2023 is drawing to an in depth. The air is chilly, the fires are lit, and now we collect ’around the digital fireside to have a good time the video games we loved all year long. Let’s discuss the very best indies of 2023.

Since I’ve the glory of publishing first this yr, welcome to Destructoid’s end-of-year protection! All through this week, we’ll be revealing our nominees for our favorites in a wide range of classes. Then, beginning subsequent week, we’ll announce the winners, as chosen by our workers and contributors.

We do have a number of floor guidelines, to make clear some questions y’all may need. First off, every recreation can solely be nominated in a single class. Additionally, our window of eligibility runs from December to December, to account for time spent to get to know these video games. So video games from December 2023 will not be eligible, however December 2022 video games are.

So what’s up for finest indie this yr at Destructoid? Let’s check out the nominations.

It’s of little shock that Deadly Firm made our record. The co-op horror recreation concerning the terrors of area, and underappreciated scrap labor, has been making the rounds. It’s pretty current, however I really feel assured in saying this isn’t fairly a flash-in-the-pan in comparison with different dwell service video games. The mods alone present some vital longevity.

Keep in mind that December rule? It’s why Chained Echoes, a late-in-the-year 2022 entry, is right here now. And boy, does it earn a spot. Chained Echoes places a stunning spin on the RPG nostalgia journey, with recent mechanics, concepts, and a few actually memorable moments. It’s nonetheless one I can simply advocate to different RPG followers, with out hesitation.

Goodbye Volcano Excessive is a curious one. We didn’t get round to masking it right here, nevertheless it’s one which’s come up in conversations since. A narrative about dino-school angst within the face of the tip of every little thing. Even on pitch alone, it’s fairly fascinating.

An apparent choice for us was El Paso, Elsewhere, a Max Payne-alike about coping with your vampiric ex. It sounds prefer it’s obtained each motion and coronary heart, and actually appeared to make an impression on everybody that picked it up.

In a overview calling it each “indispensable and distinctive,” our personal Zoey Handley makes the case for Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengeance of the Slayer as an indie GOTY contender. Certainly, it looks like a frontrunner for the type of aggressive, visual-meltdown FPS that’s grow to be successful these previous few years.

Void Stranger is a recreation that I’m, frankly, too simply flustered to handle myself. The wealthy Sokoban-style puzzle recreation enamored me with its many hidden mysteries earlier this yr, and watching followers dig into it has been a pleasure. I could not see the underside flooring for myself, nevertheless it’s an exquisite recreation that I’m glad exists.

And lastly, World of Horror hit its closing launch this yr. In some methods, this felt like an overdue celebration. Whereas the Ito-inspired, interface-laden throwback horror journey has been round for ages, it’s a superb time to lastly acknowledge simply how effectively it captures a particular type of expertise. It’s for a really particular group of individuals, however for these individuals, it lands.

These are the nominees for this Destructoid’s Finest Indie of 2023.

• Deadly Firm
• Chained Echoes
• Goodbye Volcano Excessive
• El Paso, Elsewhere
• Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengeance of the Slayer
• Void Stranger
• World of Horror

Our closing outcomes will go dwell subsequent week, beginning on December 18 with the winner of Finest Indie. Keep tuned all through this week for the remainder of our nominees, as we construct as much as the General Sport of the Yr award on December 22!