From Cyberpunk 2077 to Xenoblade 3: the most exciting DLC of 2023-Michael Beckwith-Entertainment – Metro

Cyberpunk 2077 – you didn’t think you were done with Cyberpunk 2077, did you? (pic: CD Projekt)

Some of 2022’s biggest and best games are getting more content throughout 2023, including Horizon Forbidden West and maybe even Elden Ring.

We’ve already covered our most anticipated video games of the coming year, from The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom to Street Fighter 6. However, 2023 doesn’t just have brand new titles to look forward to.

Several games from 2022 will see a new lease of life throughout the next 12 months through DLC, paid or otherwise.

So, we’ve run through as many games as possible to find the most intriguing pieces of new content coming to some of 2022’s best games.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 may not have launched last year, but 2022 was when the game finally broke free of its poor reputation, winning back disheartened fans and even attracting new ones thanks to its many updates and the tie-in Netflix show.

With all the worst bugs and glitches addressed, CD Projekt could finally focus on the game’s one and only paid expansion, Phantom Liberty. Details are slim but Keanu Reeves is back as Johnny Silverhand and now Idris Elba has joined the cast too.

The one downside is that the DLC is skipping the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but then those versions of the game were the key source of CD Projekt’s woes at launch. Hopefully, Phantom Liberty will be a top quality experience from the get-go and not require another 12 months of fixes.

The King Of Fighters 15

Although a second season of content for The King Of Fighters 15 had already been confirmed, SNK shared some more concrete details earlier this month, with the first new character, Shingo Yabuki, now available for purchase.

While there won’t be nearly as many compared to the first season, fans can look forward to an additional five characters up until the end of the year, with three of them – Kim Kaphwan, Sylvie Paula Paula, and Nadj – already revealed.

The roadmap also mentions cross-play support for later in the year, something which is now a must for any modern fighting game. Whether SNK intends to keep adding content in 2024 is another question entirely.

Horizon Forbidden West

After being widely anticipated for so long, Sony finally admitted to making DLC for Horizon Forbidden West at December’s The Game Awards. Like the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC, Sony had little to show beyond a cinematic trailer, but what it did show is enough to be excited about.

Titled Burning Shores, it will take Aloy to the ruins of Los Angeles, which is now home to a volcano and a giant tentacled robot that wasn’t a part of the main game.

The DLC promises to continue Forbidden West’s story and will introduce brand new characters, so we wouldn’t be surprised if this also serves as a prologue of sorts to the inevitable third game. You also don’t need to wait too long for it, as it’s scheduled for April 19.

Destiny 2

Again, not a 2022 game, but Destiny 2’s The Witch Queen expansion will be wrapping up very soon and segue into Lightfall, the penultimate chapter of the game’s Light And Darkness saga.

Lightfall launches on February 18 and has a lot going for it, introducing a new cyberpunk looking city you can freely roam about and the Strand subclass that lets you channel Spider-Man and web-swing wherever you want.

Aside from the expected new story, weapon, and cosmetic content, it will bring general improvements to the user experience, like an in-game loadout feature that players usually needed to rely on third party apps for.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 kicked off its own expansion pass last year, adding new cosmetics, a new party member, and the series’ traditional challenge mode. Although Nintendo hasn’t shared much, fans are waiting with bated breath to learn what the rest of the DLC entails.

We do know that the next update will add more challenge battles, character outfits, and another party member that seems to be brand new; it’s aiming to be out by the end of April.

After that, though, is the far more intriguing story DLC, which will be out by the end of the year. Considering how the main story wrapped up, fans continue to debate whether the DLC will act as an epilogue, a prequel, or something else entirely.

Splatoon 3

Admittedly, Splatoon 3’s own DLC expansion was never given a set date, but it seems reasonable to assume it’ll release in 2023. After all, Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion came out less than 12 months after the main game.

We didn’t find Splatoon 3’s main campaign especially engaging and with even the core multiplayer lacking any significantly new ideas, we’re hopeful the DLC will surprise us, without being just a re-tread of the Octo Expansion.

Nintendo has typically kept quiet about the expansion, though the teaser image may suggest that Splatoon 2’s Pearl and Marina will make an appearance with new designs.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope

Even with the Rabbids, the Mario + Rabbids sequel is one of the best strategy games we’ve ever seen. So, we’re hardly going to say no to more of it in 2023.

Sparks Of Hope’s season pass consists of three expansions, though none of them have exact release windows. The first sounds like a gauntlet mode as you ascend a tower made up of ‘highly strategic battles.

The second will take you to a whole new planet to explore, but the third is what most fans have their eyes on since it will star Rayman, who’s been notably absent ever since the Rabbids stole his spotlight.

Sonic Frontiers

The only thing more surprising than Sonic Frontiers being a legitimately good game is that Sega has a year’s worth of post-launch content scheduled for it. Even better is that it’s all free.

The game’s already received a couple extra costumes, but Sega’s roadmap promises new challenge modes, a photo mode, and even something planned for Sonic’s 32nd birthday.

There will be three major updates throughout 2023, with the third and final one being the most exciting for fans since it will add new playable characters – presumably Tails, Knuckles, and Amy.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Midnight Suns doesn’t seem to have performed that well, considering it went on sale barely a month after it launched. That’s a shame since it’s both a fantastic superhero and a great strategy game.

Firaxis announced a season pass last year, which will bring four new characters to the game. The first, Deadpool, is scheduled for this Thursday, January 26, and it looks like each character will come with Abbey upgrades and new story stuff as well.

Deadpool’s plot looks to involve hunting vampires and he’ll bring a food truck to the Abbey, as well as his trademark sense of humour. He’ll be followed by Venom, Storm, and Morbius.

Fire Emblem Engage

Fire Emblem Engage only just came out but, just like Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Nintendo already had an expansion pass ready to sell at launch. One which added two new emblem rings (i.e., classic characters from older games) and other items.

Three more waves of DLC will arrive throughout the coming months, but unfortunately there are no hard dates for when any of them will release. All we know is that they’ll be out by the end of the year.

What is confirmed is that each wave will add more of the same, with the fourth and final wave bringing new story content and character classes.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Another cheat pick here, but did anyone think Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would still be getting DLC in 2022? There may still be no sign of a new sequel but considering how much content is in the Booster Course Pass, it may as well be a whole new game.

2022 already saw the release of the first three waves of DLC, leaving the remaining three for 2023. When exactly they’ll launch isn’t known, but fans will be getting another 24 racetracks from previous games.

We’ve been impressed with every wave of content so far, with not a single bad track to be found, so hopefully this will continue with the future waves. Although none of the extra tracks have been confirmed, fans have some theories of their own thanks to datamining and the Mario Kart Tour mobile game.

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Elden Ring

Okay, we’re definitely cheating with this one, since no such Elden Ring DLC has been officially confirmed. However, we feel there’s a strong chance something will at least be announced this year.

Towards the end of 2022, Elden Ring did see a free update that added a colosseum for PvP gameplay, and datamines suggested that more additional content is on the way.

Then, at The Game Awards, director Hidetaka Miyazaki said there were ‘several more things we want to do’ for Elden Ring. Even if the game never sees a proper paid expansion, it seems like fans could see smaller, free updates like the colosseum later in the year.

Elden Ring – there’s more in store for Elden Ring, right? … Right? (pic: Bandai Namco)

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