Best live service games of 2023

There have been a lot of excellent new games in 2023 from Baldur’s Gate to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but there’s also been great support for older titles. If you’re looking for something continuous to sink your time into, check out our top 5 best live service games of the year.

Live-service games are an increasingly important sector of the gaming landscape. It only takes a quick trip to Twitch’s most viewed categories to see how strong and established these games have become. 

So much so, it can be easy to take them for granted. They are ever-present in the minds of the gaming community, but they’re also evolving and growing. How a game was two years ago might be wildly different from its current state. That’s why it’s important to recognize the excellent work done.

Some have maintained a consistent release schedule, others have revitalized old content in exciting ways, and we’ve even seen strong comebacks. That’s where this list comes in.

A lot of Dexerto’s gaming team spends every day thinking about these games and their evolving nature, as well as community discussions around them. If you’re looking for a quick rundown of which have been excelling in the model, here are our favorite live-service games we’ve covered throughout the year. 

5. Valorant

Riot Games

Valorant remains the biggest beneficiary of Riot’s unmatched understanding of the live service models. With the established practices of League to build on, Valorant was able to hit the ground running and has only gotten better in 2023.

The three agents that were released this year are some of the most well-received in the game’s history, and Riot has put effort into expanding more casual modes with the addition of Team Deathmatch which is receiving its own custom maps. The regularly updated map pool, introduced in Episode 5, has also gone a long way to prevent metas from becoming too stale. The high price of skins remains a controversial sticking point among the community, though.

Author: Theo Burman

4. Apex Legends

Electronic Arts

Apex Legends has had a solid year. It’s been workmanly adding meaningful content throughout 2023, with three new characters entering the arena. Catalyst, Ballistic, and Conduit were all added to the fray this year, alongside the Nemesis, and reworks to the Charge Rifle and Revenant.

It wasn’t the flashiest year ever for the battle royale, and while new innovations to mix up the formula would be welcome, consistency is an ever-important aspect of a live service game. Each season has brought new events, tweaks, and ways to play the game, making it reliable enjoyment for players throughout 2023.

Author: Patrick Dane

3. Pokemon Go

Niantic

As Pokemon Go looks ahead to its eighth year in 2024 (or around its 40th in Growlithe years), it’s hard to think of a timespan with more changes than 2023. While some were iterative, like adding new Paldea Pokemon such as Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and that gross duck… others changed how we play for the better, like Routes and Party Play.

While Monster Hunter Now is the new kid on the block, Pokemon Go used events like Pokemon Go Fest 2023, Primal Rumblings, Go Tour Hoenn, and the more recent Team Rocket Takeover to balance consistently rewarding gameplay with fresh surprises.

Author: Nathan Ellingsworth

2. Fortnite

Epic Games

This was one of the most inventive years in Fortnite‘s history. Utilizing Unreal Engine 5.1, the battle royale now has some of the most striking graphics in the competitive multiplayer space.

Epic Games also delivered on eagerly anticipated new seasons thanks to the game’s steady supply of upgrades and innovative weapon additions. However, it broke all records in November 2023 with Season OG, allowing players to revisit the game’s inaugural Chapter 1 island and relive their first memories of playing Fortnite.

As we head into 2024, Fortnite is pushing the boundaries even further by launching three new game modes, further solidifying that Fortnite’s future is bright.

Author: Rishabh Sabarwal

1. Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 hasn’t always had an easy existence since its release at the end of last year. Even in 2023, there were downers such as the news of the downsizing of PvE and the closure of the Overwatch League.

None of that takes away from the stellar year Overwatch 2 has had as a live service though. It delivered Ramattra, Illari, Lifeweaver, and Mauga within the last 12 months (Ramattra literally to the day of publication). This puts the game in the cadence it had during the golden years of 2017 and 2018.

In terms of maps, we got Antarctic Penisula, New Junk City, Suravasa, and Samoa. That’s the most competitive maps ever added to Overwatch in a year since its release in 2016. Taking into account seasonal content, successful event modes like Prop Hunt, and the story missions – which while not what were promised, were excellent supportive content to the overall game – it’s easy to see how rich this year of Overwatch 2 has been.

People talk about the glory days of Overwatch as if they are resigned to the past, but the game is getting more content than ever. There’s also been balance patches twice a season, and director blog posts every couple of weeks discussing the state of the game, pushing this year past even what players had during the best of Overwatch 1. When you start looking at all of this together – that’s why Overwatch 2 is Dexerto’s top live service of 2023. In a year when many ongoing games misstepped, Overwatch 2 has been quietly, yet impressively building its comeback. 

Author: Patrick Dane