Top 15 best story games

One of the key factors behind the success of almost any title is an engaging and intriguing plot. In the early days of the gaming industry, developers generally didn’t focus much on this: there wasn’t enough computing power for orchestrated cutscenes, and titles were seen more as entertainment rather than a storytelling medium.

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However, times change, and now the gaming industry can boast projects that have made history precisely because of their intense, dramatic, or simply well-written stories. We offer you a selection of 15 top projects with interesting stories.

Firewatch

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Firewatch is one of those games that leaves a deep impression: it's short (5-6 hours) but very emotional. It tells the story of a man going through an internal crisis who takes a job as a forest ranger in Wyoming. The only person the main character can talk to is a partner who coordinates his actions.

The plot unfolds through the dialogue between these two characters and feels more like an audio play: they vividly but simply discuss life, share experiences, and occasionally their past. You grow to love their lively conversations and begin to empathize with them like friends.

Meanwhile, strange things are happening in the forest, and investigating them leads the characters to an unexpected and quite dramatic finale.

The visual style deserves a special mention: soft colors and deliberately low texture detail create an atmosphere of coziness and tranquility, while the evening landscapes and sunsets in this game are just begging to be set as your desktop wallpaper.

Night in the Woods

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If Firewatch is about "adults talking about adult things", then Night in the Woods is about self-discovery, finding one's path, reconciling with the past, and fearing the future.

The cat Mae drops out of college and returns to her hometown of Possum Springs, to her parents, her room, and her friends. She is about to live an ordinary life: rebuilding relationships, attending parties, exploring the streets, and talking to local residents, occasionally playing her guitar. Through this mundanity, the author tells the story of the town itself, which is gradually decaying, as well as the relationships Mae has with her loved ones and herself, as she simply doesn’t know where to go next.

At the same time, mysterious events are unfolding, which the player must investigate. On one hand, there's a cozy atmosphere of a slow-paced life: on the other, tension builds due to strange occurrences and the troubling dreams of the main character.

All of this, combined with minimalistic yet vibrant art, gives the game a unique aura that you won't want to part with.

SOMA

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Every horror fan knows Frictional Games. After Amnesia and Penumbra, the studio unexpectedly changed its familiar setting and literally plunged players to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. On the underwater stations where the game takes place, it feels cramped and uncomfortable, and most of all — lonely. After all, the main character is the last person on the planet.

In these circumstances, players need to act. Explore dark corridors and rooms, hide from monsters, and figure out what happened here. The more discoveries you make, the more tense and uncomfortable the events become, and several plot twists will sober you up and make you deeply reflect.

The title prompts you to think about many things: for example, what makes a person themselves? What is consciousness? If consciousness is transferred to another physical form, will it still be the same as before?

The story raises many philosophical questions and can leave a lasting impression on any player.

Red Dead Redemption 2

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RDR 2 showed the entire industry that games can be just as good as a high-stakes movie. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a well-directed and skillfully crafted story about a gang whose days are numbered.

Tension is created from the very first moments and lasts until the very final scene. The main story follows all the fundamental laws of scriptwriting: conflicts become sharper and more significant, characters are revealed more deeply, and plot twists drastically change the perception of some characters' motivations.

Thanks to the immense work of the developers, the virtual world draws you in, becoming familiar and beloved, and you grow to feel sympathy and regret for the gang itself.

This title is a perfect example that video games are indeed art.

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante

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Moving on from big-budget studios to the indie segment, which also boasts storytelling gems. The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante tells the story of a man’s life — his childhood, youth, adulthood, and all the problems and challenges that come with it.

Strictly speaking, the project is a series of events in which the player must make careful decisions, as each choice has certain consequences, sometimes tragic and dire. These decisions directly influence the story’s ending.

In addition, the game features a strong setting: events unfold in a fictional universe with magic, the influence of religion, and deep social inequality. All of this creates the picture of a complete and living world, and after each playthrough, you’ll want to start over to live a new destiny.

BioShock Infinite

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BioShock Infinite is a shooter that follows classic gameplay formulas. At first glance, the story seems to follow the same pattern: a "damsel in distress" — a clichéd and overused trope. However, as the plot develops, it turns out to be much more complex.

It’s a story about past mistakes, the attempt to fix them, and accepting responsibility for difficult events. Booker DeWitt, Elizabeth, and other characters have deep and well-developed personalities, each with their own internal conflicts and specific worldviews. Getting to know them is interesting as they are revealed from both good and bad sides.

A major role here is played by the setting and the meticulously crafted locations. Columbia, unlike Rapture from the first project in the series, is a bright, pleasant, almost heavenly place, and the game itself captivates and leaves you with a positive feeling after playing through it.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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The initial plot goal of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is simple: find Ciri. But as the progresses, the player is drawn into both political intrigues and the problems of ordinary "little people". This builds into an epic story that gracefully changes tempo, at times becoming a drama, comedy, or epic tale.

There are no unequivocally good or evil characters in the game. Everyone has their own goals and achieves them in ways that suit their interests. High ideals like morality, justice, and honor take a back seat to social issues, violence, and widespread cruelty.

Don't expect easy choices either: almost every decision has consequences. But that's precisely what draws players in, making them want to dive back into this well-crafted and detailed world again and again.

Spec Ops: The Line

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When playing session-based or single-player shooters, we often overlook how brutal they can be. Spec Ops: The Line is all about that. It deals with moral dilemmas during combat, post-traumatic stress disorder, and the horrors of war.

The protagonist, Captain Walker, and his squad change as the progresses, and we, as players, witness how tragic events in a fictional Dubai affect their personalities. By the end, the characters look as though they’ve been through hell.

Watching this is both terrifying and fascinating, and at times it makes you reflect deeply on human nature.

Unfortunately, the gameplay itself is not outstanding, but this is one of those cases where the story is more important than the gameplay.

To the Moon

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In the near future, a miraculous machine has been invented that can alter a person’s memories to fulfill any dream, even flying to the moon. This is the task that two specialists from a company dealing with such requests must tackle.

The story starts off slowly but becomes more dramatic with each revealed memory, posing new questions that the characters must answer. A significant part of the narrative comes from the characters themselves, as their opposite personalities lead to frequent comedic moments.

It’s a short but heartfelt story that touches the deepest, most melodious strings of the soul, leaving you with the impression of a small, lived life filled with sad, tragic, and joyful moments.

Disco Elysium

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A deeply developed narrative is another name for Disco Elysium. Everything related to the in-game text is masterfully crafted and of the highest quality. The same goes for the plot.

The detective story presents players with several clichés (for example, the protagonist’s amnesia and alcoholism), but don't turn away immediately! The plot unfolds slowly, allowing you to explore the surroundings, talk to colorful characters, and try out the role-playing system. But once the story picks up, it’s hard to stop. The rhythm and tension set from the first scene maintain their intensity all the way to the finale.

Here, you need to read. A lot. Some dialogues can last twenty minutes in real time, but the quality of the writing makes it impossible to complain. Each character's speech reflects their personality, and the voice acting highlights this even further. What’s more, if you want, you can even chat with your own tie, which isn’t shy about throwing a few witty remarks!

Cyberpunk 2077

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The narrative in Cyberpunk 2077 isn't as meditative and slow as in classic dystopian films like Bladerunner, but instead is gripping, sharp, and throws you straight into the center of events. The rhythm constantly changes, much like the flickering neon lights: sometimes fast-paced and action-packed with chases and shootouts, and at other times, careful and dramatic, telling the stories of the characters.

The characters here, just like in CD Projekt Red’s previous title, are deep, layered, and morally complex. Special credit goes to Keanu Reeves for his portrayal of Johnny Silverhand — his charisma, as always, is unmatched.

The main plot sometimes takes a back seat due to the many side quests (often just as well-crafted), but it still captivates and engages, leaving no chance for players to drop the game.

Oxenfree

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The game begins like a typical teen slasher: a group of boys and girls head to a mysterious and unknown island. Until Dawn hints at what might await them, but the cliché is deftly dismantled by the writers.

Oxenfree surprises and delights with its dialogues. They aren't bookish, but rather lively and vibrant: the characters talk the way real people do — simply, with pauses, filler words, and irony. Much of the gameplay revolves around conversation: you need to respond quickly, or the protagonist will remain silent, which could worsen relationships with other characters.

This title will be remembered largely because of these conversations. The teenagers discuss their problems, fears, and anxieties while a beautiful supernatural story unfolds, one that can even surprise the most discerning player.

Max Payne 3

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It's worth noting that the first two parts of the series are just as plot-driven, and sometimes even more tragic. However, Max Payne 3 takes the narrative to a whole new cinematic level: the features real direction and production, and the script feels like that of a high-budget action movie.

As you progress, the pacing of the story changes, keeping the tension high: gunfights and action scenes transition into sarcastic and ironic reflections on life. This is what many users loved about the neo-noir aesthetic of the franchise.

The third and final installment is a story about coping with loss, coming to terms with it, and trying to move forward, leaving the ghosts of the past behind. Watching this emotional growth is fascinating, and the finale beautifully wraps up and concludes the long journey of the New York detective.

Such bold, dramatic, and deeply emotional stories are rare these days, so this title will please players looking for a strong narrative.

The Last of Us

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The Last of Us is such a monumental phenomenon that almost every user has heard about it. And first and foremost, about its story.

Undoubtedly, the story of Joel and Ellie is one of the most memorable in the industry. On one hand, this is due to the "road movie" format and its clear parallels to Cormac McCarthy's The Road. The focus here is less on the journey itself and more on the emotional state of the characters. On the other hand, the rich and deep characters with their internal conflicts and experiences contribute significantly.

Thanks to this, the plot and its events resonate deeply, making players empathize with the characters and leaving a lasting impression. The game doesn’t just challenge the players with the difficulties of surviving in a post-apocalypse, but also presents them with moral dilemmas.

If for some reason you’ve missed this title, it’s highly recommended for your attention.

Kentucky Route Zero

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Like the previous entry in our selection, Kentucky Route Zero is also a kind of "road movie", but in the genre of magical realism. Many elements here are inspired by Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, and together they create an utterly unique setting.

At first glance, the premise seems simple: a courier needs to deliver a package to an address... that doesn’t exist on the map! In some sense, it exists, but to reach it, the courier must travel along the mysterious Route Zero, which lies deep underground. After that, fantastic adventures begin, with absurd occurrences along the way.

The game is simple (it’s a point-and-click adventure), but it’s highly captivating due to its fascinating world and the characters inhabiting it. Moreover, as in the book that inspired it, there’s no singular protagonist. Instead, all the characters who join the journey through Kentucky are the main actors.

This short yet engaging story will be remembered for its mystical aesthetics, unusual events (such as a character turning into a skeleton), and strange phenomena that create an unparalleled and mesmerizing atmosphere.

Of course, we haven’t listed all the titles with great stories. The industry still has many games with worthy scripts that can both move you and make you laugh. Be sure to share your favorite projects in the comments!

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