The 20 Best Video Games of 2023 So Far

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – June 29, 2023

Which videogames impressed critics during the first half of the year? In the gallery on this page we rank the highest-scoring games released between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023. Titles are ranked by their Metascores (prior to rounding) as of June 28, 2023 and must have a minimum of 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible for inclusion.

Note that ...

If a game was released on multiple platforms, we included only the version receiving the largest total number of reviews (usually, but not always, the PS5 or PS4 version).

Multi-game compilations and newly released ports of games released in recent years on other platforms are excluded, unless they are substantially different from the prior release(s) (for example, an HD remaster that also adds some new content or is multiple hardware generations beyond the previous release). We have also excluded expansion packs and other DLC.

16 of 21 photo by Electronic Arts

89Dead Space (PS5)

Also on PC, XBX

(#5) A remake of the 2008 sci-fi survival horror game of the same name (and identical Metascore)—and the first release in the Dead Space series in a decade—this atmospheric next-gen take on Dead Space makes numerous changes to gameplay in addition to completely overhauling the presentation. But the story and setting—a 26th century mining ship in a distant solar system where the crew has been infected and killed—remain mostly intact ... and mostly terrifying.

“It’s a great example of when you start with a clean slate, improve all of the graphics and game systems, and then wind up with a much better product than the original. This remake of a classic goes to show why video games just get better with the passage of time.” —GamesBeat

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