10 great video game narratives

Video games are still sometimes classified as a lesser form of entertainment, due to their relative infancy compared with other art forms. But the video game industry has quietly developed a strong grasp of unique storytelling, using game mechanics and world design to immerse players in diverse worlds.

There are many differing ways that games can engage with narrative, using sparks of imagination and technical magic to construct worlds: the American West in Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), a medieval Bohemia in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (2025) or an interstellar soap opera aboard a starship in Mass Effect (2007). 

Gaming stories can last hundreds of hours, and the strength of the best gaming stories is in their subtle shifts in the story. This is maybe why video game adaptations have often failed to capture the success of the game’s narratives. But recently there has been three very popular adaptations: Arcane, Fallout and The Last of Us, the TV version of which starts its second series on 14 April. The entertainment industry might finally have learned how to adapt from games successfully.  

Lucasfilm revolutionised the video game landscape. The Monkey Island games were a series of point-and-click adventures that used expanded dialogue trees and a sandbox environment to create an illusive sense of freedom while adhering to a wryly comedic tale of piracy. 

In The Secret of Monkey Island Guybrush Threepwood wants to become a famous pirate, so he ventures to Mêlée Island to prove himself to the local populace. Equal parts foolhardy and ingenious, Guybrush’s creative thinking and a lucky streak allow him to slowly win the support of the island and make his way to discover the secrets and treasures found on Monkey Island. A series of uniquely compelling characters spout some of the best tongue-in-cheek dialogue seen in gaming as the sharply comedic writing expertly balances on the fourth wall. 

Final Fantasy was one of the most popular video game franchises in existence when, in 1997, its most popular instalment arrived to change gaming narrative forever. Cloud Strife – an ex-solider turned revolutionary – fights against an oppressive mega-corporation called Shinra to stop his former commander, Sephiroth, from destroying the world. 

As Cloud continues on his adventure, he meets a series of characters who support his quest, as a simplistic tale of justice and revenge turns into a government conspiracy thriller with otherworldly elements. The stakes are always increasing, but the story’s rooted by an entertaining camaraderie between the party members. It’s hard not to get attached to each character, which is why FF7 is still celebrated 28 years later. It inspired countless developers to reach its narrative heights.

A human subject, labelled ‘Chell’, takes part in the puzzling experiments orchestrated by GLaDOS, a rogue robot playing a sadistic game. Luckily for Chell she is joined by Wheatley (voiced by Stephen Merchant) – a bubbly personality bot who guides her through the trials ahead – bringing levity to the complex puzzles and dour dystopian tone. 

The player gets a portal gun to create a blue or orange portal to traverse increasingly difficult puzzles. This contrast of fun puzzles within a decaying world allows for the story to develop as a darkly satirical look into a possible future for the human race. The game is a reflection on the power of ingenuity and creativity of a human’s mind, paired with a healthy dollop of fear about being subjugated by our robot overlords. 

Made into an award-winning TV-show by HBO, the original game is still worth checking out: you gain a sense of immersive dread by playing in this apocalyptic world. In 2033, Joel Miller smuggles a young girl – Ellie – across America in a desperate search for a cure to fix an infection that is turning humanity into fungal-infused zombies. 

The game shines in the suspenseful atmosphere found in the world design and the relationship between the characters – a surrogate father and daughter story that creates a strong, relatable bond. Developer Naughty Dog’s strength is their linear, cinematic style of storytelling. In this entry they focused on the dynamic character relationship as the heart of a game. The world decays. The family survives. 

God of War was a series known as a teenage-boy power fantasy. The player used the angsty and stoic Kratos to punch through Olympus and conquer the gods through sex and violence. In 2018, the franchise was softly rebooted to nestle the barbaric hero into Norse mythology. The reboot cast Kratos as a single father, trying to scatter his wife’s ashes and navigate a stilted relationship with his prepubescent son, Atreus, tagging along. 

Kratos tries to redeem his past actions and be a role model, allowing the narrative to develop into a powerful examination of father-son relationships. The game’s tone is more sombre and mature, which matches Norse mythology’s darker themes. All roads lead towards the apocalyptic Ragnarök.

Harry Du Bois is a pitiful, self-loathing alcoholic. He may also be a detective dispatched to uncover the culprit behind a murder; that’s if he can get his mind out the gutter. Waking up from the familiar feeling of a raging hangover, you start your investigation and uncover more about your miserable life than the case itself. The darkly sardonic humour never feels mean-spirited though, as the expert dialogue balances darkness with levity and a compelling mystery to discover. It’s a point-and-click mystery game with an expanded dialogue tree and dice rolls, so feels like a tabletop game that you can play yourself. The uncertainty of what will happen – due to the lucky factor – and uniquely charming voiceovers makes the game constantly exciting. 

Zagreus – son of the underworld – stubbornly rebels against his father, Hades, by fighting his way up to the surface to reunite with his absentee mother, Persephone. A deceptively simplistic narrative hook whose brilliance arrives through a fun gameplay loop; every time Zagreus dies, he returns to the underworld where the souls of the dead reside. The more you die, the more you learn about the characters, world and overall gameplay mechanics to better grasp the game and its story. 

Before or during each attempt Zagreus can interact with specific characters from Greek myth and through nuanced dialogue he begins to develop bonds and understand his comrades and enemies more. Supergiant Games is an indie company that struck gold with this title, maintaining strong art direction, voice acting and music, with a similarly high standard across all their games. The world feels alive, and the narrative is constantly progressing towards a familial reunion situated in ancient Greece.

A Dungeons and Dragons game told through the medium of video games. Larian Studios built an expansive and detailed campaign where you can play individually or with friends to save yourself and the world from an upcoming mind flayer invasion. Gather a party of playable characters with arcs that deepen the overall world and lore of the game; and use their abilities and your own creativity to tackle any scenario at any time to become the greatest adventurers in Faerûn. As you level up the enemies and the story gets stronger and more complex, you can witness an amazing campaign from your own sofa.

Cyberpunk 2077 wears its influences on its sleeves: from music, animation and film, it synthesises the best of the cyberpunk genre into a detailed, shifting world full of cybernetically infused humans who use an array of futuristic weapons to become legends within Night City. Our central character is V (either male/female), who picks up a malfunctioning data chip that contains Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, a rebellious punk rocker and terrorist who is not happy to be sharing V’s headspace. 

The Phantom Liberty expansion increased the narrative capability by including Idris Elba as well, to make the game feel all the more cinematic. The game develops into a political thriller where V must find the whereabouts of Songbird, ex-friend to and current rogue agent against the president of the United States. V becomes a small fish in a big pond of espionage and chaos. What is a merc to do but start blasting your problems away and save the city from imploding?

An unnamed protagonist enters Tatsumi Port Island, quickly unlocking the untapped power of a Persona (a manifestation of his soul that fights against corrupted desires). The player delves into the mysteries of the Dark Hour, a time that brings forth mysterious monsters to attack the town. So you and your allies need to fight against the mysterious malevolent force and uncover the truth.

In 2006, games developer Altus crafted a formula that combines strategic turn-based combat with a school simulator, where you develop bonds with compelling characters. The mechanics complement each other: by developing your bonds, you get stronger in combat, creating stronger personas to meet more difficult challenges. In 2024, they made a modern remake of Persona 3; the game is reloaded with a new art style similar to Persona 5 Royal and updated voice lines. Talking or fighting in this urban fantasy world are equally fun ways to explore the world.