2023 has already been an enormous year for gaming, with some massive releases hitting the shelves in the first half. Titles like Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and the critically acclaimed Hogwarts Legacy have already made waves in the first six months of 2023. However, there’s still much more to look forward to across all platforms in the year’s second half.
From revisiting some old classics with a new look to journeying to some amazing new worlds, the months to come are brimming with exciting new games to sink our teeth into. Here’s our look at the four most anticipated games in the next few months.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Release date: 20th October
After the immense success and praise of the 2018 release of Marvel’s Spider-Man, comic book fans and gamers alike have been yearning for the next chapter, and their wait is almost over. The Spider-Man Miles Morales expansion before its release threatened to be nothing more than a stopgap to placate the fandom before the sequel’s arrival. It only heightened the frenzy surrounding the new installment in this Spider-Man gaming saga.
We thought the hype reached its peak when the teaser trailer was released back in September 2021, revealing Venom’s inclusion as a key character in the plot, but when the gameplay reveal came out in May earlier this year, it hit a whole other level. The teaser revealed that you could play as both Peter Parker and Miles’ versions of the web-slinger as they take on new villains Kraven the Hunter and fan favorite Venom.
But not only that, the infamous symbiote has bonded with our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man allowing players to use the core combat controls with a devious twist. That, combined with an intriguing narrative leftover from the 2018 game, makes this PS5 exclusive one of the most hotly-anticipated titles yet to release in 2023.
Starfield – Release date: 6th September
The list of highly anticipated releases coming out in the second half of 2023 is as impressive as this list of top rated casinos, and chief among that list of releases is this Sci-fi epic. We are now just weeks away from Bethesda’s first new franchise in 25 years, and excitement surrounding the new space exploration RPG is palpable. Delays to release often frustrate typically impatient gamers, but unexpectedly, it has only intensified expectations on this rare occasion.
The developers are understandably taking their time putting the finishing touches on this expansive and groundbreaking adventure in the hopes that everything will go smoothly come to its launch. Given what we know about the scope and scale of this game with over 1000 planets to explore, it’s important that Todd Howard and his team were given the time to get this right to ensure we don’t end up with a perverse combination of No Man’s Sky and the worst clunkiest parts of the Halo franchise. From what we’ve seen from deep dives and various trailers to this point, this looks like anything but that.
Starfield will present us with a heavily detailed character creator before we start our voyage out to its many worlds, where there are factions to join, allies to recruit, and quests to complete. Set to be Bethesda’s biggest game to date and described by Howard himself as “Skyrim but in space,” it doesn’t take much explanation to see why gamers worldwide can’t wait for Xbox’s flagship release of 2023.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage – Release date: 12th October
Mirage will be the 13th chapter in the Assassin’s Creed saga, taking the gamers back to the franchise’s roots. The last few editions of the title adopted an RPG approach to freshen things up, a decision that split opinion amongst the hardcore fanbase.
Many enjoyed the changes citing invigorating gameplay as far superior to the often repetitive mechanics of previous iterations. Whereas fans of the series since its inception claimed that the change of direction led to the game losing the feel and style that made the franchise feel unique. Regardless of where you stand, Ubisoft’s blockbuster hit is returning to its linear, stealth-focused parkour beginnings in Mirage.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. While many will have critiqued the developer’s decision to revert to type, plenty will be happy to see the franchise come back to the gameplay that was easy to master and made you feel like an experienced assassin from the get-go. I know if we get a gaming adventure, like Assassin’s Creed 2 or Brotherhood, with cleaner mechanics and vastly superior visuals. Long-standing fans of the franchise will not be left disappointed. The prospect of that, paired with the intriguing setting of ninth-century Baghdad, 20 years before the events of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, playing as well-known protagonist Basim, makes for an enticing gaming experience arriving mid-October.
Alan Wake 2 – Release date: 17th October
October is turning into the month to watch for gamers as Remedy releases its sequel to the cult story-driven Xbox 360 game over a decade later. Alan Wake 2 is set to be the biggest horror game of 2023 as the scary survival experience of the first game finally gets the follow-up fans have been craving since 2010. Even this close to the game’s release, details have been scarce, but we know enough to assume that the gaming experience is set to be a big departure from the original. In this sequel, Wake has been imprisoned in an alternate dimension known as the Dark Place for 13 years and is attempting to escape by writing a horror story to an FBI agent named Saga Anderson, who he hopes can rescue him, and this is where the twist comes in.
Two playable heroes, Wake and Anderson, will explore two realities and attempt to solve two mysteries. Furthermore, you can switch between their stories when you see fit. There will also be changes to combat, with a different camera angle for players to contend with, giving the sequel a completely different feel to the original. Whether this bold move pays off is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure, Remedy has embraced all the tropes of the survival horror genre with this game, and fans cannot wait to see what they deliver.