It’s natural to start reflecting back on the gaming year at this point in the calendar, even though we’re still waiting on a handful of big games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and hopefully the parity-clause-busting Baldur’s Gate 3. Shout-out to a smaller game that’s out in just a couple weeks, too: The Invincible, a retro-sci-fi walking simulator that looks right up my alley. Plus, a game very high on my list of most anticipated games, Alan Wake 2, will be out mere hours after you read this (here's our glowing review), if it isn’t already. Anyway, it’s been a heck of a year already so here are my five favorite games I’ve played on my Xbox Series X so far in 2023 (in no particular order):
Starfield
Is it perfect? No. But is it really good, not to mention incredibly massive? Most definitely. As I said on Podcast Unlocked after it came out, for me personally, it sits right between The Elder Scrolls and Fallout in terms of my most beloved Bethesda Game Studios franchises (I love TES’s take on fantasy, what can I say?). As with its sibling series, Starfield is not short on things to do, both big and small. I had an absolute blast with the epic UC Vanguard/Crimson Fleet faction questline, which I fell into by complete accident, and I can’t wait to play more.
Diablo 4
This is the game I’ve spent the most time with on my Xbox so far in 2023, and it’s probably my favorite thus far as well. I go way back with Diablo – all the way to the beginning – and for me, Diablo 4 hit all the right buttons. It got the gameplay loop as perfect as any other time in the series, and yes, that includes the GOAT Diablo 2. Sure, it’s had to navigate some bumps in the road in its endgame and post-release content, but the core of Diablo 4 gave me dozens upon dozens of maximum-fun entertainment. I stayed up late playing it. I thought about playing it when I woke up. And honestly, I found it to be better on the Series X than on the PC, because direct control of my character felt so good, as did playing on my 55” TV instead of my 27” PC monitor.
Forza Motorsport
We’ve waited a long time for a new Forza Motorsport from Turn 10 Studios. Far longer than ever, in fact, as prior to the six-year gap between Forza Motorsport 7 and the next-gen reboot simply titled Forza Motorsport, the series had shipped a new game every two years like clockwork – raising the bar for simulation racing every single time. It got to the point where a new Motorsport wasn’t all that sexy, because you just knew it was going to be good. And I’m not sure that was even very different this time around, even with the long wait. Turn 10 is insanely good at this, and while this platform-for-the-next-generation-of-Motorsport isn’t perfect, it’s still arguably the best simulation racer on Earth, and it’s a must-play for any car geek.
Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island
For me and perhaps me alone, the most stunning, shocking, surprising moment of the entire gaming year in all the best of ways was the reveal of the Monkey Island crossover with Sea of Thieves. Rare got the voice actors back and crafted an entire three-part, puzzle-driven adventure playable in solo or co-op, and it’s absolutely delightful. The humor, the charm, the puzzles – they’re all here! As someone for whom the original two Monkey Island games were core gaming memories in the early ‘90s, being able to walk freely around Melee Island in first-person put a gigantic smile on my face the entire time I played. I confess I still have to finish this – as I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s been that kind of year – but I can’t wait to. I know it’s basically guaranteed to make me happy.
Hi-Fi Rush
Xbox started its year by shadow-dropping an absolute banger from Tango Gameworks straight onto Xbox Game Pass. Hi-Fi Rush blended combo-driven action gameplay perfectly with some rhythm-genre flair sprinkled on top – not to mention a healthy dose of fun personality and an absolutely perfect-for-this-game art style. It didn’t take itself too seriously, and it had a blast just being what it was. It is one of our best-reviewed Xbox games this year, and its praise is well-deserved. I’ll be curious to see if Microsoft, Bethesda, and Tango double down on this with a bigger-budget follow-up, or if this was a one-off. Either way it won’t be forgotten anytime soon!
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
