We’re getting to the pointy end now, stepping into the top 10 of our most wanted games of 2023, and there’s naturally some of the biggest games of the coming year included in this batch of five.
10. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
PS5, XSX|S, PC | 26th May 2023
It feels like some of our anticipation and excitement for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has waned in the past 12 months – certainly the game has now slid from #5 on our Most Wanted 2022 list to #10 for 2023. Part of that will be from all of the expectation that was building up and up while Rocksteady’s post-Batman: Arkham Knight project was being reported on and leaked prior to Suicide Squad’s 2020 reveal. However, since then, the game has slide from 2021 to 2022 and then further to 2023.
In that time, we’ve had barely a sniff of what the game will actually look like. Oh sure, there’s been a number of story and cinematic trailers – the most recent pays tribute to and reveals Kevin Conroy as Batman – but there’s been just one gameplay trailer, and it’s the sort of fast cuts of action that show off special abilities and finishing moves, but little of the moment-to-moment.
Don’t get us wrong, we’re still looking forward to this game’s release, but Rocksteady and Warner Bros. will need to kick off a big campaign of trailers and reveals to ratchet that excitement back up. I’ve no doubt that’s the plan.
9. Street Fighter 6
PS5, XSX|S, PS4, PC | 2nd June 2023
We’re about to step into the next generation of fighting games in 2023, and Capcom has big and bold plans for Street Fighter 6. There’s a lovely new art style, there’s an exciting roster of characters, there’s a whole character builder, a broad online multiplayer lobby arena, and so much more that look to define the fighting game scene for the next decade.
The best thing, compared to Street Fighter 5’s launch, is that Capcom feels ready to deliver. There’s already been two beta tests that have drawn plenty of positive responses from the fighting game community, and it really seems like Capcom has a fully fleshed out game that they want to release in the summer. With such solid foundations for SF6, and with exciting competition from other contenders for the genre crown, 2023’s going to be a good year for fighting fans.
8. Like a Dragon: Ishin!
PS5, XSX|S, PS4, XBO, PC | 21st February 2023
It speaks to the growing reputation of the Like a Dragon franchise (better known in the West by its former name of Yakuza) that one of our most eagerly awaited games of this year is a remake of a niche spin-off that never received a localised release outside Japan. Like a Dragon: Ishin steps back from modern day Japan to 1860s Kyo (a fictionalised Kyoto), dropping the familiar faces of Kiryu and Goro into the shoes of historical characters.
This will be the third game remake in the Like a Dragon series, after Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2, but this comes with the distinction that RGG is moving on from their in-house game engine and is building Like a Dragon: Ishin in Unreal Engine 4.
7. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
PS5, XSX|S, PC | 17th March 2023
After the success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a sequel to Respawn’s blend of Soulslike elements with a Star Wars story was a no-brainer. Picking up five years on from that first game, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor picks up with Cal Kestis (now looking like a dapper guitar-toting singer songwriter) as he’s struggling to stay one step ahead of the Empire’s constant pursuit of the last remaining Jedi, but along with his trusty (and still very cute) droid companion BD-1, he will find himself a new ally and meet up with new and interesting characters.
Naturally Respawn will be building on the foundations of the first game, but as it’s now coming exclusively on the current gen consoles, Respawn can push on in certain ways, improving the visuals, the animations, the combat variety and more. The reveal trailer featured animal riding, combat team ups, grappling hooks and more.
6. Horizon Call of the Mountain
PSVR 2 | 22nd February 2023
Aloy’s taking the back seat in Horizon Call of the Mountain, which will instead put you in the shoes and gloves of a new protagonist. Ryas is a former Shadow Carja Warrior looking for redemption, taking on a mission to clamber up the titular mountain, battling with the series’ distinctive animalistic robots on a quest to stave off a threat to the Sundom.
There’s quite a lot riding on Horizon Call of the Mountain to give the best impression of PlayStation VR 2 to people picking up Sony’s fancy new headset. As a launch title, Guerrilla Games and Firesprite are cooking up the first real showcase of what PSVR 2 can do, both in terms of graphics, and for what the new individual hand controllers enable for console VR games.
We’ll take a little break over the long weekend, and pick things up for a deeper look at the top five in the new year. Want to catch up on the list so far? We’ve got handy links for you to catch up right here:
- Our Most Wanted Games of 2023 – #50 to #46
- Our Most Wanted Games of 2023 – #45 to #41
- Our Most Wanted Games of 2023 – #40 to #36
- Our Most Wanted Games of 2023 – #35 to #31
- Our Most Wanted Games of 2023 – #30 to #26
- Our Most Wanted Games of 2023 – #25 to #21
- Our Most Wanted Games of 2023 – #20 to #16
- Our Most Wanted Games of 2023 – #15 to #11
