It鈥檚 been a terrific year for video games. Developers hit their stride on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S consoles, unleashing massive adventures big enough to satisfy gamers for weeks. The Switch is at the end of its lifespan, but Nintendo debuted two spectacular games on its way out. And indie studios held up their end, delivering distinctive takes on classic genres.
Here are the top 10 games of 2023, as chosen by Associated Press writer Lou Kesten.
1. Baldur's Gate III
Role-playing games were particularly ambitious this year, and from Belgium鈥檚 Larian Studios. The main plot 鈥 you have a deadly parasite in your brain, and you need to get it out 鈥 is compelling enough, but your trek through the Forgotten Realms introduces a lively cast of characters and a cornucopia of fascinating side missions. It鈥檚 as close to the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop game as you can get digitally, and it鈥檚 a blast.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nearly 40 years in, Nintendo keeps finding and his eternal battle against evil. His most powerful new skill this time is Ultrahand, which allows him to build a seemingly endless variety of outlandish vehicles to traverse the sprawling land of Hyrule. Add in the usual assortment of devilish dungeons and brain-busting puzzles, and you can spend 100-some hours just goofing around before tackling its emotionally moving climax.
3. Cocoon
Feel like you鈥檙e carrying the weight of the world? That鈥檚 literally the burden of the beetle from Annapurna Interactive. Thing is, each of those spheres gives you a special power (which I won鈥檛 spoil), and you can jump inside each world and explore. By the time you鈥檙e moving worlds within worlds, your mind鈥檚 fully blown. Designer Jeppe Carlsen is known for the bleak cult classics Inside and Limbo, and while he鈥檚 in a more forgiving mood here, Cocoon is just as thought-provoking.
4. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
The 2020 release of Cyberpunk was, frankly, a mess, but Poland鈥檚 CD Projekt Red has devoted an extraordinary amount of effort to turning it into the game fans had hoped for. makes it all worthwhile. It begins as an 鈥淓scape from New York鈥 riff 鈥 the president鈥檚 plane crashes in an urban hellhole 鈥 and evolves into a brutal take on technology, global politics and corporate voracity. Yes, Keanu Reeves is back 鈥 and you get to hang out with Idris Elba too!
5. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Nintendo鈥檚 most iconic character returns to the 2D, side-scrolling, running-and-jumping antics that made him famous. : He can drill through the ground, trap enemies in bubbles and even turn into an elephant. But the real highlight of each level is the Wonder Flower, which can transform the whole environment in an entirely different challenge. SMBW feels like the designers took every wacky idea they鈥檝e had over the decades and stuffed them all into one game, and it鈥檚 hilarious.
6. Chants of Sennaar
This puzzler from French indie Rundisc is built around a distinctive mechanic: translating foreign languages. Your an edifice inspired by the Tower of Babel, but you鈥檙e not going anywhere until you can make sense of the enigmatic signs and cryptic speech of each level鈥檚 inhabitants. It鈥檚 almost relaxing, but I felt thrilled every time I managed to crack a new code. And the overarching goal 鈥 trying to find common ground with people you don鈥檛 understand 鈥 is inspiring.
7. Sea of Stars
The 1990s are regarded as the golden age of role-playing games, and the folks at Canada鈥檚 Sabotage Studio are obviously fans. is the tale of two young warriors who can harness the powers of the moon and sun as they fight monsters summoned by a wicked alchemist. The graphics and gameplay evoke 16-bit classics like Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, the characters are thoroughly charming, and the story takes some surprising twists. While it works as homage, SoS has enough original ideas to make an old formula fresh.
8. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
The Marvel Cinematic Universe may be limping, but Sony and Insomniac Games apparently didn鈥檛 get the memo. Their soars, with two Spideys 鈥 Peter Parker and Miles Morales 鈥 web-slinging their way between the skyscrapers of Manhattan and beyond. It鈥檚 beautifully paced, alternating low-key personal episodes with high-octane brawls against flamboyant supervillains. It鈥檚 the ideal antidote to superhero fatigue.
9. Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
Afia, the swashbuckler at the center of this pirate caper from Germany鈥檚 Mimimi Games, has a problem: She鈥檚 dead, with a big old sword sticking right through her torso. But she鈥檚 not about to let that stop her from of the ghost ship Red Marley and wreaking havoc on the high seas. Each of the sailors has a mystical power 鈥 Afia can teleport, for example, while the ship鈥檚 carpenter can drag people to hell. The result is an addictive series of tactical challenges with a bracing dose of black comedy.
10. Starfield
Bethesda Softworks tries to cram decades of science fiction 鈥 from 鈥2001: A Space Odyssey鈥 to 鈥淏lade Runner鈥 to 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥 鈥 into its newest RPG. It doesn鈥檛 always work: You can鈥檛 build an entire galaxy without some stops being a little dull. But is arresting, and there鈥檚 enough of Bethesda鈥檚 well-honed storytelling finesse to make the journey worthwhile. Given the studio鈥檚 history with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, here鈥檚 hoping it becomes the foundation (another classic SF reference!) of another successful franchise.
