Hi gamers. You will notice a certain Zelda-shaped hole in this list. That omission should indicate just how frustrating I found the build mechanic in Tears Of The Kingdom! I'd like to acknowledge that while TOTK was obviously one of the biggest and best games of the year in general, it simply wasn't for me.
Same goes for Starfield. I really, really wanted to love Starfield. But that's the beauty of video games: they continue to defy our expectations in all kinds of ways.
Speaking of defying expectations, who would have guessed that a Fishing Game / Sushi Restaurant Management Sim would take the top spot among my games of the year?! Not me, that's for sure. But alas, 2023 was not just one of the best years ever for video games, it was also one of the most surprising.