Best Video Game Stories

Video games have always come in all shapes and sizes, some focusing all of their attention on the gameplay, and others on the narrative. Over the years, countless exceptional stories have been told within the medium, effortlessly transporting players to an entirely new world, tugging at their heartstrings, and taking them on a journey they will truly never forget. These games cover a huge range of different settings and themes, with some going back hundreds of years and others peering into a dark future that explores how humanity deals with various obstacles.

Out of all the great worlds and tales told, there are a select few that not only manage to hit the mark just a bit harder, but they also show just how impactful a video game can be with a good enough set of characters and a compelling journey to tie them all together. They can come from an existing franchise or an entirely new IP, yet regardless of the origin, they seamlessly introduce, build up, and resolve several character arcs over the course of a playthrough, giving players the chance to experience a story that they simply cannot find anywhere else than in gaming.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Geralt’s Search For Ciri

Details:

• Parental themes within a much larger world
• Player-shaped conclusion

The Witcher 3’s story is anchored in a deeply personal struggle amid political chaos and the fight against monstrous beasts across the land. The search moves across war-torn kingdoms, weaving together fractured timelines, surrogate family bonds, and the looming threat of the Wild Hunt, turning a basic rescue mission into a meditation on destiny versus choice.

The story’s power lies in its restraint. Geralt is not chasing prophecy for glory but protecting someone he considers a daughter. On top of this, the player’s decisions shape Ciri’s fate in subtle, human ways, reinforcing the idea that parenting, not power, determines how the story ends and that, despite the epic setting, it is the most intimate moments that become the most important.

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

Revan’s transition To The Dark Side

Details:

• Legendary narrative twist
• Morality with real consequences

Revan’s journey in KOTOR redefined what a role-playing narrative could accomplish. Framed as a classic Star Wars tale of light versus dark, the story gradually unravels into something more personal and destabilizing, subverting a lot of the expectations of the franchise and blowing away many other contemporary RPGs at the time.

The revelation of Revan’s identity reframes every prior decision, transforming that initial player agency into something far more sinister. The choice to embrace or reject the Dark Side gains weight because it feels earned rather than cosmetic, and even all these years later, few twists have so effectively fused gameplay and storytelling into a single unforgettable moment.

The Walking Dead

Lee And Clementine’s Unlikely Bond

Details:

• Emotionally driven choices
• No easy ways out

Telltale’s The Walking Dead thrives on the unlikely bond between a convicted man and a frightened child in the middle of a zombie outbreak. Lee’s growth from fugitive to protector creates emotional stakes that eclipse the apocalypse backdrop, and both characters become equally co-dependent, relying on one another not only for comfort but also to survive.

Along their journey, none of the choices feel heroic but are necessary decisions that almost always come with a severe cost. By the end, Clementine’s development mirrors the player’s, culminating in a finale that devastates precisely because it feels earned and the perfect way of concluding such a heartfelt and painful story.

Shadow Of The Colossus

Wander’s Tragic Quest

Details:

• Sparse but powerful storytelling
• Tragedy disguised as a divine mission

Shadow of the Colossus strips narrative design to its bare essentials, taking players on a journey that tells more of its story in the world than in explicit dialogue. Wander’s mission to revive Mono seems noble, but each fallen colossus chips away at that illusion until the realization brings the complete picture into view.

The world feels empty by design, amplifying the isolation and moral doubt, and at no point is there ever a black or white perspective that can easily be drawn by the player. By the end, heroism has curdled into tragedy, and players are left feeling empty and emotionally damaged, despite there being a general absence of major talking points or drawn-out dialogue sequences.

NieR: Automata

2B/9S Confrontation Of The War

Details:

• Existential themes
• Multi-route narrative design

Nier: Automata presents players with a group of android soldiers locked in a proxy war, but gradually, the story dismantles its own premise. Through multiple playthroughs, the narrative exposes cycles of violence and manufactured purpose, forcing the player to ask questions that they may never have thought about in the first place.

2B and 9S embody the cost of blind obedience, and as truths unravel, the war becomes less about victory and more about identity and meaning. It’s a story that weaponizes repetition to deepen its philosophical impact and a narrative that stands as a perfect example of how a single story can be retold and reworked into something entirely new.

BioShock

Jack’s Illusion Of Free Will

Details:

• Iconic narrative reveal
• Commentary on player control

BioShock begins as a survival tale in the underwater city of Rapture but evolves into a commentary on control and the value of agency. Jack’s obedience to the phrase “Would you kindly” reframes the entire experience, and all of those previous acts and moments become a lot more sinister with the player’s new perspective.

The twist lands because it implicates the player directly and doesn’t just blindly take them on this journey that they have no stakes in. Obedience was never questioned, making the loss of agency shocking and uncomfortable, and despite being nearly two decades old, it remains one of gaming’s most meta-narrative achievements.

The Last of Us

Joel & Ellie: Love vs Humanity

Details:

• Morally divisive finally
• Entirely character-driven

At its core, The Last of Us explores whether love can justify damnation. Joel’s bond with Ellie grows slowly, built through shared trauma and survival, and due to the nature of the infected world around them, they are often forced to confront dangerous and life-or-death situations that almost always require a sacrifice of some kind.

The ending refuses easy answers. Joel’s choice prioritises personal love over potential salvation, dividing audiences and elevating the narrative beyond conventional heroism to something far more morally complex. Love it or hate it, it cannot be denied that the climax and the events that lead up to it are among the most emotionally challenging and brutal in the entire industry.

God Of War (2018)

Kratos’ Search For Redemption

Details:

• Reinvention of a classic character
• Intimate and epic storytelling

Kratos’ transformation in God of War from rage-fueled destroyer to restrained father reshapes an entire franchise in a single game. The Norse setting provides the game with a mythic scale, but the story’s heart lies in quiet conversations between father and son, completely altering the perception of the character and the world he exists in.

Every revelation about Kratos’ past serves as a new driving force for his attempts at restraint, and the fight becomes a personal one, which makes every action feel far more important in a way that simply didn’t exist before. It’s a rare reboot that deepens rather than erases its history, and it became a major turning point that allowed the franchise to receive a new modern lease on life.

The Boss And The Cost Of Loyalty

Details:

• Tragic perspective on patriotism
• Political storytelling at its peak

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater frames itself as a Cold War spy thriller, but gradually reveals something far more intimate and devastating. At the center stands The Boss, mentor to Naked Snake and a soldier whose loyalty transcends ideology. Her apparent defection sets a global catastrophe in motion, forcing Snake into a mission that demands he eliminate the very person who shaped him.

The final confrontation redefines the otherwise heroic mission the player set out to complete. The Boss accepts betrayal to preserve world stability, sacrificing her reputation, legacy, and life itself. Snake’s victory is hollow, earned through obedience rather than triumph, and the graveyard salute that follows cements the overarching theme of blind loyalty and government manipulation, regardless of the cost.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Van der Linde Gang’s Rise And Fall

Details:

• Stellar character arc
• Unmatched emotional payoff

Red Dead Redemption 2 unfolds as a sweeping Western tragedy centered on the unraveling of Dutch van der Linde’s outlaw family. What begins as a romantic vision of freedom quickly deteriorates under pressure from modernization, law enforcement, and Dutch’s own ego, with each chapter peeling away the illusion of control and trust, and the eventual desperation that follows.

Arthur Morgan’s arc elevates the narrative into something transcendent. Faced with terminal illness, he begins to question the blind faith that guided his life, and the story becomes far more personal rather than ideological, turning small acts of kindness and quiet moments of reflection into much more emotionally impactful events. The ending itself isn’t one of spectacle, but of inevitability, bringing the harsh realities of life into a fictional world that is incredibly human and emotional from the moment the intro begins, all the way until the credits roll.