Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- #24 Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
- #23 Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
- #22 Volcano Princess
- #21 The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog
- #20 Persona 5 Tactica
- #19 Afterimage
- #18 Sword Art Online Last Recollection
- #17 My Hero Ultra Rumble
- #16 Mato Anomalies
- #15 Sailing Era
- #14 Limbus Company
- #13 The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie
- #12 HI-FI RUSH
- #11 Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
- #10 Mon-Yu
- #9 Eternights
- #8 Anonymous; Code
- #7 Planet of Lana
- #6 Persona 3 Portable
- #5 Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society
- #4 Season: A Letter to the Future
- #3 The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure
- #2 Sea of Stars
- #1 Persona 4 Golden
If you’re a fan of anime, then you’re no doubt a fan of all that has been going on in the video game world with anime and anime-style titles over the last few years. This style of video game has grown very popular, and in 2023, a lot of these kinds of games will arrive.
#24 Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
Platform: PC PS4 PS5
Release Date: December 14, 2023
If you’ve never partaken in this franchise before, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising might be the game for you to try out to see if you like it! The title is a fighting game with RPG and anime influences, and it has multiple modes to help you get adjusted to all that’s involved in playing it.
For example, there are multiple modes to train you. Or, you can be trained via the action-RPG-style campaign that’ll teach you how to control the characters.
Or if you’re a veteran, you can jump right into the matches and see how you stack up against players from around the world!
#23 Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Platform: PC PS5 XSX|S Switch
Release Date: August 18, 2023
Steam | PlayStation | Xbox | Nintendo
Well, we all know how the LAST big game to be set in a “Cyberpunk” world went, so we’re all hoping that this one is a bit better at launch, right? Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a unique game that acts as a kind of “spiritual successor” to a cult classic game from ages ago.
Long story short, you’re going to lose your head, literally, get it replaced with a robot head, seriously, and then join a crew to help tag the city and more your claim to it.
You’ll be bounding all over the city so you can graffiti the place up, down, left and right.
#22 Volcano Princess
Platform: PC Switch
Release Date: April 20, 2023
As any parent will tell you, raising a child isn’t easy. That goes double when you’re trying to raise them in a fantasy world with unique people and actions to take.
In Volcano Princess, you are a single father raising your young daughter alone. It’s your duty to raise her the way you feel is best. But what that path is will be yours to decide. As she grows, the decisions you make for her will grow more important. By the end of the game, you’ll help determine what kind of young woman she’s grown up to be and what her fate is.
Do you have what it takes to be a worthy parent?
#21 The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog
Platform: PC
Release Date: March 31, 2023
Sonic The Hedgehog finally seems to be going through the renaissance that fans have been begging for. Between the fan-made title, the new “Frontiers” he’s gone on last year, and the upcoming title with all the “Superstars,” you can feel things finally turning around.
But if you want another single-player twist on the series, get The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog! The game features you as one of Sonic’s friends after they board a murder mystery train for Amy Rose’s birthday. But as you can guess, things aren’t quite what they appear. Or are they?
With Sonic “dead,” you must find out the truth! Search for clues, interrogate the witnesses, and find the killer!
#20 Persona 5 Tactica
Platform: PC Xbox One XSX|S Switch
Release Date: November 17, 2023
Who doesn’t love a good anime title? Well, lots of people, actually, but we won’t talk about their “lack of culture.” If you’re looking to jump back into the Atlus-style of anime, then you need only look at Persona 5 Tactica!
The game puts a small spin on their anime vision by putting the Phantom Thieves in a more “Chibi” style of visuals. We’re sure many of you would adore it.
But it’s not just them that have been altered. The world around them has a unique feel to it that’ll help keep things fresh as you battle enemies and try to win the freedom of a kingdom!
#19 Afterimage
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S Switch
Release Date: April 25, 2023
Afterimage is a Metroidvania side scroller that takes place in a fantasy world called Engardin. Players will step into the role of a brave adventurer seeking to uncover the world’s secrets. However, within this complex labyrinth, you’ll meet up with new friends along with fighting off massive beasts. Each new area will present different enemies, challenging bosses, and unique gameplay mechanics. Fortunately, with various abilities that players can unlock, you’ll craft a unique, strong warrior to help cleanse the land from these monstrous foes.
#18 Sword Art Online Last Recollection
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One
Release Date: October 05, 2023
If you’ve been playing this franchise since its inception, you know that the story has slowly built to a crescendo that fans have been begging to see. Finally, in Sword Art Online Last Recollection, you’ll get that climax as the Underworld War is finally happening, and everything is on the land.
Featuring fan-favorite characters and new faces, you’ll head to the virtual world once more and attempt to save the real world from its rather.
Intense battles, dozens of playable characters, and more await you! But what is the endgame here? How will everything resolve itself? You’ll have to play to find out! So what are you waiting for?
#17 My Hero Ultra Rumble
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One Switch
Release Date: September 28, 2023
Are you ready to go beyond? Ready to rise up and cry out, “Plus Ultra!”? If so, then get ready for My Hero Ultra Rumble! In this battle royale-style game based on the hit manga/anime, you’ll pick three heroes or villains alongside two other players and then duke it out with other teams to see who can come out on top!
The roster is full of classic characters from the series, and you’ll need to use their Quirks to the fullest for them to prevail!
Will you choose the wielders of One For All? Or members of the Todoroki family? Or will you go full-on villain to defeat them all? The choice is yours!
#16 Mato Anomalies
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S Switch
Release Date: March 10, 2023
Are you looking for a stylish RPG that features clashing cultures and demons to battle? If so, that’s a very specific request. However, Mato Anomalies is a title that fulfills your needs!
You’ll be put into the realm of Mato, which feels like a mix of futuristic stylings with classic Oriental culture. You’ll play Doe and Gram, who must wander the city and defeat demons that hide within dangerous rifts or take on threats within the city and figure out what’s causing dangerous anomalies.
With so much to do, you’ll want to explore every inch of the city so you don’t miss a thing!
#15 Sailing Era
Platform: PC
Release Date: January 12, 2023
Plenty of games try to help you embrace what it was like in “olden times,” and Sailing Era is another in that line.
The game takes you to the 15th-17th centuries, and you’ll play as four captains on different vessels who have various dreams of exploring the world and making their name in it. You’ll build up your ship and crew and sail around an accurately-rendered world so that you can see what is within it. There are hundreds of places to visit, which means plenty to do.
So if you’re ready to set sail, get into the game and see what adventures await over the horizon!
#14 Limbus Company
Platform: PC
Release Date: February 27, 2023
Limbus Company is a title that isn’t afraid to bring the action and make it as stylish as possible. The game focuses on a group of “sinners” trying to change things by seeking out sacred treasures. However, to do this, they’ll have to fight scores of monsters.
The combat is the highlight of the game, and every beat of the action is meant to be flashy, fun, and violent. You’ll need to carefully handle your characters, chain their skills, and more so you can overcome every “skirmish” the title throws at you.
Are you ready to find out what these sinners can do?
#13 The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie
Platform: PC PS4 PS5 Switch
Release Date: July 7, 2023
Fate has a way of bringing people together that we don’t fully understand until it’s right upon us. The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie continues the story of such people as they try to save their world and free themselves while they’re at it.
You’ll play as three protagonists who will deter the fate of all around them. As you do that, you’ll battle in intense tactical gameplay that’ll test you beyond what you think will happen.
The plot continues on what happened before and showcases the ins and outs of this world and all that live within it. What will unfold as you dive deeper into the looming darkness? Play the game and find out!
#12 HI-FI RUSH
Platform: PC XSX|S
Release: January 25, 2023
The game that took the world by storm when it was shadow-dropped after an Xbox event, HI-FI RUSH, came from the team at Bethesda and wowed many with its looks, sounds, and combat.
You play a young man who accidentally gets an MP3 player put where his heart is supposed to be. Oops. Now, he must team up with others to take down an evil corporation! But he will do it in style, as the combat system revolves around music.
Time your attacks to the beat to deal damage, and attempt to be a master of the beat! The game has much to offer, so don’t be afraid to try it out!
#11 Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
- Developer: Toge Productions
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
- Publishers: Toge Productions, Chorus Worldwide
- Release date: April 20, 2023
So…who wants some coffee?
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is a continuation of the very unique fantasy/relationship title where you are a barista in a world where not all your characters are human. You’ll have to work with them not just in conversation, but in how and what coffee you give them.
Remember, as a barista, your job is to help them and make sure you make them feel at ease and relaxed. A good cup of coffee goes a long way in that regard.
Find out what makes each of them tick, serve them the perfect cup of joe, put some art in it to really make it shine! Then, it’s on to the next customer.
#10 Mon-Yu
- Developer: Experience Inc.
- Publisher: Aksys Games
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
- Release date: 2023
If you’re wanting a more true “game-like” feel, then you’ll want to get Mon-Yu possibly. Here we have a first-person dungeon crawler title (don’t worry, it’s still anime as all get out, just look at that art style!).
After all, you’ll have to go and create your character form scratch, then start building up a team so you can go to war in these dungeons against the seven demon kings that await you! As well as a slew of monsters that’ll try and prevent you from getting there in the first place.
Will you be able to make it through each of the dungeons? You’ll have to get the game and find out!
#9 Eternights
- Release date: September 12, 2023
- Developer: Studio Sai
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5
- Publishers: Studio Sai, Adrenal Games, Inc.
Behold, a “dating action game”. If that’s not an anime for you, we don’t really know what is.
Because in Eternights, you’ll have to try and survive the end of the world, and also survive the various dates that you’ll go on in the process. What could possibly go wrong?
A lot, it’s the end of the world, but we digress. You’ll get to follow the path of your main character as you get to know a set of five potential loves, and the story with them will change depending on how you connect with them, including giving you new skills in the process!
Don’t forget, the end of the world is the perfect way to start a conversation!
#8 Anonymous; Code
- Release date: September 8, 2023
- Developers: MAGE-X, Chiyo St. Inc.
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Vita
- Publishers: MAGE-X, Spike Chunsoft
From the creator of Steins: Gate, Anonymous; Code will once again put you in the story of Pollon, who is trying to save the world after the set of events that helped put it in the state that it’s in. The mysterious girl Momo and your encounter with her has led to various things happening, and now, to save the world, you must once again hack reality itself!
Go through the code of the world and find the “ending” to load in order to free the world from the events that are set to befall it.
Can you finally fix things? Or will you make them worse?
#7 Planet of Lana
- Release date: May 23, 2023
- Developer: Wishfully
- Platforms: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S
- Publishers: Thunderful Group, Thunderful Publishing
Many anime have tried to explore the environments they are in as much as the characters. Planet of Lana is a great example of that in game form.
In the game, you’ll be in a world where balance was once a vibrant and everlasting thing. But now? Not so much, and a “faceless army” is now all around you. You must go on a journey not to fight for the world, but just to try and save it.
You’ll need to solve puzzles, overcome challenges, make unique companions and use instinct and wit at times to survive versus just fighting everything in sight. This odyssey can end with the world being where it needs to be if you let it.
#6 Persona 3 Portable
- Developer: Atlus
- Publisher: Atlus USA
- Platforms: PSP, PSV, PS4, PS5, NS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Release Date: 2023 Modern Platforms
The first Persona game to truly start going into its own direction in terms of style and combat, Persona 3 Portable is actually the PSP version of the game, and not the original. There are some key differences between the two, but the game and story feel pretty much the same so it’s a worthy one to play when it comes to other systems next year.
In it, a terrible “accident” has changed the world completely, including creating an extra hour in the day where monsters roam free. A group of high schoolers must rise up to stop it and try to restore the world to its previous state.
…good luck with that.
#5 Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society
- Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 5
- Release date: February 14, 2023
- Publishers: NIS America, Nippon Ichi Software
Want another dungeon crawler? Because we have that for you with Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society.
In it, you are a spirit who is charged with going into a mysterious underground to find a piece of art. Sounds easy, right? Except, naturally, there are monsters in this underground who will try to stop you. Thankfully for you, you have not only your own abilities, but your own army of “soul-infused puppets” to pick and choose from to fight beside you.
Explore the dungeons, learn how to use the puppets and other techniques to overcome challenges, and learn the true mystery of the labyrinth that you’re in.
#4 Season: A Letter to the Future
- Developer: Scavengers Studio
- Publisher: Scavengers Studio
- Release date: January 31, 2023
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5
Oh look! Another “do something big at the end of the world” game! This time, we’re talking about Season: A Letter to the Future, where you will take the role of a young man on a trip to learn as much as he can before the season the world is in literally ends everything.
As you travel on your bike, you’ll meet a lot of unique people, and you’ll get to record their memories and lives in a variety of ways. Each one helping you explore and learn more along the way.
But the real quest is to see what this world truly is, why the “season” you’re in will get rid of everything, and what it all really means.
#3 The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure
- Release date: March 14, 2023
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita
- Developers: Nihon Falcom, PH3 GmbH, Artdink
- Publishers: NIS America, Nippon Ichi Software, Clouded Leopard Entertainment Inc.
The finale of the Crossbell arc is here for all to see in The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure!
In the game, the peace you have fought so hard for in the previous games has come, but at a cost. Because with the peace that has now been won, other parties are trying to use the situation to stir things up and seize power for themselves!
You must rally the new and older members of the Special Support Section to help defend you home, its people, and the peace itself!
With new combat functions, and more story if you have save data from the previous game, there’s a lot to dive into with The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure!
#2 Sea of Stars
- Release date: August 28, 2023
- Developer: Sabotage Studio
- Publisher: Sabotage Studio
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5
Sea of Stars is meant to be both a tribute to the old-school RPGs that helped make the genre great, but also, reinventing it in a variety of ways. Including how you do the combat, how you go about adventuring, and more!
The game will focus on two characters with two different power sets. The games’ combat system is unique in how you can do more damage, do combos, and overcome threats.
Add to that, the world is expansive and is full of quests and sidequests to do that all have a purpose. Even if it’s just to make you laugh.
The art style is done by hand and is meant to push what pixel games look like. So try out Sea of Stars when it arrives, you likely won’t regret it.
#1 Persona 4 Golden
- Release date: 2023 Modern Platforms
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S
- Developers: Atlus, P Studio, iXIT Corporation, PREAPP PARTNERS
- Publishers: Atlus, Sega, Atlus USA, SEGA of America
Don’t get us wrong, if Persona 5 had come out to other systems in 2023, we probably would’ve put that at the top of this as it’s the new “gold standard” for the franchise. But also don’t get us wrong, Persona 4 Golden was what really helped make the franchise great before Persona 5, and if you’ve never enjoyed Persona outside of that title, Persona 4 Golden is one you’ll need to get.
It focuses on a group of friends in a small town that is being beset by some random killings. These friends will unlock incredible powers to try and stop certain things, all the while growing closer together through a beautifully detailed “coming of age story”.
Don’t worry, you’ll still be doing plenty of fighting, but it’s the characters you’ll connect to the most here.
Disclaimer: This article was updated on 11/6/23 as we continue to adjust this list with new entries or remove games due to delays or failure to captivate audiences.
