The Best Narrative Games

Update : Closer The Distance added at rank #21.
1

Welcome to Elk (2020)

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97
Review score
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PC Windows Mac OS Xbox One stadia Nintendo Switch Linux

Welcome to Elk is a biographical adventure set on an island like no other, where every character you encounter has a story to tell. From the weird and wonderful to the dark and desperate, all the tales told on Elk are based on true stories of life on the road less traveled.


  • narrative
  • real-life
  • trauma
  • copenhagen
  • adventure
  • hand-drawn
  • local
  • golf
  • villain
  • isometric
  • fiction
  • documentary
  • story
  • drama
  • violent

2

Detroit: Become Human (2018)

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95
Review score
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Playstation 4 PC Windows

In Detroit: Become Human, you'll step into the shoes of three unique androids in a world teetering on the edge of chaos. Your choices shape an intense, branching narrative filled with moral dilemmas and life-or-death decisions. With stunning visuals and immersive storytelling, every playthrough promises a unique experience. Discover what it means to be human in this gripping game.


What we like:
  • Stunning visuals
  • Deep, immersive narrative
  • Choices significantly impact gameplay
  • Quick-time action sequences add excitement
  • Multiple endings for high replay value
What could be improved:
  • Game starts off slow
  • Main characters can be lost early on
  • Limited gameplay beyond story choices

  • narrative
  • quick-time-event
  • detective
  • interactive
  • crime
  • sci-fi
  • story
  • robots
  • choices
  • futuristic
  • violent
  • drama
  • controller-support

3

Bugsnax (2020)

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95
Review score
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Mac OS IOS iPhone Xbox Series X Xbox One Playstation 5 Playstation 4 PC Windows Nintendo Switch

Dive into the quirky world of Bugsnax! As a journalist, you'll explore the diverse Snaktooth Island, solve its mysteries, and capture 100 unique Bugsnax. With charming characters, engaging gameplay, and endless customization, you'll be captivated by this delightful adventure.


What we like:
  • Innovative creature-catching gameplay
  • Rich, immersive world with diverse biomes
  • Entertaining and distinct characters
  • Fun, fitting soundtrack
  • Engaging side quests and challenges
What could be improved:
  • None

  • puzzle
  • narrative
  • adventure
  • mystery
  • cute
  • muppet
  • story
  • first-person
  • discovery
  • colourful
  • horror
  • inventive
  • physics
  • comedy
  • controller-support

4

Beyond a Steel Sky (2020)

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93
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox Series X Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch Playstation 5 IOS iPhone Mac OS Linux

Beyond a Steel Sky is a thrilling cyberpunk adventure game with engaging puzzles and a fast-paced narrative that will keep you hooked. Follow Robert Foster as he tries to rescue a kidnapped child in Union City, a futuristic utopia controlled by an altruistic AI. The game features a beautifully detailed comic-book style world and plenty of humor. Unravel dark conspiracies and defeat a terrifying antagonist in this innovative and exciting adventure!


What we like:
  • Engaging storyline and characters
  • Built-in hints system
  • Great setting and world design
  • Innovative puzzle mechanics
  • Plenty of humor and nostalgia nods
What could be improved:
  • Controlling the character is clunky
  • Hacking can be repetitive
  • Lack of puzzle diversity
  • Story can be simplistic with bad pace
  • Cutscenes are too long and boring

  • cyberpunk
  • adventure
  • puzzle
  • point-and-click
  • dystopian
  • narrative
  • classic
  • sci-fi
  • thriller
  • futuristic
  • cult
  • third-person
  • hacking
  • political
  • inventory

5

Pentiment (2022)

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91
Review score
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Xbox One Nintendo Switch j Playstation 4 Playstation 5 PC Windows Xbox Series X

Pentiment can be seen as a educational game set in the 15th century, combining point-and-click adventure with role-playing elements and a branching narrative. It follows Andreas Mahler as he tries to clear his friend's name while uncovering the secrets of a small Bavarian town.

Buy

What we like:
  • Captivating story
  • Immersive atmosphere
  • Beautiful visuals and sound
  • Interesting characters and dialogue
  • Deep RPG elements and replayability
What could be improved:
  • Limited number of puzzles which are not particularly challenging

  • historical
  • narrative
  • mystery
  • medieval
  • rpg
  • choices
  • book
  • crime
  • adventure
  • detective
  • education
  • story
  • fiction
  • stylized
  • local

6

Gerda: A Flame in Winter (2022)

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90
Review score
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Nintendo Switch PC Windows

Walk the path of Gerda as her quiet life is turned upside down during the World War 2 occupation of her small Danish village. Choose where to go, how to act, and who to trust in this intimate narrative RPG-lite experience inspired by real life events. How far would you go to protect your loved ones?


  • world-war-2
  • narrative
  • rpg-lite
  • dice
  • war
  • rpg
  • historical
  • adventure
  • slow-paced
  • top-down
  • emotional
  • multiple-endings
  • narration
  • choices
  • conversation

7

Mutazione (2019)

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90
Review score
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PC Windows Nintendo Switch Xbox One Linux Mac OS IOS iPhone Playstation 4

Get lost in the magical world of Mutazione, a narrative-driven adventure game where you explore an island filled with quirky mutant characters and their secrets. Grow musical gardens, attend BBQs, and embark on a spiritual journey to save the community from a looming darkness. With beautiful hand-illustrated art and unpredictable twists, Mutazione is a mutant soap opera that you won't want to miss.


What we like:
  • Unique and beautiful art style
  • Relaxing music
  • Story-focused gameplay
  • Quirky and interesting characters
  • Encourages the player to slow down and relax
What could be improved:
  • Repetitive gameplay, mostly a visual novel
  • No voice acting
  • Slow parts may be boring for some players
  • Contains adult themes that may not be suitable for younger children

  • drama
  • narrative
  • supernatural
  • relaxing
  • adventure
  • walking-simulator
  • point-and-click
  • nature
  • exploration
  • fiction
  • music
  • story
  • scroller
  • bird
  • procedural

8

Tacoma (2017)

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90
Review score
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Mac OS Linux Xbox One Playstation 4 PC Windows

Tacoma is a sci-fi narrative adventure from the creators of Gone Home. Set aboard a high-tech space station in the year 2088, explore every detail of how the station’s crew lived and worked, finding the clues that add up to a gripping story of trust, fear, and resolve in the face of disaster.


  • narrative
  • sci-fi
  • walking-simulator
  • augmented
  • story
  • exploration
  • futuristic
  • mystery
  • pause
  • augmented-reality
  • interactive
  • discovery
  • first-person

9

Life is Strange 2 (2018)

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90
Review score
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Playstation 4 Xbox One PC Windows Mac OS Linux Nintendo Switch

After a tragic incident, brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz run away from home. Fearing the police, and dealing with Daniel's new telekinetic power, the boys head to Mexico. Each stop on their journey brings new friends and new challenges.


  • episodic
  • narrative
  • choices
  • supernatural
  • story
  • drama
  • adventure
  • mystery
  • romance
  • puzzle

10

Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 (2018)

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90
Review score
Logo of Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 Screenshot of Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 Screenshot of Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 Screenshot of Life is Strange 2 Episode 1

Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch Linux Mac OS PC Windows Xbox One

After a tragic incident, brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz run away from home. Fearing the police, and dealing with Daniel's new telekinetic power, the boys head to Mexico. Each stop on their journey brings new friends and new challenges.


  • episodic
  • narrative
  • story
  • supernatural
  • choices
  • drama
  • adventure
  • mystery
  • puzzle
  • romance
  • political
  • difficult

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