A future after Zelda
After many adventures with Link in May, there will come a day in which we want to play something outside of Hyrule. These June 2023 games take us to street fighting events, a high-fantasy world, and a bandicoot looking for wumpa fruit. The summer month is also delivering an astounding number of promising indies. Here are the most anticipated June 2023 games to keep an eye on.
Crash Team Rumble (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Toys for Bob
Price: $29.99
Release Date: June 20
Trailer
The Bandicoot is back, but this time it’s not a single-player platformer. Instead, it’s a competitive party game that has you racking up wumpa fruit and attacking other players around the world. It’s quite the far cry from past games in the series, but you’ll still be jumping and spinning to win. Like a game of Rocket League, you’re both attacking and defending the goal. Playing as the heroes or the villains of the series, each character has their own unique ability to offer on the battlefield. As you try to master these abilities, you’re also trying to capture key areas of the map. Hopefully, this game will grab an audience, despite not being free-to-play.
Diablo IV (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Publisher: Blizzard
Developer: Blizzard
Price: $69.99
Release Date: June 6
Trailer
The action RPG juggernaut series Diablo is coming back on June 6. Diablo IV is bringing its exciting combat to consoles and PC with five different classes at your disposal. It has the Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, and Sorcerer. Diablo IV is also elevating its storytelling with close-up cutscenes, outstanding voice acting, and grand fantasy theming throughout. That’s good because the dull storyline was one of Diablo III‘s worst elements. While experiencing the narrative, you’ll also get rewarding loot, like weapons and armor, throughout your journey. Hopefully, Diablo IV launches better than its predecessor and will let players log in quickly out of the gate.
Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Price: $69.99
Release Date: June 22
Trailer
Another heavy hitter in the RPG space, Final Fantasy XVI, is heading to PS5 systems on June 22. This console exclusive sets players in a dark, yet beautiful fantasy world, seemingly inspired by Game of Thrones. Powerful monsters called Eikons are controlled by dominants (human owners), and the fate of the world is decided by their actions. You play as Clive Rosfield, who is protecting his brother, the dominant of the Phoenix. Through a series of unfortunate events, Clive swears revenge on Ifrit and goes on an epic adventure across Valisthea. For those who hate turn-based combat, you should be happy to know this is an action RPG through and through. The battle system is actually directed by Devil May Cry and Dragon’s Dogma veteran Ryota Suzuki. This is quite possibly the standout from the June 2023 games lineup.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code (Switch)
Publisher: Spike Chunsoft, Inc.
Developer: Spike Chunsoft, Co. Ltd.
Price: $59.99
Release Date: June 30
Trailer
Miss the crime-solving adventures of Phoenix Wright and L.A. Noire, but want a big anime twist? Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is stepping into those shoes on the Nintendo Switch. From the developer behind Dangonronpa, players will be looking for clues as they attempt to figure out the truth behind unsolved cases. Part of the detective process is going through the Mystery Labyrinth, spotting inconsistencies, and taking part in action scenes. The art style is as imaginative as you’d expect from those who have experience from the Dangonronpa series as you explore the town and speak to witnesses on the case.
Street Fighter 6 (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Price: $59.99
Release Date: June 2
Trailer
The beloved Street Fighter series is taking its next step with a sixth entry. Featuring full crossplay and rollback netcode, Street Fighter 6 has exciting fighting gameplay to offer up fans on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The graphics look outstanding, with plenty of battle effects and gorgeous scenery to gaze at. For example, a new character named Kimberly uses spray bottles, and the colorful visuals really pop on-screen. Street Fighter 6 will also feature a new single-player mode called World Tour that features a character creator and open environments to explore and train your skills with the very best. The gameplay seems to be advanced as well, with the addition of the drive system and perfect specials. If you can’t wait until June 2 to play the game, there’s a free demo you can check out.
Honorable Mentions
The June 2023 games lineup has a whole bunch of hidden gems on the horizon. Almost every day, there seems to be a new promising game with a summer release date. The honorable mentions include:
- Super Mega Baseball 4 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – June 2
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – June 5
- Harmony: The Fall of Reverie (PC, Switch) – June 8 / (PS5/Xbox Series X/S) – June 22
- Mask of the Rose (PC, Switch) – June 8
- Pokemon Trading Card Game Live (Android, iOS, PC) – June 8
- Front Mission 2 Remake (Switch) – June 12
- Dordogne (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – June 13
- F1 23 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC) – June 16
- Park Beyond (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – June 16
- Aliens: Dark Descent (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – June 20
- Silicon City (PC) – June 22
- Sonic Origins Plus (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – June 23
- Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – June 27
- Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – June 30
