Game of the Year 2023 – Best Multiplayer Game
Multiplayer gaming feels pretty much inescapable these days. Sure, we’ve left the days of “tacked on” multiplayer modes behind us, but now we have so many games that are all about online gaming, live service models, and a constant drip feed of things to lure you back in to play.
That can all be great, but 2023 stood out for games taking new or refined approaches for multiplayer. Whether it was focusing on making a hardcore genre more accessible, or making what is often a rather solitary affair eminently playable with friends, or just embracing goofy online fun, we had a great time heading online without falling back on those daily gaming mainstays.
Where fighting games often have a smaller scene when looking at the online and multiplayer side of things, Street Fighter 6 is a game that feels like it’s for everyone. Multiplayer is at fundamental for fighting games these days, and when you can end up facing off against the world, your is going to be a culmination of practice, hard work and dedication – I’ve put hundreds of hours into it since release and show no signs of slowing down. But there’s also a much friendlier, more communal side to this game.
Meeting up in pretend online arcades to give that classic vibe of challenging the person next to you. It’s so well done and really offers a fantastic hub to hang around with your mates, beat seven bells out of them and go home laughing afterwards about what a great time you had.
– Nick P
As special as it is as a single player game and experience, filled with companions and excellent writing to sink yourself into for hours on end, Baldur’s Gate 3 is also a fantastic example of how to make an RPG for co-op multiplayer.
Larian Studios clearly designed the game with this in mind,
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