Our favorite video games of 2023

It’s the end of the year and that means it’s time for reflection. The Game Awards have come and gone. Every other outlet has probably published their own lists. Now it’s our turn. Below you’ll find up to three entries from the favorite games of all of us here at GeekTyrant. Be sure to let us know your favorite games of 2023 in the comments below.

Tommy Williams

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty – Favorite expansion

• Developer: CD Projekt Red

• Publisher: CD Project

• Runner Up: Guild Wars 2 Secrets of the Dark One

I know you all think I’ve been replaced by a robot for putting something in front of Guild Wars 2. However, as much as I love Secrets of the Obscure, it’s been implemented in several updates that lessen its impact, and Phantom Liberty was really exceptionally more impactful for Cyberpunk 2077 than Secrets of the Obscure for Guild Wars 2. Phantom Liberty was released alongside the 2.0 update, and the game has been completely changed by these updates. Phantom Liberty’s story is so good that it made me play it more than once, which is huge! I enjoy playing open world RPGs like Cyberpunk 2077, but I often just play them once and then move on. After reviewing Phantom Liberty I went back and put many more hours into my main character doing Phantom Liberty, side jobs, gigs and more. If you haven’t already played Cyberpunk 2077, I highly recommend purchasing the Ultimate Edition that comes with Phantom Liberty.

Metroid Prime Remastered: Favorite port/remaster/remake

• Developer: Retro Studios

• Publisher Nintendo

• Second place: Super Mario RPG

Metroid Prime Remastered is really well done! I had trouble with the original controls, but the remaster lets you use the second stick to look around while moving and that’s a game changer! This alone would be enough, but the improved graphics solidify it as one of the best remasters of recent years. Every boss fight was fun and challenging, and even when I wanted to throw the controller I couldn’t wait to try again. The story and gameplay are top notch and I can’t wait for a remaster of the second game. Let’s hope this happens soon.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Game of the Year

• Developer: Nintendo EPD

• Publisher: Nintendo

• Second place: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Tears of the Kingdom is a truly incredible game. The story is well done. The gameplay is fun. There is so much to do in the game that there are many people I know who spent hours doing crazy things instead of finishing the story. Even though my creativity was lacking with Fuse, I enjoyed watching random videos online from strangers and family to see what they came up with. It’s sad that there are some performance issues, but the amount of pure fun you can have in the game is limitless. Heck, in my Nintendo recap of the year, Tears of the Kingdom was my most played game on Switch at over 100 hours. The next most played was about 35 hours.

Anna Williams

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical – Best Indie Game

• Developer: Summerfall Studios

• Publisher: Humble Games

Every once in a while you come across a game that caters to so many of your interests that you can’t help but wonder if the game was made specifically for you. Stray Gods was that game for me: musicals, Greek mythology, romance, and choose your own adventure, all combined for an incredible experience. With an amazing cast of voice actors and engaging characters, this game is unlike anything I’ve ever played before. Each song has so many lyrical and tonal possibilities based on your decisions. With 4 different romance options and what seems like endless song options, the replayability of the game is high. I can’t say enough about this game, if you have any passing interest in musical theater then you need to try this game.

Vampire Survivors on Switch: best port

• Developer: poncle

• Publisher: ponclé

Vampire Survivors is an incredibly addictive game. The premise is simple: choose a character and try to survive hordes of increasingly stronger monsters for as long as possible. The game is so simple too, all you have to do is walk around and choose which passive weapons/items you want to level up. Simple but perfect and I think that’s why it has lent itself well to so many different platforms. The Switch version that introduced me to the game was everything I could have asked for. This is a great traveling game as it’s easy to put down and pick up in a snap.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Game of the Year

• Developer: Nintendo EPD

• Publisher: Nintendo

What can I say, this game was a fantastic sequel to an already fantastic game. I loved this game so much. The story was so good, I liked that Zelda had a more proactive role in the story and it was so fun to find all the memories left behind. I also liked how emotionally satisfying the game’s ending was. The gameplay was a lot of fun and the world expanded a lot more than we thought it would. I still can’t believe the shock we all had when we first encountered the Depths when we all thought only Sky Islands would be added to the game. This game in the series did a great job of hinting at and honoring the games of the past, it was really a pleasure to find all those Easter eggs. And let’s not forget the music I could listen to all day. This was the game I was most excited for this year and it didn’t disappoint at all.

Daniele Nero

Final Fantasy XVI – Game of the Year

• Developer: Square Enix

• Publisher: Square Enix

The last time I played a game where I was this invested in the story was probably Kingdom Hearts 2.

Marvel SNAP: The best game going

• Developer: Second Supper

• Publisher: Nuverse

• Runner-up: Destiny 2 (Seasons, not Lightfall)