The 21 Most Popular Video Games of 2023 – Best Video Games to Play Now

If you’re connected at all to the gaming world — either through your kids or as a gaming fan yourself — you probably already know about some of the most popular trends in video games right now. But if not, the American market research company the NPD recently released its list of the best-selling video games leading into the 2021 holiday season. The company looks at digital and retail sales to determine what games people are buying.

While some longtime family favorites are still popular, violent video games like online multiplayer shooters are also dominant, which could be concerning for parents. That’s why each video game comes with an age and content rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board, making it crucial for parents to educate themselves about these ratings, so they can decide which video games are appropriate for their child. “Video games get a lot of scrutiny, but parents should also keep in mind the other places their kids might be exposed to violence like movies, TV and the Internet. At the end of the day, parents have to make a call when it comes to their kids and violent video games,” says Umang Jain, co-founder of the ed tech gaming company .

We’ve looked a NPD’s list, as well as a list of the best-selling games of all time from IGN, a popular video game site, to determine the best video games on the market right now. We’ve included their ratings so you can make an informed purchase if you decide to gift one of these to the gamer in your life.