Another year has come and gone, and once again Australian and New Zealand developers showcased just how talented its development teams are with some truly cracking games. Best of all though, there are many more to come, with a whole heap aiming to launch in 2023 (and beyond). But while the reputation of studios from the Oceanic siblings continues to grow, it can be hard to track down all the games hand-made by our fellow countrymen. So, as we do every year, we do our best to catalogue every single Australian and New Zealand-made video game in any given year, so you can find all the games made in Australia and New Zealand in one location.
Below you will find a list of all games that are releasing in 2023. This list isn’t exclusive to new releases either, so if you’re bringing your already-released game to a new platform – it counts. Furthermore, your game doesn’t have to be released on major storefronts such as Steam – it can be a game that is available on itch.co or any other platform. Like last year it will be updated over the year as more games get release dates, however if we’ve missed your game (we apologise) or you want to reach out about adding your game to this list please email admin@well-played.com.au. So grab some fairy bread and a can of L&P, and check out some of the Australian and New Zealand-made games releasing in 2023.
If you released a game last year that isn’t included in our games that Australian and New Zealand-based studios released in 2022 article hit me up by emailing admin@well-played.com.au and I’ll make sure it’s added.
January
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree (PS4/Switch/PC/Mac) – January 28
Wildboy Studios (Wellington, New Zealand)
February
Lucie’s Potager (Switch/PC) – February 16
Stella Advent Pty Ltd (Adelaide, South Australia)
A Symmetric Escape (PC – Steam/itch) – February 17
SporkTank (Melbourne, Victoria)
Joon Shining (PC) – February 17
Orchid of Redemption (Adelaide, South Australia)
Rooftop Renegade (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC) – February 17
Melonhead Games (Adelaide, South Australia)
The Last Werewolf (PC – Early Access) – February 23
Unnatural Freaks Studio (Perth, Western Australia)
Partum Artifex (PC) – February 27
DalaKoala Games (Adelaide, South Australia)
March
OscarWildeCard (PC) – March 3
Up Multimedia (Melbourne, Victoria)
Final Profit (PC) – March 7
Brent Arnold (Melbourne, Victoria)
Project: Nightlight (PC VR) – March 11
Fringe Realities (Adelaide, South Australia)
Gubbins (iOS) – March 17 (Australia & New Zealand)
Studio Folly (Melbourne, Victoria)
Can of Wormholes (PC/Mac) – March 24
munted finger (Western Australia)
Innchanted (PC) – March 28
DragonBear Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Dredge (PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Switch/PC) – March 30
Black Salt Games (Christchurch, New Zealand)
April
Undeadly (PC) – April 7
Irreflex Studios (New Zealand)
May
Dumb Ways to Die 4 (iOS/Android) – May 2
PlaySide (Melbourne, Victoria)
AFL 23 (PS5/PS4/PC) – May 4
Big Ant Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
KILLBUG (PC) – May 4
Samurai Punk (Melbourne, Victoria)
June
Neuron (PC – Steam/itch) – June 1
Nearly A Studio (Western Australia)
Dragon’s Hoard (PC) – June 2
Kreg (New Zealand)
Repella Fella (PC) – June 6
Misadventurous (Sydney, New South Wales)
Dungeon Merchant (PC – Steam/itch) – June 9
Monster Shop Games (Perth, Western Australia)
It’s Only Money (PC – Early Access) – June 16
Usual Suspects (New Zealand)
Vactics (PC) – June 20
The Lemur Conspiracy (Melbourne, Victoria)
Mars First Logistics (PC – Early Access) – June 22
Ian MacLarty (Melbourne, Victoria)
Amarantus (PC) – June 27
ub4q (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory)
July
Super BAWK BAWK Chicken (PC/Mac) – July 18
Daytime Devs (South Australia)
DROS (PC) – July 20
emergeWorlds (Brisbane, Queensland)
The Many Deaths of Lily Kosen (PC) – July 21
Too Many Teeth Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
The Master’s Pupil (PC) – July 28
Pat Naoum (Sydney, New South Wales)
Every Hue of You (PC) – July 31
Cactus Jam Games (Melbourne, Australia)
August
Flutter Away (PC) – August 3
Runaway Play (Dunedin, New Zealand)
Side Decide (Switch) – August 3
Blue Volcano Studio (Sydney, New South Wales)
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (PC) – August 10
Summerfall Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Moving Out 2 (PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Switch/PC) – August 15
SMG Studio (Melbourne, Victoria)
Jumplight Odyssey (PC – Early Access)
League of Geeks (Melbourne, Victoria)
September
Pirate Haven (PC – Early Access) – September 15
Downunder Games Studio (Melbourne, Victoria)
Liberation (PC) – September 22
Classyk Games (Melbourne, Victoria)
Seedlings (PC) – September 22
Bardsley Creative (Hamilton, New Zealand)
Star Farmer: Warlock of the Universe (PC) – September 28
Tinker Town (Adelaide, South Australia)
October
Bilkins’ Folly (PS5/PS4/Switch/PC) – October 2
Webbysoft (Hobart, Tasmania)
Cricket 24 (PS4/PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Switch/PC) – October 4
Big Ant Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Project Wingman: Frontline 59 (PS5/PSVR2) – October 4
Sector D2 (Western Australia)
The Godfeather: A Mafia Pigeon Saga (PC) – October 6
Hojo Studio (Sydney, New South Wales)
Moonlight In Garland (PC –Early Access) – October 24
Winters Group Estate (Melbourne, Victoria)
Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery (PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Switch)
Worm Club (Melbourne, Victoria)
November
Salaryman RESCUE! (VR – Steam/itch) – November 11
Universal Weebs Unlimited (Melbourne, Victoria)
Barton Lynch Pro Surfing (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – November 17
Bungarra Software (Fremantle, Western Australia)
Straya (PC) – November 17
Ayrtech (Australia)
Knuckle Sandwich (PC) – November 23
Andrew Brophy (Melbourne, Victoria)
December
Picayune Dreams (PC) – December 5
Stepford, Andyland, milkypossum (Melbourne, Victoria)
A Date With Death (PC) – December 6
Two and a Half Studios (Hobart, Tasmania)
Pond Scum: A Gothic Swamp Tale (VR) – December 25
Universal Weebs Unlimited (Melbourne, Victoria)
TBA 2024+
A Halloween Valentine (Switch/PC)
Things For Humans (Melbourne, Victoria)
Abiotic Factor
Deep Field Games (Otago, New Zealand)
Acid Knife (PC/Mac)
Powerhoof (Melbourne, Victoria)
Adaptory (PC/Mac)
Stormcloak Games (Wellington, New Zealand)
Ailuri (Switch/PC)
Vivink Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Anvilheart (PC)
Towerpoint Games (Adelaide, South Australia)
Bears in Space (PC)
Broadside Games (Brisbane, Queensland)
Beyond the Veil (PC/iOS)
Sun’s Shadows Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Bits & Bops (PC)
Tempo Lab Games (Sydney, Australia)
Blackheart (PC)
Hyporeal (Dunedin, New Zealand)
Blob Person (PC)
Inverted Games (South Australia)
Blood and Mead (PC)
Lost Relic Games (Sydney, New South Wales)
Blueberry (Switch/PC/Mac)
Mellow Games (Brisbane, Queensland)
Box Knight (PC)
We Made A Thing Studios (Adelaide, South Australia)
Brews & Bastards (PC – Early Access)
Mune Studio (Dunedin, New Zealand)
Broken Roads (Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/PC)
Drop Bear Bytes (Torquay, Victoria)
Call of the Golden Valley (PC)
O’Saurus Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Completely Stretchy (PC)
Dan Ferguson (Melbourne, Victoria)
Conscript (PC)
Catchweight Studio (Melbourne, Victoria)
Copycat (PC)
Spoonful of Wonder (Sydney, New South Wales)
Crash Course Builder (PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/PC)
Wombat Brawler (Brisbane, Queensland / Melbourne, Victoria)
Dagger Run: Aerocombatic Racing (PC)
Stardaze Interactive (Melbourne, Victoria)
darkwebSTREAMER (PC)
We Have Always Lived In The Forest (Adelaide, South Australia)
Dead Static Drive (Xbox One/PC)
Reuben Games (Melbourne, Victoria)
Denari (PC)
Astronuat Diaries Limited (New Zealand)
Detective Ridelle (PC)
PuzzLab (Sydney, New South Wales)
Diets & Deities (PC)
Larrikin Interactive (Darwin, Northern Territory)
Draculesti (PC)
Fine Feathered Fiends (Melbourne, Victoria)
Dream of the Star Haven (PC – Early Access) – January 25, 2024
Orchid of Redemption (Adelaide, South Australia)
The Drifter (PC)
Powerhoof (Melbourne, Victoria)
DROS (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch)
emergeWorlds (Brisbane, Queensland)
Dryft City Kyngs (PC)
Nonsense Machine (Melbourne, Victoria)
The Dungeon Experience (PC)
Jacob Janerka, Simon Boxer, Bone Assembly (Melbourne, Victoria)
Falling Frontier (PC)
Stutter Fox Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Feed the Deep (PC)
Luke Muscat (Brisbane, Queensland)
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/PC)
A44 Games (Wellington, New Zealand)
Footy Bash (PC/Consoles)
Danger Thumbs (Melbourne, Victoria)
FrankenStorm TD (PC)
Doodad Games (Sydney, New South Wales)
Frogreign (PC)
ArkanPixel Games (Brisbane, Queensland)
Future Folklore
Guck (Melbourne, Victoria)
Go-Go Town (PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Switch/PC)
Prideful Sloth (Brisbane, Queensland)
Ghost Cam (PC/VR)
Arch Rebels (Perth, Western Australia)
Incolatus (PC)
Funny Fintan Softworks (Fremantle, Western Australia)
Instinction (PC)
Hashbane Interactive (New Zealand)
Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days (PC)
PikPok (Wellington, New Zealand)
Janet DeMornay Is A Slumlord (and a witch) (PC)
Fuzzy Ghost (Sydney, New South Wales)
Kadomon: Hyper Auto Battlers (PC)
Dino Rocket (Adelaide, South Australia)
Kinder World (iOS/Android)
Lumi Interactive (Melbourne, Australia)
The Last Exterminator (PC)
Ironworks Games (Melbourne, Victoria)
Legacies (PC)
Salty Dog Studios (Perth, Western Australia) / Daisy Ale Soundworks (Kalgoorlie, Western Australia)
Letters To Arralla (PC)
Little Pink Clouds (Melbourne, Victoria / Tasmania)
The Lifetime (PC)
Orchid of Redemption (Adelaide, South Australia)
Lightsmith (PC)
A Few Dragons (South Australia)
Little Ruin (PC/Mac/Linux)
Lucernal (Melbourne, Victoria)
LoveSick Darlings (PC)
Dimitri Odysseus (Melbourne, Victoria)
Macabre (PC)
Weforge Studio (Sydney, New South Wales)
Many Worlds (PC/VR)
Many Worlds Limited (New Zealand)
Memory’s Reach (PC)
100 Stones Interactive (Melbourne, Victoria)
Misc. A Tiny Tale (Switch/PC)
Tinyware Games (Perth, Western Australia)
Miska (PC)
Umbrella Party (Melbourne, Victoria)
MMORPG Tycoon 2 (PC)
VectorStorm (Melbourne, Victoria)
Monch! (PC)
Tyrannodog (Adelaide, South Australia)
Moon Corp. Tower Defense (PC)
Kite Shield Interactive (Canberra, ACT)
Nanomon Virtual Pet (PC)
Oscar Brittain (Melbourne, Victoria)
Neko Cafésume (Switch/PC)
Adam Harte, Ally MeowSparky & Chris Breezey (Palmerston, New Zealand)
Noodle Samurai (PC)
Planet Pumpkin (Adelaide, South Australia)
The Ocean Will Have Us All (PC)
Moloch Media (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory)
Old Friends Dog Game
Runaway Play (Dunedin, New Zealand)
Out of Sight (PC)
Mainframe Games (New Zealand)
The Plucky Squire (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch/PC)
All Possible Futures (Queensland)
Poppy Toast (PC – Early Access)
oToastTv (Newcastle, New South Wales)
Primordials Legends: Hollow Hero (PC)
Toybox Games Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Punchimals (PC)
Two Lives Left (Adelaide, South Australia)
Ribbet (PC)
Lil’ Elephant Studios (Brisbane, Queensland)
Rose and Locket (PC)
Whistling Wizard (New Zealand)
The Sacred Acorn (PC)
A Few Dragons (South Australia)
Samurai Unicorn (PC)
Jordan Turner & Eric Freeman (Wollongong, New South Wales)
Shyfters (PC)
Wicked Art (New Zealand)
Sinthetic (PC)
Sinthetic Project
Solium Infernum (PC) – February 14, 2024
League of Geeks (Melbourne, Victoria)
Spies & Soldiers (PC)
Ghostbat Games (Melbourne, Victoria)
Spiritwell (PC)
David Chen (Australia)
Sprocket Rocket Rumble (PC)
Space Crab Labs (Wellington, New Zealand)
Sumorbit (PC)
Tournameta (Brisbane, Queensland)
Surf Club (PC)
Olivia Haines (Melbourne, Victoria)
Ten Thousand Coins: The Golden Merchant (PC)
Thousand Tonic (Auckland, New Zealand)
Tinker and Spell (PC)
Golden Age Studios (Adelaide, South Australia)
TopplePOP: Bungee Blockbusters (PC)
AkirmA (Sydney, New South Wales)
Toroa (PC)
Atawhai Interactive (Ōtepoti, New Zealand)
Totem Teller (Xbox One)
Grinning Pickle (Melbourne, Victoria)
Trash (PC)
Bin Chicken Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Untamed Isles (PC – Early Access)
Phat Loot Studios (New Zealand)
Up to Par (PC)
It’s Anecdotal (Christchurch, New Zealand)
Verbal Void (PC)
EnderLost Studio (Brisbane, Queensland)
Vincent the Vampire (PC)
Intuit by Design (Adelaide, South Australia)
Wasteland Tactics (PC)
Catalyst Games (Adelaide, South Australia)
Way to the Woods (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC) – March TBA
Anthony Tan (Melbourne, Victoria)
Whacky Golf (PC)
Cameron Darragh (Brisbane, Queensland)
Winter Ember (Switch)
Sky Machine Games (Sydney, New South Wales)
Wood & Weather (PC)
Paper House (Melbourne, Victoria)
On Ice
Jumplight Odyssey (PC)
League of Geeks (Melbourne, Victoria)
Lucen (PC)
Kristian Kebbe (Melbourne, Australia)
This Starry Void (PC/Mac/Linux)
Chironex Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Despite a childhood playing survival horrors, point and clicks and beat ’em ups, these days Zach tries to convince people that Homefront: The Revolution is a good game while pining for a sequel to The Order: 1886 and a live-action Treasure Planet film. Carlton, Burnley FC & SJ Sharks fan. Get around him on Twitter @tightinthejorts