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.

5 of 21 photo by Warner Bros. Entertainment

84Hogwarts Legacy (PS5)

Also on PC, PS4, XBX, XB1 (Switch version coming Nov. 14)

(#16) One of the year's most-anticipated games heading into 2023, Legacy is a big-budget action/RPG set in the Wizarding World—specifically, at Hogwarts in the late 1800s, well before the Harry Potter era. Many years of development resulted in a game that fell a bit short of greatness, though it was (unsurprisingly) a massive hit, selling over 15 million copies since its February release.

“Hogwarts Legacy is a genuine wizarding adventure from beginning to end. There’s no mistaking that the writing and world-building lend so much to the experience that it overshadows the repetitive battle system and unintuitive menu designs. There’s a true sense of discovery provided that stems from the freedom given to players to take on this game the way they want. The jury is still out on the target audience, but I had a magical time.” —Noisy Pixel

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