Swords, guns, lightsabers, mechs, and guitars. Whatever way you may have dreamt of causing destruction, 2023 had you covered. Action game fans have feasted this year with returning series and fresh new ideas providing a wide range of ways to test your thumbs to their limits. So whether you want to wield the power of the Force, pilot towering war machines, or just get down with the rhythm, here are the games that let us live out our power fantasies as we reveal IGN’s Best Action Game of 2023.
A high-speed throwback to bullet-barraging FPS games of old, Turbo Overkill hands you an explosive selection of guns and a chainsaw for a leg before telling you to unleash hell. Fun, frenetic, and flashy, it wastes no time setting you free in its colourful cyberpunk setting and inviting you to coat every surface in blood. Taking the boomer shooter blueprint of old and injecting it with new life via slick movement abilities and increasingly bizarre locations, it’s as close as you’ll get to demon-slaying this year for anyone looking for a Doom-like fix in 2023. But Turbo Overkill is more than just a homage to id Software’s legacy and the sci-fi influences – such as The Terminator – that it built its foundations on, instead creating its own excessive and varied feast of neon-drenched gunplay. It’s a ludicrously fun FPS and one of this year’s very best, coming in at sixth in the IGN vote.
Long-awaited and much-anticipated, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon crashed onto our screens in 2023, thrusting the once cult series into the spotlight. The sequel’s highlights are undeniably when the titular war machines face off against each other as they flit between heavyweight wrestles and elegant dances, challenging as much as they enthrall. FromSoftware’s return to mech-based combat may look like a battle of brawn at first glance, but what lies behind is a brain-testing puzzle box nature to each encounter that takes full advantage of the studio’s signature boss fight smarts.
Its hulking mechs are made up of complex systems that demand as much of your attention in preparing for a fight as they do piloting the gorgeously realised walking, leaping, and flying tanks. With each made up of many components, the challenge is in discovering the right combination of limbs, weapons, thrusters, and reactors that work well for you and get the job done in the most enjoyably destructive fashion. Regularly a spectacle to behold, Armored Core 6 is full-blown heavy metal action and, most importantly, a thoroughly gun-damn good time.
Remnant 2 is a difficult game to explain in the space of a paragraph or two. Taking inspiration from the soulslike genre, it hides challenging bosses inside of procedurally generated locations that you fight through using tight third-person gunplay. Oh, and there’s a dash of looter shooter systems thrown into the mix as well. Its combination of exciting disparate parts comes together to create one very singular whole.
This sequel refines much of what came before by making each of its many pistols, rifles, and other more exotic weaponry even more fun to wield. Each of its multiversal worlds is distinct and full of tough fights and puzzles hidden in their forests, castles, and sci-fi corridors. With new guns, armors, and items to be discovered around each corner, as well as varied and deep skill trees and abilities to play around with, Remnant 2 encourages you to find your own playstyle to great effect. It’s ambitious and varied in its approach, and succeeds in delivering one of the best action games of the year, tying it at fourth place with Armored Core 6 with 9.8% of the vote apiece.
Final Fantasy 16 put as much emphasis on the “action” in “action RPG” as possible. Coming in third with 12.2% of our vote, Clive’s destiny to save Valisthea from all threats within and beyond is laced with enthralling sword combat and a slick special ability system. These abilities are juggled in the heat of battle as you channel your summons’ powers in the palm of your hand and unleash them on foes, managing cooldowns to control the battlefield in a satisfying rhythm.
But it’s when Final Fantasy 16 takes things up a notch further that it reveals itself as a majestic action game. Mile-high tall monsters and particle effects as far as the eye can see dominate the screen in the huge Eikon battles that consistently prove the highlight. While it does grand spectacle on one hand, it does take away more traditional RPG charms with the other (this is perhaps Square’s most streamlined RPG by some margin), but there’s no denying that when in full flow, there’s nothing quite on the level of the blockbuster action that Final Fantasy 16 provided in 2023.
Action gameplay is often described as the “dance of combat”. Nowhere is that more applicable than in Hi-Fi Rush, which even goes so far as to provide the beat for you. Shadow-dropping out of nowhere all the way back in January, Tango Gameworks’ colourful rhythm-action surprise has remained one of the standouts hits of the year, securing 2nd place in our vote with 22%. Armed with an electric guitar that deals extra melee damage when swung to the beat, it’s a delight to find yourself in sync with, but also not punishing if you find yourself out of rhythm. The fights are varied, mixing things up regularly with different enemy robot types and memorable bosses, all delivered with undeniable style.
Naturally, Hi-Fi Rush is a joy to listen to, with recognisable tunes mixed in with original, tailored level music that provides the crucial drum beat for each encounter. But it’s also a visual delight, splashing bold colours on every surface of its city and presenting a heartfelt story full of genuine laughs. It stands out as one of the biggest surprises of the year, and one of 2023’s very best action games.
Our winner for Best Action Game of 2023 with a decisive 43.9% of the vote is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. 2019’s Fallen Order set the groundwork for a fantastic lightsaber-led adventure, and this year’s sequel improved on the formula in every conceivable way. The elegant, yet brutal combat returned, but enhanced with powerful new stances that offered effectiveness at all ranges. Protagonist Cal Kestis continued to grow as a character, with his layered story aided by a fantastic supporting cast on both sides of the force.
Respawn infused even more of their Titanfall DNA into Survivor, leading to enthralling fluidity and verticality in its memorable portal-filled canyon chase sequence and standout sky fortress mission. The level design on show is immaculate, providing blockbuster thrills along the main story path and reasons to backtrack to uncover secrets thanks to its borrowed metroidvania nature (even if sometimes those secrets were just a mullet in a box). The puzzles embedded into the journey were fantastic, too, consistently providing a fun challenge and avoiding ever becoming frustrating.
In short, Survivor lets you live out that Jedi fantasy as good as we’ve been able to yet in a Star Wars game. It packs an exciting story full of twists and turns, weaves it through masterfully constructed semi-open worlds, and never forgets to place its best-in-class lightsaber combat at the forefront. That’s why it’s our pick for Best Action Game of 2023.
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Runner-Up: Turbo Overkill
A high-speed throwback to bullet-barraging FPS games of old, Turbo Overkill hands you an explosive selection of guns and a chainsaw for a leg before telling you to unleash hell. Fun, frenetic, and flashy, it wastes no time setting you free in its colourful cyberpunk setting and inviting you to coat every surface in blood. Taking the boomer shooter blueprint of old and injecting it with new life via slick movement abilities and increasingly bizarre locations, it’s as close as you’ll get to demon-slaying this year for anyone looking for a Doom-like fix in 2023. But Turbo Overkill is more than just a homage to id Software’s legacy and the sci-fi influences – such as The Terminator – that it built its foundations on, instead creating its own excessive and varied feast of neon-drenched gunplay. It’s a ludicrously fun FPS and one of this year’s very best, coming in at sixth in the IGN vote.
Runner-Up: Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Long-awaited and much-anticipated, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon crashed onto our screens in 2023, thrusting the once cult series into the spotlight. The sequel’s highlights are undeniably when the titular war machines face off against each other as they flit between heavyweight wrestles and elegant dances, challenging as much as they enthrall. FromSoftware’s return to mech-based combat may look like a battle of brawn at first glance, but what lies behind is a brain-testing puzzle box nature to each encounter that takes full advantage of the studio’s signature boss fight smarts.
Its hulking mechs are made up of complex systems that demand as much of your attention in preparing for a fight as they do piloting the gorgeously realised walking, leaping, and flying tanks. With each made up of many components, the challenge is in discovering the right combination of limbs, weapons, thrusters, and reactors that work well for you and get the job done in the most enjoyably destructive fashion. Regularly a spectacle to behold, Armored Core 6 is full-blown heavy metal action and, most importantly, a thoroughly gun-damn good time.
Runner-Up: Remnant 2
Remnant 2 is a difficult game to explain in the space of a paragraph or two. Taking inspiration from the soulslike genre, it hides challenging bosses inside of procedurally generated locations that you fight through using tight third-person gunplay. Oh, and there’s a dash of looter shooter systems thrown into the mix as well. Its combination of exciting disparate parts comes together to create one very singular whole.
This sequel refines much of what came before by making each of its many pistols, rifles, and other more exotic weaponry even more fun to wield. Each of its multiversal worlds is distinct and full of tough fights and puzzles hidden in their forests, castles, and sci-fi corridors. With new guns, armors, and items to be discovered around each corner, as well as varied and deep skill trees and abilities to play around with, Remnant 2 encourages you to find your own playstyle to great effect. It’s ambitious and varied in its approach, and succeeds in delivering one of the best action games of the year, tying it at fourth place with Armored Core 6 with 9.8% of the vote apiece.
Runner-Up: Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16 put as much emphasis on the “action” in “action RPG” as possible. Coming in third with 12.2% of our vote, Clive’s destiny to save Valisthea from all threats within and beyond is laced with enthralling sword combat and a slick special ability system. These abilities are juggled in the heat of battle as you channel your summons’ powers in the palm of your hand and unleash them on foes, managing cooldowns to control the battlefield in a satisfying rhythm.
But it’s when Final Fantasy 16 takes things up a notch further that it reveals itself as a majestic action game. Mile-high tall monsters and particle effects as far as the eye can see dominate the screen in the huge Eikon battles that consistently prove the highlight. While it does grand spectacle on one hand, it does take away more traditional RPG charms with the other (this is perhaps Square’s most streamlined RPG by some margin), but there’s no denying that when in full flow, there’s nothing quite on the level of the blockbuster action that Final Fantasy 16 provided in 2023.
Runner-Up: Hi-Fi Rush
Action gameplay is often described as the “dance of combat”. Nowhere is that more applicable than in Hi-Fi Rush, which even goes so far as to provide the beat for you. Shadow-dropping out of nowhere all the way back in January, Tango Gameworks’ colourful rhythm-action surprise has remained one of the standouts hits of the year, securing 2nd place in our vote with 22%. Armed with an electric guitar that deals extra melee damage when swung to the beat, it’s a delight to find yourself in sync with, but also not punishing if you find yourself out of rhythm. The fights are varied, mixing things up regularly with different enemy robot types and memorable bosses, all delivered with undeniable style.
Naturally, Hi-Fi Rush is a joy to listen to, with recognisable tunes mixed in with original, tailored level music that provides the crucial drum beat for each encounter. But it’s also a visual delight, splashing bold colours on every surface of its city and presenting a heartfelt story full of genuine laughs. It stands out as one of the biggest surprises of the year, and one of 2023’s very best action games.
Winner: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Our winner for Best Action Game of 2023 with a decisive 43.9% of the vote is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. 2019’s Fallen Order set the groundwork for a fantastic lightsaber-led adventure, and this year’s sequel improved on the formula in every conceivable way. The elegant, yet brutal combat returned, but enhanced with powerful new stances that offered effectiveness at all ranges. Protagonist Cal Kestis continued to grow as a character, with his layered story aided by a fantastic supporting cast on both sides of the force.
Respawn infused even more of their Titanfall DNA into Survivor, leading to enthralling fluidity and verticality in its memorable portal-filled canyon chase sequence and standout sky fortress mission. The level design on show is immaculate, providing blockbuster thrills along the main story path and reasons to backtrack to uncover secrets thanks to its borrowed metroidvania nature (even if sometimes those secrets were just a mullet in a box). The puzzles embedded into the journey were fantastic, too, consistently providing a fun challenge and avoiding ever becoming frustrating.
In short, Survivor lets you live out that Jedi fantasy as good as we’ve been able to yet in a Star Wars game. It packs an exciting story full of twists and turns, weaves it through masterfully constructed semi-open worlds, and never forgets to place its best-in-class lightsaber combat at the forefront. That’s why it’s our pick for Best Action Game of 2023.
Honorable Mentions
- Ghostrunner 2
- System Shock
- Blasphemous 2
- Atomic Heart
- Exoprimal
- Immortals of Aveum
- Meet Your Maker
- Trepang2
- Bayonetta Origins: Ceraza and the Lost Demon
The 2023 IGN Awards
- Best Game of 2023 Nominees
- Best Movie of 2023 Nominees
- Best Open-World Game of 2023
- Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel of 2023
- Best Horror Movie of 2023
- Best Horror Game of 2023
- Best Soulslike of 2023
- Best Stunt of 2023
- Best Anime of 2023
- Best Action Game of 2023
- Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie of 2023
- Accessibility Innovation in Games in 2023
- More to come on Thursday!
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