17 Best games of January 2023

January was a big month for gaming. There were plenty of titles that came out or were announced that helped set up 2023 in a big way. So let’s show you some of the best.

#17 Good Pizza, Great Pizza – Cooking Simulator Game

Let’s start with a simulator game! Those are always fun. Plus, who doesn’t love pizza?

In Good Pizza, Great Pizza – Cooking Simulator Game, you’ll have the honor of running a pizza joint! You’ll start small and work hard to fulfill your customer’s orders! But be careful! Some of your customers will be odd. Such as asking for a pepperoni pizza but not wanting pepperonis!

Work through that to get money so you can expand your store. Do it for the love of pizza and to stick it to your rival store!

Pizza is a beautiful thing, so do your best to make the best around so that more will come to your place!

#16 A Space For the Unbound

Looking for a slice-of-life title with a fun twist or two? A Space For the Unbound has that. The game is set in a rural town where two high school friends soon find themselves in a supernatural mystery. They’re both granted powers that could take their lives if they’re not careful. But how did they get them? Why just them? These mysteries and more are what they must discover.

Wander the town and learn more from the locals. You can even use your powers to dive into their minds! But will you be able to learn the truth? How will you view one another once you do?

#15 Breakout 13

If you’re looking for a unique interactive experience, you might try Breakout 13. In the game, based on a hit book, the world doesn’t understand what is going on with teenagers. To which we say, “when did they ever understand?”

To “correct” them, they’re sent to an institute where multiple “tests” are performed. You are one of these “troubled teens” who must resist the treatments and learn the truth.

Work with your fellow test subjects and figure out a way out. The interactive cutscenes will have you making decisions on the fly, and the story will branch based on what you do. So choose wisely.

#14 Juno: New Origins

The desire to get into space has led to many space games and simulators being made. Juno: New Origins is a fun twist on things as you’ll head up an aerospace company and attempt to make bigger and better crafts.

But you don’t start with space shuttles. Not if you don’t want to. You’ll test rockets on cars and design planes so you can fulfill contracts and get more funding for your grander adventures. The more you build, the more freedom you’ll have to try things out.

Once you’re in space, head to planets and colonize worlds! Space is a big place, so build something to get you through it!

#13 Dread Templar

You must respect someone who puts all their time and energy into making something special. Dread Templar might seem like a regular shooter, but it’s so much more. One man put three years into making this title, and the results speak for themselves.

You’ll head into the underworld to get revenge and must blast through scores of demons and monsters to achieve your goal!

The title looks like something from the past but has all the modern amenities you crave, including a vast array of weapons! Add that to unique power sets, and you’ll be able to craft a playstyle that’s perfect for the over two dozen levels of gameplay.

#12 Undisputed

There have been many games depicting the combat sports of the world. But Undisputed seeks to bring back the love of boxing titles by creating the most authentic one.

You’ll immediately notice the depth of the combat as you dive in. As it likes to say, boxing isn’t “just throwing punches.” Instead, it’s about using the right moves, counters, defensive positions, and even the ring itself to get to a place where you can win.

Details are prevalent in the title. You’ll notice that every fighter has different stats and features that you’ll need to be ready for as you fight. If you master the game, you’ll be the champ soon enough.

#11 Bing in Wonderland 

Have you ever wanted to play a roguelike game about killing monsters and using your butt whenever possible? Then we have got a game for you!

Bing in Wonderland continues a franchise focusing on monster encounters and letting you go nuts with weapons. Action is the name of the game. While it is a roguelike, you won’t have to worry about wandering around the map to get what you want. Instead, you’ll traverse forward, and the monsters will find you!

Grab your weapons and use them to skewer enemies. But in the title, your butt is the best weapon you have! Use it without mercy!

#10 Sailing Era

Behold a title that lets you explore a world set within the 15th-17th centuries of our world. This was a time of sailing and exploration; now it’s your turn to take the helm.

In Sailing Era, you’ll play multiple characters throughout this period of history. As the head of a ship, you’ll sail across an accurately rendered world and see what adventures await you! Along the way, you’ll meet an interesting cast of characters and can help them with their problems or have them join your crew!

You have complete freedom to venture worldwide, dock at over 200 ports, make a fleet of ships under your command, or just roam around! It’s your era, do with it what you will.

#9 Kartrider: Drift 

You know you’re doing something right when you can boast in your game’s description that you have had nearly 400 million people play your game. That’s a lot if you didn’t know.

The reason Kartrider: Drift is so popular is because it’s a fun free-to-play title that you can easily jump into and have a blast with.

One thing you’ll notice is that you can customize your character and your kart infinitely. You can make them look however you want so they can fit who you are. Then, once you’re ready, head to the track to race in multiple modes that will test your skills to the limit.

#8 We Were Here Forever

Multiple titles were released last year but didn’t have their “next-gen upgrades” quite ready. We Were Here Forever was one such title. But regardless of whether you play it on current-gen or last-gen systems, you’ll get a unique co-op experience.

The title is set within Castle Rock, and you are one of two prisoners trapped there for unknown reasons. With the truth and your past a mystery, you must wander through the castle and work alongside your fellow prisoner to solve puzzles and get the answers you seek.

Only together can you advance, so work as one and seek out the secrets of the castle and the surrounding areas. But is the truth worth knowing?

#7 SEASON: A Letter to the Future 

The world is a place that is meant to be explored. Yet what happens when you can’t until the world is ready to end?

SEASON: A Letter to the Future puts you as someone who knows the world will end, as that’s what happens when the “seasons” come to a close. To understand more about the world and chronicle what’s left, you’ll journey to various places and document the lives and memories of the people you meet.

A deep and emotional journey awaits. What will you ensure is remembered before it all ends? What will you learn along the way? Jump in and find out.

#6 Hi-Fi RUSH

Easily one of the most surprising titles of January, Hi-Fi RUSH was shadow-dropped onto people with a single trailer to announce its arrival. Sure enough, it worked! The title is one of the most talked about things since its release.

The game’s hook is that your character, and the world he’s in, are synced to music. Using “rhythm combat,” you must work through the world, overcome obstacles and fight enemies.

With music on your side, you’ll venture into a corporation and seek your freedom! Get yourself locked into the beat, and don’t let off until you’re done! Unless you want the evil corporation to win…

#5 Persona 3 Portable

It’s never been a better time to be a fan of the Persona franchise. Just when you thought the franchise wouldn’t expand from certain systems, three games from the past have returned for their modern console debut!

The first one is Persona 3 Portable, a port, ironically enough, of the PSP game that came out many years ago. The title puts you in a world where a corporation has unleashed the power of another dimension, Tartarus.

Due to its incursion, monsters roam free in a “new hour” in the day. You are part of a group that can venture into Tartarus during that hour and save the day. So unlock your Personas and see where the story takes you!

#4 One Piece Odyssey

For those who love the anime, One Piece Odyssey is a chance to relive some of the series’ best moments and help give the characters some closure on their events!

The game takes Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to a mysterious island where they end up shipwrecked and devoid of their powers. To get them back, they must relive some of their greatest battles and overcome the odds once again!

Experience an original story from the manga/anime’s writer, and see what Luffy and the crew will do with the knowledge they have to change fate! Or is such a thing even possible?

#3 Persona 4 Golden

As we already told you, it’s a great time to be a Persona fan. We discussed the third game earlier, so now let’s talk about Persona 4 Golden.

The title is hailed as one of the best JRPGs of the modern era, and the title that helped show people what this franchise could be. The game puts you in a small town that a serial killer is haunting. You and your friends soon become wrapped up in the events of those killings and must unlock hidden powers to venture into other worlds and learn the truth.

The game is a must-have for those who enjoyed the fifth entry and want to see what came before.

#2 Dead Space Remake

It’s a bit ironic that a remake makes it so high on this list. But the Dead Space Remake is worth the effort because it brings back the classic space horror title, gives it a new coat of paint, and decks it out with additional content to improve the game.

You’ll again play Isaac Clarke, who is sent to the ship called the Ishimura to find out what happened to the crew. You’ll have to use whatever you can to beat back the monsters and learn the truth about what happened to your partner.

With updated visuals, gameplay tweaks, additional story beats, and more, the game is an excellent example of what a remake should be!

#1 Fire Emblem Engage

Some may find it controversial that Fire Emblem Engage is at the top of our list. But frankly, it was one of the month’s best games, and it wasn’t a remake or port of a past title. So it deserves to be here.

The game puts you as the Divine Dragon Alear, who awakens from a 1000-year sleep only to find that the Fell Dragon Sombron has awakened too!

To stop the dark dragon’s plans for corruption, he must assemble allies across the land of Lythos. Then, find the twelve Emblem Rings to unlock their powers and gain help from heroes past!

A deep tactical RPG experience awaits you in the game. So don’t miss out!