Best RPGs to Look Out for In 2023

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Adam Braunstein

Adam is RPG Informers resident VR enthusiast and a dedicated member of the team. He loves RPGs more than any other genre and enjoys nothing more than getting lost in a huge open world. His standout titles are Fallout 4, Skyrim and Bloodborne, and longs for the day when RPG's release on VR platforms as standard.

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In today’s gaming age, RPGs are a dime a dozen, and while 2022 was a bit bereft of them, we’re getting a boatload in the coming year. With the new commitment by developers to make games strictly for next-gen consoles, we’re on the verge of seeing games with graphics and mechanics, the likes of which we’ve never experienced before.

RPGs always seem to be the big games every year, and 2023 is looking no different, with long-dormant franchises set to reemerge and well-known studios throwing out original IPs left and right. 

2022 was one of the weaker gaming years in quite some time, and that’s in large part due to delays. Many of the massive titles on this list were initially supposed to be out in 2022, but delays hit them pretty hard.

Fear not, though; that tumultuous time is over and there is a ton to look forward to with RPGs in 2023. Here are the best ones to look out for.

Selection Criteria

• Intriguing game mechanics
• Impressive graphics
• Ambitious premises
• Sequels to beloved series
• Creative and new franchises

Final Fantasy 16

• Developer- Square Enix
• Platforms- PS5
• Release Date- June 22th, 2023

I’m putting this one first out of strict bias. Final Fantasy is my favorite series of all time, and it’s no secret that other than Final Fantasy 7: Remake, the franchise has waned a bit in recent years.

With this entry, the series is completely changing the DNA of Final Fantasy in this game, and instead of turn-based or even party-based combat, we’re getting a solo main character with much more action-based combat like Devil May Cry. The big mystery around the gameplay is how the summons work.

In most Final Fantasy games, they come to your aid when you select them or automatically, but here, it’s been hinted at that you’re actually going to take control of the summons during certain battles, controlling them as if they’re another character.

Add to this the decidedly darker tone its story seems to be taking, and you have a recipe for a game that might not only be great but could possibly save the numbered franchise.

Forspoken

• Developer- Square Enix
• Platforms- PS5
• Release Date- January 24th, 2023

This is yet another Square Enix special coming in 2023 that has a world of intrigue around it and some considerable doubt as well. First off, the game looks absolutely gorgeous, with some of the prettiest visuals ever put on a console.

The combat also looks wildly inventive, with the majority of it utlizing a magical cuff on your wrist to produce a large variety of magical and melee attacks. The setting places your main character, a woman from modern day, into a fantasy world after she gets sucked through a portal.

Sure, not the most original premise, but this fantastical fish-out-of-water story looks to have quite a bit of intrigue behind it. The potential issue with the game right now is solely with the writing.

The trailer for the game produced some of the most cringe-worthy dialogue and voice acting out there, but it’s possible this is a game that just doesn’t take itself too seriously and, as we saw with Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins, that isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered

• Developer- Bandai Namco
• Platforms- PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
• Release Date- February 17th, 2023

While it’s definitely not on Final Fantasy or Persona’s level, the Tales series has quietly been around for almost 30 years, and with Tales of Arise last year, the series has never been as popular as it is today.

Bandai Namco is capitalizing on that and remastering Tales of Symphonia, which for many RPG fans, is the Final Fantasy 7 of the Tales series. We’re expected to see upgraded graphics, fine-tuned gameplay, and some quality-of-life improvements to the classic RPG.

The gameplay is real-time combat on a 2d plain like the older tales games are, but as the game progresses, it gets more and more complex, and the addition of a great party of characters to control makes things all the more interesting.

The charmingly animated and fascinating tale that plays out before you in this one is among the greats, and there is a good reason they decided to remaster this one.

Hogwarts Legacy

• Developer- Warner Bros. Games
• Platforms- PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
• Release Date- April 4th, 2023

This could be a big one. Other than the Lego Harry Potter games, which are admittedly pretty great, there has never been a Harry Potter video game worth our time. That could all change on February 10th, when Hogwarts Legacy drops.

This is an entirely original story in the Harry Potter universe that has you creating your own wizard and exploring Hogwarts from top to bottom while becoming the wizard of your choice.

Will you be part of the heroic Griffindor House? Or maybe you’ll be a Slytherin. All manner of spells from both the movies and books are expected to be present, and I’d bet a healthy amount of money that we’ll be hearing Avada Kadavra shouted at least a few times before this intriguing adventure is over.

The gameplay details have been sparse at best so far, and the game itself has been delayed several times already. That shouldn’t keep it from being one of the best RPGs to come out in 2023.

Like a Dragon: Ishin

• Developer- Sega
• Platforms- PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Windows, PC
• Release Date- February 21st, 2023

The Yakuza series took a big time risk when it switched its over-the-top action gameplay to a turn-based system with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, but it paid off in a huge way. The series looks to capitalize on that, but this time in a much different setting than the familiar setting of Kamurocho.

Like a Dragon: Ishin takes place in the late Edo era of Japan in a place called TOsa, where the main character Sakamoto Ryoma returns to find out he’s up for execution. The game is going to be authentic in that the voice acting is Japanese only, and from the gameplay footage we’ve seen so far, the combat looks to be just as crazy as most Yakuza games but with a samurai twist.

It’s being billed as more of a spinoff than a prequel, so it won’t be surprising to see the story and gameplay be a little bit darker in tone compared to the colorful and crazy antics we’ve experienced in prior Yakuza games.

Don’t expect the precisional realism of something like Ghost of Tsushima, but rather a more free-flowing and creative type of combat. There is a ton to be excited about with this one, and I have no doubt the Yakuza series will hit big with Like a Dragon: Ishin once again.

Atomic Heart

• Developer- Mundish
• Platforms- PS5, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC
• Release Date- February 21st, 2023

Since Bioshock came out back in 2007, there have been a handful of attempts to capture that same kind of weird mix of magic and technological horror that made the game such a phenom. Atomic Heart has a lot in common with Bioshock, and from the gameplay shown so far, it looks to be a worthy successor.

This one has been hit with several delays since first revealing itself in 2018, but the wait is over this February, and it is already building a case for a potential game-of-the-year run. Atomic Heart takes place in an alternate universe of Soviet Russia, and in this hellscape, robots and all forms of technology have begun to go haywire and rebel.

Your character, Major Nechaev has been sent to investigate a manufacturing facility. When you get there, things are not right, and robots have run amok. Armed with makeshift weapons like pipes and wild-looking guns, it’s up to you to try and figure out just what the hell happened.

The most intriguing part of the gameplay thus far comes in the form of the powers you can wield, which includes telekinesis. This medley of ideas melds together to create something that feels like Bioshock and the Metro series had a child with Half-Life’s eyes, and honestly? I’m here for it.

Starfield

• Developer- Bethesda
• Platforms- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC
• Release Date- TBA 2023

Whenever Bethesda announces an RPG, people listen, and regardless of how many memes have been made making fun of the company throughout the past 5 years, they are still one of the kings of the genre. Starfield has been pitched as Skyrim in space, and immediately the world was tweeting out #NoMansSkyrim in response to its first few trailers.

That classification doesn’t seem too far off, as the game will include hundreds of planets with their own environments, ecosystems, and quests to explore. The gameplay is either first or third person depending on your preference, and based on the small bits of gameplay released so far, the shooting mechanics look very sharp.

How melee combat or whatever the replacement for magic in this game world will be have not been revealed yet, but either way, when this behemoth finally touches down sometime in 2023, we are in for 100+ hours of exploration-heavy, RPG heaven.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom

• Developer- Nintendo
• Platforms- Nintendo Switch
• Release Date- May 12th, 2023

After a considerable wait, the sequel to Breath of the Wild is finally within reach on May 12th; we all get to see what Nintendo has been cooking up the past 5 years. The sequel to 2017’s game of the year sees Link a little bit older in a brand new world with a host of new tools and abilities to use at your will.

The story is a mystery so far, but early trailers showed the corpse of Ganon being brought back to life in some respect, so we can expect Link’s lifelong rival to at least to be involved in some way.

The graphics again look beautiful, and this entry seeks to improve on Breath of the Wild by adding far more dungeon-based gameplay, which was about the only complaint from the first game. No word yet on what the weapon-breaking system will be, as that was a love-it-or-hate-it part of Breath of the Wild.

It’s going to be really tough to improve on what many refer to as one of the best games of all time, but I’m willing to bet that the 5 years spent cooking this one up will result in something truly special and possibly the last big hit for the Nintendo Switch.

System Shock

• Developer- Nightdive Studios
• Platforms- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, macOS
• Release Date- TBA, March 2023

We talked about Bioshock earlier, and although that may be the big name in the Shock series, it is not the originator. The origins of Bioshock come from System Shock, a science fiction horror game that takes place aboard a derelict spaceship.

System Shock is a full-on reboot of the original game that has members of Fallout: New Vegas, Mass Effect, Bioshock, and the original System Shock game working on it, so you can expect to get a game that’s lovingly made and faithful to what made the 1994 original System Shock such a groundbreaking game.

The gameplay is first-person, with some unique tweaks. Psionic abilities were a big part of the original game, and they will no doubt be a part of the reboot as well. You’ll be facing off against mutated crew members and horrifying creations of machine and flesh throughout your journey and discovering just what happened to the ship.

SHODAN is one of the most iconic antagonists in gaming history, and according to the recent trailers, will be every bit the malevolent presence that she was in the original game.

Greedfall II

• Developer- Spiders
• Platforms- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC
• Release Date- TBA 2023-2024

Spiders is one of those companies that you have to hand to. They might not always get a big hit with their games, but dammit, do they ever try.

While certain titles by them have had a unique appeal, such as The Technomancer, which I quite liked despite its shortcomings,\ they usually miss the mark despite a heaping helping of passion in each and every one of their products.

2019’s Greedfall was where they finally made their hit, and while it wasn’t a perfect game, it was the sort of success that fueled the studio enough to make a much bigger sequel. In terms of the jump in the quality, we could see from I to II; think about how much The Witcher 2: Assassin’s of Kings changed from The Witcher 1.

It might not be that monumental of a jump, but it’s definitely a similar type of game, at least. Greedfall II will include more of the political intrigue we saw with the first game, mixed with some engaging third-person combat that can take on a number of different looks depending on how you like to build your character.

My big issue with the first game was the enemy variety, but with a bigger budget this time around, I trust that Spiders will upgrade the experience in just about every way.

Dragon Age Dreadwolf

• Developer- Bioware
• Platforms- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC
• Release Date- TBA 2023 

Bioware has seen one of the biggest falls from graces of any company in recent memory, but with last year’s Mass Effect Legendary Edition collection and the announcement of Mass Effect 4, they might finally be putting the gargantuan failures of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem behind them.

One way for them to do that is to nail Dragon Age Dreadwolf. When this game finally comes out, it will have been almost 10 years since the previous game, which is both astonishing and sad to think about. The last game, Dragon Age: Inquisition, left us with some massive questions, with the biggest being just what was Solus’s grand plan all along?

Dragon Age Dreadwolf places our now antagonist, Solus, as the Dreadwolf in question and should serve as a direct sequel to the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. With that connection already established, it is likely you will again take on the role of the Inquisitor due to your deep relationship with Solus.

Hopefully, you will be able to carry your character’s decisions and looks over from the previous game, but whether or not you even have your save files from that long ago is anyone’s guess.

Bioware risked a lot pushing this one as far back as they did, but when it finally releases sometime in 2023, they will have a legion of fans chomping at the bit to see what happens next in one of gaming’s greatest franchises.

Baldur’s Gate III

• Developer- Larian Studios
• Platforms- Windows, Mac, Google Stadia
• Release Date- August 2023

One of the least talked about disappointments in the gaming world in recent years is how Larian studios have failed to capitalize on the massive success that Divinity: Original Sin 2 brought them.

They were immediately handed the reigns to the Baldur’s Gate franchise, and while that’s a big move, they went with the questionable decision to release the game in Early Access rather than wait till the completed release.

That decision has killed the hype for Baldur’s Gate III considerably, but it’s actually getting a complete release in 2023, and when that happens, we will no doubt be getting an elite-level RPG. From what I experienced in the Early Access version, the gameplay is very similar to Divinity: Original Sin 2, and that’s a good thing.

You’re going to be making story-altering decisions left and right, using your environment to your advantage during combat, and engaging in an inventive and original story in the world of Baldur’s Gate.

Your party will take on a more serious tone compared to the often out-there designs of the Divinity games, and overall, the story seems to be more on the mature side. If you’ve been itching to get your Dungeons and Dragons in video game form lately, there will likely be few to make that happen as accurately as Baldurs Gate III will.

Octopath Traveler II

• Developer- Square Enix
• Platforms- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
• Release Date- February 24th, 2023

Octopath Traveler was a fascinating trip to nostalgia land when it was released, but it didn’t quite click for everyone. I was one of those people, as I found the voice acting and story overall a bit underwhelming for Square Enix standards, but what I did like was the unique mix of characters and how the stories all interconnected in interesting and unexpected ways.

The combat was also a high point and introduced a modern spin on turn-based RPGs. The combat looks to return almost untouched for the sequel, with new abilities and spells added to spice things up.

Thankfully, the gorgeous 2D sprites of the first game remain as bright and as colorful as ever, and an intriguing cast of new characters should make a second go around in this universe just as fun as the first.

For the first time, PS4, Xbox, and PC owners will get a shot at this one right off the bat, as it’s not just a Nintendo Switch exclusive anymore. This is a huge win for console owners who have been on the outside looking in, and the JRPG renaissance will get a heavy hitter in 2023.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

• Developer- Cygames
• Platforms- PS5, PS4, Microsoft Windows
• Release Date- 2023

Granblue is a franchise that never quite made its mark the way that its fellow JRPG brethren have, but with Granblue Fantasy: Relink, I think we might getting quite the contender for RPG of the year.

Now, there are certainly some things to consider with this game as it’s been delayed many, many times, but with that, hopefully, comes the fine-tuning that delays can bring. Granblue Fantasy: Relink has a similar look to Tales of Arise, with cel-shaded graphics that look like an anime come to life.

The gameplay is real-time combat with a large party that you can control. Each character has a unique set of weapons and abilities, which will make gameplay varied and fresh through what looks to be an extensive adventure.

To add to the intrigue, Platinum Games had a hand in this one, and if you know anything about them, it’s that they know how to nail over-the-top, anime-style action. Hopefully, this is the coming out party that Granblue Fantasy has been working towards,

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

• Developer- Team Ninja
• Platforms- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC
• Release Date- March 3rd, 2023

If you’re a bit short on your Team Ninja fix lately, you’re not alone. Since Nioh 2, fans of the company have been foaming at the mouth for the next title from the combat masters, and in 2023, they will get it in the form of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. This is a completely new IP and has all the makings of another mammoth franchise.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty looks a bit faster than Nioh but retains much of the aesthetic of the franchise. If we’re picturing Nioh as Dark Souls, then think of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty as the Sekiro for Team Ninja. The combat options are enormous here. There are tons of weapons to discover with different moves to unlock.

There is also a large number of magical styles to discover as well. The environment in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a unique one for sure, and instead of feudal Japan, Wo Long looks to be exploring Chinese folklore, which is a woefully underused topic in video games.

Beautiful graphics, ace-level gameplay, and a company that consistently delivers. I don’t have to sell you on this one; anyone that’s played Nioh knows that this one is a day-one buy, and that goes for anyone thirsting for a great action RPG as well.

FAQs

Conclusion

As you can see, 2023 is shaping up to be one hell of a year for RPG enthusiasts. We’ve got returning titans like Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and Final Fantasy 16 but also tons of new and interesting ideas like Atomic Heart.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say we are in for one of the greatest gaming years of all time. Delays are partially responsible, but if all these beasts land when they’re supposed to, we’re going to have to find quite a bit of time in our schedules.

Whether you’re into fantasy, science fiction, or anime RPGs, it looks like there will be a flavor for everyone to enjoy. Get ready to bunker down during winter with these massive adventures that surely have something special in store for us.