Story-driven games offer an experience that regular action games simply cannot match. While typical action titles focus purely on combat and fast-paced mechanics, story-rich games immerse you in deep narratives, emotional character arcs, and world-building that stays with you long after the credits roll.
If you are looking for the best story based games for pc, this list has something for everyone. We have included a mix of sprawling RPGs, gripping action-adventures, vast open-world exploration, psychological horror, and interactive choice-based games.
These top-tier games were carefully selected based on their overall story quality, compelling characters, engaging gameplay, and outstanding player reviews across the gaming community.
20 Best Story Based Games for PC
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Story Overview: Play as Arthur Morgan, a loyal outlaw navigating the harsh reality of the declining Wild West. As his gang slowly falls apart, Arthur must choose between his own ideals and loyalty to the only family he knows.
- Why you should play: It features one of the most emotional and well-crafted character arcs in gaming history, paired with a breathtaking open world.
- Genre: Action-Adventure / Open World
- Approximate playtime: 50–60 hours (Main Story)
- Best for: Players who love deep, character-driven western epics.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Story Overview: Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter, embarks on a continent-spanning journey to find his adopted daughter, Ciri, before a supernatural force known as the Wild Hunt captures her.
- What makes it special: Every side quest feels like a main mission, and your choices heavily impact the dark fantasy world around you.
- Genre: Action RPG / Open World
- Playtime: 50–70 hours
- Best for: Fans of dark fantasy, rich lore, and meaningful side quests.
3. Baldur’s Gate 3
Story Overview: Infected by a Mind Flayer parasite, you must gather a team of unique companions to find a cure, eventually becoming entangled in a plot that threatens the entire realm.
- Choice-based gameplay: Almost every dialogue option and action alters the story, leading to thousands of different possible outcomes.
- Genre: CRPG / Turn-Based Strategy
- Playtime: 70–100+ hours
- Best for: Dungeons & Dragons fans and players who want total narrative freedom.
4. Cyberpunk 2077
Story Overview: In the dystopian Night City, a mercenary named V ends up with a digitized ghost of a dead rockstar-terrorist stuck in their head, triggering a desperate race for survival.
- Main characters: V, Johnny Silverhand (played by Keanu Reeves), and a rich cast of fixers and allies.
- Genre: Action RPG / First-Person Shooter
- Playtime: 30–40 hours
- Best for: Sci-fi lovers who want a mature, futuristic, and gritty storyline.
5. The Last of Us Part I
Story Overview: A hardened survivor, Joel, is tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic America devastated by a fungal infection.
- Emotional story: A masterclass in pacing, focusing on grief, survival, and the growing bond between two broken people.
- Gameplay: Tense survival-horror stealth and brutal action combat.
- Best for: Players looking for a cinematic and deeply emotional narrative.
6. God of War
Story Overview: Having left his Greek past behind, Kratos now lives in the Norse realm. He and his young son, Atreus, journey to the highest peak to scatter his late wife’s ashes.
- Father-son journey: The story perfectly balances epic god-slaying action with an intimate tale of fatherhood and redemption.
- Best for: Action fans who want mature character development alongside satisfying combat.
7. Detroit: Become Human
Story Overview: Set in a future where androids are treated as property, three different androids begin to break their programming and fight for freedom and survival.
- Choice-based narrative: Your decisions dictate who lives, who dies, and the ultimate fate of the android revolution.
- Multiple endings: Features an incredibly complex flowchart of branching storylines.
- Best for: Players who want their choices to have massive, immediate consequences.
8. Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Story Overview: Commander Shepard must unite the diverse alien races of the galaxy to stop an ancient, world-ending machine race known as the Reapers.
- Sci-fi adventure: An epic space opera spanning three entire games where relationships and alliances carry over.
- Player decisions: You shape Shepard’s morality, romantic interests, and the survival of your crew.
- Best for: Space-opera fans and players who want a long-term emotional investment.
9. Disco Elysium
Story Overview: You wake up with severe amnesia in a rundown town and must solve a complex murder mystery while dealing with the competing voices inside your own head.
- Detective RPG: A completely unique game where combat is non-existent, and everything is resolved through dialogue and skill checks.
- Dialogue-focused gameplay: Features some of the best, most complex writing in the history of video games.
- Best for: Readers, deep thinkers, and fans of tabletop RPGs.
10. A Plague Tale: Requiem
Story Overview: Amicia and her younger brother Hugo flee to new lands to control Hugo’s supernatural curse, all while being hunted by enemies and deadly rat swarms.
- Emotional medieval adventure: A dark, visually stunning, and heartbreaking tale of sibling love in a brutal world.
- Character development: Watch Amicia evolve from a scared survivor into a hardened protector.
- Best for: Fans of stealth mechanics and heavy, emotional narratives.
11. Alan Wake 2
Story Overview: FBI agent Saga Anderson investigates ritualistic murders in a small town, while trapped author Alan Wake attempts to write his way out of a dark dimension.
- Psychological horror story: A mind-bending narrative that constantly plays with reality, fiction, and fear.
- Mystery elements: You will gather clues, piece together timelines, and uncover deep supernatural secrets.
- Best for: Horror enthusiasts and fans of complex, twist-filled storytelling.
12. Life Is Strange Remastered
Story Overview: Photography student Max Caulfield discovers she can rewind time, using her new power to save her childhood friend and uncover the dark secrets of Arcadia Bay.
- Time-travel story: A beautiful coming-of-age mystery with a supernatural twist.
- Choice-based gameplay: Rewind time to alter your dialogue and actions, though every choice still comes with a cost.
- Best for: Players looking for a relaxed, story-heavy teenage drama with emotional weight.
13. Firewatch
Story Overview: A man named Henry takes a job as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness to escape his messy life, only to stumble into a strange mystery with his supervisor over a walkie-talkie.
- Short narrative adventure: A brilliantly paced game that can be completed in an afternoon.
- Emotional storytelling: Explores themes of isolation, responsibility, and human connection.
- Best for: Casual gamers looking for a relaxing, dialogue-driven mystery.
14. NieR: Automata
Story Overview: Combat androids 2B and 9S fight a proxy war for humanity against an army of machines, slowly uncovering devastating truths about their existence.
- Multiple endings: You must play the game multiple times to unlock the true story, shifting perspectives with each playthrough.
- Sci-fi action: Blends high-speed hack-and-slash combat with deep philosophical questions.
- Best for: Players who love philosophical themes and unique storytelling structures.
15. Mafia: Definitive Edition
Story Overview: Cab driver Tommy Angelo accidentally gets involved with the Salieri crime family in the 1930s, rising through the ranks while realizing the true cost of the mobster life.
- Crime drama: A gripping, cinematic recreation of classic mobster films.
- Classic mafia story: Focuses heavily on loyalty, betrayal, and the consequences of crime.
- Best for: Fans of gangster movies and linear, fast-paced action.
16. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Story Overview: A Celtic warrior battles mythic beasts and her own psychosis on a dark journey into Viking hell to save the soul of her dead lover.
- Psychological journey: A deeply respectful and terrifying representation of mental illness and trauma.
- Audio experience: Best played with headphones, as the game uses binaural audio to simulate voices in Senua’s head.
- Best for: Players seeking an intense, psychologically immersive experience.
17. BioShock Infinite
Story Overview: Former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt is sent to the flying city of Columbia to rescue a mysterious girl named Elizabeth, who has the power to tear through the fabric of reality.
- Unique world: A visually stunning, politically charged utopian city with a dark underbelly.
- Plot twists: Features one of the most famous and mind-bending endings in gaming.
- Best for: First-person shooter fans who love complex, mind-bending plots.
18. What Remains of Edith Finch
Story Overview: Edith returns to her abandoned family home to uncover why she is the last surviving member of the Finch family, experiencing the final moments of her cursed relatives.
- Narrative exploration: A highly creative “walking simulator” where every family member’s story features unique gameplay mechanics.
- Emotional family story: A beautifully tragic exploration of life, death, and family history.
- Best for: Players who want a brief, highly artistic, and moving narrative.
19. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Story Overview: In a world where humanity has regressed to tribal societies and giant robotic animals rule the earth, an outcast named Aloy sets out to discover her origins.
- Sci-fi open world: A beautiful, vibrant world filled with lore and history to uncover.
- Mystery-driven story: The gradual reveal of how the old world ended is deeply satisfying.
- Best for: Open-world lovers who enjoy uncovering deep sci-fi mysteries.
20. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Story Overview: Continue the story of Henry of Skalitz as he navigates the complex politics, warfare, and betrayal of 15th-century Bohemia on his quest for revenge.
- Medieval RPG: A historically accurate narrative with no magic or dragons—just brutal reality.
- Realistic storytelling: Choices, reputation, and daily survival mechanics all tie directly into the plot.
- Best for: History buffs who want deep immersion and historical realism.
Quick Comparison of the Best Story Based Games for PC
| Game | Genre | Story Length | Open World | Choice-Based |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | Action-Adventure | 50-60 Hours | Yes | No |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Action RPG | 50-70 Hours | Yes | Yes |
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | CRPG | 70-100+ Hours | Yes | Yes |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Action RPG | 30-40 Hours | Yes | Yes |
| The Last of Us Part I | Action-Adventure | 15-20 Hours | No | No |
| God of War | Action-Adventure | 20-25 Hours | No (Semi) | No |
| Detroit: Become Human | Narrative Adventure | 10-12 Hours | No | Yes |
| Mass Effect Legendary Edition | Action RPG | 60-90 Hours | No (Semi) | Yes |
| Disco Elysium | Detective RPG | 20-30 Hours | No | Yes |
| A Plague Tale: Requiem | Stealth / Adventure | 15-20 Hours | No | No |
| Alan Wake 2 | Survival Horror | 15-20 Hours | No (Semi) | No |
| Life Is Strange Remastered | Narrative Adventure | 12-15 Hours | No | Yes |
| Firewatch | Narrative Adventure | 4-5 Hours | No (Semi) | Yes |
| NieR: Automata | Action RPG | 20-30 Hours | Yes | No |
| Mafia: Definitive Edition | Action-Adventure | 10-15 Hours | No (Semi) | No |
| Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice | Action / Puzzle | 7-9 Hours | No | No |
| BioShock Infinite | FPS | 10-15 Hours | No | No |
| What Remains of Edith Finch | Exploration | 2-3 Hours | No | No |
| Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered | Action RPG | 25-35 Hours | Yes | No |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Medieval RPG | 50-80 Hours | Yes | Yes |
Which Story Game Should You Play First?
Not sure where to begin? Pick a category below based on your personal gaming style:
- If you love Open-World Games:
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- The Witcher 3
- Cyberpunk 2077
- If you enjoy Choice-Based Stories:
- Detroit: Become Human
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Life Is Strange
- If you want Emotional Stories:
- The Last of Us Part I
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Firewatch
- If you like RPGs:
- Mass Effect Legendary Edition
- Disco Elysium
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- If you enjoy Horror & Mystery:
- Alan Wake 2
- Hellblade
- BioShock Infinite
How to Choose the Right Story-Based Game
To find the perfect fit, consider these quick tips before downloading:
- Choose your favorite genre: Decide if you want action, horror, puzzles, or purely dialogue.
- Decide between open world or linear games: Do you want to explore freely, or prefer a tightly focused, cinematic path?
- Check average playtime: Make sure you have the time to commit (e.g., Firewatch takes 4 hours, Baldur’s Gate 3 takes 80+).
- Look for replay value: Games with multiple endings give you more value for your money.
- Make sure your PC meets the system requirements: Check the specs required to run newer titles smoothly.
Final Thoughts
Every game on this list offers a highly memorable story that will stick with you for years.
Beginners or casual players can easily start with shorter, focused games like Firewatch or Mafia: Definitive Edition.
However, players wanting massive, long-term adventures should dive straight into Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3, or Baldur’s Gate 3. These titles are consistently recommended among the best narrative experiences on PC.
