2023 has the potential to be a classic year
(pic: Metro.co.uk)
New games including Starfield, Zelda: Tears Of The Kindom, and Resident Evil 4 already have firm release dates but what else is out in 2023?
The quantity of new video games released in 2022 may have been less than usual but the quality was well above average, and it’s already looking like 2023 could be even better. As with last year, a lot of the games out in the first few months are ones delayed from Christmas but that’s becoming less of a problem as games companies slowly recover from the pandemic.
While many games don’t have an exact release date you’ve got the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Street Fighter 6, Diablo 4, and Final Fantasy 16 all ready to go in the first half of the year. Beyond that, things do get a bit sketchier but games such as Spider-Man 2 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage have already been promised for the second half of the year.
What’s most exciting about 2023 is that both Microsoft and Sony have said very little about their future plans during 2022, so that hopefully means they’ve got a ton of new games waiting to be revealed or seen in action for the first time, as we finally see the next generation of consoles moving into top gear.
Confirmed for 2023
20 January – Fire Emblem Engage (NS)
The first big release of the year is the latest mainline entry in Nintendo’s increasingly popular tactical role-playing series. The first wave of DLC is out the same day too, themed around 2019’s Three Houses.
24 January – Forspoken (PS5/PC)
Like many spring games this was originally meant to come out in 2022, but Square Enix’s new action role-playing franchise wasn’t looking too impressive when we played it in December.
27 January – Dead Space (XSX/PS5/PC)
The Callisto Protocol, the spiritual sequel to Dead Space, was a bit of a disappointment but perhaps this official remake of the first game will fare better, as the survival horror renaissance continues.
10 February – Hogwarts Legacy (XSX/PS5/PC)
The eternally delayed Harry Potter role-playing game is finally nearing release, although the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions have been delayed until April 4 and the Switch version till July 25.
17 February – Wild Hearts (XSX/PS5/PC)
There have been many Monster Hunter clones over the years but a big budget release from EA still seems like a surprising move, even if the developer is Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force.
22 February – Horizon VR: Call Of The Mountain (PSVR2)
The PlayStation VR2 is out on February 22 and this is the most high profile of its launch titles. It, and many of the others, look great but the problem here is the cost of it all, not the desirability of the games and hardware.
23 February – Company Of Heroes 3 (PC)
Relic’s long-awaited return to the real-time strategy genre covers the Italian front in the Second World War. Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions are due later in the year but don’t have a date yet.
24 February – Octopath Traveler 2 (PS4/NS/PS5/PC)
Square Enix’s Japanese role-playing series returns with what seems like the best use of 2D-HD graphics yet. Plus, this time it’s not a Switch timed exclusive, with PlayStation versions out on the same day.
28 February – Destiny 2: Lightfall (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
The second part in the current trilogy of expansions will introduce the planet of Neptune for the first time, as well as a new Darkness power called Strand, that works as both a grappling hook and weapon.
3 March – Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
Between this, Rise Of The Rōnin, and hints at new Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive sequels, Team Ninja are suddenly very busy, but this new action role-playing series set in feudal China is out first.
9 March – Skull And Bones (XSX/PS5/PC)
Despite having been in development for the best part of a decade it’s hard to detect much excitement for Ubisoft’s multiplayer pirate game but it’ll finally be out soon… hopefully.
17 March – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (XSX/PS5/PC)
The sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order goes next gen-only, with the gameplay trailer above looking very impressive – even if it’s still not clear what the story is or who’s in the bacta tank.
17 March – Bayonetta Origins: Cereza And The Lost Demon (NS)
Not an action game like Bayonetta 3 but something that appears to be more puzzle-orientated, as a young Bayonetta and her pet demon try to save her mother, in this unexpected prequel.
24 March – Resident Evil 4 (XSX/PS5/PC)
Despite everyone’s understandable qualms, this remake is looking far better than previously expected, with fantastic graphics and a good compromise over the original’s outdated control system.
28 March – Crime Boss: Rockay City (PC)
The Game Awards reveal trailer was more interested in boasting about its Hollywood cast than showing much of the gameplay, but this appears to be a cross between GTA and co-op game Payday.
19 April – Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (PS5)
The second of the year’s Horizon releases (that we know of) is the long-expected DLC expansion for Horizon Forbidden West, set in the volcano strewn remains of Los Angeles.
28 April – Dead Island 2 (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
Another game that’s suffered more delays (and developers) than seems physically possible. The last few trailers have been encouraging but it’s hard to say how well it’s compensated for the fact that the original was 12 years ago now.
12 May – The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom (NS)
Voted the most anticipated game of 2023 at The Game Awards and it needs no explanation for why, even though we still know little about the story or exactly how similar it is to Breath Of The Wild.
26 May – Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League (XSX/PS5/PC)
It’s now eight years since Batman: Arkham Knight and this new co-op game set in the same universe is very, very late. It’s also extremely worrying that there’s only been a few seconds of gameplay shown so far, and none at all in the most recent trailer.
2 June – Street Fighter 6 (PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
Capcom’s iconic fighting game is multiformat this generation and so far the response seems to be very positive, with some fun looking new characters and an interesting attempt to add a worthwhile story mode.
6 June – Diablo 4 (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
It’s Activision and Call Of Duty that gets all the attention but if Microsoft’s acquisition goes through they’ll own all Blizzard games too. Although this new dungeon crawler sequel will remain multiformat.
22 June – Final Fantasy 16 (PS5)
As usual for a mainline entry this new role-player has no connection to its predecessors, with a new grim and gritty tone influenced by Game of Thrones – except with traditional Final Fantasy summons on top.
Q1/Q2 2023 – Hollow Knight: Silksong (NS/PC)
Few would’ve imagined that the sequel to indie Metroidvania Hollow Knight would reach Half-Life 3 levels of delay and uncertainty but according to Team Cherry it will be out sometime before June 13.
Q1/Q2 2023 – Starfield (XSX/PC)
Delayed from Christmas 2022, this is Microsoft’s biggest exclusive since the launch of Halo Infinite and so there’s a lot riding on Bethesda’s new sci-fi IP, even if it is still very reminiscent of Fallout and Skyrim.
Q1/Q2 2023 – Redfall (XSX/PC)
There’s still relatively little that’s been shown of the new vampire-themed multiplayer from Arkane Studios but if it comes out before Starfield it could be the first ever first party Xbox Series X/S exclusive.
Q1/Q2 – Minecraft Legends (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
After the success of Minecraft Dungeons, this new spin-off is part action game and part real-time strategy, which could potentially make it of interest to non-Minecraft fans.
Q2 – Forza Motorsport (XSX/PC)
In 2022, Microsoft didn’t say a word about any first party game beyond Starfield and Redfall, so it’s still unclear whether this is really out in the spring or if rumours of it being free-to-play are true.
August – Baldur’s Gate 3 (PC)
After years in early access Baldur’s Gate 3 is now finally nearing its official release, although there’s still no word on the hopefully inevitable console versions.
Autumn – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (PS5)
The only confirmed Sony exclusive so far this year and given the implied date likely to be their big Christmas release, although there are still virtually no details – including the question of whether it has co-op play.
2023 – Hades 2 early access (PC)
The full game, including the console versions, won’t be out until much later but you will be able to play Hades 2 this year, as it follows the same PC-only early access route as its predecessor.
2023 – Assassin’s Creed Mirage (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
Three years is a long time to go without a new Assassin’s Creed game and there’s still no firm release date for this spin-off set in 9th century Baghdad, although rumours suggest it’s due in the first half of the year.
2023 – Alan Wake 2 (XSX/PS5/PC)
About the only thing we know for sure about this unexpected sequel is that it’s more of a full-on survival horror than the original, but there’s still yet to be any gameplay footage.
2023 – S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl (XSX/PC)
There’s going to be a lot of sympathy for Ukrainian developer GSC Game World when their long-awaited sequel finally arrives but its mix of first person action, role-playing, and survival horror always looked enticing.
2023 – Armored Core 6: Fires Of Rubicon (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
It’s hard to imagine FromSoftware’s first release after Elden Ring being anywhere near as big, given what an insufferably hardcore giant mech sim Armored Core usually is, but we shall have to see.
2023 – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (XSX/PS5/PC)
Although CD Projekt is making a sequel, that won’t be out for many years yet. This one, and only, slice of story DLC is out sometime this year though, and stars not only Keanu Reeves but also Idris Elba.
2023 – EA Sports FC/FIFA 24 (TBC)
Normally there’d be no point even mentioning a new FIFA, it’s just a given, but now that EA has lost the licence any new game will be by a different developer, as EA instead switch names, and probably not much else, to EA Sports FC.
2023 – New Call Of Duty
Rumours suggest that there won’t be a new mainline Call Of Duty release this year but instead a major DLC expansion, continuing the story of Modern Warfare 2. Nothing’s confirmed but Activision’s wording on the issue is very suspect.
2023 – Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
The spiritual sequel to Suikoden, by many of the original developers, has been one of the biggest Kickstarter games of recent years and while prequel Rising was disappointing hopefully this won’t be.
2023 – Pikmin 4 (NS)
It’s never been one of their biggest sellers but since it’s a favourite of Shigeru Miyamoto the pikmin keep coming back, although this sequel promises to shake up the formula a little more than previous games.
2023 – Silent Hill: Ascension (TBC)
The least interesting of the forthcoming Silent Hill games is the only one confirmed for this year, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer for Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill f. It’s not entirely clear, but Ascension seems to essentially be a cross between Until Dawn and Twitch Plays Pokémon.
2023 – Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (XSX/PS5/PC)
Thanks to Henry Cavill, Warhammer is suddenly big news and as usual there’s a gazillion video game tie-ins planned for this year. This is the biggest: a sequel to the flawed but generally popular third person shooter from 2011.
2023 – The Last Of Us multiplayer (TBC)
Sony’s silence during 2022 has been such that they still haven’t given a name to Naughty Dog’s multiplayer game, yet alone a release date or confirmation of rumours that it’s free-to-play.
2023 – Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (PS5)
Technically, this isn’t confirmed for 2023 as its release date is currently down as late 2023 or early 2024. Either way though, the second part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake project is much anticipated.
Possible for 2023
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (XSX/PC)
Although once implied to be an early release for the Xbox Series X/S, there have been no major updates on Hellblade 2 in quite a while, so it’s very hard to guess whether it’s imminent or not.
Fable (XSX/PC)
It’s the same problem for Fable, which you’d assume will at least be unveiled this year and could potentially be Microsoft’s big 2023 Christmas release. Or maybe Christmas 2024, no one really knows.
Tekken 8 (XSX/PS5/PC)
Although it has now been officially announced it’s not certain exactly how far along the new Tekken is or whether Bandai Namco wants to put it head-to-head with Street Fighter 6 – or just wait till next year.
skate.
It’s still unclear when the new Skate (which is not called Skate 4) is being released but it is possible you’ll at least get some sort of early access this year, even if the full game isn’t out till 2024.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora (XSX/PS5/PC)
It remains to be seen if the second movie will be as big as the first, but that didn’t help the success of any previous video game adaptations, so it’s hard to know what to expect from this new open world one, which is, rather indecisively, scheduled for either 2023 or 2024.
Hellboy: Web Of Wyrd (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
A welcome surprise for fans of the comics (like us) at The Game Awards, there’s so far been no clue as to a release date, but it did seem as if it was meant to be out sooner rather than later.
Unlikely for 2023
New BioShock
Although 2K officially announced a new BioShock game several years ago, from new studio Cloud Chamber, the only information on it has come from rumours and they don’t suggest a 2023 launch.
Judas (XSX/PS5/PC)
The creator of the original BioShock games, Ken Levine, is working on his own new game at the moment, but while there was some gameplay footage at The Game Awards it doesn’t seem likely to come out in 2024 either.
The Witcher
It doesn’t seem as if work on the remake of the very first The Witcher game has progressed far enough to expect a 2023 launch, and yet it’s still the furthest along of any of the new Witcher projects.
The Outer Worlds 2 (XSX/PC)
This was once implied to be relatively imminent but like most Microsoft first party games there was no update on its progress in 2022, and with no leaks its release date is currently pure guesswork.
Avowed (XSX/PC)
Obsidian’s other big game is in exactly the same position, as nothing has been seen or heard of it since 2020. It looked like a Skyrim clone at that point, but that was before Microsoft bought Skyrim maker Bethesda.
Assassin’s Creed Infinity
Mirage is almost certainly the only major new Assassin’s Creed release this year, with the games codenamed Hexe and Red – which are part of the Infinity meta game – not expected until 2024 or later.
Kingdom Hearts 4
The screenshot tease, that may have hinted at a Star Wars crossover, seemed to imply the game was on the fast track but nothing has been heard since and it’s now almost certain that it’s not out this year.
Marvel’s Iron Man
Sony isn’t the only one to have access to the Marvel licence, as the new standalone Iron Man game is a multiformat game from EA. They’re also rumoured to have a Black Panther game in development (not to be confused with Amy Hennig’s Black Panther and Captain America game) but it seems Iron Man will be out first – just not this year.
Star Wars: Eclipse
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is one of this year’s first big games, but it doesn’t seem likely that there’ll be any others in 2023. Quantic Dream’s Eclipse is thought to be years away, we still haven’t seen anything on Ubisoft’s open world game, and the Knights Of The Old Republic remake is probably cancelled. There are some other titles coming via Respawn, that are implied to be lower budget, but so far we don’t know anything concrete about those either.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf
A long term resident of our ‘unlikely to be out this year’ section, at least Dragon Age 4 has a name now, which is more than can be said for the new Mass Effect, which is believed to be even further out.
New Tomb Raider
The unexpected announcement that Amazon will be acting as publisher for Lara Croft’s latest is the only real information we’ve had on the game this year, which probably won’t be out until at least 2025.
Perfect Dark
Crystal Dynamics are busy at the moment. Not only do they have Tomb Raider and what’s left of Avengers in development but they’re also helping out Microsoft with their Perfect Dark reboot – allegedly after half the original staff left the project in turmoil.
Metroid Prime 4 (NS)
It’s almost certainly not out this year (although you can never tell with Nintendo) but we would be surprised if we didn’t at least see the first footage this year, perhaps at E3 in June.
Beyond Good And Evil 2
The lack of news and the exit of series creator Michel Ancel has made it very difficult to care about the impossibly long wait for this sequel, and it’s hard to imagine any of those factors changing in 2023.
Death Stranding 2
Announced at The Game Awards, this follow-up to the 2019 original may be called something different by that time it’s released, which most certainly will not be in 2023.
The Sims 5
It’s easy to forget that EA has actually announced The Sims 5, aka Project Rene, but there’s zero chance of the game being released this year, beyond perhaps some limited early access features.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 (PS5)
Capcom said this wouldn’t be out anytime soon, when they first announced it, and they don’t seem to be lying. It’s not even necessarily certain that we’ll get to a preview or trailer this year.
XCOM 3
Frustratingly, given the last game was one of our all-time favourites, just about the only rumour from the Nvidia mega link that hasn’t yet been proven true so far is XCOM 3 – but here’s hoping it’s at least announced in 2023.
Grand Theft Auto 6
Although there’s no chance of Rockstar’s long-awaited sequel being released this year there is a reasonable chance they’ll start talking about it in detail and perhaps release the first trailer.
Half-Life 3
It’s hard to imagine a year when this won’t be part of our unlikely list but while there have been rumours of Valve vaguely thinking about making the game, they don’t seem to have thought about it very hard.
Also confirmed for 2023:
19 January – Colossal Cave (NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
19 January – Persona 3 Portable (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
19 January – Persona 4 Golden (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
20 January – Monster Hunter Rise (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5)
26 January – Disgaea 7 (PS4/NS/PS5) – Japan only, Western release TBC
2 February – Deliver Us Mars (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
16 February – Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (PS4/NS)
17 February – The Settlers: New Allies (PC)
17 February – Tales Of Symphonia Remastered (XO/PS4/NS)
21 February – Like A Dragon: Ishin (PS4/PS5)
21 February – Atomic Heart (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
24 February – Kerbal Space Program 2 early access (PC)
24 February – Kirby’s Return To Dream Land Deluxe (NS)
February – Darkest Dungeon 2 (PC)
3 March – The Last Of Us Part 1 (PC)
9 March – Project Zero: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
March – Amnesia: The Bunker (XO/PS4/PC)
4 April – Meet Your Maker (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
14 April – Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (PS4/NS/PC)
April – Star Trek Resurgence (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
Q1 – Dead Cells: Return To Castlevania DLC (XO/PS4/NS/PC)
Early 2023 – Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
Early 2023 – Returnal (PC)
Early 2023 – Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
Spring – Nightingale (PC)
June – RoboCop: Rogue City (NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
Summer – Goodbye Volcano High (PS4/PS5/PC)
Summer – Story Of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
Summer – The Expanse: A Telltale Series (TBC)
Summer – Disney Dreamlight Valley (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
December – Mina The Hollower (PC)
Late 2023 – Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Star Wars: Hunters (NS/iOS/Android)
2023 – Ark 2 early access (XSX/PC)
2023 – Black Myth: Wukong (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Crash Team Rumble (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5)
2023 – Aliens: Dark Descent (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – The Division: Heartland (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Payday 3 (TBC)
2023 – Metal Slug Tactics (NS/PC)
2023 – Transformers: Reactivate beta (PC)
2023 – Exoprimal (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – The Wolf Among Us 2 (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – EA Sports PGA Tour (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Homeworld 3 (PC)
2023 – The Lords Of The Fallen (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Fallout 4 (XSX/PS5)
2023 – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Pragmata (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Hyenas (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Lollipop Chainsaw remake (TBC)
2023 – Park Beyond (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Disney Speedstorm (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Under The Waves (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals (PS4/NS/PS5/PC)
2023 – Viewfinder (PS5/PC)
2023 – Replaced (XO/XSX/PC)
2023 – Immortals Of Aveum (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Atlas Fallen (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – After Us (XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Cocoon (XO/NS/XSX/PC)
2023 – Open Roads (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
2023 – Season (PS5/PC)
2023 – Blue Protocol (XSX/PS5/PC)
Confirmed for 2024 or otherwise highly unlikely for 2023:
Marvel’s Wolverine (PS5)
Wonder Woman (XSX/PS5/PC)
Slitterhead (PC)
Earthblade (PC)
Like A Dragon 8
Rise Of The Rōnin (PS5)
MachineGames’ Indiana Jones game
Io Interactive’s Project 007 (XSX/PS5)
The Elder Scrolls 6
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New games including Starfield, Zelda: Tears Of The Kindom, and Resident Evil 4 already have firm release dates but what else is out in 2023?
