Our expert round-up of the 10 best darts players in the world in 2023.
The worldwide darts scene has never been so dynamic.
From New York to Wollongong, Bahrain to Barnsley, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) – the sport’s premier division – has hosted over 60 top-tier tournaments throughout 2023.
The cosmopolitan PDC circuit enjoys great strength and depth. This year, there has been a plethora of different event winners and finalists, although under the glare of the TV lights and pressure to perform in front of a raucous live audience, the sport’s biggest names have generally risen to the top at the major events.
With the campaign being so lengthy, the form guide is constantly changing. Several players at certain points throughout the year can be considered as ‘the best in the world right now’ but in terms of consistency, reputation and overall threat to lift trophies, who are the best darts players in the world in 2023?
Shout out to both Danny Noppert and James Wade – who seem to fly under the radar at most events – for just missing out on the current top ten.
RadioTimes.com brings you our expert round-up of the best darts players in the world right now.
10. Dave Chisnall
Seven-time major finalist Dave Chisnall is still searching for that big breakthrough victory, but he has enjoyed arguably his best and most consistent spell on the pro circuit in recent times.
With two Players Championship and three Euro Tour title wins to his name in 2023, ‘Chizzy’ finished top of both the Pro Tour and European Tour order of merits.
Whilst Chisnall has not yet replicated those results in the majors, there is still time for the popular Englishman to lift the sport’s most iconic trophies.
9. Jonny Clayton
A difficult year off the oche for Clayton, he has again performed admirably at several of the sport’s biggest arenas and events.
The overall champion in 2021, Clayton reached the Premier League playoffs for a third consecutive year, winning two nightly events en route. At the World Matchplay, he went on a superb run all the way to the final where he was denied by an inspired Nathan Aspinall.
Teaming up with fellow countryman Gerwyn Price, Clayton won the World Cup of Darts for Wales for the second time in his career. ‘The Ferret’ also won his second Austrian Darts Open title on the Euro Tour.
8. Nathan Aspinall
‘The Asp’ is still on a high having claimed the biggest success of his career to date at the World Matchplay – widely acknowledged as the second most important title on the PDC circuit – in the summer, following a memorable and destructive victory against Jonny Clayton in the title match.
Aspinall thrives off the buzz of major televised events, and now with several years of big stage experience under his belt, he is entering a new, more mature phase of his career and is a genuine contender for every big tournament he appears in.
7. Gary Anderson
One of darts’s all-time greats, former back-to-back World Champion Gary Anderson is experiencing a top-level resurgence with his winning percentage in 2023 being 20% higher than last year.
Having seen his world ranking slip in recent terms, Anderson is back in the mix for major honours having secured a trio of Players Championship event wins during the season; the first time he had tasted success on the floor circuit since 2020.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if everything once again clicked for the Scotsman on the big stage.
6. Peter Wright
This is, perhaps, the lowest Wright has featured on such a list in quite a while after an inconsistent season, although the two-time World Champion has still managed to produce impressive salvos and collect significant silverware during the past several months.
‘Snakebite’ landed the Nordic Masters title on the World Series and only a few months ago he won one of the sport’s biggest majors for the second time, the European Championship.
Not short of self-confidence on the oche, Wright is bullish about reaching the top of the sport once again.
5. Rob Cross
Rob Cross is starting to consistently show signs of his ‘A’ game once more and can be pleased with his results on the circuit in recent times.
Cross – who famously won the world championship on debut during his rookie year as a professional in 2018 after defeating the outgoing Phil Taylor in the final – is firmly back in the discussion when it comes to potential winners prior to events starting.
In 2023, ‘Voltage’ won a Euro Tour and back-to-back World Series titles in New Zealand and Australia.
4. Michael Smith
Michael Smith said he ‘completed darts’ earlier this year when he realised his dream of becoming the PDC World Champion.
Victory at the Alexandra Palace in London against Michael van Gerwen in the final also saw Smith crowned world number one – all this just a few weeks after claiming his first major accolade at the Grand Slam of Darts.
‘The Bully Boy’ has had a frustrating second half of the year to his maiden world title reign, but he did win the opening leg of the World Series in Bahrain and a Euro Tour event in early 2023.
3. Gerwyn Price
Major titles have not arrived as regular in recent times as Price would like, but the former World Champion and world number one continues to have bursts of frightening brilliance and is a threat for every event he competes in.
The season has been a mixed bag for the Welshman, but he was acknowledged as the best in the world earlier in 2023 when he finished top of the Premier League standings following a quartet of event wins.
Alongside compatriot Jonny Clayton, Price also secured his second World Cup of Darts title.
2. Luke Humphries
Luke Humphries has truly announced himself on the world stage in 2023 with a blistering run of big title wins which have promoted him to the very top table of professional darts.
The former World Youth Champion enjoyed a brilliant campaign last year with four Euro Tour victories and he has built on that success this season by winning his first three major TV titles all within the space of just eight weeks.
Humphries appears set to be a serious contender for further major accolades – including the sport’s most prestigious – for many years to come.
1. Michael van Gerwen
He may not be as consistent or reliable as he was a few years ago – and major title wins have not been as frequent – but Michael van Gerwen remains the sport’s star attraction.
The three-time World Champion continues to add to his TV titles haul; in 2023 he retained the lucrative Premier League, and he collected his fifth World Series of Darts Finals crown. The Dutch extraordinaire also won World Series stops in New York and Warsaw.
Van Gerwen reached three other major finals, including the World Championship; the sixth time he has featured in darts’ biggest match since 2013.
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