What are your favorite PS5, PS4 games of 2023 so far?

We don’t know about you, but we think 2023 has been a great year for PlayStation gaming so far. We’ve had top-rated blockbusters, we’ve had smaller hits, and perhaps most importantly, we’ve had a lot of variety.

Of course, the year is far away – and the second half of 2023 is serious Potentially too — but now that we’re in July, we wanted to take a look back at the past six months or so. We’ve rounded up the editorial team to list their favorite PS5 and PS4 games of 2023 so far, and we’d love to hear your own picks after you’ve read.

Khayl Adam

Miasma chronicles

Miasma Chronicles is a really exciting next step for developer The Bearded Ladies and shows just how far the studio has come since Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, which is a shame as it seems to have come and gone quietly. It tells another compelling sci-fi story in a post-post-apocalyptic world and deftly develops the combination of narrative, stealth, exploration, and turn-based combat while introducing a whole new cast of weird and wonderful characters. I’m still holding out hope for the DLC, because it’s a world I want an excuse to go back to.

Diablo 4

Diablo 4 is an endless black hole of content that fixes my biggest issues with Diablo 3 and, I think, sets a new benchmark for service games going forward. The combat is incredible, and it offers a lot of variety in terms of playstyles, builds, theory-crafting, and lore. More than that, though, it finally feels like a service game to me. I’ve bounced through virtually every other game to bear that moniker (with Destiny 2 being the most consistent focus), and Diablo 4 finally feels able to put on a slow burn. I’m already looking forward to the expansion and there’s so much left to do in the base game, which is a rare and happy gaming situation for me.

Aliens: Dark Descent

I just reviewed it, so recency bias may be a factor here, but counterpoint; I can’t stop playing Aliens: Dark Descent. Now playing on Nightmare for Platinum, every mission really starts to feel like a true survival horror experience, where every shot counts and every chance encounter could be your last. Dark Descent manages to be a real-time tactical strategy game played from an isometric perspective; Not traditionally the scariest sight. The story is also no slouch and tells a story that sits comfortably among the best ones told in the universe. the alien A universe this unique, faithful, incredibly compelling, and low-key could be a precursor to my own personal GOTY.

Liam Croft

Resident Evil 4

Capcom’s latest remake is my favorite game of 2023 so far, and it’s going to take a lot to top it. Faithfully bringing back the classic PS2 experience and then expanding it with new content and massively upgraded graphics, Resident Evil 4 can again be considered a masterpiece. It’s a fantastic experience full of better combat and set pieces, with better audio and compatible PS5 DualSense controller support. Single player games in 2023 don’t get much better than this.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was one of the best games of 2019, so it makes sense that its bigger and even better sequel is also in the works for 2023. I like a game with a nice hub area that has characters you can return to again and again for new dialogue and quests, and provides access to the rambler. When you’re not at home, however, many wonderful planets hold vast swathes of land ripe for exploration and a fun story worth watching to the end. With more in-depth combat and lightsaber stands, it’s one of the funnest experiences on PS5 to date.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Source

I don’t think Horizon Forbidden West is anywhere near as good as its Metacritic average suggests, so its PS5 DLC Burning Shores came as a very pleasant surprise. With a more dense map and story, the expansion gets to the point in much faster fashion, and it allows Burning Shores to be completely engaging. I loved the addition of sidekick Seyka, and the lush grounds of Los Angeles were great to explore, with more interesting side quests to follow and optional activities to find. Of course, the third installment will return to the vast open world of another iconic USA city, but Burning Shores proves that the concept can work on a smaller scale as well.

Robert Ramsey

Like a dragon: Isshin!

Japanese games have dominated my 2023 so far, and that Like a Dragon: Ishin! The Japanese don’t get more than. I had given up hope on a Samurai spin-off coming to the West, and so actually playing it (and reviewing it) in February felt almost surreal. It’s a great game — if a bit of a grind at times — with an interesting setting and some great story moments. After all these years of praying for localization, I dare say the wait was worth it.

Trails to Azure

I started my Trails journey with Trails of Cold Steel, but I always knew that the previous Crossbell games — Trails from Zero and Trails from Azure — were highly rated among fans of the series. Thankfully, NIS America saw fit to localize both titles, and Azure in particular blew me away. This is an RPG sequel that pulls out all the stops, delivering every plot point and character moment expertly set up by Zero. Azure has to be one of my favorite trail games, and that’s high praise indeed.

Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy as a series helped shape my taste in games when I was a kid, and honestly, I just wanted Final Fantasy 16 to be memorable for all the right reasons. The last mainline game I really enjoyed was Final Fantasy 12, but 16 managed to rekindle my passion for Square’s franchise. While it’s a drastic departure in many ways, Clive Rossfeld’s adventures really resonated with me in terms of storytelling, world building, and combat design. It ended up being a lot of what I look for in a Final Fantasy game, evoking that unmistakable aura of the classics.

Sammy Barker

Honkai: Star Train

I’m cheating because it’s not technically on PS5 yet, but I’ve already put an absurd number of hours into Honkai: Star Rail on mobile. Hoyoverse already has a huge live service hit under its belt with Genshin Impact, but I think the fragmented nature of this turn-based RPG will make it an even bigger success over time. The writing is overwhelming and the sheer number of overlapping systems means you really need to immerse yourself in how to get the most out of it, but this graphically stunning gacha already There’s a lot of content – and it hasn’t had a chance to blossom. yet

PSVR2

Yep, I’m cheating again – sorry, Rob! I know there are very valid criticisms of PSVR2’s upcoming slate of software, and I echo many of them. That said, I don’t think we should overlook what a fantastic upgrade this new piece of hardware is over its predecessor. Although my use of the headset has slowed down a lot over the last few months for various reasons, I had a great time immersing myself in the beautiful world of Horizon: Call of the Mountain, and I generally enjoy walking around with the upgraded have enjoyed ports, such as Beat Saber and Pistol Whip. I know the jury is still somewhat out, but I’ll still say that playing through PSVR2’s launch lineup has been one of the highlights of my gaming year so far.

Street Fighter 6

I would consider myself a fighting game player at best, but I’m a relatively busy one. I’ve never missed Street Fighter, for example, and I’m usually up to date with my Mortal Kombat and Tekken as well. Street Fighter 6, which was one of my most anticipated games of the year, has completely blown me away, though. After Street Fighter 5’s door launch, publisher Capcom has corrected course in the best possible way: the game is absolutely packed with things to do, and I’m just as excited to explore the zany single-player RPG campaign. Enjoyed as much as one-on-one online brawl. I get frustrated when I lose, but when you win you need those lows to appreciate the highs.

Stephen Talby

Final Fantasy 16

I’ve tried and failed to get on-board with Final Fantasy many times, but this entry really resonated with me. Amazing real-time combat feels amazing. The boss battles are fantastic set pieces, especially the fantastic Ekon battles that give God of War a real run for its money. Even the story and characters won me over. Final Fantasy 16 has its flaws, but all told, I’m hard-pressed to think of a more memorable, satisfying experience with a game this year.

humanity

In a year filled with big budget titles soaking up all the limelight, Humanity deserves to be remembered. Enhance Games quietly released this excellent puzzle game in May, riffing on Lemmings-like gameplay with a modern, original twist. Deceptively challenging puzzles, cleverly simple gameplay, and visual absurdity on screen come together into something truly magnificent. It also feels wonderfully PlayStation – an unusual, experimental, timeless game that feels like the long lost sibling of LocoRoco, Patapon, and Ecochrome.

Powerwash simulator

I keep coming back to Powerwash Simulator. It came out at the very end of January on PS5 and PS4, and since then, I’ve dipped in and out of the big games. There’s something really comforting about it that’s hard to put my finger on. You just blast pressurized water at dirty buildings, but it’s unexpectedly relaxing and rewarding. The thing is, objectively, I don’t think it’s anywhere near the best PS5 games of 2023, but for me, I can’t resist its low-key charm. It is very peaceful.

Now that we’ve had our say, it’s your turn. what are your Favorite PS5 and PS4 games of 2023 so far? Cast a few votes in our poll, and then weigh in with your picks in the comments section below.