This year is shaping up to be one of the best years for video games in recent memory. After a difficult few years of development during the pandemic, the number of quality releases is overwhelming, with several titles offering the peak of their respective genres and franchises.

The following games (listed by release date) are the best of the year so far.

Hi-Fi Rush

The year's first hit was a revolution in audiovisual design. Every visual aspect of Hi-Fi Rush by Tango Gameworks moves to the beat of the soundtrack, from the hero tapping his toes to robotic janitors sweeping in the background. It's an action game where you play a would-be rock star who gets his mp3 player surgically installed into his guts, which gives him the ability to see, feel and hear music all around him. Every attack, jump and step moves to a raucous soundtrack that includes early-aughts Nine Inch Nails. It's not just a great action game, it's also probably the freshest new idea of 2023.

Available on: PC, Xbox

Resident Evil 4

It's arguable whether a remake of a classic title should receive renewed praise, but Capcom remakes are on a whole other level. Like the past remakes, Resident Evil 4 is essentially a brand new game that builds on the bones of the 2005 classic, considered one of the most important and influential games of the century. With updated controls, expanded storylines and redesigned areas, this will easily remain the best-paced and most frantic action game of the year.

Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox

Dredge

The first game from Black Salt Games presents itself as a snug, seafaring experience about fishing, but it always suggests a little bit of dread. Given the recent news cycle, it's no secret to anyone that huge bodies of water have secrets as compelling as they are dangerous to uncover. One day you might catch a fish unlike any creature you thought existed. It's the kind of horror that mostly pokes at your curiosity. Other horror games can make you look away, but Dredge asks you to peer even closer into the darkness.

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

The sequel to the successful Jedi: Fallen Order features even larger worlds and a complex, thrilling story with some genuine surprises, even for the most jaded Star Wars fans. The action is inspired by the Souls genre, and if the difficulty of games like Elden Ring by FromSoftware intimidate you, Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars games are excellent introductions to the formula. It's more forgiving than Elden Ring, and you get a swashbuckling Star Wars adventure tale along with it.

Available on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Tears of the Kingdom is likely to remain the best game of the year, despite having a way to go in 2023. It introduced the ability to fuse different items together to invent new things, which encouraged would-be engineers to experience a level of play and experimentation that rarely appears in titles this big. Even two months since release, players are still finding new ways to interact with its vast world, sky islands and massive underground region. It also happens to be an enchanting adventure with some of the best moments in the series' three-decade history.

Available on: Nintendo Switch

Street Fighter 6

Fighting games have become niche since the arcade days due to arcane control systems. Not so with the latest, greatest version of the Street Fighter series, which creates "modern" controls to make pulling off pro-level moves easy for beginner players. It also offers a robust story mode with a fully explorable city and countless character customization options. If you've ever been curious about the fighting game genre, this is your starter kit. Lucky that it's also probably the best designed fighting game ever made.

Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox

Diablo IV

It's a game so magnetic, it got "The View" host and Oscar-winning talent Whoopi Goldberg angry about how she can't play it on her Apple computer (it only works on Windows operating systems). Diablo IV features the most interesting fantasy world of the year, while retaining the same hook of loots and power that made the Diablo franchise one of the best-selling PC series in history. Even 23 years later, people still play the second game by the droves. Diablo IV will likely keep up that tradition. No other game so far this year offers more bang for your buck.

Available on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox

Dave the Diver

Created by small South Korean studio Mintrocket, Dave the Diver is about a portion of the ocean that mysteriously and randomly features sea life from all over the world, concentrated in one spot. So of course it's the perfect motivation to open a fabulous new sushi restaurant. You play as Dave, a humble diver who becomes the supply chain and the means of production at the same time. By day, you enjoy beautiful and serene diving gameplay to catch fish and other sea creatures, and by night, you are the frantic wait staff as the world catches on to your concept's exotic sushi experience. It's part diving game, part restaurant business simulator, and the most relaxing experience of the year.

Available on: macOS, PC

Final Fantasy XVI

This is the audiovisual experience of the year, with a bombastic score backing some of the largest scale action sequences ever committed to screen, making even the largest Hollywood epics seem small by comparison. This is the best game to showcase how video games have evolved in visual presentation, as it deftly weaves the player experience in and out of cinematics and playable sequences. It's a gripping story that wears its "Game of Thrones" influence on its sleeve, while being a kinetic and beautiful action fantasy experience. The game also offers many options for novice action players to finish the story, no matter your skill level.

Available on: PlayStation 5

Pikmin 4

Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of the Mario and Zelda series, has made the Pikmin franchise his pet project, and his Midas touch is present in every aspect of the game. As an astronaut, players command a legion of plantlike creatures called Pikmin to solve puzzles, gather resources and even swarm and drown out enemies like ants enveloping a piece of food on the ground. It's a game that demands your attention to details, but it's also immensely rewarding and relaxing. Previous experience with the series isn't necessary, as the game offers a gentle on-ramp for players.

Available on: Nintendo Switch