Our 24 favourite games of 2023
As voted for by the RPS Treehouse
14. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Ed: Ever since Starfield came out, I've been the Cyberpunk 2077 salesman. A lot of my friends who aren't plugged into game industry happenings wrote it off after its disastrous launch and never looked back. They were, however, curious about Bethesda's spaceventure to which I said, "Don't you f*cking dare". Instead, I'd offer them an alternative to Todd's snoozefest: a renewed Night City complete with cyborgs, sadness, and a brilliant spy thriller accompaniment. All those boring skills? Reworked! All those bugs? Gone! (Mostly - it depends on how you interpret the word "gone").
Seriously, though, I've fallen more in love with Night City since the president of the US crash landed onto us in the lawless state of Dogtown. A mysterious hacker called Songbird promised us she could do something about the deadly chip in our brain, so we followed along. Then Idris Elba rocked up and may not be what he seems, or like, doesn't exactly instil our confidence in Songbird either. It's a conundrum, but one that really draws upon Cyberpunk's strengths as writing chock-full with human stories.
What's neat is how Dogtown's not some endgame location that only opens up once you've beaten the main story. You can access it fairly early in the main game, then it exists as something you can tackle in your spare time. Dogtown sits there as a mangled sunshine state if you'd like to partake in some Bond infiltrations or quiet conversations where every dialogue option has razor sharp edges.
If you're a returning fan, the expansion also hits you with a special skill tree that further complements all the tweaks to progression the free 2.0 update brought to the base game. As Graham said in his Phantom Liberty review, the new tree "makes punching people with your robot arms until they burst a viable tactic". I'd urge you to read more of his words if you want a definitive summation of how good the DLC really is.
13. Street Fighter 6
Jeremy: Street Fighter 6 is the best Street Fighter in years, and leagues ahead of the two entries that preceded it. SFIV may have resurrected fighting games among mainstream audiences in 2008, but it played things safe with an extreme reliance on Street Fighter II nostalgia. SFV, in contrast, launched in 2015 with a minimal roster and an extreme focus on esports at the expense of everything else. Street Fighter 6 does not commit these same mistakes. The game is big, bold, and brash in all the best ways, from its plethora of playable modes to a hip-hop-inspired flair that infuses everything from the soundtrack to the graffiti-esque effects that accompany every character's special moves. It's all wonderfully reminiscent of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike and Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3, the ultimate kings of the series in my eyes.
SF6 isn't quite as superb as those two classics, but it's up there, mostly because it gives us such a wonderful sense of newness. While old favourites like Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li are present and accounted for, they're experienced veterans now standing alongside a fresh cast that includes the likes of Luke (the loveable doofus posterboy of this game), Jamie (his much cooler rival, a drunken kung fu b-boy with fresh sneakers), and Kimberly (the first female Black American character in any Street Fighter game). The new cast oozes staying power in a way that the newbie combatants in Street Fighter 3 were tragically never able to, and the sheer quantity of fanart that's spread online since SF6 was released no doubt proves that they'll be around for multiple games to come.
Then there are all the ways to play SF6. Capcom may have ignored singleplayer campaigns in previous SF games, but here, they finally offer up something beyond its competitive Arcade mode with a truly hefty singleplayer excursion dubbed World Tour, and honestly, it's a riot. Something like a modern version of Final Fight, World Tour tasks you with designing an avatar of your own and exploring an open world Metro City where everyone settles their problems by whooping ass. Thanks to the ability to meet all characters in the game's roster and learn their movesets, you can create a Frankenstein's Monster fighter of your own who dances like Dee Jay but also shoots Yoga Fire from across the screen like Dhalsim. The plot of World Tour is mildly nonsensical, complete with shōnen manga dialogue about what it means to be the world's strongest, but the sheer fact that you level up by stomping random NPCs to a pulp makes it great.
On the multiplayer side of things, SF6 offers up the best online matchups that the franchise has ever seen, with reliable netcode and crossplay that lets me challenge a Playstation 5 player in Japan without my internet suffering a thousand points of damage, Shun Goku Satsu-style. And when I'm tired of getting my face beaten by Hadouken-tossing mooks, I can dive into SF6's intentionally goofy Extreme Battle mode, which lets you duel an opponent while dodging random gimmicks like charging bulls and Megaman Mets. It's chuckle-inducing stuff, and proof that Street Fighter 6 is neither playing it safe nor taking itself entirely seriously.
At its best, this franchise has always been about innovative and fun battles carried out between outrageous characters who are often stereotypical but somehow still cool. (Shoutout to Blanka, who continues to represent Brazil despite being a green wildman with electrical eel powers). Street Fighter 6 brings this vibe back to the forefront after the last two entries minimised it, and the final result is wonderful to behold. Here's to the next several years of SF6, and the inevitable, eventual release of Street Fighter 6: Turbo Champion Remix VI.
12. Hi-Fi-Rush
James: The best musical moment I’ve ever witnessed was the climax of a Biffy Clyro gig in 2010, frontman Simon Neil launching himself down the stage’s protruding ego ramp to belt out Mountains’ thundering final bars. I think the highest compliment I can pay Hi-Fi Rush is that at times, it provoked the same raw, body-overtaking joy that I felt in that sticky Wembley crowd, watching my favourite band nail my favourite song.
A rhythm-action game where all your hits automatically land on the beat might sound like it defeats its own purpose – or, at least, its own challenge. But in robot-thwacking practice, timing combos with blocks and dashes is plenty stimulating. Instead, that little bit of help with on-the-beat strikes mainlly serves to make sure Hi-Fi Rush never loses its flow.
And my word, what a flow it is. From the smallest ‘bot skirmish to the signature, Invaders Must Die-scored cafeteria battle, combat is a rocking, pulsing thrill, with successful hits accompanied by guitar licks and crowd chants to build on and enhance the backing tunes. Music is not simply a mechanic: it’s celebrated, even venerated, and its power to stir the soul (or, least, tap the foot) is wielded wonderfully. Utterly intoxicating stuff.
It's weird, then, that Tango Gameworks also saw fit to break up these fight scenes with so many platforming and corridor-wandering segments. A few would make sense, sure – what is a good song without dynamics? – but there are just so many, especially around the mid-point, that I started to wish Hi-Fi Rush’s understanding of music extended to a fast-forward button. Still, there are at least of a couple of nicely creative boss fights during this otherwise quiet stretch. Some good jokes, too. Even if it’s mostly evident in cutscenes, Hi-Fi Rush’s comic timing is as sharp as its musical rhythm.
And, ultimately, your reward for pushing on is a delightful, cathartic, setpiece-heavy final act, one that explodes with energy and heart like the confetti cannons at that Biffy gig. Just without the shirtless Scotsmen.
Katharine: One of the best and most delightful surprises of 2023, Hi-Fi Rush is a joyous explosion of sound and colour. But as much as I enjoyed its rhythmic platforming and head-bashing setpieces, it's ultimately a game I will remember most fondly for its excellent photo mode. When you can break down the action to a frame-by-frame basis, it becomes even easier to see just what marvelous attention to detail has gone into making this spectacular game feel so seamless and full of life. From the SNAPs and the BOINGs to the arcs of light and comic-book-style dot colour gradients, the photo mode lets you drink in second-long moments in all their glory. It may be a musical rhythm game at heart, but Hi-Fi Rush is one of those rare games that's just as rewarding when it's still and silent as it is in motion.
Alice0: Sorry, I'll play it soon, I'm sorry.
11. Babbdi
Alice0: Babbdi is a great example of a type of game I adore: here's a strange place, now go explore and figure out what this game is and how its parts work and what you can even do, then wrap up and be done inside an hour. The strange place is a grim Brutalist walled city you are attempting to leave. This is a task you technically can complete in under 56 seconds. But why hurry when you can explore, meet people, complete little tasks, find secret places and hidden treasures, and play a trumpet?
The trumpet is one of many items you can find in Babbdi. Most are movement tools, and you can only hold one at a time, so it's a joy to figure them out and experiment as you explore. Ooh this baseball bat has kinda a rocket-jump! Ooh this torch will let me explore that dark hole I found. Ooh these climbing axes will let me scale anything! Babbdi wants you to enjoy not just discovering everything, but how you discover everything. Even when I found what was clearly the most powerful item of all, I soon dropped it to check out another tool. And then I found the trumpet. I don't know if the trumpet does anything. Well, I do know the trumpet does something: you can click to honk it and change pitch by looking up and down. Whether this tootling has any effect on the world or its residents, I couldn't tell you, but I can say for certain that it gave me a powerful new movement option, the ability to make silly noises.
It's not a cheery place. I wouldn't want to live there. But I enjoyed bumbling around, meeting everyone, finding secrets, then making my escape. In under an hour. Under an hour! I'd pay good money for more games to be confidently short and hell, Babbdi is free.
10. Trepang2
James: I’ll admit to not having played F.E.A.R., overwhelmingly the biggest inspiration for Trepang2 and its slow-mo shootery. Maybe I should, because this indie FPS is a right laugh.
Not so much in tone, which goes for a shadowy black ops vibe (with forays into SCP-lite spookiness and occasional body horror). But as a shooter, it’s almost gleeful, positively encouraging a lively and aggressive style of gun-fu that blends precision blasting with up-close chokeslam throws and slidekicks. Stealth? Why bother – the cloaking ability is better deployed for quick mid-fight flanks than it is for sneaking, and quietly snuffing out unaware mooks isn’t nearly as satisfying as hurling them, minus one grenade pin, into a group of their mates.
It helps that the most basic and fundamental method of interacting with Trepang2’s world – shooting it – is executed so well. Guns crack and boom and constantly feel on the verge of exploding right there in your hands, and in what I understand is another F.E.A.R.-ish touch, enemies are clever enough to put up a compelling fight. I often found myself effectively suppressed by whichever Matrix-lobby-ass pillar I was reloading behind, and forced to react by well-chucked grenades. I like these guys, in a way. Shame I have to boot them.
Special mention also goes to Trepang2’s shotgun, my personal 2023 GOTY (gun of the year). Its ferocious bark and perfectly judged spread ensure it is exceptional at making a mouse click feel destructive, and since so much of the game’s scenery is prone to shattering on impact, it’s just as fun when half the pellets miss their mark. For best results: take shottie, apply to man in front of bookcase, watch body disappear in cloud of splintered wood and shredded pages.
Alice0: I like the bit where you slidekick into a baddie to knock them flying, then grab them out of mid-air into a chokehold, then spin them around as a human shield to ward off their pals who are now shouting panicked orders to fan out and flank, then you pull the pin on your shield's grenade and hurl them into their pals, and they explode, then you whip out your twin shotguns to spray survivors with incendiary ammo, then your bullet time ability wears out just as their screams start to fade. You know, the bit which happens every three minutes.
Katharine: I only started playing Trepang2 earlier this week, but cor, using a powerslide to knock down five blokes with riot shields like I'm at a tenpin bowling alley? A+, 10/10. That's the good stuff right there. Top work.