Best Action Game of 2023

Action games came in great variety in 2023. While we didn’t get a lot of character action experiences like a Bayonetta or a Devil May Cry, we got diversity and a range of action titles that packed a punch. From German-suplexing zombies, to assassinating templars in VR, there was almost something for everybody when it came to action. Here are some of 2023’s best action games.

Honorable Mention: Remnant 2

Freelance Writer Amir Naseri: Remnant 2 brings the shooter elements to the RPG souls-like style just like its previous two titles. However, this time you’ll be on an adventure in a new world, filled with mysteries to uncover, and big boss fights to take down. These enemies give you the breath-taking moments you’re looking for in an action-packed video game.

Now this game might be a shooter, but you are still allowed to use melee weapons. This gives you more options to fight the enemies, while you can either pop the target’s head with a shotgun or smash its bones with the Atom Smasher. There’s also a wide variety of guns in Remnant 2, which you can use with ammo mods to bring more heat to the action.

You travel between diverse worlds, and each one of them comes with a variety of enemies, and many boss fights. In fact, Remnant 2 isn’t a game you’d accomplish in a single run, as you won’t be able to discover all its mysteries and try out the different weapons and archetypes.

Fourth Place: Hi-Fi Rush

Freelance Writer Nat Collazo: From the very beginning, Hi-Fi Rush has been a completely unexpected game. Starting with its launch, when it was released the same day that it was announced at Xbox and Bethesda’s Developer Direct. It boasts a star-studded cast led by Robbie Daymond as Chai, a wannabe rockstar with a prosthetic arm who has the power of music literally trapped inside him. After an experimental surgery has gone wrong, Chai can now defeat enemies using timed attacks to the beat of the music around him.

Alongside Robbie Daymond are other incredibly talented voice actors including Roger Craig Smith of Sonic the Hedgehog fame and Erica Lindbeck of Barbie fame. The voice acting only amplifies the fun and fast-paced gameplay style. Before this mess, Chai was assigned to become a garbage collector and had a grabber tool attached to where his arm used to be as part of an experimental program he signed up for. The tool, combined with his guitar, provides a sort of rhythm game-type gameplay backed by a killer soundtrack featuring The Black Keys and Nine Inch Nails.

From the moment you pick up the controller, you’re immediately drawn into Hi-Fi Rush’s confidence and style. It’s surprising considering that developer Tango Gameworks has made a name for itself as a horror-focused studio. It’s a bit of a historical game as well considering that it was the last work that Shinji Mikami, founder of Tango Gameworks, was a part of before his departure.

Third Place: Final Fantasy 16

Freelance Writer Julio LaPine: Almost everyone and their grandmother have heard about Final Fantasy. This is an ever-changing franchise that is always looking to break the genre’s mold while keeping epic stories and lovable characters. The latest entry of the series, helmed by the team in charge of Final Fantasy 14, gave us one of the most memorable action RPGs of the year.

What we liked the most was the ease of jumping into a fast-paced Hollywood-like story of Final Fantasy. While the RPG part wasn’t as prominent as in previous mainline games, the action was there. From a boss with four phases to dodging meteors and cinematic chases between Eikons, this title deserves a spot on our list.

The only reason we believe this game is further ahead on this ranking is because it lacks challenge in some areas. Even if it had some of the best cutscenes and fights of the year, it was too easy, even on the hardest difficulty. Pair that with pacing issues, and you have problems that hinder this title. Still, we believe it is a fantastic entry for newcomers and veteran fans of this legendary franchise.

Runner-Up: Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon

Staff Writer Patrick Armstrong: If you took a Moonlight laser sword and seared away the story, you’d still be left with one of the best action games of 2023. With Armored Core 6, FromSoftware took a series that historically struggled with obtuse controls and transformed it into something intuitive and beautiful. The addition of Assault Boost and other mechanics gave your AC a grace only matched by its destructive force. Gone are the cumbersome mechs of the past. 621 took on small armies at a time, even challenging the best pilots around in explosive showdowns. AC6 is a game that appreciates and celebrates the spectacle of combat.

Every level is a set piece designed to make you feel cool, whether that’s by ordering you to attack a walking skyscraper or sending you delving into the Coral-ridden depths of Rubicon. Balteus and other bosses became memes for their difficulty, but we learned to love those fights the way we learned to love Malenia. With every new weapon, booster, and core, we pushed our AC to become the fiercest fighting machine it could be. The game never compromised its difficulty, instead challenging us to rise to its level. With time, we did, learning to appreciate AC6 as the action masterpiece it is.

Even after we exhausted the campaign, the arena, and NG+, Armored Core 6 kept delivering the action with multiplayer. Facing off against other players in 1v1s and 3v3s showed the series at its best. While missile boats, gatling tanks, and dual Zimmermans dominated the meta, players kept pushing to find new and exciting builds and strategies. It’s a game that managed to unite fans of For Answer, Gundam, and even Dark Souls, which is a testament to how incredible an action game it really is. In a year with such stiff competition, AC6 demands to be counted amongst the best action games around.

Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Editor Dylan Chaundy: When you’re building upon a foundation that’s as rock-solid as 2017’s critically acclaimed Breath of the Wild, it can be tough getting the balance just right. Stray too far from the beaten path, and you alienate a fanbase. Stay too close to the original, and you risk feeling stale in a been there done that sort of way. Luckily, Tears of the Kingdom gets the balance perfectly right.

Not only are there plenty of new quality of life improvements across the board, like cooking recipes, menu shortcuts, map coordinates, and many more, but there’s also enough welcome additions to the action-packed gameplay to keep things fresh as well. Chief amongst them is the new fuse mechanic, which helps ameliorate one of the major sticking points of its predecessor: constant weapon degradation.

Sure, while it’s still a thing in TOTK, the flexibility of being able to fuse your weapons with almost every material in the game definitely mitigates the issue. It’s fun experimenting with new fusions of weaponry and crushing Hyrule’s vast bestiary with wood, steel, rock, and bone. On top of all of this, add in an entirely new underworld area dubbed the Depths and a bunch of explorable floating islands, and you have an element of verticality that feels like a genuine breath of fresh air.