Games I'm most looking forward to - 2023

In order of release date:

Company of Heroes 3

Release date: 23 February

Loved Company of Heroes, but only really played it in skirmish mode. Slick, action-tactics game with fantastic, bombastic visuals. The addition of a dynamic strategic campaign mode set in Italy sounds like it could really improve this one.

Kerbal Space Program 2

Release date: 24 February

The definitive, genre-defining space and orbital mechanics game finally gets a sequel. What’s not to love about a game that literally resulted in people taking up careers with NASA? And the modding scene is top level - certainly comparable with the Skyrim scene. Early access release, maybe I’ll pick it up at release, but if I’m not in the mood for playing it at that time, might just wait. OK who am I trying to kid, of course I’m going to get it on release! Just won’t be able to resist it - easily in my top three most anticipated games of the year.

System Shock

Release date: March

Loved (but didn’t get very far in) System Shock 2 in my younger years - really looking forward to seeing if this one can reinvent the game for modern times.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

Release date: Q1?

Ukrainian devs, backed the Kickstarter to support them - had never played any of their games before but really enjoyed Chapter One when I played it last year. Seemed to be doing something that I’ve not found in other games - really made you feel more like a detective piecing together clues than anything else I’ve played.

Total Conflict: Resistance

Release date: Q1?

Sort of a modern era Mount and Blade. Strategy layer managing your faction ina civil war, with first person / RTS battles - switch modes on the fly, order units around, then conttrol them to get into the action. Looks like fun already in the videos I’ve seen.

Starfield

Release date: H1?

This is the big one. Probably the only AAA big budget thing I’m anticipating this year - AAA is just not really my scene these days. Been a long time since a Bethesda game I wanted to play - not a huge fan of Fallout. But Skyrim in space sounds like it could be fantastic (if for nothing else than as a modding platform! Still playing Skyrim now, more than a decade later, because of how strong the modding scene is). I’ve avoided reading too much about this one, to minimise spoilers, so not really got much idea what it’s about or what you’re doing in it, but just looking forward to sinking some time into a (hopefully) interesting world. Absolutely one of the top three I’m looking forward to for the year.

Homeworld 3

Release date: H1?

Loved the idea of the original Homeworld, but didn’t get fully into it at the time. However the sequel does look like it’s doing some really interesting stuff with fully-3D space environments and looking forward to seeing how it develops.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Release date: August

Not sure how this one will turn out - really enjoyed Divinity Original Sin by the same devs, but did find myself enjoying the sequel. So somewhat cautiously optimistic on this one I suppose - what I’ve seen looks fantastic.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Release date: December

First full Stalker sequel. Delayed for a year after the devs had to deal with the war (heard one of them sadly died recently while defending his country - RIP Volodymyr Yezhov, your sacrifice will not be forgotten). Already pre-ordered to support them, looking forward to getting into it - whenever it comes out.

Dredge

Release date: 2023

Enjoyed the demo - a relaxing fishing game in a mysterious horror setting. Sometimes you just want to play something relaxing and slower-paced with an interesting atmosphere.

Men of War 2

Release date: 2023

Not sure when this is due, but loved the original Men of War games. Where Company of Heroes went the more slick, cinematic, tactics direction, Men of War felt more personal - you could take direct control of a unit, in a sort of isometric third person shooter style - even taking over vehicles and driving tanks. So a sequel with improved graphics, AI and a cinematic story sounds like it could be exciting.

Falling Frontier

Release date: 2023

Hard sci-fi space strategy - a focus on concepts such as reconnaissance (ships are only visible if you have radar line of sight) and logistics (resources are physically represented - if your ships need resupply you have to actually get the supplies to them). Fascinating stuff, and visually stunning.

Mars Tactics

Release date: 2023

Turn-based tactical battles with a strategic layer, set on Mars during a worker uprising - take the side of the workers, or capital. Interesting combat mechanics, a strategic layer that affects the battles (and vice versa) - nearby units will reinforce battles, artillery and air support can be called in. Getting some UFO: Enemy Unknown vibes from this one (in terms of how it looks / plays, no alien invasion that I’m aware of) - very excited for it.

Fragile Existence

Release date: 2023

Not sure if this one will definitely arrive in 2023, but it sounds excellent so worth a mention. Galaxy-scale RTS, the dev describes you as playing an Admiral Adama kind of character - on the run from a mysterious destructive force you flee across the galaxy, landing forces on (spherically modelled) planets to gather resources to aid you in your flight. The space-land transition looks seamless. Really interesting ideas, but may have a lot of development time left.

Miasma Chronicles

Release date: 2023

Turn-based tactics from the devs of Mutant Year Zero - that was easily one of the better tactics games of the current renaissance, so their next project seems worth watching. Looks like this is shaping up to offer something similar - real-time partial-open-world exploration, a strong focus on narrative, and sharp turn-based tactical battles with excellent stealth mechanics.

Manor Lords

Release date: 2023

Not entirely sure whether to place this one on my list - I love how it looks, what it’s trying to do, the visual style. But I often struggle to really get into colony builder games these days. Hopefully this will be the one that breaks that trend for me. Medievel, with a heavy focus on authenticity (rather than outright realism), plenty of interesting features, and wars are supposed to be brutal (your peasants who would otherwise be tilling fields or producing resources actually fight, so wars can be really damaging to your settlement and best avoided). Very exciting stuff, just might not be one I actually play much.

Shadows of Doubt

Release date: 2023

Shaping up to be one of the most interesting games to pay attention to. Play a detective in a procedurally generated city, solve crimes by figuring out and piecing together clues you find by doing detective work - rummaging around apartments, looking on computers, gathering evidence, actually figuring out the links that tie together your investigations. The art style drips with atmosphere. Can’t wait to try the demo in a few days. This is the other one of the top three.

Terra Nil

Release date: 2023

An unusual combination of colony builder and sort of puzzle game. Place terraforming equipment to bring life to the land in order to grow your colony. And just looks lovely.

Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2

Release date: 2023

I’m a sucker for 40K games, and this one looks like it will really hit the spot - kind of lavishly destructive fighting hordes of aliens. Just love the theme and try to play almost everything, but rarely do they look as visually stunning as this. Might not have much in the way of innovative mechanics, but beautiful visuals and carnage in a setting you love are sometimes all you need!

Xenonauts 2

Release date: 2023

Early access due this year - been a long time since the first game. Essentially, a spiritual successor to the original UFO: Enemy Unknown. Less visually stylish than the XCOM sequels, but more gritty and (at least if the first game and demo are anything to go by) much more tense; one wrong move can waste half your squad in a way that XCOM is just more forgiving over.

Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader

Release date: Unknown. Included on this list just in case it comes this year!

Sounds like this could be one to watch. Another 40K game - this one a party-based RPG, with turn-based tactical combat and decisions that affect the narrative. From the devs of Pathfinder. Can’t wait to see how this one turns out.

Monomyth

Release date: Unknown. Included on this list just in case it comes this year!

Loved the early demo - atmospheric, dark first person RPG with really impressive environments and details. Not been following development too closely, but added it to this list to keep an eye on it.

Selaco

Release date: Unknown. Included on this list just in case it comes this year!

First person shooters are not really my thing these days. But something about this one… Really grabbed my attention - visually stylish, mechanically intense. For some reason it reminded me of the original Half-Life when I played the demo - different, but my feeling while playing it was kind of nostalgic, and that’s rarely a bad sign.