Ask HN: Which videogames are worth playing in 2023? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Which videogames are worth playing in 2023?

I've seen in another thread that someone's 2023 resolution is to play more video games. I don't see anything bad about it, as long as it doesn't become an obsession in your life.

What are some videogames that are absolutely worth playing in 2023? Old or new.

I might find a little time to do it, perhaps. I love strategy games.

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I still play FTL: Faster than Light [0]. It's a rogue like, so if you die, you die. You command a starship that you get to upgrade, crew and fight with. It's one of those "easy to pick up, hard to master" games. Released in 2012, still fun to play. You can play for a minute or for hours, the sound track is good. Wikipedia says game play is realtime [1], but you can pause the game, queue up a set of actions and watch them play out. So this is definitely not a reaction based game and therefore it's low stress/adrenaline...that is until you get a boarder teleporting in, and your oxygen levels are falling precipitously because you had to vent a bunch of compartments to stop a fire, and the oxygen generator has been down since the last fight.

Anyway, one of my favourite games. Recommended.

0: https://subsetgames.com/ftl.html

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTL:_Faster_Than_Light

Second this. I’m 40 and have been gaming since the Atari 2600. FTL is among the greatest games ever created. Other suggestions for HN audience include Factorio (of course) and Civ games (Civ 5 with all the DLC is my favorite). Terrance Tao apparently enjoys Civ as well FWIW.

Yep, just adding my agreement. It's amazing that I still want to fire it up and play a few runs even years later. Incredibly well balanced and just enough variation to keep it interesting .

> What are some videogames that are absolutely worth playing in 2023?

CrossCode[1], hands down. If you have someone else to play with in couch co-op, Aegis Defenders[2].

> I love strategy games.

Shadow Tactics[3] for stealth RTS, Fae Tactics[4] for turn-based RPG tactics.

[1]: http://www.cross-code.com/en/home

[2]: https://www.humblegames.com/games/aegisdefenders/

[3]: https://www.shadow-tactics.com/

[4]: https://www.humblegames.com/games/aegisdefenders/

You can't go wrong with Tetris, and Tetris Effect is the best version of it. It must be experienced. It's impossible to describe what it feels like to be in the "zone" with this game. It's one of those games you can pick up for a five minute game and then notice that you've been playing it for three hours. Good headphones are a must.

My problem isn't finding games worth playing, it's having the time to do so. Elden Ring, Dark Souls 1/2/3, Bloodborne, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Dishonored 1/2, Prey.

I'd love to have time to get into the adventure games again, like Grim Fandango or the Monkey Island games. Adventure games have always been some of my favorite experiences on a PC, going back to Sierra and LucasArts games.

I haven't catched up on games after 2016, so sharing some good low to medium-spec titles:

Resident Evil 4: old-school controls but great gameplay with lots of easter eggs. Can easily rack up hundreds of hours.

Battlefield 3: typical US-Russia plot but the greatest storytelling I've ever seen in a videogame

Deus Ex Human Revolution: haven't played the first one, so recommending this instead. Highly flexible gameplay style with the player's choices affecting the outcomes.

Devil May Cry 4: outstanding hack-slash gameplay with way too many combos. Can easily spend hours on it.

God of War (original) trilogy: arguably the greatest storyline ever in a game, much better gameplay mechanics than the Norse reboot imo

The Witcher 3: Absolute beauty of an RPG. Might feel slow for the first 10-15 hours, but picks up the pace. Can stack hundreds of hours in a single gameplay. A plethora of side missions, then two DLCs, each having 20+ hours content. Strong NSFW stuff, so watch out.

For someone mainly into turn based RPGs, here's an unordered list:

Pathfinder: Kingmaker & Wrath of the Righteous (my favorite games of all time)

Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader (same devs as the preceding games, currently in Alpha but looking great)

Vagrus: Text heavy (extremely) grimdark trading sim / RPG

Age of Decadence: The apocalypse was 1000s of years on our future, but far in the past of the game, I call this post-post-apocalyptic and love the genre. Pretty hard as you are not a hero, for once.

Fallout: New Vegas. The last fallout that felt like it was more on the RPG side than shooter, with the great VATS system that optionally makes an action game feel almost turn based.

Solasta: Crown of the Magister. Light in story, but an extremely faithful D&D5 adaption and includes a dungeon builder and there are already cool custom campaigns.

Deus Ex, from the original with all the options (make sure to get the mods) to the newer games that are more stealth shooters.

The Shadowrun trilogy. All of them are great, but for the first I'd play the vox Populi mod that recreated the original campaign in the later games.

Play what you’re interested in. Like I really liked the second HITMAN, so I bought the third one a few days ago and it has been super fun.

I second this.

I am also playing through the 3 modern Hitman games rn. Not many comedy games out there, it's a niche genre, and I want moar

I played hitman on the iPad, how is it comedy?

Well it's a game where you run around doing things like throwing apples at peoples' heads to knock them out, or do things like lure people into bathrooms by running the tap so that you can knock them out or kill them and steal their clothes--and then walk right past their coworker who doesn't know the difference. Not to mention all the weird dialogue that only uses like 4 voice actors total lol.

The sense of humor can be a little awkward, and sometimes it doesn't deliver, but it seems clear that the game really facilitates not being taken seriously and just completing the missions in the most lolz way possible.

How was playing it on the iPad btw? Seems...impossible lol

I guess it’s a relatively common name. This is the one I was talking about https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/hitman-sniper/id904278510

AH, I see

Looks from the icon like it's the same franchise, not sure. But yeah, different idea for sure

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Same developer as Dark Souls and Elden Ring.

Challenging combat that is very rewarding to master. Impeccable environments and setting in the Sengoku period of Japan. Masterful storytelling.

It's the perfect video game.

If you like strategy games take a look at: Factorio, Civ6, Stellaris, X-COM 2, Anno 1800, Europa Universalis IV, Crusader Kings 3, FTL, Into the Breach, and Rimworld.

My favs from above are Civ 6, Stellaris, X-COM 2, and FTL.

I'll add Civ V which I find superior to 6 mainly due to the Vox Populi mod which has been in development almost done the release of V. Caveat: Windows only.

Some of my favorites of all time:

  - The Witness (puzzles/exploration)
  - The Outer Wilds (puzzles/exploration/narrative)
  - Prey (creative gameplay opportunities in a cool setting; top-tier example of the combined stealth/action FPS RPG)
  - Return of the Obra Dinn: Unique gameplay where you assemble a story from parts
  - Age of Empires 2: Definitive edition: A RTS game with emphasis on multiplayer, that's been a 22-year labor of love; still has an active competitive community + tournaments.

Still hitting up Quake Live on Stream.

There’s a small but regular community still playing. I prefer Freeze Tag mode, usually the Pill Chicago server. Clan Arena mode is too rough for a casual player, in my experience. FFA is OK.

For strategy games, my go to is original StarCraft. Blizzard released a remastered version a few years back. I think it’s usually around ten dollars?

Been playing a ton of RTS games on Steam Deck this last week. StarCraft 2 is great and cheap right now.

Glad to see a Quaker here! I'm on Quake Champions and it rules.

My Steam Deck arrives tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it as I think it will be a game changer for some of my favorite games. At a certain point I stopped enjoying playing games at my computer. Since then I've mostly stuck to playing games on my Switch. Here is what I plan to play.

* Fallout New Vegas - Explore the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the Mojave. Many ways to play the game. Worth playing and re-playing.

* Keberal Space Program - Build your own rockets and try to get them into space. There is so much you can do with this game via mods. Mechjeb is a must as it makes it much easier to get your ship where you want to go.

* Sim City 4 - There's really no substitute for the classic. Cities Skylines is ok and I might try it again on the Deck. It seems to be broken on the switch (gameplay falls apart at 30k pop).

> Sim City 4

try cities skylines. Its way more fun in my opinion and getting active expansions

On the steam deck I’ve played and enjoyed

Stray: you are a cat exploring

Portal: classic that works well

Baba is you: a weird little fun puzzler that you change the rules so you can win. I haven’t gotten to far with it.

We play a lot of board games but the decks screen is a little small..: lords of water deep and terriforming Mars with 4 of us playing over zoom/steam. In fact according to steam which watches what you play and summarizes I spent the most time in those (though a lot of that is waiting for others)

This year, I finally got back to gaming and boy do I love it. My fav games:

- Shadow Tactics and it's followup Shadow Tactics - Aiko's Choice. Both are really good stealth RTS games. If you liked Commandos style stealth RTS games where you control certain characters and then accomplish a mission. These are basically very similar.

- Age of Empires IV - I was worried they're going to mess up this game again after what they did with Age of Empires III but they did not. It's the best Age of Empires ever. Very well done and very enjoyable.

For whatever reason, I just can't play FPS games as I can easily get motion sickness. Also most modern games have so much needless complexity that it's hard to get into and out of it as your schedule dictates.

There are many reasons why the MARIOs and the ZELDAs have been so popular with mainstream gamers across the decades.

My wife discovered (with my help!) the Mario games - of which there are many, and varied - a couple of years ago, and a few hours play per week has been both fun and mentally helpful for her. Taking her brain in directions it wouldn't normally go.

Be aware that strategy games tend to be time suckers, by their very nature of gradual patient persistence. This is where shallower more arcade-y styles of gaming can be better, to dip in and out without getting obsessed. They can still be surprisingly deep and tactical.

Gran Turismo 7, even if you're not into sim racing atm, can definitely recommend it if you're looking to branch out into a new hobby within gaming. It's a slow grind but really have been quite happy with it to the point where I've gone from 0 interest in driving or racing last year to being fully captivated by the genre, and have in general become much more interested in driving and learning to drive better. Lots of fun to find a car you really like and learn different circuits with it. Entry level setups run a few hundred dollars but has been definitely worth it to me.

If you like hard and interesting puzzles I recommend Stephen's Sausage Roll. It's the most mind expanding game I have played (with the possible exception of chess). From a simple set of puzzle mechanics it produces many deep, surprising, and beautiful ideas. It has the highest density of "eureka" moments in any game that I can think of.

Another brilliant game in the same vein is A Monster's Expedition. If you're not sure whether you like the genre, or unrelenting difficulty isn't your thing, I recommend trying it before SSR.

X4 Foundations: Maybe not worth playing in 2022, but hopefully by 2023 there will be many improvements which would make this _the_ best space economy simulator of all time.

Kenshi: X4 but on foot, and more importantly, with very few game breaking bugs. Reminds me of Mount and Blade but even more of a sandbox.

Caves of Qud: an amazing ASCII roguelike in early access, though it's largely feature-complete now. Come for the story and aesthetic, stay for the addicting RPG elements

Dyson Sphere Program: Factorio, without enemies, in 3 dimensions, in space.

If you haven’t played it yet I recommend Bloodbourne then Elden Ring, I was never into Souls type games until I played Elden Ring and boy do I enjoy them now.

I think it’s the lack of mini map markers the sense of confusion, the absolute brutality of the world (you are not special) is what captivates. Because the feeling of leveling up and owning those enemies that used to wreck you feels amazing.

There is something very cathartic about these games and not the mention the Lovecraftian themes have me super engaged with the stories.

I'm big into exploration and survival games, ideally with friends. My top games this past year were outer wilds, grounded^, valheim, pathfinder kingmaker^, and detroit become human was a fun variant on my usual game. If you have a partner to play with it takes two is great for a couch game.

My top games in recent years were outerwilds, stardew valley^, subnautica.

I'm hopefully steam will refresh the now generally index as I'm waiting for gen 2 to buy & get into vr gaming.

(^Not competed)

Disco Elysium.

Having played literally thousands games this one is my no. 1 recommendation for a long time.

It’s a non-fighting noir RPG where world is the main character. I made three approaches because I was confused by it. Minor spolier - confusion is part of the setting.

I always think of it as of Napoleon Dynamite movie. Reception differs depending on your mood. It can be hilarious. It can be heart breaking. It’s been 2 years and I still am reminiscing the story. True masterpiece.

Just because it's extremely rare to hear a dissenting opinion about it: I love reading, I love RPGs, I didn't like DE. I really tried and played for many hours, but the writing just felt meandering. Pointless and full of filler. Like a book that had great ideas, but needed an editor to tighten it down. Like Patrick Rothfuss second book.

Again, this seems to be a rarely held opinion, and most people love it, but if you don't, you aren't alone ;)

I’m not going to argue with that opinion. DE requires very specific mindset and at least some interest in noir genre. What you describe as filler I would describe as world building. Some people I recommended it to couldn’t get into it, and I’m not really surprised. It took me 3 approaches which is rather rare as I usually I’m not such persistent when it comes to gaming (and I really wanted to get figue it out).

But still I’d argue it’s one of the most unique gaming experiences ever created.

It's certainly unique and interesting. The writing just didn't grip me. Maybe you are right about noir as I don't think I ever read any that wasn't Urban fantasy or cyberpunk. But then the mass appeal (well, in the CRPG niche) was still weirdly big.

I’m a big fan of playing FPS with mouse and keyboard to unwind and right now Ultrakill has supplanted Doom Eternal for me. One major reason is that not only am I enjoying the gameplay more, but I can play it on almost any hardware I own (including in Parallels on an M1 Mac on arm64 windows).

I just got back into it and can’t recommend it enough.

Windows gaming on m1 is doable then? Tempting for some of the older games.

Yeah it certainly seems to be for less demanding games with parallels anyway. YMMV with other emulators, etc. I have heard crossover is pretty good for some games as well but haven’t tried it myself.

Inside

It’s one game in years that I actually completed. It is awesome. I played on PS5, but I think it’s available on numerous platforms.

Seconded. This is one of those games that really sticks with me. So haunting.

Find a classic to enjoy. I highly recommend the text based Zork. I found it calming and actually quite fun.

To completely subvert genre and expectations: Frog Fractions 2. Trust me on this.

What are your thoughts on Alligator Mix?

That looks like a game actually about math that I would have played as a kid. Frog Fractions 2, despite seemingly like it might be about math, is a unique experience.

Team Fortress 2 is still just as fun. The only game I play for the last 5 years.

Anything created by Zachtronics. Opus Magnum is a great one.

EXAPUNKS and Shenzhen I/O are worth trying if you want to spend some time solving puzzles with code, without all the usual software development headaches.

Elden Ring, of course. Jusy too good to not buy, especially now that its $40.

Some games I'm looking for in 2023:

Dead Space remake, Hogwarts Legacy, The Last of Us Part I PC release, Resident Evil 4 remake, Final Fantasy XVI, Baldur's Gate III

Game I'll keep playing in 2023:

Final Fantasy XIV, Fortnite

Braid is a classic and so satisfying. But you may need an old Mac for it.

Chess :)

Quake Champions rules! Adrenaline, technique, mechanics, awesome map art, and just 10 minutes matches are great for no-compromise players.

It really depends on what you like. But a general rule is to stay away from any games where online gaming is a large component.

Dwarf Fortress!

Steam dorf is so accessible. It's really breathing new life into the game.

Already available: Sekiro Yakuza: Like a Dragon Death Stranding Elden Ring

Coming out 2023: Armored Core 6 Street Fighter 6

Against the Storm

Fantastic roguelite city builder.

Mario Kart :)

Pentiment

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