January means it’s that time of year again for…video game discussions!

2023 was a weird year for video games. It has arguably the highest highs in gaming we have seen in a long time in terms of quality of output, but it also has arguably the lowest lows we have seen in the industry as a whole for the people who make those games. In recognizing that, we still want to celebrate the truly amazing games that came out this year and hope that 2024 turns that dark ship around for those who make the games we enjoy so much. So join Tuong La and self-proclaimed game GODS Angus MacDonald, Ethan Howieson, and Mathew Whalley as they step into our 7th GOTY podcast discussions and put together our Top 5 Video Games of 2023 list!

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Ground Rules

• Games must have come out in 2023
• Expansions/DLC of games DO count so long as they bring in full game size experiences
• Remakes of games DO count so long as they add something new, drastic, and is not just an uprezzed version of an older game. (ie counts if the remake was built from the ground up and/or had some obvious attention of detail added to it)
• Free to play games count if they came out in 2023
• Early access games count but they should feel like more or less full game experiences and not at it’s very early stages of development
• Games that were early access for awhile but officially released in 2023 also count.

Group Top 5

5. Barotrauma

4.Super Mario Bros. Wonder

3. Remnant 2

2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

1. Baldur’s Gate 3

Tuong’s Top 10 List (ordered)

10. Final Fantasy XVI

9. Dave the Diver

8. Cocoon

7. Resident Evil 4 Remake

6. Pikmin 4

5. Alan Wake 2

4. Spider-Man 2

3. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

2. Baldur’s Gate 3

1.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Angus’s Top 10 (Ordered)

10. Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

9. Mortal Kombat 1

8. Humanity

7. System Shock Remake

6. God of Weapons

5.Spider-Man 2

4. Cyberpunk 2077/ Phantom Liberty

3. RE 4 Remake (VR Mode)

2. Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon

1. Baldur’s Gate 3

Ethan’s Top 5 (Ordered)

5. Street Fighter VI

4. Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

2. Hi-Fi Rush

1.Baldur’s Gate 3

Matthew’s Top 10 (Ordered)

10. Dredge

9. Fire Emblem: Engage

8. Hogwart’s Legacy

7. Armored Core 6

6. World of Horror

5. Lords of the Fallen

4. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

3. Baldur’s Gate 3

2. Barotrauma

1. Remnant 2

…and here’s all games we played from last year