Rutledge Daugette's Top 10 Games of 2023

2023 has been something of a bittersweet year. We’ve seen a significant number of game releases (14,500 on Steam alone) ranging from middling at best (Gollum) to absolutely stellar (Baldur’s Gate 3) - but we’ve also seen layoff after layoff at developers both big and small.

I played more games this year than years past. Not only 2023 releases, but I also spent a lot of time 100%’ing games like Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

Here’s my personal top 10 games of 2023, completely unordered.

Dredge (Our Review | Game Page)

If I had to choose one indie game that would win 2023... it would be Dredge. The demo they dropped in 2022 absolutely had my attention, and when I got my hands on the game ahead of launch, I beat the game twice before I even started writing my review. Stellar vibes.

If you love a fishing game with some Lovecraftian elements to it, this is just up your alley. It's a great 20-hour experience!

Dave the Diver (Game Page)

This one took me by surprise—I'd had my eye on it, but didn’t expect it to blow up the way it did at 1.0 launch.

Between the animations, music, and addictive gameplay loop, it's a great “one more dive” type game where you’ll be collecting your own ingredients from the ocean to run your world-class sushi restaurant.

There's a good amount of depth (heh) to work with in this one, especially if you love management-style games. There's limited automation, but a great amount of replayability!

Starfield (Our Review | Game Page)

We all knew this would be a blockbuster game, and while I disagree a bit with our score, the game does have its flaws. That said, I was absolutely hooked on exploring worlds and every nook and cranny I could find in Starfield’s galaxy.  

I dumped 160 hours into my post-launch play of Starfield, not including the 90 hours I put in before the game launched for our guides. For many, I know this was a disappointment after the wait, but for me it was exactly what I like about Bethesda games: open worlds I can just wander around in.

Remnant II (Our Review | Game Page)

The first Remnant game was one of my favorite games of 2019, and Remnant II did a great job of building on what the first created and adding so much more: classes, stronger co-op, and a plethora of new secrets to find and explore.

What really “hit” for me with Remnant II was the replayability and dual nature of the worlds. You might get one version of a world, but you still had two choices that would create different outcomes, allowing you to have vastly different playthroughs every time.  

For someone like me, who loves exploring things and finding solutions to things like the Water Harp and the Cathedral of Omens, Remnant II is something I’ll keep returning to.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Our Review | Game Page)

It’s no surprise that this game made my list. If you watch the TechRaptor Podcast, my background is filled with Star Wars posters, figures, and books. I loved Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and the way that the sequel built on what came before was superb.

While the first game gave a lot of traversal options, I really liked the “open world” of Koboh and Jedha, because while they weren’t a full open world; they gave a lot to explore and find around them.  

Add in the extra challenges and puzzles created by the temples you could find, as well as the newly added minigames that gave the cantina a bit of a “hub” feel, and all in all it was one of my favorites of the year.

Also, how can you not like Turgle?

Alan Wake 2 (Our Review | Game Page)

I’m an absolute coward when it comes to horror and horror-adjacent games, but the original Alan Wake is one of my favorite games of all time. Just a superb experience that does some downright phenomenal worldbuilding.

Alan Wake 2 managed to take what came before and build on it with an extension of the first story, while layering on Saga’s side of the story and using her FBI skills to add a new layer to the gameplay experience and narrative storytelling with the Mind Place.

This is a can’t-miss game, and even if you struggle with horror, beyond the periodic jump scares it’s not too bad.

Terra Nil (Our Review | Game Page)

In a time where the climate crisis continues to grow, a city de-builder game is a neat idea. While normal city builders have you creating a sprawling city that uses up resources around you, Terra Nil goes a different direction.

The Earth has been essentially used up, with polluted oceans, missing wildlife, and barren biomes. The concept of placing buildings that restore the environment around them is super satisfying, and the art and music lend themselves so well to the game.

There’s also added challenge in getting 100% of the world cleaned, because you’ll have to place biomes in a way that you can also restore wildlife to each region.

This is a must-play if you love chill citybuilders.

Starship Troopers Extermination (Game Page)

Personally, I think this may have flown under a lot of radars for gamers. A squad-based co-op FPS set in the Starship Troopers universe where you’re squashing bugs—what's there not to love?

The game’s now had a few updates, and while the day-one experience was already superb, they’ve added modes, buildings, and more that make this game super fun to play with friends and online.

The weaponry is fun, base building is a strategic team effort, and surviving is difficult. Plus, the community is... what you would expect. Nothing but one-liners and movie-related quotes.

Witchfire (Our Preview | Game Page)

I love a good roguelike shooter (see also: Roboquest), and Witchfire is one I’ve had my eyes on for a while. It’s freaking nails-hard to start, but once you get into the groove it’s exceptionally satisfying.

This is a skill-based shooter as much as it is a bit of bullet hell. If you’ve played games like Remnant II or Returnal, I got similar vibes, and the risk/reward mechanics are really engaging.

It’s definitely still early access, with only limited content available to start, but this is one you have to watch on the road to 1.0.

SteamWorld Build (Our Review | Game Page)

I have to put this one in here. Everyone at TechRaptor knows I’m a SteamWorld shill, and SteamWorld Build was a must-play for me.

This takes your standard city builder, adds SteamWorld vibes, and some extra depth (literally) with additional resource collection via the mines and automation within them.

If you’re looking for a great city builder, that can be on one screen while you watch something else on the other... look no further.

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So, that’s my list. It was a great year for game releases in general, and looking at the upcoming game release calendar for 2024, I think we’re in for another year of steady releases.