The most anticipated games of 2023
Traditionally, at the beginning of the year, we remember the games that should finally get to the players and keep our fingers crossed so that this year there are as few delayed releases as possible. Well, except perhaps for better optimization, then you can.
Some games made it into our January selection of releases of the month, like Dead Space Remake and Forspoken, we will not repeat them. You can read about future Ukrainian games in a separate article. We also tried to mention not only potential hits that are already constantly in the information field, but also interesting niche projects. And do not forget that this is only a small part of what awaits us this year.
We also noticed that more and more games are bypassing the last generation of consoles, this is probably the last year of cross-gen projects and the releases of the next years will finally start to squeeze all the juice out of the current consoles.
Hogwarts Legacy
Genre: RPG
Date of: January 10
Platform: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Survivor games were not only a source of memes (mainly thanks to the Promt Russian translation), but sometimes really good games. Hogwarts Legacy has every chance to bring the gaming segment of the Wizarding World to a whole new level. A large open world where you can freely move around on a broomstick, a lot of spells (including forbidden ones), your own cache with a greenhouse for magical plants, as well as a bag with a whole zoo of fantastic animals.
The game will first be released on PC and the current generation of consoles; then on PS4, Xbox One on April 04, and finally on Switch on July 25.
PS VR2 / Horizon Call of the Mountain
Genre: VR Action
Date of: February 22
Platform: PSVR2/PS5
Horizon Call of the Mountain will be the launch project for PlayStation VR2 and seems to be the driving force behind Sony’s new VR headset. Almost all the mechanics of the original Horizon have been embodied in Call of the Mountain, there will be parkour, and exploration of the area, and even battles with giant works. The main thing is that all these stunning tricks do not force you to run to the restroom.
As for the new helmet, it will be more technologically advanced than its predecessor. Higher resolution, better positioning in space, but the most important innovation is the new manipulators, PS VR2 Sense, which adopted the functionality of DualSense, in addition, they are also sensitive to finger touch. Interestingly, the helmet itself can also vibrate, it is already interesting how this functionality will be applied in mountains.
In addition to Horizon Call of the Mountain, about 20 new and adapted games are promised at the launch of the helmet.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Genre: Action, Adventure
Date of: March 17
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
After the successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and a number of other single-player projects, Electronic Arts suddenly realized that people also need story games, and they are even ready to buy them (if they are good). Survivor seems to be following the well-trodden path of sequels: fixing bugs, adding content, and not breaking what worked. And fans don’t need more, except for a pinch of innovation, so that the sequel doesn’t seem lazy at all.
Witchfire
Genre: Action, Adventure
Date of: Q1 2023
Platform: PC
The authors of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and the cult Painkiller decided to return to the roots and create an old-school shooter based on the player’s reflexes and skills. The Astronauts studio has about a dozen developers, which is probably why Witchfire has been in development for more than 5 years, but they promise a release in the first quarter of this year.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Genre: Metroidvania
Date of: Q2 2023
Platform: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
The continuation of Hollow Knight is slowly gaining fame as a long-term construction, the game was announced back in 2019 and the game still has no final release date. Although Microsoft on Twitter promise that the game should be released this year.
Initially, Silksong was supposed to be only an add-on, but during the development process it was decided to make a full-fledged sequel, because ideologically and in terms of mechanics, the new heroine did not really fit into the DLC format.
Hollow Knight takes place in the kingdom of insects, and we play as a little knight.
Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Genre: Action Adventure
Date of: February 21
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Ishin!, is an offshoot of the Yakuza series (in Japan this series is called Like a Dragon) in which the characters of the main series are reincarnated as their historical ancestors, the events also unfold in the scenery of medieval Japan. This is a remake of the original Like a Dragon: Ishin!, which was released back in 2014 on PS3 and PS4 in Japan only.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Genre: Action Adventure
Date of: 26 of May
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a long-suffering game by Rocksteady, creators of the Batman: Arkham trilogy and which is part of this universe. In the story, the Suicide Squad must stop the alien invader Brainiac, who has taken over the minds of members of the Justice League. The game can be played both in the company of three more friends, and on your own, in which case you will be allowed to switch between heroes, and other team members will be controlled by artificial intelligence.
The game was the last work of Kevin Conroy, the unchanging voice of Batman for 30 years.
Alan Wake 2
Genre: Adventure, Horror
Date of: 2023
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Like most cult games, Alan Wake did not live up to the financial expectations of the publisher and for many years the sequel was kept in the shadows, like the hero of the series himself. After the success of Control and the return of the publishing rights to the game to Remedy, the studio decided to return the beloved hero to the monitor screens. Sam Lake promised that the sequel would be truly terrible (that is, scary), and move towards survival horror, and also release a sequel before the end of this year.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Genre: Assassin’s Creed
Date of: 2023
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
The series returns to its roots, that is, no RPG elements and pumping, at least that’s what Ubisoft promises us. Mirage is set to be a story-driven prequel offshoot of Valhalla that will tell the story of Bashim’s rise to fame.
PS: After the first screening of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the fans of Prince of Persia cried somewhere.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Genre: FPS, Immersive
Date of: 2023
Platform: PC, Xbox Series X|S
The developers are very reluctant to share information about the long-awaited continuation of STALKER After several atmospheric and, frankly, combed trailers, GSC finally showed a real piece of gameplay, and they didn’t forget to put a pinch of the plot.
Although there is still no official release date, some bad SMMs on The Game Awards Twitter have put the game on the list of games that should be released before the end of June this year.
Despite the constant Russian attacks, part of the team stayed in Kyiv and continues to work on the project so that this year we can enjoy the most anticipated domestic game of recent years.
