There are some truly big games in 2023, and a few of them swing for the fences with new ideas, gameplay mechanics never seen before, storytelling ideas unique to the platform and the fruition of past game inspirations.

Here are our picks for the best video game direction of 2023.

5. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Bryan Intihar, Ryan Smith)

From the opening battle with Sandman that leaves New York covered in sand to Peter, MJ & Harry exploring Coney Island, the direction across its playtime is clear. But a single-side mission of taking some pigeons to their new home truly took my breath away. Bryan Intihar continues to show his passion for the source material while continuing to build on the identity of their own Spider-Man within the character’s fabled history.

– Ciaran

4. Dave the Diver (Jaeho Hwang)

You boot up Dave the Diver, and it tricks you into thinking it’s some cutie relaxing diving game. The next minute, you’re stressing over your bar shift, trying to collect a bunch of cards, a fish farm, a secret undersea culture, and a shark that may have nearly killed you. Then there’s some visual novel-inspired backstory for a supporting character. Playing Dave the Diver, it’s obvious it took a real direction and commitment to the vision to see the game come out as well as it did. On paper, the game simply sounds like too much. I’d have asked, “How could this even work? It’s too much.” And yet, it’s perfectly melded together. 

– Dylan

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Hidemaro Fujibayashi)

Directing a Zelda game is already a challenge, then you add taking on the sequel to the largest Zelda game of all time, and if that was not enough, you then decide on a building system that means players can solve problems in any way they can think of. Ambitious is not a big enough word for the task the team at Nintendo undertook. Tears of the Kingdom took what was already established in Breath of the Wild and expanded on it in many ways that go beyond the standard route for a sequel. The sheer scale of Tears of the Kingdom makes its place on this list very clear, but it’s the imagination that is enabled by its direction that makes Tears of the Kingdom a must-play experience on the Nintendo Switch.

– Ciaran

2. Alan Wake 2 (Sam Lake, Kyle Rowley)

Only Remedy could have made Alan Wake 2. Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley bring such a unified, unique and utterly wild vision to the game, and they’re committed to every decision. With influences of popular horror, Finnish culture and the dissection of just what is a story running throughout the game. Alan Wake 2 is truly special and, although the work of many, is truly a vision from the talented leads at the top. 

– Dylan

1. Baldur’s Gate 3 (Swen Vincke)

A lot of games tout the amount of freedom and player choice they give their players, but few experiences rival that of Baldur’s Gate 3. In order to as closely replicate a D&D tabletop game experience, Larian Studios had to anticipate any number of possible ways players would choose to tackle the game, from the extensive player creation options with various races and classes to mix and match to various missions that can be tackled in an infinite number of ways. What other game will let you slowly pick off your party members before they figure out you are murdering them and also lets you romance them all? There is just so much in Baldur’s Gate III, that all works seamlessly, that I fear we will never see it replicated again.

– Ashley