There’s nothing like a little trouble at home to make you look for greener pastures. And green or not, aliens were everywhere in 2023. Well, at least in the news.

From Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP, the classy new way to talk about UFOs) to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and all the way to tiny molecules clinging to frozen dust grains in interstellar space, the eyes of experts and the public were looking for life elsewhere.

The biggest alien stories — at least the most popular — came from military releases of data, hinting at cover-ups (or just ill-prepared government officials). But the most important — at least by our reckoning — were those that were steeped in science, offering hints of what life might look like outside of our planet, and where to find it. If you really do want to turn over that rock, that is.

Here, ranked from 11 to 1 by their chances of introducing us to real alien life, are the top alien and UAP events of 2023 that remind us the truth really is out there.

Death is all around. Death rustles through thinning branches above the sidewalk, knocking eggs from their nests, and holding the world in its shadow the way a hawk overtakes a moth.

But that’s only reality. In video games’ infinity, death isn’t intimidating — it’s a distraction keeping you from cracking open that sick loot crate box you wanted. It’s annoying. It still feels unfair, but it's only temporary. And, you know, a lot of the time, it looks kind of awesome, especially in 2023’s video game releases.

You don’t want to look away from deaths like these, and you don’t have to — check out Inverse’s list of the 10 best video game death scenes this year.