well received, reviving a franchise that hadn’t had a new game in ten years.

It’s hard not to enjoy the experience of piloting a giant robot that flies up and down at high speeds and explodes whatever it sees in front of it, and “Armored Core 6” delivers just that. Maintaining aspects of the original games, with gameplay based on missions to be completed and a lot of experimentation with different builds of robots, the game is yet another successful venture from the Japanese studio.

Baldur’s Gate 3

PC (R$ 199.99), PS5 (R$ 299.90), Xbox Series X/S (R$ 259.95)

Winner of the Game of the Year and Players’ Choice awards at The Game Awards, the success of Larian Studios’ turn-based RPG surprised many people in the games industry. Not fans of the franchise, who had been eagerly waiting more than 20 years for this sequel.

With lush graphics and giving players unparalleled freedom, the title went further and also won over newcomers to the genre, many of whom had only heard of the success of “Baldur’s Gate 2”. Reception worthy of the passion and dedication that the developers delivered to create a unique and memorable game.

Chants of Sennaar

PC (R$ 69), PS4/PS5 (R$ 104.90), Xbox One/X/S (R$ 83.96), Switch (R$ 104.90)

Even in a year full of “blockbusters”, indies managed to shine. The second title from French studio Rundisc, this puzzle game puts the player in the role of a translator who needs to discover the mysteries of a tower of Babel through logic, assumptions and free associations.

It’s a title that makes you think twice. First, obviously, to solve the problems that the game presents. But then also about what language means for humanity and how sometimes it can be the root of problems that seem much more complex.

Dead Space

PC (R$ 249), Xbox Series X/S (R$ 339) and PS5 (R$ 339)

Surfing the wave of remakes of classic games from the last 20 years, “Dead Space” brought to the new generation the disconcerting, tense and captivating experience of exploring the Ishimura ship with engineer Isaac Clarke — who gained his own voice, abandoning the status of silent protagonist of the original.

The novelty was criticized, but in the end it brought renewed life to the story of an alien sect that takes over a colony of humans in space in the distant future. Cutting-edge graphics, updated gameplay and new content make “Dead Space” a good example of how a remake should be done, and an important milestone for the genre in 2023.

Hi-Fi Rush

PC (R$ 109.00), Xbox Series X/S (R$ 112)

One of the first successes of the year was, literally, a surprise: Japanese studio Tango Gameworks, responsible for the horror franchise “Evil Within” and the promising but uninspired “Ghostwire: Tokyo”, announced “Hi-Fi Rush” on the 25th January, at a Microsoft event — and launched the game for PC and Xbox Series on the same day.

Fortunately, it was a positive surprise, and the game is a lot of fun: a rhythm game in which hitting attacks in sync with the notes of the soundtrack is a great feeling, and the colorful and humorous aesthetic is a welcome variation to the dark and tense games that tend to dominate the studio’s most famous releases.

Humanity

PC (R$ 88.99) and PS4/PS5 (R$ 159.90); available with PlayStation Plus Extra subscription

A Shiba Inu dog is the protagonist of the puzzle “Humanity”, kind of like “Lemmings”, that computer game from the 1990s, but with a 3D perspective, dark aesthetics, nihilistic narrative and an experimental soundtrack.

From the creators of “Tetris Effect: Connected”, the game consists of guiding a line of people to the exit of a route. The boards are made up of several blocks, like in chess, and each position only allows one command from the player, such as “turn right”. Only with the correct combination of these commands can the puzzles be solved, usually after several attempts and the right dose of stress.

Lies of P

PC (R$ 249.90), PS4/PS5 (R$ 239.90), Xbox One/X/S (R$ 299.90); included with Xbox Game Pass subscription

Every year, dozens of games that imitate the “Dark Souls” series, more or less blatantly, hit the market and have almost no impact on the genre and the video game universe as a whole. But, occasionally, a release that draws from the source of Japanese studio FromSoftware surprises and brings enough new ideas to stand on its own two feet.

This is the case of “Lies of P”, from South Korean Neowiz, which revives the experience of the first “Dark Souls”, with difficult bosses and an environment that rewards exploration and trial and error. It’s one of the most interesting action and adventure games of the year and highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of “soulslikes”.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

PS5 (R$ 349.90)

The main exclusive for PlayStation 5 of the year is bigger than its predecessor, from 2018, in several ways. “Spider-Man 2” has an expanded New York, with the addition of Brooklyn and Queens, and a more ambitious story that is divided between Peter Parker and Miles Morales.

The big news, however, is the technical advances of the current generation. There’s a more detailed city, minimal loading times between cutscenes, stories that unfold while the player is in control, more elaborate boss fights, and everything else that gives the title a big-budget veneer. Walking around the metropolis with Spider-Man in video games has never been so interesting.

resident Evil 4

PC (R$ 249), Xbox Series S/X (R$ 259), PS4/PS5 (R$ 259.50)

“Resident Evil 4”, originally released in 2005, received a remake this year that reflects the maturity of the classic and the franchise as a whole. The game is an addictive adventure that brings several changes, modernizing the gameplay, but maintaining the burlesque tone and focusing on a nostalgic veneer.

The sequence of events in the story is barely changed, but the approach changes a lot — the fun is less blatant, whether with dialogues that are taken more seriously, eliminating scenes of absurd humor, and less caricatured monsters. With more freedom of movement, there are also more aggressive, varied and less predictable enemies, in hordes that barely let you open your inventory to recover your health.

Sea of ​​Stars

PS4/PS5 (R$ 187.90), Xbox One/X/S (R$ 99.95), Nintendo Switch (R$ 89.99) and PC (R$ 99.99); included with Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra subscriptions

One of the biggest indie releases of the year bets on a reimagining of 1990s RPGs with modern touches. From the Sabotage studio, from “The Messenger”, the idea for “Sea of ​​Stars” is to be both a collection of references and a singular experience.

The game builds on the already consolidated structure of the most famous franchises of the genre, such as the first “Dragon Quest” and “Final Fantasy”, and modernizes the exploration of the world and the turn-based combat system, making them more dynamic and palatable to users. modern players.

Starfield

PC (R$ 299), Xbox Series X/S (R$ 349.95); included with Xbox Game Pass subscription

Developer Bethesda Softworks is known for vast open worlds, and expectations have been high since the studio announced in 2018 that it was working on a sci-fi RPG that promised an entire galaxy to explore.

Five years later, “Starfield” came into the world and divided the opinions of both media outlets and specialized critics as well as players. Love it or hate it, it is necessary to recognize that “Starfield” was one of the most anticipated and important releases of the year, and that it consolidated the Bethesda way of making video games: huge, complex, open-ended RPGs, but not necessarily unanimous among the public.

Street Fighter 6

PS4/PS5 (R$ 279.50), Xbox Series S/X (R$ 279) and PC (R$ 249)

“Street Fighter 6” accomplished the feat of both pleasing longtime fans of the franchise and creating interest among a new audience. Among the factors that allowed this success, unusual for fighting games, was the adoption of a so-called “modern” control scheme.

Instead of making traditional combos, such as “half-moon and punch”, the player can use shortcuts to apply special moves, which makes the fight more fun for everyone. In addition to traditional fights, the game adds the World Tour mode, in which the player can, like an RPG, create their own character – with their own clothes and moves – and explore a region inspired by Times Square to complete missions and become a great fighter.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Nintendo Switch (R$ 299)

After more than ten years without releasing an entirely new 2D Mario platformer on consoles, Nintendo overhauled the mustachioed plumber’s look and renewed the franchise. Still, the Japanese company maintained the foundations that make this one of the most successful series in the history of video games.

Beautiful, innovative and nostalgic, “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” shows the role that Nintendo’s main mascot can play in a new era of games. A gateway for new generations and a return route for those who left video games in the past, but who remember the hobby fondly.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Nintendo Switch (R$ 357.99)

With the difficult task of continuing the success of “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”, the hero Link’s new game exceeded expectations and can be considered one of the best titles in Nintendo’s classic series of adventure and exploration games. .

The game takes advantage of a turbocharged version of its predecessor’s map and enhances it with new areas to be explored. In addition, it features innovative mechanics for building machines and structures that give the player unprecedented freedom to face the challenges in front of them as they wish.