RPGWatch - Game of the Year Awards 2023 - Best RPG of 2023

[vanedor]

Expedition games are a strange niche and probably reflect weak years generally. The first and third both charted in the top 5, but the most popular one, the second one, the one most people think is closest to being an actual RPG, didn't even make the top 5 due to a very robust year of more classically interesting material.

Yeah, it feels more like a strategy game than a proper RPG. I played the demo. It was enjoyable, but I'm not sure it's my type of game.

 

[daveyd]

Yeah, it feels more like a strategy game than a proper RPG. I played the demo. It was enjoyable, but I'm not sure it's my type of game.

Rome is pretty heavy on the strategy elements, but Expeditions: Viking is about as proper an RPG as you can get. I love them both though.

 

[bizorker]

Perhaps one of the reasons that for some RPG players 2023 felt like it could have been better has a name: Starfield.

I agree with this. Why this year was great - BG3. Why it wasn't super great - Starfield. Rogue Trader was released to late and too buggy to really be a factor in 2023. I voted for it because I think it will be great and it won't be on the list next year.

Also I think it just goes without saying that every year there's gonna be a game that wasn't released in the calendar year that is one of the best games to play in that year (i.e. Cyberpunk once it got fixed). And also there will be a game released in the current calendar year that we'll all be excited to play next year (i.e. Rogue Trader next year once it gets fixed).

 

[bizorker]

Not sure if there is a good overview of past winners, so I opened every single post to note them down. In case you are interested:

Spoiler: Winners

Game of the year 2023
1. Baldurs Gate 3
2. Rogue Trader
3. Colony Ship
4. Wartales
5. Starfield

Game of the year 2022
1. ELEX II
2. Elden Ring
3. Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness
4. Expeditions: Rome
5. King Arthur: Knight's Tale

Game of the year 2021
1. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
2. Solasta: Crown of the Magister
3. The Chronicles Of Myrtana: Archolos
4. Encased
5. Wildermyth

Game of the year 2020
1. Wasteland 3
2. Cyberpunk 2077
3. Horizon Zero Dawn
4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
5. Hades

Game of the year 2019
1. The Outer Worlds
2. Disco Elysium
3. Greedfall
4. Outward
5. Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark

Game of the year 2018
1. Pathfinder Kingmaker
2. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
3. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
4. Kenshi
5. Atom RPG

Game of the year 2017
1. Divinity: Original Sin II
2. ELEX
3. Torment: Tides of Numenera
4. Battle Brothers
5. Prey

Game of the year 2016
1. Tyranny
2. Grim Dawn
3. Dark Souls III
4. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
5. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Game of the year 2015
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
2. Pillars of Eternity
3. Fallout 4
4. Underrail
5. Age of Decadence

Game of the year 2014
1. Divinity: Original Sin
2. Wasteland 2
3. Dragon Age: Inquisition
4. Shadowrun: Dragonfall
5. Might & Magic X: Legacy

Game of the year 2013
1. Shadowrun Returns
2. Expeditions: Conquistador
3. Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition
4. XCOM: Enemy Within
5. Path of Exile

Game of the year 2012
1. Mass Effect 3
2. Dark Souls: Prepare to Die
3. Dishonored
4. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
5. Risen 2: Dark Waters

Game of the year 2011
1. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2. The Witcher 2
3. Drakensang: The River of Time
4. Dragon Age 2
5. Deus Ex: Human revolution

Game of the year 2010
1. Fallout: New Vegas
2. Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga / FoV
3. Dragon Age: Awakening
4. Ultima VI Project: The False Prophet
5. Mass Effect 2

Game of the year 2009
1. Dragon Age: Origins
2. Risen
3. Knights of the Chalice
4. Drakensang: The Dark Eye
5. A Farewell to Dragons

Game of the year 2008
1. Fallout 3
2. Mass Effect
3. King's Bounty: The Legend
4. Avernum 5
5. Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir

Thx for posting the history. Nice trip down memory lane! Only ones I haven't played are Outer Worlds and ELEX II. The 'all time great' years that jump out to me:

2018, 2015, 2014, and 2011 (all with 3 games I consider absolutely fantastic)

 

[Kordanor]

Thx for posting the history. Nice trip down memory lane! Only ones I haven't played are Outer Worlds and ELEX II. The 'all time great' years that jump out to me:

2018, 2015, 2014, and 2011 (all with 3 games I consider absolutely fantastic)

Yeah, was quite interesting. Also quite an interesting observation regarding the games being too late or needing patches. Not sure if its generally true, but yeah, certainly true in some cases.

I think there are some years which went objectively quite well...and among these is 2023. With 0/5 games I played.
I think 2017 was also quite strong, with DOS 2 being quite a surprise hit. However "Prey" being listed on place 5 also kinda indicates that there hasn't been too much else which convinced the players here.

As you mentioned 2015 and 2014 were incredibly strong. And both years also showed the revival of RPGs with more classical formulas, even though there is also a Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 in there, which also both did well. But compare that to 2011, which was certainly also succesful...

I think some of the weakest years were 2013 and 2012. XCom showing up in both is kind of an indicator that not enough RPGs were there to begin with. I also remember that I was happy back in 2013 then to see Expeditions: Conquistador to get second place. Loved that game, but yeah.. I highly doubt it was a "strong" game. It's just that the contenders were so weak...I mean even "Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition" made it in there. To me that really looks like people had no idea what to vote for.

 

[vanedor]

Also I think it just goes without saying that every year there's gonna be a game that wasn't released in the calendar year that is one of the best games to play in that year (i.e. Cyberpunk once it got fixed). And also there will be a game released in the current calendar year that we'll all be excited to play next year (i.e. Rogue Trader next year once it gets fixed).

Speaking of Cyberpunk.. It makes me wonder if there should not be a third vote / category : "Best rpg DLC of the year".

 

[Kordanor]

Speaking of Cyberpunk.. It makes me wonder if there should not be a third vote / category : "Best rpg DLC of the year".

Pretty sure that this would easily become a popularity contest of the same games over and over again then.
Starting with the question what a DLC is. Is the endgame season of King Arthur a DLC?
Is Patch 1.4 in Jagged Alliance 3 a DLC? They added the Subway in that patch.
And ofc there are games which basically receive significant patches every other month...Diablo, Path of Exile...

I mean it could work. But then the selection would need to be strongly vetted by the admins to focus on significant Additions to games. And not just "I voted for BG3 because I liked BG3, never checked the new patch". The issue, more than with new releases is, that people feel connected to the main game and then might just vote for that DLC no matter what.

 

[Zloth]

I think it also has something to do with memories. A lot of people here above 40 probably have childhood memories of Star Wars, but not of Harry Potter. Even though none of them are very deep experiences for an older adult, one evokes nostalgia and one doesn't.

Does this mean we'll get a game based on Asprin's Myth books for older adult nostalgia?? PLEASE?? I want to play a Perv. I mean a Pervect.

 

[bjon045]

Looking at past inclusions I think proper expansions should be included. Why was BG2:EE included? Why was Dragon Age: Awakening allowed? I'm sure there are many anomolies as those were just based on Kordanor's list of winners i.e. excluding historical nominations. I'd say it would be pretty easy. Just include DLC/exapnsions/remasters/remakes with a reasonable ADDITIONAL playtime say 20 hours or so. You would only need to include the popular ones.

 

[vanedor]

Pretty sure that this would easily become a popularity contest of the same games over and over again then.

Well, these votes are always a popularity contest.

At the same time, it might serve to highlight some little known DLCs that many people aren't aware that have been released. And demonstrate how some games are still very much supported.

As for the criteria of what could be considered as an eligible DLC, I think it's pretty easy to come up with a rule such as what Bjon suggests : An addition playtime of 10 or 20 hours.

 

[Morrandir]

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