Every Confirmed Major Q1 2023 Game Release
With 2023 quickly approaching, what are the confirmed games coming in the first quarter of the year? With an already heavily stacked 2022, next year already looks like it has a lot to offer. See what’s confirmed to be coming in Q1 of 2023:
Fire Emblem: Engage- 20th January
The follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2019 Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Engage looks to be taking a more linear narrative path but the improvements to the quality of life and gameplay shown in trailers so far will hopefully be enough to lure back new and old fans of the series. That is if they can excuse the bizarre color choices for the main protagonist's hair.
Forspoken- 24th January
A new action/adventure/RPG IP from Square Enix, Forspoken has left most gamers split. Whilst early impressions praised its great movement and animations, the story and characters seem to be trying too hard to be quirky and funny. However, the world looks absolutely gorgeous and should be a joy to explore- even if dialogue has to be muted to fully enjoy it.
Dead Space- 27th January
A reboot of the classic space horror franchise, Dead Space is bringing decapitations, limb dismemberment and gory space action. This has a lot to live up to- especially after releasing so closely after the anticipated Callisto Protocol in December 2023. It remains to be seen what the best Dead Space game will be- but fans remain sceptical after EA’s shoddy handling of Dead Space 3.
Dead Island 2- 3rd February
The long-thought-to-be-dead Dead Island 2 is finally releasing in February next year. That is, if it doesn’t get delayed or canceled again. Frankly, it’s a miracle that this zombie-fighting action/horror-ish game is releasing at all. The follow-up to the cult classic Dead Island looks to be an even more colorful and cynical sequel. Let’s just hope it doesn’t also bring back the janky mechanics that it showcased on the Xbox 360 too.
Hogwarts Legacy- 10th February
Ever since the Lego Harry Potter games, there’s been a noticeable drought of magical adventures set in the Potter universe. That is, until Hogwarts Legacy releases. With dozens of spells, tonnes of recognisable characters and a whole magical castle to explore, this is definitely one for fans of the franchise. The only wonder is whether it’ll manage to make waving wands at each other cool or engaging.
Octopath: Traveller II- 24th February
Another sequel (and Square Enix game), Octopath Traveller II is bringing back the eight playable character gimmick from the first game- but this time with an entirely new cast. Known as the JRPG that kickstarted the highly popular HD 2D era, Octopath plays and looks beautiful- and from the trailers and information we’ve been given so far, it seems the same is set to be true for the second iteration.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty- 3rd March
From the creators of Nioh, Wo Long keeps the tough as nails combat but moves things to China instead of Japan. The gameplay shown in trailers looked very similar to what we’ve seen so far in Team Ninja’s library- and gameplay impressions seemed to solidify this. However, the formula is very strong, and this just gives yet another reason for Nioh fans to pick up this spiritual successor. This is especially enticing considering its coming day one to Xbox Game Pass
Skull and Bones- 9th March
Skull and Bones seem like another game that would never come out. Based on the ship combat from Assassin’s Creed IV ( and not much else), this pirate adventure is solely focused on your ship. While this was a great gameplay feature at the time- providing a way to get from point A to B with the occasional distraction like ship combat or whaling, having a whole game set entirely on the ship (barring one or two exceptions) may get dull quick.
Resident Evil 4- 24th March
Another one for horror fans, the remake of Resident Evil 4 is not only highly anticipated but has already been praised for how great it looks for modern consoles without removing the eerie atmosphere from the original (unlike the trailer for Silent Hill 2’s remake). The most universally loved game in the series being rereleased is as good a reason as any for older and newer fans to jump into the shoes of Leon Kennedy in this classic survival-horror game that acted as the influence for so many other titles in the genre today
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom- 12th May
Tears of the Kingdom is the follow-up to the incredibly popular 2017 Breath of the Wild, and is among the most anticipated games of next year. With all of this hype comes high expectations- a fate suffered by Ocarina of Time’s sequel Majora’s Mask back on the Nintendo 64. However, from what we’ve seen so far, this looks to be an expansion on the original in practically every way. With a whole sky to explore, new enemies to face, and (hopefully) more dungeons to delve into, Tears of the Kingdom may make even more of a splash that Breath of the Wild did upon its initial release.
There are all of the major releases that have been given confirmed release dates for Q1 2023 so far- and, of course, as more releases are made and dates promised, this list will only get larger and larger. 2023 may very well be one of the best gaming years in recent history- that is, as long as everything manages to live up to the hype.
