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Come for the Narrative,
stay for the Story
 

We often talk about video games not only being entertainment because they are a new way to tell stories. However, some games use narrative as the way you interact with the game. Whether you are exploring a living breathing world, making choices that impact the story or even just deciding how things are said, narrative is the thing you are working with.

We've worked with The Narrative Outlook newsletter (subscribe here) to create a list of games that focus first on the narrative genre. Their monthly newsletter is a great way to stay up to date about all things narrative gaming.

We are including games that would elsewhere be called Walking Simulators, although for us these are narratives told through exploration. We also include games that other sites might lump in with Adventures, although for us these games are more about what is said and revealed on the way through the journey itself.

We aren't including games with strong narratives if the main way you interact with the game is through Puzzles, Role-Playing, Adventuring or the other common genres. For instance The Last of Us isn't here because it is primarily a Shooting Adventure game. Celeste isn't here because it's firstly a Platform game. My Child Lebensborn isn't here because the main interaction is Puzzle tamagotchi-like. I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, not because it isn't a strong narrative, but because there is a lot of collecting and deck building front and centre too.
 
This list includes 128 games from the last 26 years, with 1,496 likes. They come from a range of different genres and play-styles and are all good games if you want to play with a story. We break them down into the following areas:

Related Lists
We have 20 Digital Stories lists of games, like these:
 

Experience A Story

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin is a free expansion to Security Breach that acts as a standalone game where you play Cassie as she solves puzzles and attempts to find her missing friend.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin is a free expansion to Security Breach that acts as a standalone game where you play Cassie as she solves puzzles and attempts to find her missing friend. Rather than the main game's branching structure, this is a linear experience where you switch between two versions of reality to progress.

Minecraft: Story Mode is a point-and-click narrative adventure set in the Minecraft universe where Jessie, an inexperienced adventurer, sets out on a grand quest with their friends.

Minecraft: Story Mode is a point-and-click narrative adventure set in the Minecraft universe where Jessie, an inexperienced adventurer, sets out on a grand quest with their friends. As you watch their story unfold, you make choices that affect the way the narrative unfolds across the episodes.

Influence Unfolding

Baldur's Gate 3 is a role-playing game that recreates the Dungeons & Dragons experience in a digital world.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a role-playing game that recreates the Dungeons & Dragons experience in a digital world. You explore the world and fight enemies by rolling dice and weighing up your stats to see what happens.

Mask of the Rose is a narrative game set in the same underground, gothic, Victorian London as Sunless Sea.

Mask of the Rose is a narrative game set in the same underground, gothic, Victorian London as Sunless Sea. You talk to different characters, seeking friendships or romance, and attempt to solve a murder mystery with a resurrected victim.

Overhear Clockwork Stories

Taming Gaming Book Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships.

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