2023 is already looking to be a year absolutely packed with game releases. With all the large-budget, multimillion dollar releases being pushed, it can be easy to forget that there are so many special experiences that are released by the little guys of the game industry. Small teams with no budget beyond what little they’re initially given and a passion for gaming so often create some of my favorite games every year, and 2023 is set to be chock full of small teams with big dreams. Here are some smaller 2023 game releases to keep an eye on releasing later in 2023.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Following up the Metroidvania master-class that is Hollow Knight is no easy task. Yet if there’s anyone who has proven to be up to the challenge, its the Australian-based Team Cherry. Early gameplay trailers of Team Cherry’s next adventure have looked stunning from an art and gameplay perspective. It also seems to explore more of the bug-filled wonderland that exists under every Australian’s couch. With a more agile movement system, even crazier enemy designs, and a new mysterious land to explore, Hollow Knight: Silksong should undoubtedly be on your list of 2023 game releases to watch out for. The best news is that if you aren’t sure you’ll like it, the first Hollow Knight is priced at a measly $15!
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
A spiritual successor to the cult classic Jet Set radio, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk aims to recreate the smooth gameplay and funky beats of an old classic for a new age. Set around the idea of parkouring around a futuristic, stylized city while tagging buildings with graffiti. A simple yet effective premise that was executed well in 2000 and can hopefully be recreated this year. They even get the original composer of Jet Set Radio back, so at least we can look forward to some good tunes.
Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader
With how many Warhammer games there are out there, it might seem surprising to some that this is the franchise’s first foray into the top-down CRPG genre. Despite the brand’s inexperience in the genre, they couldn’t have picked a better developer for their first foray. Owlcat games, responsible for the fantastic Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Taking control of a Rogue Trader of the Imperium of man gives the developers free reign to do all sorts of crazy stuff in the setting, utilizing the Rogue Trader’s “I do what I want” permit. Fighting alongside Eldar, Psykers, and Space Marines in a long, branching story seems like an excellent application of the 40k setting, and I can’t wait to see how it pans out.
Gunbrella
I like to imagine the pitch meeting for Gunbrella went something like this;
(Long bong rip) “What if… we had a guy who had an umbrella… but it was like… also a gun.”
“Dude… awesome.”
And so we have Gunbrella, rumored to be releasing in 2023. Set in a gritty dystopia, Gunbrella sets itself up to be a side-scroller action game. Players will take control of a detective caught up in crime, corporations and the supernatural. Its a goofy concept that the developers at doinksoft seem to have ran with, and made the game as gritty as possible to contrast the ridiculousness to the base concept.
Homeworld 3
The space strategy game genre has been lacking in recent years. Yes, there have been releases such as Warhammer 40k’s Battlefleet Gothic to keep the genre alive. But, for the most part, it has lain dormant for the better part of a decade. In 2023, Homeworld, the grandfather of space strategy, makes its return to try and change that with Homeworld 3. Even now, Homeworld’s approach to space battles is wholly unique. While most Space games are 2d, Homeworld utilizes a full 3d environment to simulate space on the grandest of scales. Homeworld 3 looks to expand this even further, with massive derelicts taking up huge swathes of the map and offering even more tactical play then previous entries.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl
After more than a decade of development, cancellation, resurrection and now full on displacement due to the war in Ukraine, GSC Gameworld’s STALKER 2 looks to have finally secured a release date in 2023. And it looks incredible. Its definitely my most-anticipated game this year, and GSC have seemed to faithfully recreated the haunting atmosphere of the original STALKER games with new tech. We’ll have a totally new character in Skiff, new factions such as the Ward, the supposed return of The Monolith and even more features that have old-school STALKER fans foaming at the mouth, complete that with the haunting atmosphere of post-disaster Pripyat and the surrounding area filled to the brim with strange mutants and hostile humans. I can’t wait to return to Pripyat this year with AK in hand.
There are plenty more releases coming in 2023 both big and small, so be sure to let us know which ones you’re excited about. The ones above have been living in my head here at GameDrudge since they were revealed, and I’m so excited to finally get to try them out when they release this year (hopefully). Stay tuned for more 2023 releases and reviews as they come out this year!
