After all those COVID years of game-launch delays and cancellations, this year many big games are being released — from the gory Dead Island 2 to From Software’s Armored Core. We got a new Zelda game, Resident Evil 4 and Tears of the Kingdom, which saw legions of players create their own unique machines using the Ultrahand powers. Diablo IV launched as a live service game with an incredible storyline, even though the first season was lackluster. We got a new Street Fighter 6 with a unique metaverse spin, the Jedi: Fallen Order sequel, Jedi: Survivor, and a new Final Fantasy game. Here’s what to expect in the latter half of 2023.
Build your own universe with Starfield
From the house of Bethesda, an American video game publisher known for making open world games like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, action-packed Starfield is a new IP set in space with over thousand planets to explore and factions to double cross. Yet millions of players are finding themselves spending time building spaceships and basking in the serenity of Starfield’s worlds as a means of relaxation.
Out Now
Price: ₹4,999 on Xbox One and PC, Free with Microsoft GamePass
Available on Steam, Xbox Live, GamePassMortal Kombat 1
Fight or flight: Mortal Kombat
Freshly launched, the latest iteration of Mortal Kombat marks a fresh start with new roles of all your favourite heroes and villains. With its 80’s kung fu storyline and action movie camp, that really fleshes out the universe, this one-on-one fighter offers new signature fatalities and beautiful locations. On that note, it’s not for the faint-hearted, so make sure you have a stomach for gore.
Out Now
Price: ₹4,499 on PC, Playstation 5, Xbox One and $69.99 on Nintendo Switch
Available on all digital and physical storefronts
Crime and punishment: Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 Update
After three years, Cyberpunk 2077 got multiple fixes, but none more extensive than the 2.0 update. Its rejigged cyberware system introduces new weapons and new ways to play . Plus, many aspects, like the Police AI have been reworked for a more challenging experience, should you choose a life of crime.
Out Now
Free of cost
Update it on any choice of platform you have Cyberpunk on
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Along with the 2.0 update, there is the new Phantom Liberty expansion, which features an increased level cap, new story quests, gigs, dynamic events, abilities and more. Plus you get a new area called Dogtown to explore. More importantly you get a new storyline featuring Idris Elba and a bit more time with Keanu Reeves, reprising his role as Johnny Silverhand. Now while the expansion is free to install, Phantom Liberty is a paid update..
Out Now
Price: ₹1,499 on PC, $29.99 on Playstation 5, Xbox One
Available on the platform of choice in DLC downloads
For football fans: EA Sports FC 2024
This year marks a big change in one of the best soccer games out there. Dropping the FIFA name, this year EA Sports changed its name to EA Sports FC 2024. It features HypermotionV, which applies data captured from hundreds of Mens’ and Womens’ football matches to simulate the real flow of the game. If you are a fan of playstyles of your football heroes, then the Opta tech realistically captures unique motions of signature players. To top that all, FC gives you a chance to start a career as a player or even as a coach.
Out now
Price: ₹4,799 on Origin PC, Playstation and Xbox Stores
Available on digital and physical storefronts
The desert calls: Assassin’s Creed Mirage
With Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla being absolute gigantic games, Mirage is smaller in scale, going back to older Assassin’s Creed games, yet it retains the same formula of killing people in exotic past locales. This time the setting is 9th Century Baghdad and you follow the exploits of Basim Ibn Ishaq, who you may recognise from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. While the world size is smaller, the scope is focused on letting you be an assassin, doubling down on the parkour elements and letting you take multiple routes to take down targets. Ubisoft seems to be diversifying with the IP and Mirage seems to take the game into more classic territory while the mysterious Assassin’s Creed Hexe seems to be exploring horror through the lens of history.
Out on October 5
Price: ₹2,499 on Epic Games Store, ₹3,499 on Playstation and Xbox Stores
Available on mostly digital stores
Caught in the web: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
This PlayStation 5 exclusive combines Peter Parker and Miles Morales into one massive adventure, letting you switch between them on the fly — quite literally putting the two in Spider-Man 2. Featuring villains Kraven the Hunter and Venom, a villian that everyone’s been waiting for, along with the infamous black Venom Suit. Featuring over 65 different suits, all of them with unique abilities, as well as a sort of Spider wingsuit glider, Spider-Man 2 seems to be pushing the limits of the PlayStation 5’s hardware, with new and updated cityscape traversal mechanics.
Out on October 20
Price: ₹4,999 on Playstation 5; Limited edition Spider-Man 2 console starting at ₹44,990
Available on PlayStation Store and physical stores as well.
Elephant Mario: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
We have seen Mario in squirrel, cat, reindeer forms but the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder introduces the world to elephant Mario. With some trunk moves and the ability to shoot water, Wonder is a whole new take on 2D Mario. With unique abilities like the Bubble power-up that lets you trap enemies in bubbles to the new Wonder Seed, which sees levels reshape in unexpected ways, like moving pipes, to tilting levels to letting Mario become a Goomba.
Out on October 20
Price: $69.99 on Nintendo Switch
Available on Nintendo eShop
Survival horror: Alan Wake 2
Inspired by Stephen King novels, Alan Wake 2 is a survival horror, played from the perspective of Alan and his subject Saga Anderson, as they hope to escape this nightmare realm and return to the real world after 13 years of being trapped in it. If you understood the last few sentences, congratulations, Alan Wake 2 is a game for you, especially if you like your metaphysical puzzles.
Out on October 27
Price: ₹2,748 on Epic Games Store, ₹3,256 on Playstation and Xbox Stores
Available on mostly digital stores
RoboCop: Rogue City
As a fan of the RoboCop movies of the 90’s, Rogue City is choosing to bring back the original Peter Weller’s RoboCop — a horribly disfigured cop turned into a cybernetic walking tank in a dystopian vision of Detroit. Set between RoboCop 2 and 3, Rogue City is a first-person shooter that hopes to put you into the shoes of the titular character as you solve crimes around the city.
Out on November 2
Price: Price not revealed yet
Available on mostly digital stores
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The freshly acquired Activision by Microsoft has been doing pretty well remastering its Modern Warfare series of Call of Duty games. Modern Warfare 3, which first released in 2011 features some slick photo realistic graphics, environmental effects and the return of one of the best games in the Call of Duty series, with more than a fresh coat of paint. Along with the meaty single player campaign, Modern Warfare 3 has all updated and modernised maps along with the infamous Zombie extraction mode. Thankfully, given the recent Activision merger, it is out on PlayStations as well, in addition to Xbox and PC.
