Top 10 Video Games of 2023: A Year of Industry Turmoil and Creative Resilience

Despite massive layoffs and a global revenue decline, 2023 produced remarkable video games that engage with cultural and existential themes. The industry saw over 9,000 job losses, with companies like Epic Games, ByteDance's Nuverse, Electronic Arts, Unity, Amazon, CD Projekt Red, and Embracer Group cutting staff. Yet standout titles emerged: 'Mediterranea Inferno' by Lorenzo Redaelli (Eyeguys) and Santa Ragione, a narrative game set in Puglia about eternal summer and Italian dreams; 'Rain World: Downpour' by Videocult and Akupara Games, an expansion challenging anthropocentrism; 'Saltsea Chronicles' by Die Gute Fabrik, a post-climate-change maritime story with multiple middles; 'Slay the Princess' by Black Tabby Games, a branching narrative about choice and perception; 'The Making of Karateka' by Digital Eclipse (now part of Atari), an interactive documentary on Jordan Mechner's 1984 classic. Other notable games include 'Basilisk 2000' by KIRA, a horror-tinged metafiction; 'LAKE Adventure' by B.J. Best, a parser-based text adventure about memory and failure; 'Mr. Platformer' by Terry Cavanagh, a commentary on consumption; 'My House' by Veddge, a Doom mod adapting Mark Z. Danielewski's 'House of Leaves'; and '///CODA' by Fin Deevy, a poetic museum exploration. The list was curated by Artribune's contributor, a comics graduate and sommelier.