Robert N. Adams' Top 10 Games of 2023

2023 has been a tumultuous year for the gaming industry. There have been surprising successes and failures alike, all against the background of an ever-shifting industry that has many tough battles ahead.

As a full-time guide writer, I'll typically play 10 to 20 upcoming games in a year, mostly in genres that tend to do well in that space such as farming RPGs and survival games. I still find time to play new things on my own, though, and 2023 had no shortage of cool new games to check out—here are my top 10 favorite games that were released in 2023!

Atomic Heart

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Atomic Heart is one of those first-person shooters that's firmly set in the double-A space -- not quite a Call of Duty game, but certainly a step above an indie project made by a couple of guys over a year.

There wasn't much that was truly new or innovative in this game; rather, it took well-established FPSRPG systems and wrapped them in a stylish retrofuturistic package with just a dash of political criticism on the perils of collectivism. Though far from perfect, it has definitely put its developer Mundfish on the map.

Battlebit Remastered

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I'm a firm believer in gameplay being much more important than graphics, and I can think of no better modern example than Battlebit Remastered. Its developers perfectly analyzed the Battlefield formula, distilled it down to its core mechanics, and set it loose upon the world.

Aside from being a damn fun game, Battlebit Remastered accomplished what EA Dice could not—it made a fun, engaging Battlefield-style game with nary a microtransaction in sight (and at a quarter of the launch price of its competitors, to boot). It's no wonder that consistently boasts a player count comparable to its AAA competitors.

Fae Farm

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The 2016 launch of Stardew Valley started a gold rush for farming RPGs; it seems like one or two new games in this genre come out every month. In short, it's hard to meaningfully stand out in this space, and yet Fae Farm managed to do it.

Though it doesn't quite have the free-form gameplay of its spiritual predecessors, Fae Farm implements core farming RPG mechanics well and wraps it in a clean, polished package. Its story is wonderfully charming, too, going a step above the simple "fix up your farm and repair a community building" narrative of its contemporaries.

Forever Skies

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I had a ton of fun playing Raft when it launched out of Early Access and Forever Skies immediately caught my attention when it was announced -- a sci-fi spin on the familiar gameplay of taking your home base with you wherever you go.

I was fortunate to get to play it just before it launched and I was glad to see that it more than lived up to my expectations. Though it still has a ways to go—only a few hours of story content are available—I can see this game helping to jumpstart an entire "moving base" survival subgenre.

Outpath

Outpath was a rare game that I found through Steam's recommendations, and I'm glad I bought it. Though it only has a few dozen players now, I promise you that it's worth exploring if you enjoy games like Minecraft.

Simply put, it merges open-world survival crafting games and clicker games into a faster, smoother experience. You click on everything to harvest it, and you can slowly gain access to new areas by buying upgrades. It's an interesting twist on this style of game!

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

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Games based on licensed properties can be pretty hit or miss, but The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria seemed like a win right out of the gate—a game where you're tasked with reclaiming Moria after the defeat of Sauron.

Though it has some stumbles on launch, Return to Moria gave players a massive map to explore and plenty of freedom to rebuild their own little slice of the Dwarven kingdom however they liked to. I liken it to Valheim—it's a fun way to spend a few weekends with your friends.

Mistward

Mistward was another game I found through Steam recommendations during last year's Winter sale while I was trawling through the muck looking for something fresh and new to play. I had a hankering for a colony sim and this seemed to fit the bill.

The interface is a bit janky and it can be downright unintuitive at times, but Mistward has that special something that compels me to keep chugging along. It's no Frostpunk, but I can see it becoming a great example of the colony sim genre with just a little more polish.

Remnant II

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I went into Remnant II knowing absolutely nothing about the first game in the franchise, and I was surprised at how well-designed it was. I was even more surprised by the challenge.

Much like Dark Souls—yes, I went there—Remnant II can be punishingly difficult, even on the easiest settings. But, critically, it is never unfair; you always have a chance if you can figure out the right way to win a fight. Best of all, it's absolutely loaded with opportunities for replayability thanks to its procedural generation.

Spirittea

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On its face, Spirittea might seem like yet another farming RPG with some added weird mechanics. Look past its graphical design and you will find an entirely unique style of gameplay.

Here's the summary: You move to a sleepy town to work on your novel, only to discover that it is haunted by ghosts. You then must solve puzzles to catch the ghosts and tend to their needs in a Japanese-style bathhouse. I've never seen a game quite like it, and its innovative gameplay is supported by clever humor and a surprisingly mature story.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

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Sometimes you just want to mindlessly shoot things, and there is no more perfect embodiment of that spirit than a Space Marine of the God Emperor. There are heretics afoot and you have a holy bolter gun—you do the math.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun pays tribute to boomer shooters in the best of ways, letting you carve a path through the hordes of Chaos with a bolter in one hand and a chainsaw in the other. By the Emperor, it even has a dedicated button to taunt your enemies just for fun. It's a tremendously entertaining experience.

That's it for me! 2023 was a pretty good year for gaming, and 2024 has plenty of interesting new releases in store—I'm looking forward to seeing what new adventures are ahead!