Welcome to 2023, and it promises to be another significant year for gamers.
2022 is in the books, and it closed on an extremely high note thanks to God of War: Ragnarok blowing gamers away once again and cementing Kratos as one of the greatest video game characters ever, sorry Mario.
There was also this other popular game called Elden Ring that took home Game of the Year at The Game Awards and gave us one of the most head-scratching moments ever.
Oh, and we can’t forget Horizon Forbidden West, another fantastic entry into Guerilla’s epic franchise adding to PlayStation’s stellar year of exclusives.
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But that was then. This is now. 2023 looks promising, thanks mainly to games that were supposed to drop in 2022 having their wigs pushed back.
Hip Hop Wired decided to narrow that list down to 15 games WE are most excited to pick up the sticks for in 2023. Now, if we miss one, that’s okay; remember, this is our list, but we don’t mind you throwing your suggestion our way.
Below are 15 titles we can’t wait to play on our Xbox Series X, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
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Photo: Future Publishing / Getty
1. Dead Space
Resident Evil and Silent Hill had the survival horror genre on lock-in grounded locales. 2008’s Dead Space took the fear from those games and perfected it in outer space.
Fast Foward to 2023, the good folks at EA decided it was time to revive the franchise and bring the necromorph terror to next-gen consoles.
The original team that made 2008’s Dead Space has since moved on and dropped TheCallisto Protocol, a similar game but at the same time quite different.
Motive Studios has taken over the franchise and promises the remake will stay true to the original but, at the same time, vastly improve on the game.
Based on what he has seen so far, that looks like that will be the case. Dead Space arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC on January 27.
2. Resident Evil 4
Capcom shook the Resident Evil franchise up when it dropped Resident Evil 4 on the Nintendo Switch in 2005. Ditching slow gameplay mechanics, the tank controls fans came to love in the original games for a new over-the-shoulder camera view and fast-paced action, and a new inventory system turned out to be a successful gamble for the video game company.
Resident Evil 4 would become one of the essential titles in video game history, so it makes sense that Capcom would also give it the same remake treatment that Resident Evil 2 and RE 3: Nemesis have received.
Resident Evil 4 remake sees the return of Leon S. Kennedy, arguably one of the most popular characters in the RE franchise. It looks to build off the momentum started by his introductory adventure in Resident Evil 2.
The game arrives on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series S | X, and PC on March 24.
3. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Sony is looking to have another strong year for the PS5, which could be easily attainable thanks to Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
We still don’t know much about this game except that both Spider-Man and Miles Morales will be playable and will be taking on Venom.
Insomniac assured fans that the game will arrive in 2023 but has yet to share a solid release date, we expect that information to come soon.
4. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
It took a long five years for Final Fantasy VII: Remake to hit consoles, and thankfully so because that game was a masterpiece.
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long for the next installment, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. The game will pick up where the first chapter ended, with Cloud and the crew trying to stop Sephiroth from enacting his plan, and that’s all we know.
The game is set to arrive “next winter,” so that could mean 2023 or the beginning of 2024, we’re hoping for this year because we are thirsty for more.
Like the previous title, this game is exclusive to the PlayStation 5.
5. Final Fantasy XVI
Final Fantasy XVI, the next installment in the Final Fantasy saga, is taking it back to the times of knights, kings, queens, wizards, and palace intrigue, and it looks L I T.
This one will be a timed exclusive coming to PlayStation 5 consoles first on June 22, and eventually on Windows PC.
6. Assassin's Creed Mirage
With the changing year, you can always expect a new game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. For Mirage, Ubisoft’s next installment is returning to the original formula that made the game a hit with fans.
This game will ditch the Action/RPG format returning to its stealth roots and will be set in Baghdad in the 9th century, and will follow the assassin Basim Ibn Ishaq, a character you met in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.
Get ready to assassinate and get your parkour on when Assassin’s Creed Mirage drops on PlayStation, Xbox, Windows PC, and Amazon Luna sometime later this year.
7. Forspoken
The developers behind Final Fantasy 15 took a break from the iconic franchise to bring to the gaming world Forspoken, a new IP from Square Enix.
The game follows Frey, played by the beautiful Ella Ballinska, who is magically transported to a fantasy world where she will be guided by a talking bracelet and armed with magical spells to help her find her way back home to New York City.
Forspoken is PlayStation 5 console exclusive and will also arrive on Windows PC on January 24.
8. RoboCop: Rogue City
Teyon Games made a first-person shooter featuring our favorite cyborg cop, and it looks pretty damn good. RoboCop: Rogue City will have players taking on the role of Alex Murphy as he dishes out his brand of justice across Old and New Detroit while trying to stop a massive crime wave.
RoboCop: Rogue City arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam on June 2023.
9. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
It’s been almost 6 years since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, which many consider being a game changer.
While we still wait for a new Nintendo Switch, we won’t have to wait too long for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the highly-anticipated follow-up to Breath of The Wild. We still don’t know much about the game’s plot except that Link will have some new abilities, and a lot of the adventure will possibly take place in the skies above Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom supposedly launches on the Nintendo Switch & Switch OLED on May 12.
10. Street Fighter 6
Capcom is looking to have a much better launch with Street Fighter 6 than it did with Street Fighter V. When the next installment in the iconic fighting game franchise arrives, it will do so with three modes.
Players can look forward to the classic mode Fight Ground that delivers old-school Street Fighter action, the new World Tour mode where players have to fight their way to the top, and a Battle Hub for multiplayer hands, feet, and dragon punches can be exchanged.
Street Fighter 6 launches on PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, and PC on June 2.
11. Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
Rocksteady Games gives Batman a break and gives players control of Task Force X in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.
Technically, Batman is still around, but this time he’s on the wrong side of justice. In the game, players will control a team comprised of villains Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark. Their mission will be to take down the Justice League, including “alpha target” Superman, The Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman.
The supes are all under the control of Brainiac, one of Superman’s many enemies.
Task Force X will look to do the impossible in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League when the game arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on May 26.
12. Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2, the long-awaited follow-up to the 2011 game, has had its wig pushed back NUMEROUS times, so could this be the year the sequel finally comes out?
We hope so.
In Dead Island 2, the action RPG shifts from an island resort to sunny Los Angeles, where players can pick up whatever they want and use it as a weapon to eradicate the undead.
Dead Island 2 arrives on PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One on April 28, we hope.
13. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Team Ninja, the studio behind the action RPG series Nioh is looking to shake up 2023 with Wo-Long: Fallen Dynasty, a Soulslike game described as a “dark fantasy action game set in the Chinese Three Kingdoms period.”
We played the extensive demo and enjoyed our time with the game. We can’t way to play more when the game drops on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC on March 3. It will also be a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass.
14. Hogwarts Legacy
This might be the Harry Potter-themed game fans of the books and movies have longed for. Hogwarts Legacy will see players taking on the role of a student attending the fictional wizarding school during the 1800s, well before Harry Potter and his friends were born.
It’s an open-world adventure full of all the fantastic lore from the Harry Potter books and films. Whether fans will be able to look past the transphobic nonsense the series creator J.K. Rowling has been spewing and pick up the game is another story.
Hogwarts Legacy arrives on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on February 10.
15. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Cal Kestis’ adventure continues in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and he’s no longer the green Jedi on the run we first met. Equipped with new skills, some better lightsabers, loyal droid BD-1, and a new ally and friend, Kestis is trying to survive as Darth Vader and The Empire continue the mission to wipe the Jedi from the universe.
Unlike the first game, Survivor, which takes place five years after the events of Fallen Order, will be much darker in tone.
This sounds like the sequel we were hoping for. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor arrives on Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC on March 17.
