2023 will likely go down in history as an incredible year for game releases across every platform. At the same time, as profits rise, we've also seen record numbers of layoffs from successful companies. As we celebrate the incredible work of developers from all corners of the industry, let us also remember to continue to push to make this industry we love so much better for the people who make our favorite games.

This year we have split our year-end awards into three categories: DLC, Re-Releases, and New Games. Often, we find that a game's status as a port or remaster of an older title lowers its standing in our final rankings, so by splitting the two we can simultaneously celebrate both old and new. In order for a game to be considered for the Ports and Classic Collections category, the original release of the game(s) had to be prior to 2023. Likewise, to be considered a new game, the initial release had to occur within 2023. The initial release did not have to be on Switch so long as both the original release and the Switch release both occurred in 2023.

Nominations were collected from NWR staff (five in each category) throughout the month of December. The staff then met shortly before Christmas to decide on the final list. The number of nominations a game received was taken into account but did not automatically determine a game's placement. Rather each individual game was argued for based on its own merits.