As the second mainline Fire Emblem title on Switch, Fire Emblem Engage hopes to build on the runaway successes of 2019’s Three Houses. With the same turn-based strategy combat and beautifully animated visuals fans have known and loved for years, Engage is hitting all the right notes prior to launch. Add in familiar faces – such as Marth – who can help the player in battle through powerful Engage mechanics, and this is one fans of both Fire Emblem, and strategy titles as a whole should have circled. For more on Fire Emblem Engage, check out our episode of New Gameplay Today.

The second game by Final Fantasy XV studio Luminous Productions, Forspoken tells the story of a young woman transported from New York to the fantasy land known as Athia. While there, she must learn magical powers to help the people escape from under the thumb of the ruling class and find her way home. With writers like Amy Hennig (Uncharted series, Legacy of Cain series) and Gary Whitta (Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) on board, we’re hopeful for an action-packed adventure and well-written narrative.

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Nearly 15 years after Dead Space hit PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, Electronic Arts is bringing a remade version of the smash-hit horror title to current platforms. This new version follows Isaac Clarke along the same basic plot but leverages the latest Frostbite engine to deliver stunning new visuals. With more voice acting, fewer loading screens, and redesigned character models and environments, this new version of Dead Space has the potential to give the long-dormant franchise a much-needed shot in the arm.

Though the game originally launched in Japan in 2014, the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series has seen an explosion in popularity since the success of Yakuza 0 in 2017. As such, Sega decided to not only bring the PS4 and PS3 title to the West, but rebuild it for modern platforms. This remake takes the Late-Edo Period samurai story of the original game and retells it using Unreal Engine 4. The gameplay, which veers close to the classic style of Yakuza games, remains largely the same, but the visuals and audio have received upgrades across the board.

Ever since Destiny initially launched in 2014, players have fought through the Light and Darkness Saga storyline. Now, nearly nine years later, that saga nears its conclusion. While Lightfall isn’t the final entry of this arc, it promises to effectively set the table for the conclusion, The Final Shape. In the meantime, Lightfall takes us to the distant planet of Neptune and a mysterious city on its surface, even as Guardians learn about a new Darkness-infused power called Strand.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, from Titanfall and Apex Legends studio Respawn Entertainment, effectively established itself as one of the premier franchises pertaining to the famous universe. Jedi: Survivor continues the focus on Cal Kestis in the period between the Prequel and original Star Wars trilogies, where Jedi are hunted down by order of the Empire. This time, Cal must use all he’s learned – including new lightsaber stances, combat tactics, and Force abilities – to escape, survive, and continue his push against the tyrannical forces of Emporer Palpatine.

Capcom continues its classic Resident Evil remake series with perhaps the most beloved game in the franchise. Resident Evil 4 remains a benchmark for third-person action and horror games. The original is often praised as one of the best games of all time (we ranked it #34 when we put out our Top 300 Games of All Time feature in 2018), so naturally, we’re beyond excited for a remake. This new version still features the over-the-shoulder gameplay style it helped popularize but brings the gameplay, visuals, and audio into more modern conventions. If Capcom can deliver as great of an experience as it did with its recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, we’re fully on board for another tense, grotesque helping.

At long last, Dead Island 2 appears ready to launch. The game, which was first revealed and demoed at E3 2014, has experienced a tumultuous development cycle, with the game jumping from studio to studio over the last nine years. Fans of the first game are champing at the bit to get their hands on this title, and we are too, now that we came away impressed by our time with the game as part of our recent cover story. 

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild completely revolutionized one of the most beloved gaming franchises of all time, all while crafting one of the greatest experiences many of us have ever played. Tears of the Kingdom has the monumental and daunting task of following that game up, not only as the next mainline Zelda game but also as a rare direct sequel in the Zelda franchise. With an increased emphasis on verticality, including an entire world in the skies, Tears of the Kingdom takes big swings, and we are beyond excited to revisit our favorite version of Hyrule and uncover more of its compelling mysteries.

From 2009 to 2015, Rocksteady Studios was the king of the superhero genre in video games thanks to its Batman: Arkham series. However, aside from a VR spin-off experience in 2016, the studio hasn’t released a game since the conclusion of its renowned trilogy starring The Dark Knight. That changes in May, as Rocksteady is not only poised to release a new game but also explore another corner of the DC Universe. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League puts you in the shoes of the lovable team of villains. Players take control of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark as they are on a seemingly impossible task from Amanda Waller: killing the heroes of the Justice League, who have been brainwashed by Brainiac. Players can step into the characters’ shoes solo or as part of a four-player team, but from all the footage we’ve seen, this looks to be a fun, irreverent blast no matter which approach you take.

Following the missteps of Street Fighter V’s launch, Capcom changed its approach and, over the subsequent years, righted the ship on its most recent flagship fighter. With Street Fighter 6, the team behind the course correction held the reins from the earliest stages of development, and they seem to have learned plenty of lessons from the tumultuous launch of the previous game. With those lessons in tow, Capcom has created a title that is as functionally solid as it is flashy. Thanks to a large roster of new and familiar faces, three distinct control schemes, and a wealth of content at launch, Street Fighter 6 looks to be the grand return of the industry’s most successful and beloved fighting franchise.

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More than a decade removed from its direct predecessor, Diablo IV has some big shoes to fill. While some were left cold by the free-to-play Diablo Immortal, Diablo IV hopes to turn up the heat by returning to the classic style of Diablo gameplay and structure. This new mainline game retains many features and mechanics that made the franchise an industry leader while offering new open world and PvP features in a knock-down, drag-out fight against the return of Lilith. You had better start conditioning your loot-retrieving muscles now.

Anytime there’s a new mainline Final Fantasy game on the horizon, it’s a reason to celebrate. As a preeminent RPG franchise for more than three decades, players have come to expect a high level of quality in the gameplay, presentation, and storytelling. Final Fantasy XVI looks to carry on the series’ pedigree in those regards, with an involved action-RPG combat system, stunning visuals, and a dark storyline rife with political intrigue and high stakes. Final Fantasy XVI also sees Naoki Yoshida, the man largely credited with the turnaround of the now-wildly popular MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, stepping into the producer role for this single-player Final Fantasy title. 

Hot off its 2019 Game-of-the-Year winning effort in Control, Remedy Entertainment announced a long-awaited sequel to its fan-favorite 2010 game, Alan Wake. While 2012’s Alan Wake’s American Nightmare served as a competent spin-off, fans have been pining for a true sequel ever since that initial title arrived as an Xbox 360 exclusive. Following Control’s success, we learned that the game takes place in a shared universe with the Alan Wake series, with the eponymous author even appearing in one of the pieces of downloadable content. At The Game Awards 2021, we finally received an official announcement for Alan Wake 2, seemingly thanks to a multiplatform publishing deal between Remedy and Epic Games. We can’t wait to see what new horrors await players and the often-verbose protagonist when Alan Wake 2 launches sometime this year.

Speaking of recent Game of the Year winners, From Software is already going full-speed ahead with its next game after Elden Ring took home top honors in 2022. This revitalization of the Armored Core franchise is the first entry in the franchise in 10 years. While the Armored Core identity remains intact, From Software says it has learned lessons from its success on Soulslike titles. With Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice lead designer stepping into the director role for this title, fans of From should certainly be excited for this long-awaited return.

While we loved our time in Egpyt, Greece, and the British Isles with Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, the ambition and scope of those games began to feel overwhelming. With Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Ubisoft hopes to return to the series’ roots with more linear narrative beats and a greater emphasis on stealth gameplay. In Mirage, players step into the role of Basim, a street thief in ninth-century Baghdad who was first introduced in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Under the mentorship of Roshan, Basim learns to become a Hidden One and fight for a meaningful cause within the formula of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. We’re excited for Mirage on its own merits, but we also look at it as the start of a new era, which includes a slate of games announced last year.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is more of a known quantity for us than nearly every other game on this list, thanks mostly to its more than two years in Early Access. Larian Studios used that time to listen to the community and adapt its plans en route to a full launch. The result has been more than 50,000 user reviews with a “Very Positive” rating on Steam. Now that we know the game is scheduled to arrive in a 1.0 state in August, it’s safe to say that those 50,000-plus fans are eagerly anticipating the conclusion of the main story arc.

The first part of the remade Final Fantasy VII wowed us back in 2020, making the wait for part two all the more excruciating. While Final Fantasy XVI is set to arrive in the first half of 2023, barring any delays, we should be able to round out the year with the second part of the three-part Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth carries on the story of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and the rest of the iconic cast. With Square Enix making changes to the established lore through this remake series, fans don’t quite know what to expect narratively, but if the gameplay and quality are similar to Final Fantasy VII Remake, count us in.

The eighth entry in the simulation-facing Forza Motorsport racing series breaks naming convention by ditching the 8 in favor of simplicity. Developed with the Xbox Series X in mind, Forza Motorsport claims to fully capitalize on the increased power of the flagship console, rendering in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. In the time since Forza Motorsport 7 launched in 2017, the spin-off Forza Horizon series has flourished, delivering two critically acclaimed titles in Forza Horizon 4 and Forza Horizon 5. Forza Motorsport is set to jump off the starting line this spring, so we anticipate hearing and seeing more about the next evolution in the racing-sim franchise soon.

There’s no way to overstate how anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong is at this point. The first game became a massive hit in the Metroidvania space when it launched in 2017, but following this sequel’s announcement in 2019, developer Team Cherry has been frustratingly quiet. Thankfully, during last year’s Summer Game Fest, Xbox revealed that Hollow Knight: Silksong is among a large list of games arriving prior to the midway point of 2023. With Hornet stepping into the protagonist role for Silksong, as well as various other improvements and additions, Silksong easily slots in as one of our most anticipated games of 2023.

In 2018, Insomniac Games delivered one of the greatest superhero games of all time with Marvel’s Spider-Man. In 2020, it followed that up with the excellent Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, giving us another good excuse to web-sling and wall-crawl through Manhattan. With the second numbered entry in Insomniac’s Spider-Man series, players face off against new threats, including Spidey’s most iconic foe, Venom. The narration in the reveal trailer also seems to indicate the presence of Kraven the Hunter, which would only further complicate things for the duo of webheads in this true sequel to that smash hit. Either way, Insomniac has a lot of hype to live up to, but nothing about that studio’s history would make us think it isn’t up to the task when the game arrives on PS5 this fall.

Sea of Stars dropped our jaws with its gorgeous art style immediately upon its announcement in 2020. Since then, developer Sabotage Studio (known for 2018’s The Messenger) has drip-fed fans information on its upcoming RPG. Sea of Stars draws inspiration from classic games like Illusion of Gaia and Chrono Trigger (even going as far as including works created by Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda in its soundtrack). Additionally, Sea of Stars serves as a distant prequel to The Messenger. While there’s still so much we don’t know, the turn-based combat, diverse cast of six playable characters, and continually gorgeous visuals have us eyeing its mid-2023 release window with great anticipation.

Starfield will be the first game Bethesda Game Studios has released without “Fallout” or “The Elder Scrolls” in the title since 2006. Now, since that time, the studio has churned out myriad blockbusters within those franchises, including all-time classics like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3, and, of course, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but we’re excited to see director Todd Howard and his team flex their creative muscles with an all-new IP. Described by Howard as “Skyrim in space,” and by another developer on the team as “a Han Solo simulator,” Starfield has piqued our interests since the early days of its marketing push. With a massive playable area to explore and a narrative that promises to explore what it means that man now lives amongst the stars, Starfield holds the potential to be Bethesda’s next classic title.

With stunning visuals that harken back to Zelda games like Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild, Tchia brings a gorgeous tropical adventure to you from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Inspired by the island of New Caledonia (the homeland of developer Awaceb’s co-founders), players interact with a diverse cast of characters inspired by the culture and explore a gorgeous archipelago that uses the landscapes, music, languages, and folklore to create a compelling story within a fictional world. Tchia, the main character, can soul jump, allowing her to control any animal or object, with more than 30 playable animals and hundreds of controllable objects. Tchia first caught our attention at The Game Awards 2020, but it was our trip to New Caledonia to learn about the inspirations of the game that cemented this as one of our most anticipated for 2023.

Drawing inspiration from both Dark Souls and Destiny, Witchfire, from The Vanishing of Ethan Carter studio The Astronauts, is a single-player first-person shooter described as “a roguelite for people who hate roguelites.” Following the onset of a war with witches, players step into the role of a Church-hired witch hunter with the mission of finding the witch of the Black Sea and retrieving a mysterious artifact that can help win the war. Gorgeous graphics, smooth gameplay involving both gunplay and magic, and a compelling premise make this 2023 Early Access title one we cannot miss.