2023 is the Best Reviewed Year for Games in Over 20 Years
As we’ve gone through 2023, you may have noticed that there were a lot of fantastic games launching monthly. Well, if you haven’t, looking at Metacritic shows that 24 games released have (so far) achieved an incredible 90 or more critic rating since the start of the year. This places each into the Metacritic ‘Must Play’ category and shows an important metric: 2023 has had the most consistently high ratings of games in the past 20 years. Since 2004, no other year has managed to topple this milestone- which shows the impressive strength of this year in gaming.
Image by Tango Gameworks
While that figure may not seem overly high, when you compare it to other years, it becomes increasingly obvious just how great 2023 has been for the medium. 2020, by comparison, was quite a good year for games- with great offerings like Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Ghost of Tsushima and even The Last of Us Part II. Only 13 games reached a 90 or above on Metacritic, which is just over half of what 2023 has given us so far. Even 2017- which gave us Persona 5, Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey only had 11 games rated over 90 on the site.
Image by Nintendo
This just demonstrates how incredible this year has been for great game launches- with an average of 2 must play games launching each month according to Metacritic. With phenomenal offerings like Baldur’s Gate 3, Tears of the Kingdom, and the recent Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, there have been consistent great games with only a few disappointments that have failed to stop this year’s momentum. With other fantastic launches like Pikmin 4, Sea of Stars, High-Fi Rush and Final Fantasy XVI barely missing out on the 90 score, there’s no arguing that this year has delivered- with both AAA and indie offerings alike.
Image by Nintendo
So, what does this mean for the future of games in 2024 and beyond? Well, considering this huge year, it’s safe to assume that the industry may slow down in the coming years. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to see some hyped-up launches, however. With rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2, games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Persona 3 Reload, and a slew of announcements to come 2024 may be less of a wind-down than a lot of gamers are expecting- let’s just hope the backlogs don’t get too overwhelmed.
