VGU’s 23 Most Anticipated Games for 2023

2022 is well in the books now, and 2023 appears to have some bangers in the midst. So we here at VGU wanted to take a moment and look forward to our most anticipated games of 2023. This is coming out later than expected, but there are still plenty of games coming on the horizon!

MLB 23: The Show

Allan Muir – Hear me out, I was not only ready to give this game a pass after buying every version of the game on every platform since the series’ inception on PS2 in 2006, but I was also going to avoid it at all cost. That was until I saw the Feature Premier for the newest addition to the series: Storylines. This new feature seems to be a mix of the existing “moments” mode and the narrative element that had been seen in Road to the Show. Perhaps the greatest selling point of this mode is its focus on the Negro Leagues. I won’t embed the video here but I uploaded the special episode of This Week In Baseball focusing on the Negro Leagues from 2009 to my personal YouTube channel and I highly recommend viewing it to learn more about the “great experiment”. While we don’t know much more than this first feature premier we do know, you can learn about the history of iconic baseball players, and will be a launch pad to learn about the past so you can make a better future.

Sea of Stars

Josh Miller – So last year, my most anticipated game was Sea of Stars. So you could color me disappointed when the title dipped to 2023. As they say though, delays can only lead to better games, right? I certainly hope so, because Sea of Stars looks downright amazing. From the color palette to the animations, to the world itself; the whole thing speaks to me. Since my excitement is so high, I’ve gotten to the point of a media blackout. I don’t want to see any more. Just give it to me. I am more than ready, which is why it’s my most anticipated game of 2023.

Road 96: Mile 0

Graydon Webb – It should come as no surprise to anyone that this is at the top of my list. Road 96 delivered on every promise back in 2021, became our Indie Game of the Year, and continued to shatter all expectations with the announcement of a prequel title: Mile 0. I am so insanely excited to jump back into this world with new characters, mysteries, and music! There’s even a new gameplay mechanic that utilizes the game’s soundtrack and a skateboarding mini-game, which is just the sweetest icing for such a bountiful cake! Expect this one to come around at GOTY time because your boy’s back for round two!

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Allan Muir – What did you expect? I love Star Wars and most of the things about the game that preceded this one as you can tell from my review. It has been over three years since Fallen Order and I am itching to see what Cal and the rest of the crew have been up to since. Based on the videos that have slowly been released since December, I am excited. While I expect Jedi: Survivor to have a self-contained cast of characters like the previous game, I am holding out hope that at least two outside characters make appearances as we got Saw Gererra and Tarful in the last game.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Graydon Webb – I’ll be honest, I am seriously surprised this game is releasing this year. We already have a date for a tech test and its final release! Not only that, but the most recent trailer looks insane. With a focus on the whole Sawyer family, it looks like players can choose which killer they want to be. The jury’s still out on whether or not their playstyles will change depending on said character, but one thing’s for sure: no matter how the killing happens or who does it, it’s going to look glorious. These visuals are next-level, and they’ll make for some brutal massacres.

Final Fantasy XVI

Josh Miller – I don’t have a PlayStation 5, but my god, I want one so badly just to play Final Fantasy XVI. I love Final Fantasy. Everything shown about this one looks amazing from the music to the action, to the focus on summons; it speaks to my soul. I pray it will come to PC (more importantly – be playable on Steam Deck), but even if it doesn’t, I fully expect to look up videos on it which is rare for me. As it stands, this is the most excited I’ve been for a mainline Final Fantasy game since 9. By all accounts, it may be the best one (single-player-wise) since then too.

Skate Story

Graydon Webb – Skate Story has been on my radar since I first saw it at PAX East a couple of years ago. A skateboarding game will always have my attention, but when it has an art style reminiscent of Thumper and a gameplay hook where you’re made of glass? Well, that’s a surprise nobody was expecting! Skate Story keeps showing itself every so often, each time with a brand new feature that makes it even more intriguing. I cannot wait for this game to finally release so the whole world can see how clever and truly challenging it is! Better yet, it’s been picked up by Devolver Digital, and I can’t remember the last flop they had. Because it’s never happened.

Star Trek: Resurgence

Allan Muir – It has been a long time since there was a Star Trek game. After the Kelvin timeline title in 2013, the franchise seemed to have lost steam. However, with the current Trek renaissance on Paramount+, there appears to be hope for Star Trek in gaming. A Star Trek game by Dramatic Labs, a developer made up of former Telltale Games alumni was announced. The title: Star Trek: Resurgence takes place in the post-Nemesis point in the timeline where some of the Trek shows are. Aside from the eerily-accurate voice of Spock, we still don’t know much. But I am very much looking forward to it.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

Josh Miller – Several years ago, I jumped into my backlog and played Suikoden 1 and Suikoden 2. And I loved them both. Fortunately, creators Yoshitaka Murayama and Junko Kawano collaborate once more after 25 years and are doing a spiritual successor in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. It bears so many similarities while bringing in a fresh look (and a beautiful one at that). Had I not played the first two Suikoden games, this probably wouldn’t be on my radar. But now the bar is set, and I’m eager to see if the original creators can hit that mark once again all these years later.

Dead Island 2

Graydon Webb – If you can find a more worthy conductor of the Dead Island 2 hype train, I’d like to meet him. This guy’s got two thumbs and a collector’s edition to preorder because his prayers have finally been answered; Dead Island 2 is a reality, baby! I’ve been a massive fan of the original since its launch, and I have waited years for a proper sequel. The world told me I was crazy, that I should just give up on my hopes. But I held strong, watched all the delays and studio swaps pass by, and ended up here… nearly at the end of the wait! Only two more months until we get this masterpiece in our hands!

She Dreams Elsewhere

Josh Miller – This game had me at Earthbound-like. And from what I played, it certainly has some comparable aspects. She Dreams Elsewhere though has a style much different than most Earthbound-type games I have played and a story that intrigued me from its initial description. The game looks beautiful with well-written characters (from what little I’ve seen) and despite it still not being out all of these years after its initial reveal, the hype for this game hasn’t diminished. She Dreams Elsewhere could possibly be one of the best games coming out in 2023….now here’s hoping it actually releases in 2023!

Oblivion Override

Allan Muir – As of writing this, I have been playing the demo for this game as a part of Steam NextFest. It was a good course of action for me to take. This roguelike title from Humble Mill sees you playing as a robot called Crimson who is trying to find out what happened to a robotic civilization that fell. The best way I can describe this game is sci-fi Dead Cells. Upon first inspection, you may feel like it is a clone of Dead Cells and while that is a fair take, it has a unique aesthetic of its own.

Robocop: Rogue City

Josh Miller – Robocop is one of those films I watched waaay too young (as I’m sure many 80’s kids did). And despite how hard that film went, I loved it. I walked around the playground as Murphy and everything. So to finally have a new Robocop game all these years later? Hell yeah, sign me up. The trailer has at least piqued my interest and I hope it’s fun to play, has lots of action, and doesn’t stray from satire. I hope I get to run into one goo person and watch him explode against my car window at least one time. But the brutal shooting of Murphy? Now, let’s not go that far.

Exoprimal

Graydon Webb – It’s been 20 years since the world was given a Dino Crisis title. When Exoprimal releases in 2023… the countdown will just keep on ticking. Unfortunately, Exoprimal is not a Dino Crisis game, no matter how many people complain about it on the internet. The good thing, however, is that it is a game that exists and it aims to deliver a badass multiplayer experience with dinosaur combat a la Earth Defense Force. Oh, and it looks absolutely gorgeous, not to mention fun as hell. The more we see of Exoprimal, the more I want to get my hands on it and start shooting some innocent dinos. I must save the world from this… dino crisis. No pun intended.

Wreckreation

Josh Miller – What do you get when you cross Burnout with Trackmania? Well…hopefully Wreckreation. This one took me by surprise upon its showing and looks like an absolute blast. While games like Dangerous Driving and Danger Zone didn’t do much for me, this seems more up my alley. Being able to create ludicrous tracks while having impeccable driving by Three Fields Entertainment seems like an easy enough win to dominate my time. How well everything is implemented remains to be seen, but from what we have seen, there is a ton of promise there and I can’t wait to hop into this 2023 game.

Crime Boss: Rockay City

Graydon Webb – From Rogue City to Rockay City, this Tarantino-inspired true crime story comes from a brand new studio, fueled by a massive all-star cast. I remember seeing this trailer set to Stereo MC’s “Connected” and instantly thought it looked awesome – inspired, even. It gives off all the vibes I love about games like Mafia and L.A. Noire, and I haven’t wanted to dive into a game world this badly in a long time. The release date is right around the corner, too, and that’s got me very excited to finally get a hold of these characters and have some wild fun in the city.

System Shock (Remake)

Allan Muir – I have to be transparent as to why System Shock is on this list. I backed the game on Kickstarter when the crowdfunding campaign began. Therefore I am biased toward this game and for a good reason. System Shock is one of the most influential games of all time. It would go on to inspire hit games such as BioShock, Deus Ex, Prey (2017), and SOMA. I am a bit worried when it comes to the release date for System Shock. I brought up on a prior episode of Player’s Club that Nightdive Studios has missed a few release dates it had set for the game in the past. That said, should the game arrive next month we will be in for a good time.

Radiolight

Josh Miller – I honestly don’t know what to expect of Radiolight. I think that’s why I’m so interested in it. It gives me Firewatch vibes, but the Firewatch I wanted instead of receiving. Whether or not the horror elements are pulled off well remains to be seen, but what has been shown seems promising. I’m always in the mood for a good horror experience, and Radiolight appears to be one game that might satisfy that itch.

Planet of Lana

Graydon Webb – Remember that feeling you got the first time you played Limbo? I do. A true adventure game, complete with side-scrolling, environmental puzzles, and a vibe that just felt like childhood. I grew up with Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey, so this style of gameplay is my biggest nostalgia dump. Planet of Lana looks like it’s taken my aforementioned nostalgia and dipped it in the most vibrant coat of paint, rolling it in inspiration from Breath of the Wild and Studio Ghibli along the way. I still feel like I know so little about this game, and I’m so excited to go in blind when I explore Lana’s Planet later this year.

Palworld

Josh Miller – I love me some Pokemon. Shooters not so much nowadays. I definitely don’t know if I’ll enjoy a Pokemon-like shooting game either. Palworld is so…odd. I mean that in the best of ways. I have no idea what to fully expect from it, but all I know is that it looks ridiculously stupid and over-the-top in a complementary way. I was hooked on this game since the first trailer, and I know once it fully releases, I’m eager to see how well Palworld is pulled off. It’s because of this that it ranks on this list of most anticipated games of 2023.

Tron: Identity

Graydon Webb – This was a last-minute addition to my list, but after seeing it in the most recent Nintendo Direct, I couldn’t help but get excited. Mike Bithell has taken the world of Tron and turned it into a visual mystery novel set against the colorful digital backdrop we know and love. I never would’ve expected this to be a Telltale-like game, but the focus on decision-making and branching paths has me super intrigued. Quite possibly the best part is that Mr. Bithell has a brilliant career under his belt in terms of storytelling. I know a lot of people were blindsided by the direction he’s taking this game in, but color me curious!

Killer Klowns From Outer Space – The Game

Josh Miller – I’m not a fan of multiplayer games typically. I’m bad at them. Terrible even. But Friday the 13th: The Game is undeniably something I absolutely adore. Having an overpowered horror villain that I grew up loving stalking people around Camp Crystal Lake and brutally killing them? Oh, such a good game. Then I find out, there may be another game like that. Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game. Different developers, so things could be different, but appears it could hit the same highs for me that the Jason Voorhees simulator provided. Except instead of a masked killer zombie, it’s an alien clown. And instead of machetes, it’s guns that capture people in cotton candy pods. So wonderful.

Little Devil Inside

Graydon Webb – Don’t you just hate seeing a game fall to the wayside? Just because it’s called “development hell” doesn’t mean Little Devil Inside has to stay there. This game looked so good two years ago. Remember this gameplay trailer? Such a unique art style and gameplay mechanics; I fell in love with it immediately! I really hope we see more from this game in 2023, and if we get a release date finally? Even better! There shouldn’t be much more polishing necessary, and as long as the survival mechanics aren’t too overbearing, I could make a game-of-the-year contender out of this one easily!

There you have it from us here at VGUtv, our top 23 games we’re excited to play in ’23! To find out what we think of most of these games make sure to stay tuned to VGU.tv and our various podcasts. Stay groovy.