2023 is going to be a big year in gaming, with Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox all bringing out the big guns this year. The big three console manufacturers each have potentially massive games launching this year, all of which could very well be considered system sellers for their respective consoles. While release date delays could throw a wrench in their plans, at this time, it seems unlikely that any of these major games are going to be delayed to next year.
Nintendo has a variety of major new game releases planned for 2023, but the one that stands out among the rest is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Currently pegged for a May 12 release, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild, which is one of the highest-rated video games of all time. Tears of the Kingdom looks like it will retain much of what made Breath of the Wild popular to begin with, all the while expanding the scope to include the skies above Hyrule as well as the dungeons that lie beneath it.
What's been shown of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom so far has been impressive, but Nintendo has been keeping much of the game a secret. Nintendo will likely reveal much more about Tears of the Kingdom at some point prior to its release in May, so fans should keep an eye out for a Zelda-specific Nintendo Direct or something along those lines that will reveal more of what they can expect from the highly-anticipated game.
Biggest Switch, PlayStation, Xbox Exclusives of 2023
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12
- Starfield - First half of 2023
- Spider-Man 2 - Fall 2023
Around the same time The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches, Xbox Series X owners should be able to expect Starfield to release as an Xbox console exclusive and a day one Xbox Game Pass game. Starfield is the first single-player RPG from Bethesda since Fallout 4 in 2015, so hype is especially high for the open world sci-fi game. At its core, it doesn't seem inaccurate to describe Starfield as essentially being Skyrim in space, though it seems to have far grander ambitions.
Starfield has thousands of planets spread across hundreds of solar systems for players to explore, which should result in one gaming's largest open worlds to date. The question remains whether Bethesda can fill all these worlds with compelling content or not, but that question will be answered whenever Starfield releases. The game is expected to drop at some point in the first half of 2023, so more concrete release date information should come to light sooner rather than later.
And finally, PlayStation is looking to release the PlayStation 5 exclusive Spider-Man 2 at some point this fall. Spider-Man 2 from Insomniac Games will likely be PlayStation's marquee release for 2023, assuming the company doesn't have any big surprises up its sleeve. Spider-Man 2 will continue where Spider-Man: Miles Morales left off, with Peter Parker and Miles Morales defending New York City from threats like Venom and potentially Kraven the Hunter.
Of course, these three games are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to big new releases coming to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X in 2023, but they are perhaps the biggest console exclusive games coming to their respective systems this year. Thanks to these games and others that are scheduled to launch in the months ahead, 2023 is set up to be one of the biggest years in gaming history to date.