Nominees for Destructoid’s Best Xbox game of 2023

Xbox Game Pass is going to add plenty of new games to its library in 2024, expanding the variety of choices available to anyone who subscribes to the service. Although it's impossible to say what the full scope of changes to the library will be in the coming year, a number of planned titles have already been revealed. Among these options, a select number stand out as the most exciting additions to the service.

For far too long, Xbox gamers have had to say to themselves “Next year. Next year’s going to be the big one” as they hope for platform defining exclusives. It’s no secret that Microsoft’s expanding collection of game studios have struggled to produce over the last few years, but 2023 was a year that changed that in some ways.

After cleaning up the Nintendo Switch 2023 Game of the Year contest (with one of the biggest sweeps of the year), Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is back for the Overall 2023 Game of the Year award here at Destructoid. Act surprised!

By Darryn Bonthuys on

The year is coming to a close and Microsoft may have one more surprise up its sleeve as it seems that may leave soon. Some players have received notifications that the game will be one of three due to leave the service on December 31, but only two of those have been confirmed by Microsoft.

Whether you're searching for the perfect Christmas gift or you fancy treating yourself this festive season, we've rounded up all the best Xbox Series X deals to help you out.

It was, by all accounts, a strange 2023 for Xbox. Its games were all over the board, and the company itself spent most of the year embroiled in the process of getting Activision Blizzard into the figurative catcher’s mitt.

In 2023, there was a pretty consistent flow of amazing new video game releases that launched over the course of the year, including many high-quality titles for the Xbox Series X and its slimmer counterpart, the Series S. From the hit indie title to the Xbox exclusive, there has been no shortage of virtual experiences to keep gamers occupied. While there are numerous good games covering every genre, these ten titles are some of the best for the Xbox consoles this year.

As we eagerly anticipate IGN’s Best Game of 2023 announcement, we as the Podcast Unlocked panel thought we’d tell you what we think is the best Xbox game of this year. After all, we talk about Xbox every single week, we use our Xbox’s constantly, and we’re fully immersed in the Xbox ecosystem. And so our group gathered, discussed, and debated. We’ll get to the winner in a bit, but first, here are the five games we settled on as nominees, listed in alphabetical order.

Many fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 were expecting the game to launch on Xbox Game Pass; Larian has now confirmed that the game is worth the price it is set at and will not be coming to the subscription service. 

2023 was a massive year for the gaming community as a whole, with many huge video games being released throughout, yet there were still numerous titles from the smaller indie developers that also managed to steal the show. From short, thought-provoking games such as to the larger retro-inspired RPG , there are many different genres to experience while supporting the indies. Indie developers don't have the financial backing of the large AAA companies, yet some can still produce incredible works of art that they share with the world.

As we head into one of the last holiday weekends of the year, we’re wrapping up GOTY-related announcements with more nominees. This time, it’s for Destructoid’s best PC game of 2023, and I reckon you already know it’s a competitive bunch.