Best Single Player Games 2023

From action-packed first-person shooters to strategic RPGs and everything in between, now is the best time to take a break from multiplayer games and go solo.

So if you’re on the hunt for new single player games for PC and console, then you’ve come to the right place.

In this list, we’ll highlight the best single player games for 2023, including the best single player games on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

We’ll be updating this list in the future with new titles, so make sure to check back and let us know if we missed any of your favorite single player experiences!

Related:Best Story-Driven Games 2023Best Offline Games For PC 2023Best Xbox Game Pass Games 2023

Currently in Steam Early Access, Turbo Overkill is a single-player shooter that draws influence from retro FPS games like DOOM, Duke Nukem, and Quake.

Complete with neon-soaked cyberpunk visuals, it sees you playing as a half-metal, half-human bounty hunter named Johnny Turbo.

Johnny is equipped with augmented body parts including hidden arm rockets and a chainsaw in his lower leg that come in hand during combat.

At the moment, the game includes 24 levels packed with secrets, bonus areas, and combat puzzles, with more content planned for the future.

If you’re looking for another single-player open-world game filled with explorable environments, collectibles, and enemies, check out Ghostwire: Tokyo.

The story centers on the seemingly lone survivor of a mysterious event that causes 99% of Tokyo’s population to disappear off the face of the Earth.

This same event grants your character supernatural powers that allow him to fight back against the otherworldly creatures that take over the city.

It features one of the best renditions of modern-day Tokyo complete with tons of small, tiny details that add to the overall atmosphere and intrigue.

Anyone whose played Young Horses’ hit adventure game will know there’s more to Bugsnax’s yummy-looking animals than meets the eye.

What exactly? Well, we’ll let you find out for yourself since the game’s mystery is a large part of what makes Bugsnax so exciting to play.

In it, you play as a journalist tasked with looking into the mysterious Snaktooth Island to sleuth out why its inhabitants have gone missing.

Along the way, you’ll encounter cute food-like creatures that can be baited into traps, fed delicious condiments, and tricked into revealing new secrets about the world.

Considering Kirby is one of Nintendo’s oldest franchises, its nice to see them shake things up by incorporating 3D platforming in his latest outing.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land sees the powerful pink puffball transported to a mysterious new world where he’ll have to rescue Waddle Dees from the Beast Pack.

Aiding him in his quest is a set of new copy abilities that allow Kirby to steal his enemies’ powers and make them his own.

In addition, Kirby is granted a new Mouthful Mode that lets him absorb and possess giant objects ranging from cars to vending machines and more.

Following the release of 2021’s Diamond and Pearl remakes for Switch, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a single-player RPG set within the Pokemon universe.

In it, players are transported to a bygone era of the Sinnoh region’s history based on 19th century Japan, back when it was known as the Hisui region.

The story sees you embarking on an ambitious undertaking to create the very first Pokedex and eventually encountering the mythical Pokemon Arceus.

While gameplay sticks fairly close to the series’ core formula, Legends: Arceus introduces new regional Pokemon variants, dynamic environments, and opportunities to explore.

Inspired by games like The Legend of Zelda, Tunic is an isometric action puzzle game with hyper-difficult bossfights and mysterious game mechanics.

Players assume control of an adorable fox hero as he explores a vibrant world collecting pages to reveal the world map and in-game manual.

Combat is tough and challenging, requiring you to combine melee and magic attacks with precise dodges.

It’s charmingly old school in this respect and is best recommended for anyone who enjoys Zelda-like dungeon crawlers.

While it may support online co-op and PvP, Elden Ring can be tackled as a solo endeavor for those brave enough to enter the Lands Between.

Doing so requires quick reflexes and mastery over the game’s complex systems and technically robust combat mechanics.

Manage that, and you’ll be rewarded with an exciting single-player RPG complete with an atmospheric open-world teeming with tough enemies and powerful gear.

If you’re looking to elevate the experience even further, we recommend picking up the best Elden Ring PC mods.

Dying Light 2 provides a special mix of parkour action, intense zombie battles, and RPG advancement that will engage players for many hours.

In it, you play as a free-running survivor tasked with navigating a vast open-world filled with tons of hungry zombies.

Similar to the original, Dying Light 2 does a great job at creating tension throughout its story and gameplay by sending you to dangerous locations.

This is especially true at night when zombies become more aggressive and you have the opportunity to earn double the XP and resources.

Horizon Forbidden West is Guerrilla Games’ follow-up to the hit single-player open-world RPG and improves upon the original in just about every area.

This includes expanding upon the mysterious setting of its predecessor while introducing a host of gameplay refinements.

In it, players reprise their role as Aloy, a brave warrior on a mission to explore a new region teeming with mechanical threats and hostile tribes.

The biggest improvements are an expanded arsenal of weapons and armor for Aloy to bring into battle along with streamlined gear management for keeping track of everything.

For another PlayStation-exclusive experience, we suggest picking up Suckerpunch’s critically acclaimed single-player open-world game Ghost of Tsushima.

Taking place on Tsushima Island during 13^th century Japan, it casts you as a Samurai who’s called to battle after his home is invaded by the Mongol Empire.

Forced to toe the line between sacred Samurai traditions and devious new ‘Ghost’ tactics, you’ll find yourself switching back and forth between stealth and aggression.

As a result, each challenge can be tackled in different ways while ultimately favoring a more thoughtful and methodical approach.

Next up, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a third-person shooter that combines great storytelling with thrilling squad-based combat centered on a ragtag team of misfit superheroes.

In it, players assume control over Star-Lord as he leads his oddball crew across the cosmos stirring up trouble, battling foes, and making decisions that will shape the fate of the galaxy.

Throughout the story, players form unique bonds with each guardian while enhancing their skills using RPG progression and powerful “tag-team beatdown” attacks.

Following its release, GOTG has won several awards for Game of the Year and is regarded by many as one of the best games of 2021.

Death’s Door is one of the best indie dungeon crawlers to come out of 2021 and is often praised for its unique blend of Souls-like combat and Zelda-inspired puzzles.

In it, you play as a humble crow working for an authoritative afterlife company that goes after incompliant souls by any means necessary.

The game is presented in a third-person, isometric perspective that offers a clear view of the battlefield and sprawling dungeon environments at all times.

Gameplay focuses on hack and slash combat, with the Crow able to chain together different abilities and equip various weapons.

Following the interactive madhouse that was RE7, Resident Evil Village takes the first-person survival horror franchise to new heights with even bigger set pieces and bossfights.

This time around, players are transported to a mysterious eastern European setting where they’ll have to guide an unlikely hero through an onslaught of battles.

In addition to zombies, you can expect to face off against werewolves, vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural monstrosities.

The game does a great job of creating tension that ramps up quickly as you explore abandoned cabins, creepy caverns, and the eerie halls of Castle Dimitrescu.

As far as grand strategy games are concerned, Crusaders Kings is right up there with Total War, Imperator: Rome, and Stellaris.

The series sees you guiding a dynasty throughout The Middle Ages, protecting and providing for your people while expanding your empire.

You can be a righteous god-fearing king who unites all the religious powers or branch off and do your own thing.

This is all while dealing with peasant rebellions, pilgrimages to unconquered lands, Viking invasions, and the typical drama that comes with royalty.

Adapting Dune into a strategy game seems fitting considering how focused the franchise is on warring factions, resource management, and diplomacy.

If you’re someone who agrees, then you might want to check out Dune: Spice Wars, currently available in Steam Early Access.

Billed as a tactical strategy RPG with 4X elements, the game comes courtesy of Shiro Games, the same studio behind Northgard.

In it, players control factions such as Atreides and Harkonnen and they stake their claim over spice, land, and other precious commodities.

The latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise sees you exploring 9th century Britain from the perspective of Eivor, a Viking raider in search of a new home for his/her people. 

Eivor’s quest eventually leads them to become entangled in the Templars and Brotherhood’s ongoing battle.

Although Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is mainly structured around completing story missions and sidequests throughout the open world, you can always run off and do some unscripted exploring.

The game also revisits and expands upon previous AC games’ settlement systems by letting you construct buildings and fund settlement projects using stolen resources from enemy camps.

Spiritfarer is a cozy indie management sim with 2D platforming elements and a semi-open-world.

In it, you play as a young woman tasked with helping departed souls transition into the afterlife by cooking them meals and fulfilling requests until they’re ready to move on.

Despite the game’s grim premise, it manages to cover a wide range of emotions throughout the many anthropomorphic animals that join your crew.

Passengers come from all walks of life and have unique strengths and weaknesses that tie in nicely to their role aboard your ship.

Hitman 3 wraps up IO Interactive’s World of Assassination trilogy while doubling (technically tripling) down on the franchise’s immersive sim sandbox design.

Once more, players reprise their role as the eponymous hitman Agent 47 as he sets off on a globe-trotting mission to dismantle the criminal organization known as Providence.

Before he can ride off into the sunset, 47 will have to track down and eliminate a fresh batch of targets throughout sandbox levels littered with alternate routes, disguises, and weapons.

Much like its predecessors, Hitman 3 lends itself to replayability, allowing you to retry every contract using new tactics to get the job done.

When it comes to crafting immersive single-player RPGs packed with interesting and memorable characters, Obsidian remains unmatched.

Such is the case with their black comedy sci-fi romp The Outer Worlds, which casts you as a blank slate character tasked with deciding the fate of the Halcyon Space Colony.

Your journey sees you trekking across a solar system comprised of eight planets with unique settings, alien creatures, and challenges that can be tackled in a variety of ways.

During your adventures, you’ll get to meet, battle, and befriend diverse companions with unique storylines, skills, and personalities.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a single-player action-adventure game rooted in sci-fi fantasy that follows a linear structure in terms of its narrative.

Similar to other Star Wars licensed titles, the game covers a wide range of planets with distinct ecosystems, colorful environments, and larger-than-life foes.

Its gameplay is reminiscent of 3D action-platformers where players are rewarded for being curious and exploring hidden paths with secret chests and collectibles.

Combine this with an engaging story focusing on the Great Jedi Purge and a setting that leverages the franchise’s history, and you have the makings of a great Soulslike set in a galaxy far, far away.

Many consider Rockstar to be the best developer for single-player open-world games, with Red Dead Redemption 2 among the studio’s best efforts to date.

Set during the tail end of the Old Wild West, it features a massive open-world teeming with lush vistas, intriguing mysteries, and fun side activities to explore.

This is complemented by a well-crafted video game narrative centering on an aging cowboy forced to confront his own mortality while navigating a criminal enterprise.

When you’re not in knee-deep trouble with the law, you’re free to carve out your own adventures and go horseback riding, animal hunting, drinking, and more.

One of the best story-driven RPGs of 2019, Disco Elysium casts you as a detective with amnesia as he investigates a murder.

Hunting down clues and leads brings with it plenty of dialogue interactions and opportunities to prod around NPCs’ personal beliefs while confronting your own.

This is where the game’s RPG mechanics come into play, allowing you to acquire an array of unique skills suited for different playstyles.

While the base game is already great, we’re recommending The Final Cut edition for its new voice-acted performances and expanded questlines.

With Persona 5, Atlus decided to revamp Persona 3 and Persona 4’s art style with new cel-shaded graphics and a highly-stylized UI.

This desire for change bled over to gameplay, with Persona 5 expanding upon the series’ Social Link and time-management systems to create a more player-driven experience.

In it, players follow a transfer student attending high school in Japan that decides to team up with friends to become the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and end the tyranny of corrupt adults.

The game has been a massive success both critically and commercially, exposing a new generation of fans to the single-player JRPG series for the first time.

Released for the PS4 in 2018, God of War is a soft reboot of the Sony-owned franchise that attempts to separate itself from its more ultraviolent predecessors.

Going for a slightly more mature tone, the game centers on an aging Kratos as he’s thrust into fatherhood.

He is joined by his son Atreus, a skilled archer whose supportive talents complement Krato’s brutal and bloody approach to combat.

Together, the pair must learn to put their differences aside in order to complete their journey and stand toe-to-toe with Norse mythology’s pantheon of gods.

Return of the Obra Dinn is an old-school-inspired detective puzzle game with a bold, 1-bit monochromatic art style that tells a captivating story.

In it, you take on the role of an insurance adjusted tasked with determining how the crew of a mysterious ship met their demise.

To aid you in your quest, you’re given ‘Memento Mortem,’ a magical pocket-watch that allows you to replay the final moments before a character’s death to pick out clues and gather evidence.

The game functions as a sort of giant puzzle piece that encourages you to experiment, make guesses, and use context clues to figure out what transpired on the Obra Dinn.