Biggest AAA games coming in 2023: Zelda, Final Fantasy 16, Starfield & more

2023 had some huge releases and players are gearing up for more monumental games like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Final Fantasy 16. Here are all of the biggest video games penciled in for 2023 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC, with release dates too.

After a stellar year of major releases in 2022, you might think that things would be slowing down over the next 12 months. Elden Ring and Horizon: Forbidden West made quite the splash early in the year, and then more AAA behemoths arrived in the form of God of War: Ragnarok and Modern Warfare 2.

However, the 2023 line-up is already looking incredibly juicy with plenty of hotly anticipated games expected to finally hit shelves this year. After the successful launches of games like Hogwarts Legacy and Resident Evil 4, there are still some pretty big franchises to consider.

We’ve broken down all of the biggest AAA games slated for 2023 on PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, PC, and Stadia right here, along with some release dates to mark in your calendar.

PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC, Steam & Stadia video games in 2023

Star Wars Jedi Survivor release date: April 28, 2023

2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is considered by many to be one of the best Star Wars games ever made, so a sequel was almost inevitable. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor continues the story of Cal Kestis and the crew of the Mantis as they fight for survival against the Empire.

Set five years later, Survivor promises to take Cal and his friends into much darker territory, interacting with some of the shadier characters in the galaxy. There’s no shortage of lore to draw from, and we can’t wait to see which familiar faces from George Lucas’ space opera make an appearance.

Dead Island 2 release date: April 28, 2023

After first being announced back in 2014, followed by years of development hell, Deep Silver finally showed off gameplay from the follow-up to Dead Island at Gamescom 2022, as well as announcing its long-awaited release date.

In Dead Island 2, players will have the run of a zombie-infested Los Angeles, with more brutal weapons to craft and heads to pop than ever before. After almost a decade of development, a return to the series feels long overdue.

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom release date: May 12, 2023

With the original being one of the most critically-acclaimed games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom might just be the most hyped game of 2023. Gamers fell in love with Nintendo’s reimaging of the classic franchise back in 2017, and they’re still making new discoveries to this day.

Another gorgeous version of Hyrule is on the cards as Link will be able to take to the skies and push the creative boundaries even further with regard to exploration and combat.

Street Fighter 6 release date: June 2, 2023

2023 marks the 36th year of the Street Fighter franchise, meaning every new release is a special occasion. Street Fighter 6 looks like it hasn’t aged a day thanks to its spellbinding graphics.

As usual, expect thousands of matches to be played with a roster of both old and new characters inflicting a flurry of furious combos in an effort to claim victory once more.

Diablo 4 release date: June 6, 2023

It’s hard to believe that there hasn’t been a mainline release in the Diablo series since 2008, so it’s no surprise that fans are chomping at the bit for Diablo 4 to finally drop. But Blizzard aren’t resting on their laurels for the next descent into hell.

Diablo 4 will launch with nearly 150 dungeons to hack, slash and loot through, as well as a revamped endgame thanks to the Paragon system. There’s also more character customization than the series has seen to date, so you can tailor your warrior and get truly immersed in the dark, mysterious world.

Final Fantasy 16 release date: June 22, 2023

Final Fantasy is one of the most iconic series that gaming has to offer, with a legacy spanning over 35 years. Even this far down the line, each new iteration in the franchise generates a ridiculous level of anticipation, so expect Final Fantasy 16 to be a huge deal when it finally arrives.

Square Enix are going back to the franchise’s roots this time around, taking on a medical setting and abandoning the fully open-world formula of its predecessor. However, it will still retain the flashy real-time combat that has become the norm in recent years.

Starfield release date: September 6, 2023

Few games have received the sheer hype that Starfield has. Bethesda’s sci-fi epic has been in development for at least six years and promises to take the studio’s unique brand of RPGs into the stars, in an experience that director Todd Howard described as “Skyrim in space.”

There will be around 1,000 planets and moons to explore, chocked full of enemies to kill, loot to find, and wildlife to discover. It’s easily Bethesda’s most ambitious project to date, and it’s sure to be one of 2023’s biggest releases when it arrives on Game Pass.

Skull & Bones release period: 2023 – 2024

In what is quickly becoming a calamitous quagmire for Ubisoft, Skull & Bones was delayed again in January 2023, signaling the sixth delay for the pirate party prospect. The developer and publisher have now earmarked a much more vague 2023-2024 release period for the game.

From what we’ve seen already though, Skull & Bones is a third-person Pirate party that sees you take control of an outcast Pirate Captain and live out your wildest swashbuckling fantasies.

From ship battles to total pillaging, the player will need to upgrade their ship, refine their crew, craft the finest items, and round off a hard day’s work with a tankard of grog. Hopefully, the delays will be worth the wait.

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There you have it! Those were the biggest AAA games set to arrive in 2023. We’ll be updating this page throughout the year with all the major announcements and any unforeseen delays.

Image credits: Square Enix / EA / Nintendo / Warner Bros. / Blizzard / Bethesda / Ubisoft / Bungie / Capcom