Poll 2023: Game of the Year

2023 was a crazy year for gaming, with several triple-A titles released this year. Harry Potter author J.K. Despite the controversy surrounding Rowling's transphobic comments, an FM4 exit poll named Hogwarts Legacy Game of the Year.

Dozens of Twitch streamers have also refused to play Hogwarts Legacy for this reason. However, the game makers protested this and handled the issue very sensitively: JK Rowling did not receive a percentage of the profits from the game's success, and Hogwarts Legacy integrated a trans* person into the game. For many in the FM4 community, Hogwarts Legacy is probably a kind of nostalgia for their childhood days, and it's great to experience the school of magic and its surroundings in all their glory in a game.

Elsewhere the second installment of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – which surpassed the first on Switch with new mechanics and a larger open world. The third place is the most creative reinvention of Super Mario after Galaxy: Super Mario Bros. Wonder has to find a magic flower in each level, after which incredible things happen: like a drug, green tubes come to life and float in space. Or become part of a Mario game. Originally the wonder flower was thought to be a magical mushroom, but kid-friendly Nintendo quickly abandoned that idea. Otherwise: Elephant strength for victory!

But other great titles also made the FM4 exit poll's top 10: 23 years after Baldur's Gate 2, an old-school role-playing game based on the rules of Dungeons & Dragons, this year's successor was hailed by critics. And players: equally excited inside. And with the update to Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2077 has become the game developers wanted when it finally released. You can still hear FM4 Games expert Rainer Sickle talking about Alan Wake 2…

Here's an overview of the results of your vote for the best games of the year: