Best Narrative & Story of 2023

What constitutes a great game depends on several factors. Sometimes shooting or heart-racing action sequences capture the right audience. Other times, people seek to solve puzzles or romance everyone possible. Often, you need a story that will yank you in and never let you go for days, weeks, and months after finishing. Phenomenal storytelling will do all of that, and we feel that each game in our list has the best narrative in 2023. Let’s get into it, shall we?

Honorable Mention: Starfield

Freelance Writer, Julio LaPine: Say what you want about Starfield, but if there’s one thing that Bethesda got right, it was giving us a new playground to create as many stories as we want. Even if the studio’s latest game didn’t break any boundaries or innovate that much in certain aspects, it still provides us with ways to make our own story and characters. Whether we want to be a space pirate, a member of Constellation, or just an explorer, we can do it and live our days doing what we want.

Yet, that doesn’t mean there aren’t good stories in the game. Even if the main story is a bit hit or miss for many, with a bit of grinding on the side, what we loved the most were the faction questlines. Undoubtedly, our favorite was the one for the United Colonies. With a great onboarding process that provides a lot of lore, to the first opening mission, hunting down our first Terrormorph, this series of quests hooked us for hours.

Furthermore, there are plenty of ways to finish specific story points that depend on how good some of your stats are. You can be Space Rambo if you want or be a smooth-talker and avoid any confrontation by convincing people. Even if it wasn’t the best narrative of the year, Starfield allowed us to experiment in its vast universe.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Staff Writer, Patrick Armstrong: Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the greatest comeback stories in gaming. It couldn’t have a more fitting end than Phantom Liberty, a DLC with a story as refined and robust as any AAA title. Songbird and Solomon Reed kept us guessing their loyalties and motives until the final cutscene, and ultimately, they broke our hearts. Though the main plot was the star of the show, Phantom Liberty’s side content hit just as hard. From runaway spies to struggling pop stars, everyone we met had a tale worth discovering. It’s not easy to wring such impactful stories from even minor NPCs, but this DLC pulled it off.

Before it was the story of Solomon and Songbird, Cyberpunk was the story of V and Johnny Silverhand. Phantom Liberty gave both characters a better sendoff than they’d received in the base game. It takes exceptional writing, direction, and vocal performances to bring a story like this one to life. Fortunately for us, that’s exactly what CD Projekt Red delivered. Despite the flashy cars, glittering parties, and endless neon, Cyberpunk’s story has always been a dystopian one. It’s about technology, capitalism, and violence having one last soiree at the end of the world. Phantom Liberty managed to deliver on those hefty themes, and it did it in an FPS.

By the time the credits rolled, Dogtown itself had become a central character. Some of the best environmental storytelling in the game occurs in that paramilitary-occupied borough. In a district free of cops, Barghest soldiers and gangsters ran the show. CD Projekt Red told us that story one line of graffiti and broken window at a time. Narrative isn’t just about what you’re told but also what you feel, and Dogtown’s story brought us some of the highest and lowest emotions in gaming this year. It’s pretty much how V must have felt during their journey, so it’s only fitting.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Freelance Writer, Mykel Bright: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 brings us a fascinating game with beloved characters, heroes, and villains. However, the narrative helps it stand out above the first game in the series. Sure, there’s still a hole left without having May around, but it’s filled with a warm feeling whenever you see Peter interacting with everyone, especially Harry, early game. 

What’s exceptional about the game’s storytelling is how well it balances Miles and Peter. These “untouchable” superheroes are peeled back layer by layer, being humanized in more ways than one. We can understand how hard it is for Miles to balance being a normal teenager going to school with saving the world. We sympathize with Peter so desperately wanting his childhood friendship back while unknowingly neglecting his mentor duties. 

Spider-Man 2 bounces around the two of them, and subsequently, swings between different themes. Peter may have already gone through the harsh adolescent years, but he’s in no way done evolving. The first time the symbiote suit engulfs him, we get a hint at the pent-up frustration lurking beneath the surface. Grief, acceptance, and moving on are key traits, and the game effortlessly captures every ounce of the emotional turmoil. The storytelling cements it as one of the best narrative games released this year.

Runner-Up: Alan Wake 2

Reviews Editor, David Rodriguez: Alan Wake 2 is a golden example of a cohesive narrative vision and world-building in gaming. It never feels like a movie in game form; it’s something different. Something you can only get with the interactive medium gaming provides.

Remedy is no stranger to excellent narratives and quirky, downright bizarre characters. This sequel picks up years after the original, with Alan Wake and newcomer Saga Anderson piecing together a mystery that doesn’t just span this series but Remedy’s entire lineup of games. Control and Max Payne are referenced and relevant to the experience’s meta-narrative.

Kojima gets a lot of credit for being an innovator in gaming. Still, for my money, writer Sam Lake and the team at Remedy have easily cemented their place as the best storytellers in gaming, and Alan Wake 2 is their masterpiece.

Winner: Baldur’s Gate 3

Freelance Writer, Mykel Bright: Baldur’s Gate 3 reinvents the influential tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons. From the trailers alone, anyone can see the sheer ambition Larian Studios poured into it. And we’re not just talking about the shapeshifting bear sex! The game features some of the most riveting storytelling in the entire industry. With its colorful cast of characters, everyone has a unique backstory that bleeds throughout whether you play as one of these characters or create your own.

The connections between them especially shine. Shadowheart and Lae’zel’s back and forth is compelling and can lead to deadly consequences depending on your choices. Meanwhile, the evolving story with Wyll, Karlach, and Mizora will always strike a beautiful and painful cord. The personal quests for companions aren’t there for the sake of being there. There’s always something deeper it leads to that will have lasting consequences for them, good or bad. How you aid Gale, for instance, can send the character down a powerful path of metamorphosis.

There’s this wonderful responsibility in Baldur’s Gate 3 for the characters and plot. Your choices mean something. Entire people can be wiped off the map with the story diverging in different directions based on what you decide to do. Some characters you can push aside altogether (or worse), and some can even leave you. The game demands that you care about the characters, about the world, and the acting successfully sells every emotional moment from the humorous to the tragic. All of this makes Baldur’s Gate 3 our top GOTY pick for the Best Narrative and Story.