Top 26 Video Games of 2023 (So Far)
Top 26 Video Games of 2023 (So Far)
HotSamples Gamer Zone: A Doozy of a Year in Gaming!
Excited about 2023’s slate of video games? Or are you still all too busy foaming at the mouth over your grand return to Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to play anything else? Either way, HotSamples’s Gamer Zone has kept busy, and this year has already been a doozy.
First of all, the remake engine never stops—but we’re not complaining, because we got a gnarly update of Dead Space out of it. Plus, studios keep making frog-based games, such as Time on Frog Island, Shoulders of Giants, and A Frog’s Tale. (If you let me play as a frog, my money is yours.) We’re also emptying our wallets into Pikmin 4, Fire Emblem: Engage, and Diablo IV, losing countless hours of sleep in the process. Of course, come September, we’ll stop playing every game that’s not called Starfield. Anyway, we gave up our precious time finding the best skill tree paths to clue you in on some of our favorite games of the year (so far). Enjoy, gamers.—Josh Rosenberg
Pikmin 4
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Though Pikmin 4 is not the most challenging entry in the franchise, it’s certainly the best the game has ever looked. Pikmin 4 was clearly designed as a jumping-on point for a new generation of players, but I’m not knocking it! There are a bunch of late-game challenges for dedicated Pikmin masters. Plus, I’ll never get tired of launching those cute little guys.—J.R.
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We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
To me, nothing is more nostalgic in the world of video games than Katamari. We Love Katamari may have debuted back in 2005, but this remastered version for the Nintendo Switch comes with updated graphics and five brand-new challenges dubbed the “Royal Reverie.” If you’re as romantic for rolling around a big katamari as I am, this is the throwback for you too.—J.R.
Pokemon Sleep
Platform: Mobile
Half sleep tracker and half Pokémon collector, Pokémon Sleep follows Pokémon Go as the new thing I obsess over—and ultimately pick up—when I probably shouldn’t be playing video games. Still, Pokémon Sleep demands very little of your time. It may even help fix those all-night gaming habits.—J.R.
Street Fighter 6
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, PC
Is this finally the modern-gen Street Fighter game we’ve been waiting for? Looks like…yes! At last, we have a brand-new Capcom fighter that boasts the style and thrill of classic Street Fighter titles—but without all the annoying microtransaction/DLC stuff of past entries. (I’m looking at you, Street Fighter 5.) That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of content to look forward to with this one. Capcom is already rolling out new fighters, and we’re here for it. Haidouken!—Dom Nero
Homebody
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch
This indie horror game has flown a little under the radar since it dropped in June, but we absolutely love it. Think of it as the Skinamarink of horror games (if you’re familiar with that delightfully demented lo-fi film from earlier this year). It’s a throwback to the PS1-era graphics, with a legitimately haunting setup that calls to mind all the nightmares of your childhood… if you were, like me, a scaredy cat who played PS1 games as a kid.—D.N.
And many more exciting games to explore!
