It’s a new year, and the new January 2023 video games are set to release this month. What’s interesting is that quite a few of the selection will pull on your nostalgia, such as the much anticipated Dead Space Remake and not to mention the two Shin Megami Tensei Persona ports that are finally coming to the Xbox and Switch. There are still fresh faces though for anyone looking to try something new.
Here are all the big games releasing this January 2023:
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot – (January 13)
- Releasing on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
The “Bardock – Alone Against Fate” DLC will be coming out alongside the release of Dragon Ball Z Kakarot for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. This DLC will be the first of the three downloadable content for the Season Pass 2 that is being planned for Dragon Ball Z Kakarot.
One Piece Odyssey – (January 13)
- Releasing on: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
After a large storm hits, the Straw Hat Pirates find themselves shipwrecked in a strange island. One Piece Odyssey takes Luffy and the crew to explore previous arcs of the anime by sending the ragtag misfits to a world created by their memories. With new takes on iconic moments from the show, can Luffy and his friends change the tragedies of the past in this new turn-based JRPG from Bandai Namco?
Developed by ILCA, the ones responsible for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and also had a hand in developing Dragon Quest XI and Code Vein, One Piece Odyssey takes a new spin that’s different from the previous One Piece games by making itself turned based. Bandai Namco ensured to advertise the “Dramatic Scene System” that occasionally develops new scenarios to keep combat fresh such as saving Usopp from trouble or letting Luffy get the last hit in.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable – (January 19)
- Releasing on: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch
Following the release of Persona 5 Royal on other platforms, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable finally takes steps away from its PlayStation exclusivity after so many years. This isn’t the first updated version from Atlus of Persona 3, that being Persona 3 FES, but Persona 3 Portable does offer the unique feature of allowing you to play as a female protagonist which also changes the bonds you can develop with the cast. Another interesting add-on is they finally let you manually control your party members in this version instead of an AI doing the job.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable is a mix between turn-based JRPG combat and a dating simulator. Take part in activities as an ordinary high school student by day and delve into the dark abyss of Tartarus to fight monstrous Shadows at night.
Persona 4 Golden – (January 19)
- Releasing on: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Persona 4 Golden has been released on PC before so this isn’t the first time outside its PlayStation exclusivity. Before that, it was made solely for the PS VITA which has long been considered to be a commercial failure. Now that it’s taking a step to other consoles, we’ll finally have the chance to play Persona 4 Golden on our platform of choice. Like FES, Portable, and Royal, Golden is the updated version of the original Persona 4 featuring several add-ons and new social links.
A string of bizarre murders are happening in a quiet town in Japan. A group of high school students awaken the power to solve this mystery that is forever out of the reach of regular law enforcement. Wielding powerful Personas, the unlikely team of detectives must save the town’s citizens from a supernatural killer.
Colossal Cave – (January 19)
- Releasing on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch
The video game re-imagining of the text adventure from Will Crowther and Don Woods and then envisioned by Roberta Williams has players exploring a mysterious cave filled with dangerous secrets and treasure. Colossal Cave is straight from the minds that created Phantasmagoria and King’s Quest. This point and click adventure game has plenty of replayability and new things to discover with each playthrough.
Fire Emblem Engage – (January 19)
- Releasing on: Nintendo Switch
Finally returning to the traditional turn based strategy combat, Fire Emblem Engage is the latest Fire Emblem that isn’t Dynasty Warriors inspired. Fire Emblem Engage features quite a visual upgrade when compared to Three Houses featuring more colorful settings and lively animations. One of the main appeal’s of Fire Emblem Engage is the ability to summon heroes from the past Fire Emblem installments to help your party fight.
Fire Emblem Engage takes place in the continent of Elyos, where four kingdoms once raged war against the Fell Dragon and sealed the great evil tanks to drawing power from heroes residing in different worlds. Now a millennia has passed since then and the seal is weakening just in time for the Divine Dragon to awaken from their slumber to gather allies and the Emblem Rings to defeat the Fell Dragon once more.
Monster Hunter Rise – (January 20)
- Releasing on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
What started as a Nintendo Switch exclusive before later being ported to PC, Monster Hunter Rise is now coming to Xbox and PlayStation consoles. This latest entry from Capcom’s beloved Monster Hunter franchise takes a more traditional Japanese inspired setting while introducing new features like the Palamut companion and the Wirebug which offers you more movement around both environment and combat. While nothing of additional value has been introduced, the PlayStation and Xbox consoles do feature better performances when compared to their Switch counterpart.
Forspoken – (January 24)
- Releasing on: PS5, PC
A game published by Square Enix is sure to have some style and Forspoken doesn’t disappoint giving us an open world brimming with beautiful and gorgeous visuals. This is being developed by Luminous Productions which was responsible for Final Fantasy XV. However despite its great graphics and fluid movements, it seems fans weren’t at all receptive by the trailers shown prior to its release but it’s too early to write the game as a flop.
Hitman World of Assassination – (January 26)
- Releasing on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch
While it’s not a new game, IO Interactive is planning on combining the entire Hitman trilogy into one game. Hitman World of Assassination will feature all levels from the three Hitman games all rolled into one package. This will completely replace Hitman 3 and allow you access to the previous Hitman games from IO Interactive via the Access Pass system.
If you own Hitman 3, you’ll get a free upgrade to Hitman World of Assassination. All three Hitman titles will be compiled into one which saves you the trouble of figuring out which edition to buy.
Dead Space – (January 27)
- Releasing on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Probably the biggest of the January 2023 video game releases, the Dead Space remake is a revival of a once beloved franchise that was left in stasis for a long time. The critically acclaimed survival horror is finally being brought back with a more modern look. To be clear this Dead Space remake is very much faithful to the original with a few important changes.
The Dead Space remake will finally let Isaac Clarke have a speaking voice where he was previously a mute. Players will also be able to explore the Ishimura from start to finish without any loading screen thanks to some changes in level design.
Raiden IV x MIKADO remix – (January 31)
- Releasing on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Raiden IV x MIKADO remix is a retro classic bullet hell that brings back the original game with some modern features. Play in a variety of gameplay modes such as Arcade, Overkill, Score Attack, and etc. There’s even a Double Play mode where you’ll be able to control two ships at once in split screen. Raiden IV x MIKADO remix offers players plenty of nostalgia while bringing the classic bullet hell shooter to the modern day.
Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition – (January 31)
- Releasing on: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
The Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is coming to the Xbox consoles which includes all 42 civilizations, 83 maps, 10 multiplayer game modes, 7 co-op campaigns, and 34 single-player campaigns. It also has a new AI that helps with managing in-game resources for better strategy efficiency. Players can opt to use keyboard & mouse to play Age of Empires 2: Definite Edition on their Xbox consoles, turn on cross-play, or play the game through Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Season: A Letter to the Future – (January 31)
- Releasing on: PS4, PS5, PC
Focusing on meeting interesting new people and exploration, Season: A Letter to the Future is a relaxing game from Scavengers Studio about a woman going on a bicycle adventure to discover more about the world around her. This game centers a lot on an atmosphere of discovery.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake – (January 31)
- Releasing on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
When you give a titular sponge and his starfish best friend wish-granting mermaid tears, things are bound to go wrong. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a 3D platformer that brings back the iconic cast of the show including their original voice actors as the titular hero tries to bring back Bikini Bottom to the way it was by exploring portals to strange Wishworlds to save his friends.
Those are the new January 2023 video games coming this month. If you like this article here are more listicles from us:
- January 2023 Video Game Release Dates
- Top 12 January 2023 Game Releases – Dead Space Remake, Forspoken, and More
- Top 12 Most Disappointing Games of 2022
Check out this Youtube video from Force Gaming showing 11 January 2023 video games to play.
