2023 Alternative Top 100

(18sep2023) This is an alternative to other rating based lists with pros and cons in that it allows for games with fewer ratings (5 ratings required) to reach the top of the list which obviously makes their place on the list quite sensitive to new ratings, so their exact place should not be taken too seriously. See it as a list with a lot of promising games alongside more established games.

More specifically, the main criteria is the average rating.

You may also want to check out the 2020 edition here: https://www.ifdb.org/viewlist?id=7zl6pqkm6lvdlf7i

EDIT: By mistake I included Overboard! which only had 4 ratings. Now removed.

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1. The Little Match Girl 3: The Escalus Manifold
by Ryan Veeder
(2023)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

2. Price of Freedom: Innocence Lost (expanded 2019 version)
by Briar Rose
(2019)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

3. Ataraxia
by Lauren O'Donoghue
(2022)
Average member rating: (10 ratings)

4. Counterfeit Monkey
by Emily Short
(2012)
Average member rating: (233 ratings)

5. Jolly Good: Cakes and Ale
by Kreg Segall
(2020)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

6. Hadean Lands
by Andrew Plotkin
(2014)
Average member rating: (63 ratings)

7. What Isn't Saved (will be lost)
by Cat Manning
(2018)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

8. Worldsmith
by Ade McT
(2016)
Average member rating: (30 ratings)

9. Repeat the Ending
by Drew Cook
(2023)
Average member rating: (22 ratings)

10. Sorcery! 2
by Steve Jackson and inkle
(2013)
Average member rating: (20 ratings)

11. Superstition S2
by 13Leagues
(2020)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

12. Cragne Manor
by Ryan Veeder, Jenni Polodna et al.

Average member rating: (23 ratings)

13. 80 DAYS
by inkle, Meg Jayanth
(2014)
Average member rating: (87 ratings)

14. Superluminal Vagrant Twin
by C.E.J. Pacian
(2016)
Average member rating: (115 ratings)

15. Anchorhead
by Michael Gentry
(1998)
Average member rating: (383 ratings)

16. Fallen Hero: Rebirth
by Malin Rydén
(2018)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

17. Stay?
by E. Jade Lomax
(2020)
Average member rating: (22 ratings)

18. Moving (On)
by quackoquack
(2020)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

19. A Long Way to the Nearest Star
by SV Linwood
(2022)
Average member rating: (37 ratings)

20. SLAMMED!
by Paolo Chikiamco
(2013)
Average member rating: (10 ratings)

21. Hansel et Gretel - La Revanche
by Corax
(2018)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

22. Open Sorcery
by Abigail Corfman
(2016)
Average member rating: (64 ratings)

23. Tally Ho
by Kreg Segall
(2017)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)

24. Heart of the House
by Nissa Campbell
(2017)
Average member rating: (14 ratings)

25. Present Quest
by Errol Elumir
(2020)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

26. Skybreak!
by William Dooling
(2019)
Average member rating: (15 ratings)

27. According to Cain
by Jim Nelson
(2022)
Average member rating: (41 ratings)

28. Of Their Shadows Deep
by Amanda Walker
(2022)
Average member rating: (18 ratings)

29. Wayhaven Chronicles: Book Two
by Mishka Jenkins
(2020)
Average member rating: (18 ratings)

30. free bird.
by Passerine
(2023)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

31. Will Not Let Me Go
by Stephen Granade
(2017)
Average member rating: (56 ratings)

32. Tristam Island
by Hugo Labrande
(2020)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

33. Worlds Apart
by Suzanne Britton
(1999)
Average member rating: (88 ratings)

34. 4x4 Archipelago
by Agnieszka Trzaska
(2021)
Average member rating: (21 ratings)

35. SPY INTRIGUE
by furkle
(2015)
Average member rating: (35 ratings)

36. The Wizard Sniffer
by Buster Hudson
(2017)
Average member rating: (127 ratings)

37. Junior Arithmancer
by Mike Spivey
(2018)
Average member rating: (49 ratings)

38. A Beauty Cold and Austere
by Mike Spivey
(2017)
Average member rating: (55 ratings)

39. The Good Ghost
by Sarah Willson, Kirk Damato
(2022)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

40. Alias 'The Magpie'
by J. J. Guest
(2018)
Average member rating: (63 ratings)

41. Eat Me
by Chandler Groover
(2017)
Average member rating: (94 ratings)

42. The Impossible Bottle
by Linus Åkesson
(2020)
Average member rating: (78 ratings)

43. Trinity
by Brian Moriarty
(1986)
Average member rating: (99 ratings)

44. Treasures of a Slaver's Kingdom
by S. John Ross
(2007)
Average member rating: (48 ratings)

45. Coloratura
by Lynnea Glasser
(2013)
Average member rating: (109 ratings)

46. Absence of Law
by mathbrush
(2017)
Average member rating: (44 ratings)

47. Savoir-Faire
by Emily Short
(2002)
Average member rating: (128 ratings)

48. Fairest
by Amanda Walker
(2022)
Average member rating: (26 ratings)

49. Day of the Dead--One Soul's All Souls Procession
by Shadowdrake27
(2019)
Average member rating: (10 ratings)

50. The Spectators
by Amanda Walker
(2022)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)

51. Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One
by Mishka Jenkins
(2018)
Average member rating: (22 ratings)

52. The Little Match Girl 2: Annus Evertens
by Ryan Veeder
(2022)
Average member rating: (12 ratings)

53. Sorcery! 4
by Steve Jackson and inkle
(2016)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

54. Frankenstein
by Dave Morris and inkle
(2012)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

55. Evertree Inn, by Thom Baylay (2016)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

56. Hate Plus
by Christine Love
(2013)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

57. Toby's Nose
by Chandler Groover
(2015)
Average member rating: (107 ratings)

58. Planetfall
by Steve Meretzky
(1983)
Average member rating: (118 ratings)

59. Cryptozookeeper
by Robb Sherwin
(2011)
Average member rating: (21 ratings)

60. The Weight of a Soul
by Chin Kee Yong
(2021)
Average member rating: (24 ratings)

61. A Study in Steampunk: Choice by Gaslight
by Heather Albano
(2015)
Average member rating: (20 ratings)

62. Lost Pig
by Admiral Jota
(2007)
Average member rating: (485 ratings)

63. The Kuolema
by Ben Jackson
(2023)
Average member rating: (17 ratings)

64. The Lonely Troll
by Amanda Walker
(2022)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

65. Der Angstbaum, by Jens Bojaryn (2002)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

66. Zozzled
by Steph Cherrywell
(2019)
Average member rating: (45 ratings)

67. The Mulldoon Legacy, by Jon Ingold (1999)
Average member rating: (42 ratings)

68. Analogue: A Hate Story
by Christine Love
(2012)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

69. Choices: And Their Souls Were Eaten
by Tin Man Games, Felicity Banks
(2016)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

70. Dr Horror's House of Terror
by Ade McT
(2021)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)

71. Excalibur
by J. J. Guest, G. C. Baccaris, and Duncan Bowsman
(2021)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)

72. The Golden Rose
by Ana Ventura
(2022)
Average member rating: (12 ratings)

73. A Midsummer Night's Choice
by Kreg Segall
(2016)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

74. Known Unknowns
by Brendan Patrick Hennessy
(2016)
Average member rating: (59 ratings)

75. Human Errors
by Katherine Morayati
(2018)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

76. Eric the Unready
by Bob Bates
(1993)
Average member rating: (40 ratings)

77. Mecha Ace
by Paul Wang
(2014)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

78. Klub Karisma
by Christian Bluemke
(2008)
Average member rating: (7 ratings)

79. The Gostak
by Carl Muckenhoupt
(2001)
Average member rating: (88 ratings)

80. Blue Lacuna
by Aaron A. Reed
(2008)
Average member rating: (106 ratings)

81. Violet
by Jeremy Freese
(2008)
Average member rating: (382 ratings)

82. Ryan Veeder's Authentic Fly Fishing
by Ryan Veeder
(2019)
Average member rating: (14 ratings)

83. Grimnoir
by ProP
(2018)
Average member rating: (24 ratings)

84. Turandot
by Victor Gijsbers
(2019)
Average member rating: (45 ratings)

85. Weird City Interloper
by C.E.J. Pacian
(2014)
Average member rating: (54 ratings)

86. Endless, Nameless
by Adam Cadre
(2012)
Average member rating: (52 ratings)

87. Death By Powerpoint
by Jack Welch
(2018)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

88. Sorcery! 3
by Steve Jackson and inkle
(2015)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

89. Spider and Web
by Andrew Plotkin
(1998)
Average member rating: (306 ratings)

90. Make It Good
by Jon Ingold
(2009)
Average member rating: (82 ratings)

91. The Axolotl Project
by Samantha Vick
(2013)
Average member rating: (42 ratings)

92. Choice of Robots
by Kevin Gold
(2014)
Average member rating: (41 ratings)

93. Superstition S1
by 13Leagues
(2019)
Average member rating: (13 ratings)

94. Even Some More Tales from Castle Balderstone
by Ryan Veeder
(2021)
Average member rating: (15 ratings)

95. Beneath Floes
by Bravemule; Pinnguaq
(2015)
Average member rating: (13 ratings)

96. Midnight. Swordfight.
by Chandler Groover
(2015)
Average member rating: (77 ratings)

97. First Things First
by J. Robinson Wheeler
(2001)
Average member rating: (23 ratings)

98. City of Secrets
by Emily Short
(2003)
Average member rating: (102 ratings)

99. Lost in time
by Gerardo Adesso
(2017)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

100. A Murder in Fairyland
by Abigail Corfman
(2020)
Average member rating: (18 ratings)

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