Siliconera’s Overall Game of the Year 2023

After a week of PlayStation, Switch, Xbox and PC awards, we’re finally here: Siliconera’s Game of the Year 2023. Will a platform champ take the crown, or is there a shot for a surprise winner? There’s only one way to find out. Come on, scroll down a little bit and see.

These awards represent the consensus of the Siliconera staff. For more of the year’s award selections, check out our Game of the Year 2023 archive.

Honkai: Star Rail

Genshin Impact developer HoYoVerse tried its hand at a more traditional JRPG experience with Honkai: Star Rail, and the result exceeded our expectations. It may not have Genshin’s fun exploration or interconnected world, but it turns out that the team’s truly stellar writing and characterization can carry a game on its own.

Baldur’s Gate III

Baldur’s Gate III walks a fine line between nostalgia and modernity, not afraid to do things its own way when it serves the game well to do so but ultimately delivering a game that feels within the lineage of the first two games. It’s fun with friends and as a collective stream experience, but without sacrificing the enjoyment of quietly playing on your own. But honestly, if we’re the first ones telling you about Baldur’s Gate III, we’d be surprised.

Siliconera Overall Game of the Year Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

In a year of great games, Tears of the Kingdom earns our Game of the Year 2023 selection by being truly transcendent. The game reaching “new heights” is clearly an indulgent pun and we’re absolutely guilty of considering that, but TotK undeniably gets where it does through the luxury of building on its predecessor. The new power suite changes the player’s verbs enough that it doesn’t feel redundant, and Breath of the Wild’s world-building made many players want to return and see how that Hyrule is faring these days. It stands tall on the shoulders of giants, and we all benefit from the view.