We’re just a few short days away from the ball dropping and ushering in a new year. Kotaku put out our own Game of the Year list, but last week we also asked you, the Kotaku readers, about your favorite games from the year of our lord 2023. While there were a few obvious frontrunners, folks did come through with some lesser-known picks. I’m proud of you. Let’s see what games stuck with y’all this year.
Tears of the Kingdom was a clear bright spot, but not everyone was blown away
“I have to give it to Tears of the Kingdom. There was something magical in that game. It’s now my favorite game ever made.” – LoganTroxell
“Tears of the Kingdom wins for me. I loved it. I think Breath of the Wild is the better game, but not by a lot (part of it is that the entire world felt tailor-made for BotW but TotK felt a little shoehorned in and the Depths was a little much to deal with at times). But it was a really good year for games” – Platypus Man
“TotK was great at first, but I gassed on it after 110 hours and not completing the main story (getting asked to find a surprise fifth sage “and just like, search around the world for it” was what killed it for me.) – Brizian
“I played a ton of Tears of the Kingdom when it came out, didn’t fully complete it but explored a good deal of the world, played through a lot of the side missions and did some pretty cool inventions based on designs I saw online. I liked the game a lot. As a sequel and a storytelling device… I felt a tad bit underwhelmed.” – Ambigant
“I had fun with TotK for about 20 hours and then got bored with it. It’s just… a little too directionless for me. I get why some people love it, but I prefer more of a narrative focus.” – Mireille is sensational, like a She-Hulk
“Man…I played Tears of the Kingdom..but the magic was gone after about 20 hours and it never returned” – Endere772
“I’m a huge Zelda nerd, so obviously, I loved TotK and spent a lot of time on it. Still, it was never going to match the heights of Breath of the Wild for me.” – Jake Sapir
“I beat around 18 games, and TotK was definitely my standout. I wasn’t expecting much from it, and the whole sky aspect, combined with exploring the world with things you build just blew me away. The first time you dive from the sky all the way down through a hole and into the underworld was the best gaming moment of the year for me and really blew me away.” – Pat Dorsman
“Totk. Just a magical experience.” – magpie187
“Tears of the Kingdom” – Classic example of our failed educational system
“Zelda was my favorite game overall this year as I loved almost every aspect of it and never got bored playing it. Spent a few months after its release hoping for DLC like the first game got but believe the developers ended up saying they had no plans for it.” – AKA
Baldur’s Gate 3 mesmerized and confounded
“Honorable mention to Baldur’s Gate 3. It could probably take the top spot if I figured out all the systems in the game and understood it better. I recently started the game over after taking a few months off. (we had a baby.)” – LoganTroxell
“Baldur’s Gate III – also partially why I bought a PS5 (which was cheaper than upgrading my old PC to be able to play it); I’m enjoying it but I’m still in Act I because my mostly-non-gamer partner has been playing her file a lot (which is fine, I’m not complaining). Also it’s a lot of fun to see how it compares to D&D proper, though I haven’t played any of the older BGs or many western RPGs” – Platypus Man
“I loved BG3, and I definitely put in way more time with BG3 than anything else, but I guess maybe since I’d been playing the early access on and off for years, I was not blown away by how good it was because I was pretty sure it was gonna be awesome a long time ago.” – Mireille is sensational, like a She-Hulk
“Baldur’s Gate 3 is magical [and] has great story telling. I play it almost exclusively for the story choices. The gameplay is just too difficult.” – Endere772
“Baldur’s Gate 3 was a ton of fun, and I loved how much I could customize my character, but it didn’t run well on my PC and I felt it was a little over-complicated.” – Jake Sapir
“The most memorable and exciting game I played this year is certainly Baldur’s Gate 3; it’s up there in the forever best games, in my opinion.” – Inzoum
“My companions from BG3 continue living on long after I shut the game down” – undue X sum 8
“Of course, BG3 killed it, [and] I think it is deserving of everything it got. It is legit in a league of its own when it comes to trying to compare it to other video games.“ – Isaac Trash
“I lack the time to play games on a regular basis anymore, but when I had time to play, BG3 was almost always loaded up. The level of variety and creativity in the options you choose and how they can impact a story always left me coming back for more and still planning to play routinely in 2024.” – A-Tipsy-Loon
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Mario got some shoutouts
“Cyberpunk was the best game I *played* this year. The whole package, that game in 2.0 knocks it out of the park, and is now in my top 5 of all time. Everyone wondering should definitely give it another chance, DLC or no.” – Nicholas Alberts
“At the end of the day, Baldur’s Gate 3, but since Cyberpunk’s 2.0 update I haven’t played anything else. Don’t make me choose between the two.” – dungeon caregiver
“Mario Wonder rounds my top 5 mostly because I didn’t play any other new game this year. I was a little underwhelmed because it’s got the weakest endgame of every Mario I’ve played IMO, and haven’t felt the urge to play it again after finishing it.” – Aneural
“Super Mario Bros Wonder – haven’t quite beaten it, should finish by the end of the year; IMO it’s the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World.” – Platypus Man
“Super Mario Wonder has been very good, and I haven’t finished it yet, but I also feel the first half was far, far too easy and co-op is totally broken compared to NSMB.” – Brizian
“Mario Wonder! Never has a game so lived up to its name!!” – TheRay79
An impassioned plea for people to play Octopath Traveler II
“My personal favorite game this year was Octopath Traveler 2. I fell head-over-heels in love with the first game in spite of all its flaws (some characters weren’t as interesting as others, some plots felt meandering, the final dungeon felt like it came out of nowhere). Octopath Traveler 2, in my eyes, is the platonic ideal of the perfect sequel: not only does it give me more of what I adored from the first game (break-boost combat system, eight new travelers, gorgeous sprite work), it fixed all the issues I had with the first game (the eight travelers interact more, there are storylines where travelers actually interact in the narrative, each character is equally interesting, all of the plots feel exciting and substantive, characters all have unique and meaningful talents, the final dungeon feeling more connected to the character storylines) and added new features I didn’t realize I needed (character-specific combat abilities reminiscent of limit breaks, day-night cycle with unique world “path” actions depending on time of day, longer storylines, the ability to have more than one character equip the same secondary job at a time, better worldbuilding and lore). It builds upon and expands and improves the first game’s foundation without losing any of the heart and charm that captured my imagination in 2018. It flew under the radar for many, but for me it’s a game I can’t get enough of. If anyone here enjoys Japanese RPGs like Dragon Quest or classic Final Fantasy, please check out Octopath Traveler 2.” – Sean Etter
Spider-Man 2 wows some, is fine for others
“Spider-Man 2 – finally bought a PS5, partially for this; only about halfway through and I’m not sure if it’s as good as the first Spider-Man but it’s a lot of fun.” – Platypus Man
“Spider-Man 2 lived up to the hype for sure!” – Brizian
“Spider-Man 2 was amazing, but it didn’t do anything all that new.” – Jake Sapir
Some folks chose older games and remakes in 2023
“I missed Metroid Prime the first time around, so that was my GotY, I’ll be replaying it soon.” – Aneural
“I was late to the party, but it was definitely Elden Ring for me.” – Brizian
“The games that I picked up this year, that engrossed me the most were probably Satisfactory and Undermine.” – rogueIndy
“Surprisingly, I’m going to have to go with Sable. This game has the magic, it has the wonder, the minimal storytelling that keeps you wondering what happened here…and it’s very pretty to look at.” – Endere772
“Final Fantasy XI: The Voracious Resurgence ended this year so I’m counting it. I’ve been going on a multiyear FFXI story binge, and I’m surprised and glad that the story ended on such a fun note. The Destiny Destroyers are real, and they are my friends.” – glooga
“Hands down it was Star Ocean for me. New and nostalgic for the 16-bit era at the same time. It was just the Goldilocks of games, just right.” – IstillmissmyXJ
“Trails to Azure is #1 with a bullet (but I haven’t played Zelda yet).” – creid
“What I’ve been playing the most? Darktide. I can’t seem to stop playing it, and I don’t really know why.” – thetruegentleman
“I had never been a huge fan of survival horror-type games, but tried the remakes of Dead Space and RE4 and ended up loving both of them (after finishing RE4 and Separate Ways, I played the RE2 remake as well).” – maelstrom26
And everything else
“I loved Pikmin 4 a LOT more [than Tears of the Kingdom]. I had so much fun with it dude. The level of detail that went into such minute things as well as the craftsmanship of every area, enemy and music were just incomparable. It was in my opinion the best Pikmin-related entry to date and my only complaint was that there isn’t something that makes the game harder, though I have that same complaint with TOTK.” – Ambigant
“Talos Principle II, hands down. Such an outstanding sequel to a game I loved.” – Mireille is sensational, like a She-Hulk
“I think this year was one of the best in recent memory for me in terms of what I played (and what actually came out this year). Top 10:
10. Slay the Princess
9. Dungeons of Eternity
8. Shadows of Doubt (Early Access)
7. Dredge
6. Blasphemous 2
5. Zelda TOTK
4. Remnant II
3. Lies of P
2. Astlibra: Revision
1. A Space for the Unbound
I’ll be playing BG3 over the holidays so this could still change!” – DenzilOfDojima
“Sea of Stars was a throwback JRPG experience I absolutely devoured, just a pure treat of a game with gorgeous pixel art, a great soundtrack, memorable characters, an interesting world with great lore, an engaging turn-based battle system, and fun traversal and puzzles.” – Lufia 2 = GOAT
“My Time at Sandrock came out on November 2nd and I’ve already completed 3 playthroughs for a total of 495 hours. I will undoubtedly play it several more times before the next My Time game comes out.” – KateH
“Easily T’Chia and BG3. Special shout out to Armored Core 6 and No Man’s Sky as well.” – RedEyedJedi410
“Pikmin 4.” – sxp151
“Remnant 2 was the biggest, most consistent surprise to play with friends, and the next most rewarding.” – Nicholas Alberts
“Armored Core 6. I don’t know what to say about it other than that From has once again raised the bar for second-to-second gameplay. It just feels right.” – melted_snake
“Pizza Tower was the most fun I’ve had with a game in years, and the soundtrack is in my top 3 of all time. I want more goofy depictions of anxiety-addled characters like poor Peppino.” – B. H.
2023 isn’t quite over yet, so there’s still time for you to tell everyone what your favorite game you played this year was. Let us know down below.
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