In this video, we highlight the highest-rated of all new PlayStation 5 games, released between January and March of this year. You can find the full ranking on our page for the Best PS5 games of 2023.
8. One Piece Odyssey
We start off this list with an anime franchise that has never stopped sailing since. The power of friendship only gets stronger with each passing story arc. In Odyssey, the Strawhat Pirates adapt to the turn-based mechanics from JRPGs. This is a game built for One Piece fans. It comes with an original story that complements Luffy and the gang’s main quest. As far as fanservice goes, Odyssey didn’t give us much. It’s been criticized for its ‘safe’ approach to story and combat. Nonetheless, anyone who’s been following Oda’s long-running series can find something to enjoy here. It gets a playscore of 7.57
7. Forspoken
It’s sad to see a game developed by talented people go to waste. Forspoken’s ambitious design was its first mistake. It was just too much for everyone working on the game, and the result was a middling isekai experience. While the game does offer fun moments, notably in its stylish real-time combat, its flaws are all over the place. The story isn’t engaging, the protagonist doesn’t stop talking, and its open-world is devoid of activity. It was a commercial flop, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad game. It just didn’t live up to everyone’s expectations.
6. Wild Hearts
EA’s attempt at a Monster Hunter clone was a welcome surprise for fans of CAPCOM’s franchise. Wild Hearts did one important thing that the MH series hasn’t done yet: Crossplay. That means you’ll save a lot of time and money playing with friends on whatever platform you have. Another strong feature from Wild Hearts is its Karakuri system. Building gadgets and gizmos in a snap changes the feel of the multiplayer. This offers a dynamic gameplay experience when hunting monsters. But with all these improvements, most of the game follows the exact monster-hunting formula. It still has a lot of time to cook, and its potential isn’t squandered yet. A playscore of 7.75.
5. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Moving away from their traditional souls-like formula, the guys behind Nioh pay homage to FromSoftware’s Sekiro. What it achieved was something familiar, yet unique. The parrying system isn’t as crisp as its inspiration, but it’s one of the rare games to fully scratch that Sekiro itch. Its Chinese setting also offers something interesting. Anyone deep into Chinese history might recognize some of the warriors. In Wo Long, they’re given a fantasy twist. Overall, with a playscore of 7.97, Wo Long is a decent action RPG that has its own identity, but fails to do more than that.
4. Hogwarts Legacy
The Wizarding World continues and it was a commercial success. Hogwarts Legacy is what everyone wished for since the first Harry Potter movie: a full-fledged video game where you can be a student at Hogwarts. Casting spells, doing Herbology, and exploring the megastructure that is Hogwarts is a fantastic experience. Hogwarts Legacy truly captures what it’s like to live in this bizarre yet beautiful magical world. There’s no word on a DLC yet, but players on last-gen consoles like the PS4 and Switch are looking forward to the release this year.
3. OCTOPATH TRAVELER II
The sequel to Square Enix’s RPG with eight characters, each telling their own story. It’s a huge improvement from the original, it improved the series’ turn-based combat, as well as its party system. That means the character interactions are more natural than ever. It’s evident they spent a lot of time in the writing department with each individual’s fascinating backstories. Apart from that, its 2.5D visual style has also been polished, adding more life to its gorgeous and massive world.
2. Dead Space (2023)
Isaac Clarke returns, and so are the terrifying Necromorphs. Dead Space Remake proves that there’s still a place for survival horror in the modern gaming market. With improved lighting, atmosphere, and gameplay, everything inside the USG Ishimura is a claustrophobic lovecraftian nightmare. There’s always fear lurking in every corner, so it’s best you prepare your plasma cutter. With its success, let’s hope we’ll see a remake of the next two games of the series!
1. Resident Evil 4 (2023)
Two survival horror classics are a major success this year. Resident Evil 4 takes the cake as the strongest contender for Game of the Year with its impressive 1:1 adaptation of the original. Not only is it faithful to its source material, it adds a few details that make Leon and Ashley’s journey worthwhile. From seamless exploration, tight combat, and effective scares, RE4 is a fantastic return for CAPCOM’s long-running horror series. Just recently, a free DLC added The Mercenaries update. Bringing in a fresh yet familiar arcade goodness as breathing room away from the main campaign.