Best 21 Story Games No True Gamer Should Miss
Animal tracks tell stories of recent hunts, mud dries on your horse over time, and NPCs remember your past interactions. Even the weather feels like it’s part of a larger system rather than just random effects. It’s not easy to explain why some of these worlds leave such a lasting impression. It’s in the quiet moments—the wind swaying the grass in an empty field or the distant howl of a wolf that you never actually see.
Best Xbox RPG Games to Play in 2025
Spiritfarer will play your heart strings like Stella plays her cute Everlight guitar. I’m only about 25 hours into the game and I’ve already cried half a dozen times (but in a good way!). Spiritfarer’s story is compelling; The world is beautiful and big, and the characters have incredible depth. The game features plenty of fun minigames, town management mechanics such as designing and upgrading your ship, cooking, and an well thought out world. Each character has their own backstory and reason for being the way they are, usually related to their own traumas and life events, which Stella helps them explore and overcome. Successful video games make you feel like you must keep playing … or else.
Accessibility options are insane in scope, and I respect Naughty Dog for that. The game scored 89 on Metacritic and shipped over 2 million units post-remake despite early PC performance issues. By the end of 2024, it exceeded 11 million sales worldwide, and it’s the most successful title from Quantic Dream to date. In Part 1, we get to play as Max, a young photographer who discovers she has the power to rewind time.
Red Dead Redemption 2
This level of choice and consequence creates a sense of ownership over the story. Players can shape relationships, decide the fates of important characters, and ultimately influence the outcome of the entire trilogy. Unlike game guide other story games, What Remains of Edith Finch balances narrative-driven gameplay focused on uncovering the stories of the Finch family members with exploration and simple, easy mechanics. New and veteran players looking for a captivating experience can pick up this game easily, making it one of the best narrative games.
While there’s a lot of Yakuza to sink your teeth into, 0 is a great starting point.
Before we dive into our main picks, we want to give a nod to a few all-time greats that didn’t make this list. Not because they lack story (far from it), but because we’ve already spotlighted them elsewhere. While the Arkham saga has been full of memorable moments, it’s Arkham City that stands to this day as the bar that needs to be beaten (Spider-Man came VERY close mind you, but Arkham came first so…). When it was announced that Insomniac was going to be doing this title? What we got was the true “Spider-Man Experience” that delivered everything a good Spider-Man story gives in comics, movies, and beyond.
Set in a world steeped in Eastern European myth, the atmosphere is unique, haunting, and utterly immersive. Every detail, from the dialogue to the monster contracts, feels handcrafted. Choices are messy, morally grey, and their consequences ripple across the entire continent.
The branching paths and emotional stakes create tension typically reserved for psychological films. This first-person narrative game unfolds through radio dialogue between a fire lookout and his supervisor. What starts as a casual connection turns into a story about isolation, loss, and trust. With no combat or flashy mechanics, it shows the power of mood, pacing, and voice acting.
We’ve picked story-driven games where (if you ignore side quests and exploration) you can experience the narrative in a linear fashion that truly offers a cinematic experience. Interactive story games take you on exciting adventures, but unlike regular books, you’re not just a passenger – you’re the hero! Think of it like a magical book where the characters ask YOU what to do, and your choices shape the entire story. It’s okay, though, because there are instances when your choices affect their chances of staying in your group.
Yasuke, the legendary black Samurai, is on a mission to fix the corruption that has taken hold of the warrior order. Meanwhile, Naoe, a woman who became a ninja after the loss of her village and family, seeks to right the wrongs done to her. No matter how you answered it, Luna Abyss will show there’s always a worse job to get chosen for.
What keeps Los Santos feeling fresh even years after release is how it encourages emergent gameplay. Sure, you can follow the story, but the real magic happens when you go off-script. Maybe you’ll start a massive traffic jam just to watch the AI react, or maybe you’ll follow the police around to see what crimes they respond to. Baldur’s Gate 3 truly takes you on an unforgettable journey with an impressive amount of choice that will surprise you time and again.
A Breathing World: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The writing sparkles and delights, gradually raising the game’s emotional stakes until you find yourself fully invested in its characters. As you loop around again and again, you’ll begin to share Siffrin’s frustration with their situation. While, on paper, tasks might become repetitive, the very act of repetition pulls you deeper into the story, making for a narrative that captivates and challenges all at once. In Stars and Time subverts your expectations by dropping you in at the end of a fantastical adventure rather than at the start.
One minute you’re torn by a tough moral choice, the next you’re freaking out about every decision you’ve made. Outer Wilds is a archaeological time loop mystery in space. You are a new space cadet, and for some reason your solar system is trapped in a time loop in which it is inevitably destroyed. You set out to find other members of the space program in hopes of discovering the mysteries of the time loop. Along the way, you explore the solar system and uncover mysteries about an ancient civilization that left technological clues in the ruins of other planets. Even though I think this game is also fantastic for adults, it must be kept in mind that this game was made for children, so it features a relatively calm and simple gameplay style.