Feature: Nintendo Life’s Most Anticipated Games For 2023 (That Aren’t Zelda)

Image: Nintendo Life

It’s that time of the year again where we all turn backwards to appreciate the good things about 2022, but also start to look forward to the brand new year ahead, full of video game releases and surprises. And yes, when you think “2023” and “video games”, we know that one obvious answer comes to mind: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the long-awaited and hyped to high heaven sequel to Breath of the Wild.

But you already know that we’re excited for Zelda, so we canvassed the Nintendo Life team to find out what else is on our wishlists for 2023…

Kate Gray, Staff Writer

Perhaps to no one’s surprise, a lot of my most anticipated games are the indies that look like they’re going to be really special. That includes games like Fae Farm, Venba, and Storyteller — one’s a farming game, one’s a cooking game, and one is a sort of… point-and-click story generation puzzle game? I don’t honestly know what to expect from Storyteller, but I know it’s my jam, and I wonder if it’s going to have a similar vibe to Pentiment, one of my non-Switch GOTYs this year.

A special shout out to The Plucky Squire, which is a particularly enticing piece of eye candy that looks like it’s going to dominate video game discussion when it comes out some time in 2023. It’s got this really wonderful 2D-3D hybrid thing going on, with a storybook art style that I think I’m going to love. Also, Demonschool, which is, just, UGH, so gorgeous. I wrote about it here, so just go and read my hands-on opinions!

In the AAA corner, it’s games like Pikmin 4, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, and… hm, that’s about it. I don’t play a lot of the big releases during their launch year, honestly, so I’ll probably end up playing one of the GOTYs from years past like Red Dead Redemption 2. Oh, and Baldur’s Gate III! Buuuuut that’s not coming to Switch. It might, though, one day…

Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer

I have to admit that I had to look up exactly what’s on the horizon for the Switch in 2023, because right now, like many others, there’s a Tears of the Kingdom shaped tsunami looming in the distance and it’s all I’m able to think about.

Having said that, once I reminded myself of what’s coming out, I’m pleasantly surprised by how many games I plan on adding to my collection. At the top of the list is probably Persona 4: Golden, a game that I haven’t played since I (regrettably) sold my PS Vita several years ago. I didn’t pick up Persona 5 Royal because I already own it on the PS4, but you can bet I’ll be downloading Persona 4 the moment it launches in a little over a month.

Elsewhere, I’m really looking forward to seeing what Hogwarts Legacy is all about, though I admittedly probably won’t get that one on the Switch given the severe downgrades it will almost inevitably be subjected to. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider looks like a fantastic retro game that’ll definitely be going on the list, and like Kate, I’ve got my eye on Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, having spend countless hours playing the original on the GameCube back in the day.

Finally, in the interest of manifesting some long overdue news, I’m also really looking forward to Metroid Prime 4. Come on, Nintendo!

Alana Hagues, Staff Writer

Folks, 2023 is stacked and I’m a little bit scared. Even discounting Tears of the Kingdom and the big non-Nintendo release of the year, Final Fantasy XVI, for me, in the first six months alone there’s so much coming out that everything is going to be vying for my attention.

February has Octopath Traveler II and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, two titles that I’m ridiculously jazzed to get stuck into. I never expected to get a straight-up sequel to Octopath, and I really want to see if the sequel has improved character Theatrhythm, however, is my dream sequel — I cannot believe we’re finally getting another Theatrhythm game. I adore video game music and Final Fantasy music, so this is going to be my companion for the year, I think.

As a Trails fan, I’m going to be spoilt in 2023. Trails to Azure is out in March and I’m desperate to see the concluding half of the Crossbell arc, and then Trails into Reverie is out this summer! Phew. Sea of Stars and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes both come out sometime in 2023 too. And I’m definitely grabbing Persona 3 Portable – I’ve played FES but not this version!

Stepping away from RPGs, though, there’s plenty of stuff to go around. Mineko’s Night Market and Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley are just two of the cutest video games I’ve seen, A Space For the Unbound is utterly beautiful to look at and it looks like it’s going to make me cry, and I can’t forget about Pikmin 4, can I? And hey, Silksong is meant to come out before July 2023, right? It’s going to come out at the same time as Zelda or FFXVI, isn’t it…

Jim Norman, Staff Writer

Once we get Tears of the Kingdom and the remasters of Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD (both of which are definitely, 100% happening) 2023 is still looking… ridiculously busy.

My year will undoubtedly kick off with Fire Emblem Engage – a game about which we have arguably heard too much now but one that I remain really excited for nonetheless. Much like Alana, I have been tracking Sea of Stars for many months now and it still looks to be one of the prettiest Switch games going. I also played Owlboy for the first time this year and fell completely in love, so you know that D-Pad Studio’s next game, Vikings on Trampolines, has to be on my mind.

Then there’s titles like Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and Nuclear Blaze, both of which I am really keen to see more footage of because from what I have seen so far, I’m sold. And obviously Pikmin 4 will come along and take up a good few weeks of my playtime once again.

Wildcard picks go to Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp and Marvel’s Midnight Suns. I hope that both of these manage to make their way to Switch in 2023, I really do. The former seems like we are going to get a release date any day now, while the latter might be more of a pipe dream at this point…


What are you most excited for in 2023? Check out our swish new poll where you can type in the game you want to vote for, and let us know your most anticipated games!

You may also like...