Games of the Year 2023

Teardown is a creative traversal game where you plan and execute a heist in fully destructible environments.

Teardown is a creative traversal game where you plan and execute a heist in fully destructible environments. Play involves knocking routes through the destructible buildings to set an escape route to steal the key cards.

Stray is an adventure traversal game about a cat lost in a futuristic city where robots live.

Stray is an adventure traversal game about a cat lost in a futuristic city where robots live. You guide your feline friend in and out of buildings, across roads and generally poke your nose in to see what is going on.

Venba is a narrative cooking game where you play an Indian mother who emigrated to Canada in the 1980s.

Venba is a narrative cooking game where you play an Indian mother who emigrated to Canada in the 1980s. You cook various traditional Indian dishes and restore lost recipes which were damaged in the move to Canada.

Storyteller is a puzzle game about building stories.

Storyteller is a puzzle game about building stories. You use a set of icons to match what is happening in each frame of the story.

Outer Wilds is an exploration space mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop.

Outer Wilds is an exploration space mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop. After twenty minutes of game time, you must start again – but each time brings a new opportunity to learn how you ended up on the planet and solve the secrets of who built the strange galaxy.

The Touryst is a puzzle-based adventure, where you seek to unlock the mysteries of an archipelago of sun-drenched islands.

The Touryst is a puzzle-based adventure, where you seek to unlock the mysteries of an archipelago of sun-drenched islands. That's if you want to, because the adventure can wait if you'd rather soak up the sun and make the most of your time away by indulging in a little scuba-diving or spelunking; all of which is brought to life with a uniquely beautiful take on games from years ago.

Tchia is an adventure where you play a young girl (Tchia) who can climb, glide, swim, and sail around a beautiful archipelago.

Tchia is an adventure where you play a young girl (Tchia) who can climb, glide, swim, and sail around a beautiful archipelago. Along with the usual sandbox quests and play, the game offers an unusual ability to take control (and become) any animal or object you find.

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world role-play game set in the world of Harry Potter.

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world role-play game set in the world of Harry Potter. You control a wizard character who starts as a student at Hogwarts and then ventures out on a dangerous journey with a mystery to solve.

Season: A Letter to the Future is a narrative adventure about a young woman sent out from her secluded community to explore the world for the first time.

Season: A Letter to the Future is a narrative adventure about a young woman sent out from her secluded community to explore the world for the first time. She is tasked with documenting life in a local valley before a mysterious cataclysm washes everything away.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is part of a long series of Zelda adventure games.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is part of a long series of Zelda adventure games. As well as exploring Hyrule you can also take to the skies in an expanded world full of secrets.

Planet of Lana is an adventure where you play a young girl Lana and her loyal animal friend Mui, on a rescue mission.

Planet of Lana is an adventure where you play a young girl Lana and her loyal animal friend Mui, on a rescue mission. Set on a planet under siege by old machines and unfamiliar creatures.

Celeste is a platform game that requires players to use jumping and climbing moves to ascend an increasingly challenging two-dimensional mountain.

Celeste is a platform game that requires players to use jumping and climbing moves to ascend an increasingly challenging two-dimensional mountain. You play Madeline, who is haunted by self-doubt at the scale of the task at hand.

Dordogne is a narrative adventure where you play as Mimi, a 32-year-old woman who returns to the house of her recently deceased grandmother.

Dordogne is a narrative adventure where you play as Mimi, a 32-year-old woman who returns to the house of her recently deceased grandmother. You explore the house and area to find letters and puzzles that bring back memories of the past.

Lil Gator Game is an action-adventure set on an island playground where a young brother invents exciting games to try and get his older sister to play like they used to.

Lil Gator Game is an action-adventure set on an island playground where a young brother invents exciting games to try and get his older sister to play like they used to. You guide your waddling gator to explore the world as you bop cardboard baddies, climb mountain peaks, glide, fling and jump around.

Terra Nil is a strategy game where you use clean technology to bring back life to a barren world.

Terra Nil is a strategy game where you use clean technology to bring back life to a barren world. It's a city-building game where you aren't building a city at all, but a clean thriving ecology.

Wavetale is a surfing and jumping adventure in a world of sunken cities, dangerous water and oppressive fog.

Wavetale is a surfing and jumping adventure in a world of sunken cities, dangerous water and oppressive fog. You play as Sigrid, a young girl who works to restore the decaying archipelago and befriends a mysterious shadow that lets her walk on water.

Lost In Play is a feel-good adventure about a brother and sister exploring their dreams.

Lost In Play is a feel-good adventure about a brother and sister exploring their dreams. Lost in their imagination, Toto and Gal must solve puzzles to journey back home.

Age of Empires IV is a strategy game where you command an ancient civilisation in real-time and must develop from hunter-gatherers to advanced forms of defence and war.

Dead Cells is a running, jumping and fighting game where you are escaping a prison.

Dead Cells is a running, jumping and fighting game where you are escaping a prison. In a bright pixelated world you must accurately time attacks and dodges to defeat a wide range of enemies.

Super Mario Bros Wonder is a running and jumping game that evolves the classic 2D Mario genre in weird and dream-like directions.

Super Mario Bros Wonder is a running and jumping game that evolves the classic 2D Mario genre in weird and dream-like directions. You play with up to four friends, each picking from Mario, Luigi, Toad, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Yoshi and other Nintendo characters.

Jusant is a climbing traversal game where you take a challenging-yet-meditative climb to the top of a tall tower.

Jusant is a climbing traversal game where you take a challenging-yet-meditative climb to the top of a tall tower. You use the trigger buttons to hold on and the stick to jump and reach for the next position.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a narrative brain game where you play a ghost that can stop time to solve crimes and save lives.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a narrative brain game where you play a ghost that can stop time to solve crimes and save lives. You can inhabit and control objects and possess corpses to alter what happens.

Tren is a traversal-puzzle game set in a hand-crafted world as a wooden train, sailing boats and helicopters.

Tren is a traversal-puzzle game set in a hand-crafted world as a wooden train, sailing boats and helicopters. You control points, shunt trucks around, operate cranes and generally move cargo from one location to the next.

Wobbledogs is a pet simulation where your dogs not only need care but are rapidly mutating different behaviour and appetites.

Wobbledogs is a pet simulation where your dogs not only need care but are rapidly mutating different behaviour and appetites. You breed new dogs (from eggs), create and decorate a home for them, feed them and see how they evolve.

Goodbye Volcano High is a high school coming-of-age adventure set in a world of anthropomorphic dinosaur characters.

Goodbye Volcano High is a high school coming-of-age adventure set in a world of anthropomorphic dinosaur characters. You play as band members, non-binary Fang and best friend Trish as they navigate the last days of high school.

Paradise Marsh is an insect-collecting game where you explore a marsh to find magical bugs that bring stars back to the night sky.

Paradise Marsh is an insect-collecting game where you explore a marsh to find magical bugs that bring stars back to the night sky. You wander an endless wetland and collect creatures, skim stones and eat mushrooms as the weather and seasons change.

Lego 2K Drive is an open-world racing game made out of Lego.

Lego 2K Drive is an open-world racing game made out of Lego. There are races, as you'd expect, but you can also freely explore each of the worlds, collect parts and upgrade your cars.

Sea of Stars is an adventure role-play game about two children of the solstice.

Sea of Stars is an adventure role-play game about two children of the solstice. It combines turn-based combat, storytelling, exploration and interactions with the environment all in a pixel art style.

Pikmin 4 is an action strategy game where you direct tiny, plant-like creatures to clean up the world and collect treasure.

Pikmin 4 is an action strategy game where you direct tiny, plant-like creatures to clean up the world and collect treasure. Different coloured Pikmins have different abilities, with several new types in this fourth game.

Lego Fortnite is an adventure survival game that brings classic brick building to one of the Fortnite islands.

Lego Fortnite is an adventure survival game that brings classic brick building to one of the Fortnite islands. Play is more like Minecraft than Fortnite (and perhaps could have been better named).

Skye Tales is a gentle adventure about exploring a rich playground of floating islands as a dragon called Skye.

Skye Tales is a gentle adventure about exploring a rich playground of floating islands as a dragon called Skye. Play involves traversing each chapter, meeting and interacting with different creatures and solving puzzles along the way.

Crime O'Clock is a point-and-click crime-solving game where you explore a detailed map to piece together timelines that prove whodunnit.

Crime O'Clock is a point-and-click crime-solving game where you explore a detailed map to piece together timelines that prove whodunnit. You zoom in and study the detailed map to find time markers and work out the culprit of hacking, murder and theft.

Dredge is a fishing adventure set in a remote archipelago called ‘The Marrows’ with a dark past.

Dredge is a fishing adventure set in a remote archipelago called ‘The Marrows’ with a dark past. You explore the surrounding waters to fish for hundreds of different sea creatures and other resources.

Advance Wars is a classic turn-based strategy game re-released as Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp on Nintendo Switch.

Advance Wars is a classic turn-based strategy game re-released as Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp on Nintendo Switch. You take charge of an army in strategic, turn-based combat.

Shadows of Doubt is an open-world detective game set in a fully simulated city of crime and corruption.

Shadows of Doubt is an open-world detective game set in a fully simulated city of crime and corruption. You explore the city to discover criminality, find clues, solve crimes and earn money to fund bringing a serial killer to justice.

Deceive Inc is an online stealth traversal game where you are a spy trying to get into the vault to steal an artefact.

Deceive Inc is an online stealth traversal game where you are a spy trying to get into the vault to steal an artefact. The twist is that everyone can disguise themselves as different agents to blend in with the computer-controlled characters.

Iris and the Giant is a narrative strategy card game about a young girl named Iris who braves an imaginary world to tackle her inner demons and face her fears.

Iris and the Giant is a narrative strategy card game about a young girl named Iris who braves an imaginary world to tackle her inner demons and face her fears. It's a game about depression and anxiety where Iris uses escapism to cope with her life.

The Case of the Golden Idol is a point-and-click adventure set in the 18^th century, where you attempt to solve 12 gruesome deaths.

The Case of the Golden Idol is a point-and-click adventure set in the 18^th century, where you attempt to solve 12 gruesome deaths. You play by investigating each scene to gather information in the form of words that you piece together to make statements to solve what happened.