The January PC game releases and events you should know about

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Here's what we'll be playing in the first month of 2023.

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(Image credit: Square Enix)

I usually start these monthly release date calendars with some commentary about what a fruitful month it's going to be for PC gaming, but I gotta level with you: January's a bit light as far as new releases go.

I recently got to play the first couple hours of the Dead Space remake, which is out toward the end of the month, and it seemed like a good, faithful update. Square Enix RPG Forspoken is another big publisher game coming in late January, and there's a One Piece game on the way, but not a whole lot more that's on my radar. We're in a game release trough before the swell coming in February, which will include Atomic Heart, Company of Heroes 3, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, and more. 

Someone just did point out to me that there's a samurai deckbuilding game called Mahokenshi out soon, though, and my interest is piqued. There are also a couple of big events to start the year off. Here's what's going on in PC gaming in January:

January PC game release dates and events

CES 2023 | January 5-8

CES 2023 | January 5-8
The big yearly tech showcase starts early in January, and is always good for some weird and futuristic prototypes, as well as genuine previews of soon-to-release hardware and gadgets. Follow our CES coverage in our hardware channel.

Awesome Games Done Quick 2023 | January 8-15

Awesome Games Done Quick 2023 | January 8-15
AGDQ must exist in some kind of warped part of spacetime: every time I notice that another one is happening, it feels like it just ended, yet there are only two events. I'm looking forward to this year's Simpsons: Hit & Run and Neon White speedruns.

One Piece Odyssey | January 12

One Piece Odyssey | January 12
An RPG based on the decades-long manga and anime series my nephew tried to get away with watching on his phone on Christmas Eve after his grandparents made us turn off the Raiders game. The Raiders lost. I assume Luffy and crew were victorious.

Forspoken | January 24

Forspoken | January 24
For it has been spoken, it will be spaken again: Square Enix's RPG about a New Yorker who's transported to "the beautiful and cruel land of Athia" will release before the end of the month.

Dead Space | January 27

Dead Space | January 27
The classic 2008 survival horror game starring reanimated corpses and a limb-removing plasma cutter has been remade with dynamic lighting, a load-free world, new enemy and environment AI, and features like the full zero-G movement from the later games.

Inkulinati| January 31

Inkulinati| January 31
What's up with old manuscripts lately? First Pentiment, now Inkulinati, an "ink-based" strategy game which pits the margin doodles of medieval scribes against each other—things like "sword-wielding rabbits," "trumpets lodged in bottoms," and "human-eating snails."

More games releasing in January

Tyler Wilde
Tyler Wilde
Editor-in-Chief, US

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.