2023 may go down in history as one of the top five best years for gaming ever, maybe even the top three depending on who you ask. With titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder all releasing this year, there has been a never-ending amount of new games to play on almost a weekly basis. But, let’s take a look at some of the best games to release on Microsoft’s Xbox One and Xbox Series X this year. Here are the five best-rated Xbox games of 2023.
5. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Cyberpunk 2077 may be the ultimate redemption story in gaming. When it was first released in 2020 it was a broken mess and it was one of gaming’s biggest disappointments. But, CD Project Red didn’t give up and worked tirelessly to improve the game and it paid off and it is now hailed as one of the greatest games of the current generation. CD Project Red recently released the Phantom Liberty expansion, adding a new spy-thriller campaign and a new area to the game. Some gamers have claimed it is one of the best expansions they’ve ever played and it is great to see that Cyberpunk 2077 was able to be turned around and made into a great game and not go down in history as one of gaming’s biggest blunders.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty scored 90% on Metacritic, with many critics praising CD Projekt Red for making the game we all expected it to be in 2020.
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4. Street Fighter 6
Following the lackluster release of Street Fighter 5, Capcom knew they had to step things up with the next entry and they pulled it off. Street Fighter may be the best game in the series since the glory days of the early to mid-90s. If you keep up to date with the series and play it regularly it can be jarring going from such a large roster with all of the DLC from Street Fighter 5 back to a more condensed roster with the launch of Street Fighter 6. But, the chosen fighters are great choices including Ryu, Chun-Li, Cammy, Juri, and new characters including Luke. The game will continue to be supported with new characters too. If you’re a fighting game fan then this is the game you need to be playing in 2023.
Street Fighter 6 scored 90% on Metacritic, with critics calling the game a masterpiece.
3. Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 helped to set a new standard for action games in 2005 and its influence can still be felt today. Following the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes in 2019 and 2020 respectively, it seemed inevitable that Resident Evil 4 would be the next game to receive the remake treatment. Capcom went all out with this game and some do see it as better than the original, and I’m inclined to agree, especially when including the recently released Separate Ways DLC. If you have fond memories of the original, or even if you don’t, this is a game you need to play.
Resident Evil 4 scored 91% on Metacritic, with critics calling it more engaging than the 2005 original.
2. Diablo IV
The Diablo series is the most important in Blizzard’s library outside World of Warcraft. Diablo IV is an isometric dungeon-crawling RPG. If you’re new to the series then you’re in for a treat because it is packed full of content that extends long after the end of the main story. The Diablo series is also regularly updated with new seasons, the previous game is currently on season 29, which gives players an indicator of how much new content will be coming to Diablo IV.
Diablo IV scored 91% on Metacritic, with some stating that it proves that AAA can be released in a finished state and just patched post-launch.
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1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition
The Witcher 3 was first released in 2015 and it is still topping charts in 2023. Earlier this year, CD Projekt Red released the next-generation version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition which includes all of the DLC, with one being hailed by many as the greatest DLC of all time, along with a major graphical boost to bring it more in line with modern titles. The Witcher 3 is an incredibly large game and it is not unusual to sink hundreds of hours into the game. So if action RPGs are your thing, they don’t get much better than The Witcher 3.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition scored 94% on Metacritic, with critics calling it a must-play game.
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