Every game on this list has a unique design and art direction that makes it stand out from the next one on the list. Even the games with a similar tone are widely different in character design, creatures and the world. True testament to the variety you can get in video games, especially in this past year.

Here are our picks for the best art direction in video games from 2023.

5. Lies of P (Chang-kyu Noh)

Lies of P achieves so much in its Art Direction. It successfully creates this feeling of being in the Belle Epoque era in Europe through its environment design, recreating this period’s elegance whilst effectively showing it to be a world fallen to madness – Krat is a beautiful yet unsettling and melancholic city. Its character design is also consistent with this world, and other than the likeness of a certain actor, are all unique. The enemies, in particular, feel so at home in the world, with so much variation through the run time, but they also retain this dark elegance whilst drawing upon the era and the fairytale inspiration of Lies of P. 

– Wil

4. Sea of Stars (Michael Lavoie, Bryce Kho)

Sea of Stars looks how we remember the games that inspired it, like Chrono Trigger and Golden Sun, looked like when we first experienced them. Of course, put them side by side and the leaps and bounds pixel art has taken will be readily apparent with far more depth to backgrounds and more visually impressive and detailed character models. A stunning love letter to 90s turn-based RPGs and one of the best-looking pixel art games to date.

– Ashley

3. Baldur’s Gate 3 (Joachim Vleminckx)

Being based on a tabletop game that mostly takes place in its player’s imaginations leaves plenty of room for interpretation but at the same time leaves the impossible task of being compared to those player’s imaginations. Somehow Larian Studios brought the Forgotten Realms and its denizens to life in a way that very few players could complain about. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a feast for the eyes throughout any of its varied locations, from the depths of the Underdark through to the bustling city it goes to show that game developers being given the time to achieve their goals can lead to achieving beyond what even its audience could imagine.

– Ciaran

2. Dave the Diver (Kiyeop Chung)

While Dave the Diver may not at first glance seem to be a very visually impressive game, with its indie-feeling pixel art style, it has a great deal of depth and very impressive character designs. While the game primarily sticks to the pixel art aesthetic, especially in the beautiful anime-inspired cutscenes, 3D elements and backgrounds are seamlessly blended in giving Dave the Diver a unique look. The game is filled to the brim with impressive-looking boss designs and food that looks so good that you begin to get hungry. One of the best-looking underwater games you can play.

– Ashley

1. Alan Wake 2 (Janne Pulkkinen)

From the moment you start playing Alan Wake 2, it’s a beautiful and grotesque dark crime mystery that isn’t afraid to introduce the player to grim scenes, scary monsters and lighting designed to kill. Every street corner, to the interior of each building, looks like it was given an entire department of care. The art direction is one of a kind, much like the rest of the game. 

– Dylan