The Greatest RPG of 2023

One in every of gaming’s oldest style’s had a outstanding 2023. It contained a number of long-awaited releases, quite a few pleasant surprises, and a surprising sequel that can be remembered as an all-time nice. We knew it could be a superb yr for RPGs stepping into, however we didn’t know that it could be this good. Position-playing video games of all differing kinds had been represented this yr – turn-based and motion, technique and open-world, Japanese and European. It was a feast for followers of the style, made all of the extra stunning that certainly one of its anticipated releases spent much less time within the limelight than many would have anticipated.

Runner-Up: Starfield

That sport, after all, was Starfield – Bethesda’s long-awaited journey into area. It was a sprawling, messy, and at instances complicated affair – we finally awarded it a 7 in our evaluation – however there was no denying that it was a labor of affection from director Todd Howard and firm. An unabashed tribute to sci-fi movie and literature, Starfield steadily develops in some putting methods, culminating in some of the memorable reveals of 2023. One fan cherished it a lot that they beat its New Sport Plus an unbelievable 33 instances.

Since its launch, Starfield has cultivated a group devoted to constructing distinctive ships, creating elaborate outposts, and unlocking its numerous secrets and techniques. It’s in so some ways the Star Trek RPG that we’ve all the time wished however by no means actually obtained, not less than not within the triple-An area. It’s a journey of discovery via the universe that marks it as distinctive amongst its friends, stuffed with questions like, “What if clones of Genghis Khan, Franklin Roosevelt, and Amanirenas had been put accountable for their very own societies?” When you’re the kind of one that stayed up watching reruns of Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology within the 90s, then Starfield is second to none.

Runner-Up: Diablo IV

One other RPG that maybe deserves extra credit score than it will get from followers is Diablo IV, one other IGN Awards runner-up. Launched to nice fanfare again in June, Diablo IV earned appreciable reward for bringing the collection again to the bloody horror of its early days. We praised it in our evaluation for its “finely-tuned fight, intensive construct choices, stellar graphics, and robust live-service basis” when it first launched. Sadly, its heavily-criticized Season 1 rollout soured the temper considerably, leaving Blizzard scrambling to regain the goodwill of followers, which it arguably did with the a lot better obtained Season 2.

On-line RPGs like these are all the time slightly tough to guage, since they have a tendency to get caught up in regardless of the discourse du jour is amongst hardcore followers who’re sad, say, in regards to the DPS output of a specific construct or the hardship of a specific grind. These are all professional grievances, however they have a tendency to lose what made the expertise so memorable within the first place. Diablo IV is, by any measure, certainly one of 2023’s greatest RPGs. It’s an incredible co-op expertise that you may play with buddies on each PC and console, with the kind of presentation that hearkens again to Blizzard’s golden age (severely, that opening cutscene with Lilith is an all-timer). Blizzard additionally deserves an excessive amount of credit score for its candid communication because it has sought to shortly deal with fan suggestions. With extra expansions on the way in which, Diablo IV is likely one of the handful of causes to be optimistic about Blizzard’s future heading into 2024.

Runner-Up: Sea of Stars

Diablo IV’s diametric reverse is Sea of Stars – a hopeful, optimistic, and ceaselessly very cozy turn-based RPG developed by Sabotage Studios. It’s pitched as an ode to Chrono Set off, however actually it’s a tribute to a whole household of RPGs developed for the Tremendous Nintendo, PlayStation, and past. Its soundtrack even options contributions from RPG legend Yasunori Mitsuda, and let me inform you, they rock.

Sea of Stars’ considerably plain protagonists – one boy and one woman – belie a pleasant forged with their very own tales and playstyles. My favourite is certainly Garl, warrior prepare dinner and dependable pal to Valere and Zale – an everyman with a ladle and a scrumptious pot of soup. A breezy journey that may be wrapped up in nearly 30 hours, Sea of Stars is nonetheless a beautiful RPG with an attractive battle system, some nice boss battles, and a captivating forged (and did I point out the soundtrack is nice? As a result of it’s). 

Runner-Up: Octopath Traveler 2

Talking of tributes to 16-bit RPGs, Octopath Traveler 2 picks up the place the primary sport left off with an excellent greater journey stuffed with memorable characters, some actually wonderful writing, and one other banger of a soundtrack (severely, if you’d like some nice music, you’ll be able to usually do worse than to fireplace up an RPG developed in Japan). In a nod to Akitoshi Kawazu’s (in)well-known SaGa collection, Octopath Traveler 2 includes a host of adventurers on their very own particular person journeys, all of which intersect and ultimately mix in some actually fascinating methods. Octopath Traveler 2 flew below the radar amongst mainstream players, however RPG followers went wild for it, with many calling it their Sport of the 12 months earlier than Baldur’s Gate 3 got here alongside (a couple of would in all probability nonetheless decide Octopath Traveler 2). It stays a singular expertise, not simply due to its memorable HD-2D art-style, however due to characters like Temenos, snarky cleric extraordinaire. Sq. Enix usually will get criticized for its dealing with of its traditional franchises, however Octopath Traveler 2 feels just like the love letter to RPG historical past that followers deserve.

Runner-Up: In Stars and Time

[Note: I asked IGN’s number one In Stars and Time fan Rebekah Valentine to write this section. Take it away, Reb.]

Such a stellar yr for RPGs wouldn’t be full with no loving nod to the quirky traditions of Earthbound and Undertale, and this yr’s hit of this fashion was In Stars and Time. Set on the tail finish of what initially seems to be a regular RPG journey, protagonist Siffrin finds himself in a time loop, reliving the identical journey via the “remaining dungeon” of his journey again and again. Useful for him, as he’s in a position to undo any losses in opposition to traps or enemies and make sure the success of his get together in opposition to the evil King. However as he makes his approach to the ultimate battle and past, In Stars and Time shortly presents a deeply intriguing thriller beneath the loops – one which makes it tough to place down with out doing juuuust yet one more loop.

Whereas I may discuss without end in regards to the intelligent time looping mechanics, the stellar story, or the splendidly literal interpretation of a rock-paper-scissors battle system, what actually made In Stars and Time shine for me was its well-written forged. Humorous, advanced, various, flawed, joyfully queer, and splendidly human, the 5 get together members of In Stars and Time proved an absolute deal with to spend time with loop after loop. I’m particularly keen on the cantankerous however secretly comfortable Odile, and I wish to defend the self-serious pre-teen Bonnie with my life. Yet another loop, then, simply so I can see them once more.

Runner-Up: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Now it’s time to speak about two of the best vote-getters for greatest RPG at IGN. The primary is Cyberpunk 2077: The Phantom Liberty, which accomplished Cyberpunk’s comeback from largest disappointment of 2020 to one of many nice RPGs of the yr. However wait, you ask, isn’t Phantom Liberty an enlargement pack? Properly, sure. However CD Projekt’s expansions have a means of taking over a lifetime of their very own. I started my 2023 by lastly finishing my playthrough of The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, and I used to be staggered by the sheer breadth of what it added to an already large RPG. It actually felt like its personal self-contained little sequel.

Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk’s Blood and Wine. It’s a big enlargement that takes into consideration all of CD Projekt’s learnings over the previous three years, all whereas incorporating intensive new mechanics like automobile chases and car fight. It exists as a rebuke to all of the critics who stated that one enlargement couldn’t make Cyberpunk 2077 into a superb RPG. Because it seems, Phantom Liberty and its accompanying 2.0 replace doesn’t simply make Cyberpunk 2077 into a superb RPG, it makes it into an excellent one, washing away a lot (if not essentially all) of its troubled historical past. It’s inconceivable to inform the story of RPGs in 2023 with out it, and that makes it a necessary addition to this listing, and to your library.

Winner: Baldur’s Gate 3

Lastly, there’s Baldur’s Gate 3, IGN’s greatest RPG of 2023. Earlier than its launch, one observer I do know questioned aloud how essentially the most anticipated PC RPG in years may very well be flying thus far beneath the radar. Then everybody realized in regards to the Bear Intercourse, and certainly one of 2023’s largest gaming phenomenons was born.

Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t simply certainly one of 2023’s greatest RPGs – it could be the perfect RPG ever made. Recency bias, you say? Maybe. However Baldur’s Gate 3’s writing, characters, and storytelling are each bit the equal of its illustrious protesters, and arguably match as much as style holy grails like Planescape Torment. It’s additionally essentially the most important triple-A PC RPG since BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins – superb proof that turn-based RPGs will be each bit as profitable as their action-based counterparts.

It’s inconceivable to charge Baldur’s Gate 3’s general impression, particularly when it arguably isn’t even a completed work, however there’s little doubt that Larian Studios has pressured builders throughout the trade to rethink their assumptions in regards to the style. And talking of Larian, it has lastly absolutely arrived as one of many trade’s nice RPG builders, assuming the mantle relinquished by BioWare. We are going to little doubt nonetheless be speaking in regards to the adventures of Karlach, Lae’zel, Gale, and the remainder within the years to come back, particularly as followers full their second and third and fourth playthroughs (I imply, you need to do the Darkish Urge playthrough not less than as soon as, proper?) 

Within the meantime, elevate a toast to Baldur’s Gate 3, among the best video games of 2023, and an RPG that may go down in historical past as one of many style’s seminal accomplishments.