The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Humanity, and Star Trek: Resurgence are some of May 2023’s best video games.
When the video game industry looks back at May 2023, this month will most likely be remembered for just two things: the failure of Redfall and the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Redfall will serve as a cautionary tale about the industry embracing its worst impulses, while Tears of the Kingdom will likely be considered one of the best games ever made and serve as a North Star for video game design for the next several years, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before it. Still, this month was about a lot more than that.
With this roundup, we hope to paint a broader picture of all the great games that were released over the course of May 2023; no single game can paint the picture of the entire industry. From Tears of the Kingdom to some of PlayStation VR2’s best releases to beautiful indies to a game Nintendo temporarily blocked from release over a TikTok joke, these are the best games of May 2023.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
To get the obvious out of the way: yeah, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a really good game. We already considered Breath of the Wild to be one of the best games ever made, but Tears of the Kingdom‘s evolution of that game’s open world and mechanics make Breath of the Wild feel like a beta. Not only do players have two new open worlds to explore with the Sky Islands and underground Depths, but systems like Fuse and Ultrahand ask players to embrace their creativity to solve puzzles and traverse around the open world.
“So long as you’re willing to meticulously survey Hyrule like an archaeologist digging for fossils, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an engrossing sequel full of mysteries to solve and experiments to conduct,” Giovanni Colantonio wrote in his four-and-a-half star review of the game. “It’s a digital laboratory that I imagine will still be producing unbelievable discoveries 10 years from now.”
Details big and small impress across Tears of the Kingdom, and at times it feels like this is the closest we’ll get to the ultimate video game experience. Its complex controls do take a bit of getting used to, but those who get the hang of it will be able to enjoy one of the most impressive games ever made. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for Nintendo Switch, and this is the last time I’m going to mention it in this article. On to some other fantastic games!Humanity
In a year that’s proving to be relatively light in terms of compelling PlayStation console exclusives, Humanity stands out as both a fantastic puzzle game and a solid PSVR2 title. Players control a little Shiba Inu dog as it directs massive hordes of humans to end portals across intricately crafted levels. It’s a Tetris Effect-like sensory experience that’s part Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and part Lemmings. Those feelings are all only heightened if you decide to try the game in VR, which we highly recommend if you’re desperate to play something new on your PSVR2 headset.
“Whether you enjoy complex puzzle games or just want a good excuse to use your PSVR2, Humanity is one of 2023’s few ‘can’t miss’ games,” Colantonio wrote in an article about how Humanity is the best PS5 game he’s played. “What starts as a straightforward game about directing rows of marching people quickly turns into an insightful, challenging, and at times dark meditation on humanity’s ability to evolve and organize.
