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Every new year brings a new set of hype-worthy releases. Our video games of 2022 list anticipated the release of now-favorites such as Stray, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Horizon Forbidden West, and Scorn. These upcoming video games of 2023 are split between new titles and sequels to games you’ve likely played this year or in previous years. Some of them are even sequels to last year’s upcoming games, making them a great place to pick up where you left off in your gaming adventures.
1. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
After nearly three years of waiting, we’re finally getting a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The first game ended with Cal Kestis being hunted down by Inquisitors and Darth Vader before being narrowly saved from certain doom by his friends. Haunted by the realities of what it means to be a Jedi in this new galaxy under the Empire’s control, he decides to destroy the Holocron that lists all the Force-sensitive children in the galaxy in order to protect them. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will likely cover the consequences of Cal’s decision not to re-establish the Jedi order, what happens to the children, and how Cal will deal with life as a forever-in-hiding Jedi.
2. Atomic Heart
Atomic Heart is expected to join the list of PlayStation5 games this February 2023, but don’t worry if you aren’t a PS5 owner. The game is set to release on PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and Steam as well. The game is a mix of FPS and RPG elements that plops you in a futuristic setting packed with freaky androids and monsters. Its somewhat retro-futuristic visuals give it a Fallout vibe but as for the story, the trailer gives next to nothing away.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Ever since Breath of the Wild came out, fans have been clamoring for more open-world Zelda experiences that take them through gorgeous landscapes with mentally stimulating puzzles. We already got the second BOTW game last year so The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom marks a whole new chapter of Link’s adventures. It’s slated to release in May and will feature Link fixing his signature Master Sword. Other than that, not much is known about the game’s plotline.
4. Flintlock: Siege of Dawn
Steampunk mages? Flintlock: Siege of Dawn certainly knows how to raise eyebrows and it’s got out attention. It’s one of the few big video games of 2023 that won’t be a sequel to any existing franchise but it may be the start of a new one. The game is expected to be an action RPG available on pretty much everything barring mobile and the Nintendo Switch.
You’ll play the game as a member of the Nor Vanek, a coalition army of spell and gun-slinging fighters that partner up with a familiar that helps you battle the undead.
5. Dead Island 2
If you thought Electronic Arts took a while to get around to a sequel for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the Dead Island franchise took much longer. After the success of the first game back in 2011, publishers Deep Silver and Plaion are finally releasing a sequel that’s even more cackle-inducing than its predecessor. Apparently, Dead Island 2 will let you call out to zombies, drawing them towards you so you can get that second, final kill in. The game is going to feature a lot of new Alexa Game Control integrations so you might be able to pull aside NPCs and ask them where you can find certain resources.
6. Diablo 4
Who doesn’t know Diablo? This 4th installment to the game franchise builds on older game mechanics and principles so expect a more polished version of the game you already know and love. First announced at BlizzCon 2019, the new Diablo is expected to release in June 2023 with its first season set to release just a few weeks later.
“Our big season updates are all completely free, they’re filled with new progression mechanics, new monsters to fight, challenges, new quests, and content to go and consume,” Associate game director Joseph Piepiora said in a live stream, “There’s a lot to look forward to and all of that comes with the box price of the game you’ve already purchased.”
7. Hollow Knight: Silksong
We’re seeing a lot of old favorites coming back this 2023 with a sequel and Hollow Knight: Silksong is just the tip of the iceberg for the sequel video games of 2023. Just like in Hollow Knight, we’ll be traveling with the princess of Hallownest, Hornet, as she ventures through a kingdom of silk and song. Silksong!
By the way!
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Listed among the game’s features on Steam are new weapons, fresh game environments, and game modes that let you test the limits of your abilities.
8. Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16 has a tough balancing act to do when it releases. A franchise as old as Final Fantasy naturally has a dedicated fan base that knows what it likes and wants to stick to it. The only problem? Old ways don’t exactly attract new players.
“We want the world, especially the younger generation, to play the game,” Producer Naoki Yoshida said in an interview with Comic Days, “The traditional RPG style of turn-based command fighting is no longer familiar to them.”
Uh-oh. Yoshida has already admitted that some players aren’t going to like the removal of turn-based combat in the new Final Fantasy but he’s willing to risk that to expand the game’s player base while its reputation can still do the marketing for it. According to him, many players in their late teens to late twenties have heard of the game but never played it. Yoshida seems to want to change this by making combat feel more immediate.
9. Silent Hill: Ascension
Silent Hill: Ascension has a distinctly 2020s feel with its new take on horror game mechanics that combines streaming with in-world gameplay. Or at least, that’s what the trailer seems to be implying. The Silent Hill trailer releases have been quite secretive about what their games bring to the table, but its description as a “massively interactive live event” as per Konami themselves may blur the boundaries between the game world and our own to create a spine-chillingly immersive experience.
10. Hades 2
The first Hades game was a roguelike even non-roguelike fans could love and one of the few games to feature a canonically bisexual character. Because of this, Hades 2 will likely be the inclusive game among the upcoming video games of 2023. The Hades 2 released a few weeks ago broke the internet as fans asked who could be Zagreus’ mysterious new sister who fights with double blades and seems to be trying to kill Kronos/Chronos, the titan and god of time who are often conflated with each other.
In the meantime, Steam is still running its annual year-end Winter Sale so you have more than enough time to catch up with earlier titles before picking up their installments this coming 2023.
