216 games

The best story-driven sci-fi games

Big stories set in the future: science fiction games that grip you above all with characters and plot.

How to find games that really suit you: Select up to 5 games you have played and enjoyed. Playalike compares 36 traits such as combat, story and atmosphere and suggests games that hit exactly the same spot, even across genres.

  1. 1 Mass Effect 2

    2010 PCPlayStationXbox 29.99 € 75 % positive

    • Choices with consequences
    • A party of several characters
    • Shooting and gunplay

    Commander Shepard assembles a crew of specialists for a suicide mission, blending cover-based shooting with unforgettable companions and choices that decide who lives and dies.

  2. 2 Mass Effect

    2007 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck playable 29.99 € 94 % positive

    • Choices with consequences
    • A party of several characters
    • Shooting and gunplay

    As Commander Shepard, you lead your Normandy crew across the galaxy chasing a rogue Spectre in a landmark sci-fi RPG built around its dialogue wheel, companion bonds and choices that carry into the sequels. Combat is real-time cover shooting with pausable squad powers.

  3. 3 Mass Effect 3

    2012 PCPlayStationXbox 29.99 € 75 % positive

    • Action-packed real-time combat
    • Shooting and gunplay
    • Choices with consequences

    The emotional finale of Shepard's trilogy pairs tight cover-shooting and combinable squad powers with a galaxy-wide war effort, where choices carried across three games decide who lives, who dies, and which civilizations survive.

1 Mass Effect 2

Choices with consequences

2010 PCPlayStationXbox 29.99 € 75 % positive

Commander Shepard assembles a crew of specialists for a suicide mission, blending cover-based shooting with unforgettable companions and choices that decide who lives and dies.

2 Mass Effect

Choices with consequences

2007 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck playable 29.99 € 94 % positive

As Commander Shepard, you lead your Normandy crew across the galaxy chasing a rogue Spectre in a landmark sci-fi RPG built around its dialogue wheel, companion bonds and choices that carry into the sequels. Combat is real-time cover shooting with pausable squad powers.

3 Mass Effect 3

Action-packed real-time combat

2012 PCPlayStationXbox 29.99 € 75 % positive

The emotional finale of Shepard's trilogy pairs tight cover-shooting and combinable squad powers with a galaxy-wide war effort, where choices carried across three games decide who lives, who dies, and which civilizations survive.

4 Cyberpunk 2077

Open world

2020 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified 59.99 € 84 % positive

A first-person RPG in a dense metropolis of the future, with many ways to approach each mission.

5 Soma

Dread and tension

2015 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck verified 28.99 € 96 % positive

A harrowing combat-free horror journey through a ruined deep-sea research station that confronts you with unsettling questions about consciousness and identity. Its philosophical story lingers long after the credits roll.

6 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

A party of several characters

2003 PCXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 9.75 € 91 % positive

BioWare's classic Star Wars RPG lets you walk the light or dark side millennia before the films, backed by a crew of memorable companions and one of gaming's most famous plot twists.

7 Detroit: Become Human

Choices with consequences

2018 PCPlayStationSteam Deck verified 39.99 € 96 % positive

A cinematic narrative adventure where you guide three androids through a near-future Detroit. The story branches dramatically with every choice, and characters can live or die depending on your decisions.

8 Tacoma

Strong, story-driven narrative

2017 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified −72 % 19.50 € 5.46 € 6 days left 86 % positive

Tacoma is a quiet narrative adventure on an abandoned space station, where you piece together the crew's fate through augmented-reality recordings. Its appeal lies in the small human details and the relationships between the characters.

9 Deus Ex

Lots to discover

2000 PCSteam Deck playable 6.99 € 95 % positive

The foundational immersive sim: as augmented agent JC Denton you unravel a global conspiracy and tackle every mission your way – sneaking, hacking, talking or shooting. Open-ended levels, meaningful choices and thought-provoking themes keep it a timeless classic.

10 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords

A party of several characters

2004 PCXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 9.75 € 94 % positive

A melancholic, philosophical Star Wars RPG that questions the very nature of the Force, the Jedi and the Sith. Mentor Kreia anchors it, companions can be swayed toward light or dark, and combat is tactical with pause-and-queue actions.

11 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

A party of several characters

2019 PlayStationNintendo Switch

An exceptional sci-fi story where you control 13 teenagers across intertwined timelines and slowly piece together a mystery of giant mechs and kaiju. The plot unfolds in gorgeous hand-painted 2D scenes, broken up by real-time strategy battles.

12 Portal 2

Lots of humour

2011 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck verified 9.69 € 99 % positive

A brilliant first-person physics puzzler where you bend space with the portal gun through the decaying test chambers of Aperture Science, driven by the razor-sharp wit of GLaDOS and Wheatley. A separate co-op campaign adds clever two-player puzzles.

13 The Invincible

Distinctive, stylised art style

2023 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified −70 % 29.99 € 8.99 € 7 days left 88 % positive

An atmospheric sci-fi adventure based on Stanisław Lem, where you play scientist Yasna exploring an alien planet in a retro atompunk style while searching for a missing crew. It focuses on dialogue, mood and philosophical questions rather than combat.

14 Directive 8020

Choices with consequences

2026 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified 49.99 €

A cinematic sci-fi horror adventure from Supermassive's Dark Pictures line, where a crashed colony crew is stalked by a shapeshifting alien threat on a distant world. Your decisions determine who survives.

15 Tales from the Borderlands

Lots of humour

2014 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable −50 % 19.99 € 9.99 € 9 days left 95 % positive

Telltale's episodic narrative adventure where Rhys and Fiona trade unreliable accounts of a chaotic Vault hunt on Pandora. It shines through sharp comedy, lovable characters, quick-time action and choices that shape relationships.

16 Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Choices with consequences

2021 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck playable 59.99 € 91 % positive

The complete sci-fi trilogy, in which your decisions carry consequences across three games.

17 Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Lots of humour

2021 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 59.99 € 94 % positive

As Star-Lord you lead the bickering Guardians through a linear, cinematic space adventure packed with banter and an '80s soundtrack. In combat you direct your team's special moves. Its real strength is a heartfelt, funny story about a found family.

18 Steins;Gate

Distinctive, stylised art style

2009 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck playable 26.99 € 97 % positive

A celebrated visual novel about a self-styled mad scientist in Akihabara who accidentally sends messages into the past and gets tangled in shifting timelines. Its playful, nerdy humor gradually turns into a gripping, emotional sci-fi thriller.

19 Nobody Wants to Die

Lavish presentation

2024 PCPlayStationXbox 24.99 € 86 % positive

A short, gorgeous noir detective adventure set in a retro-futuristic New York where consciousness can be transferred into new bodies. You rewind time at crime scenes to piece together clues, and your dialogue choices steer the ending.

20 Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht

Turn-based combat

2002 PlayStation

A story-heavy sci-fi JRPG with turn-based battles, visible enemies and a layered, philosophical space saga. Lengthy cutscenes and an orchestral soundtrack define the experience.

21 NieR:Automata

Post-apocalyptic setting

2017 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 39.99 € 87 % positive

Androids fight in an abandoned world, with stylish action and a story that unfolds over several playthroughs.

22 Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse

Turn-based combat

2004 PlayStation

This sequel continues the dark, philosophical space opera with lengthy cutscenes and turn-based battles. Alongside party fights, giant mechs and a boost system add tactical depth.

23 Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra

Turn-based combat

2006 PlayStation

The finale of the Xenosaga trilogy delivers a sprawling, philosophical sci-fi epic following Shion and the fight against the Gnosis, told through hours of cinematics. The reworked turn-based battle system mixes characters and mechs with an emphasis on positioning and customization.

24 Observer

Dark, serious atmosphere

2017 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 27.99 € 79 % positive

You play a neural detective who hacks into the memories and minds of others while prowling a decaying, dystopian future Poland. Disturbing hallucinations, thick atmosphere and a paranoid crime story make it a bleak cyberpunk nightmare.

25 Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Sneaking and hiding

2011 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck playable 19.99 € 92 % positive

A cyberpunk immersive sim with a striking black-and-gold Renaissance aesthetic, where augmented agent Adam Jensen can tackle every mission through stealth, hacking, persuasion or brute force. Layered levels and a conspiracy plot about transhumanism reward curiosity and experimentation.

26 Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

Puzzles and brain teasers

2012 PCPlayStationXbox

A visual novel with escape-room puzzles where you play a deadly game of trust and betrayal, unlocking many endings through a branching flowchart. Its intricate sci-fi story full of major twists is the clear centerpiece.

27 Muv-Luv Alternative

Dark, serious atmosphere

2006 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified 37.99 € 96 % positive

A sprawling sci-fi visual novel in which Takeru is thrown into a parallel world where humanity is losing a desperate war against alien BETA. It delivers a powerful emotional tale of courage, loss and love, with almost no gameplay but huge narrative depth.

28 Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma

Puzzles and brain teasers

2016 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified 16.79 € 83 % positive

A visual novel and escape-room puzzler where nine captives are forced into deadly decision games. Its branching, non-linear timeline with many endings drives the suspense and delivers big twists.

29 Xenogears

A party of several characters

1998 PlayStation

An ambitious PlayStation JRPG with a sprawling, philosophically and religiously charged science-fiction story. Giant mech battles and a button-input combo system add variety, but the narrative is clearly the centerpiece.

30 The Dig

Puzzles and brain teasers

1995 PCSteam Deck playable 5.89 € 92 % positive

A classic LucasArts point-and-click adventure in which a team of astronauts uncovers the secrets of a vanished alien civilization on a distant world. Moody science fiction with clever puzzles and a memorable score.

31 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Sneaking and hiding

2008 PlayStation

Solid Snake's lavishly staged farewell blends flexible stealth and gunplay on near-future battlefields with marathon cutscenes that wrap up the convoluted Metal Gear saga. It is melancholic, frequently absurdly funny, and packed with fan-service moments.

32 The Outer Worlds 2

Choices with consequences

2025 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified 69.99 €

Obsidian's satirical first-person sci-fi RPG drops you into a new colony system rife with corporate absurdity, where dialogue choices, skills and even character flaws meaningfully shape your path. Opinionated companions and dark humor make every decision entertaining.

33 The Outer Worlds

Choices with consequences

2019 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 83 % positive

Obsidian's satirical space RPG drops you into a corporate-run colony where your dialogue choices and allegiances decide the fate of its factions. Biting humor, likeable companions and first-person gunplay define the experience.

34 Observation

Lavish presentation

2019 PCPlayStationXbox 24.50 € 78 % positive

You play S.A.M., the AI of a damaged space station, using cameras, systems and puzzles to uncover what happened to the crew. A slow-burning, eerie sci-fi thriller with strong atmosphere and an unusual perspective.

35 Deliver Us the Moon

Puzzles and brain teasers

2019 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck verified 24.99 € 89 % positive

A story-driven sci-fi adventure where you play a lone astronaut exploring abandoned lunar bases, solving environmental puzzles and uncovering what happened to humanity's last hope. Atmospheric and linear, focused on mystery and narrative rather than combat.

36 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Lots to discover

2016 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck playable 29.99 € 76 % positive

As augmented agent Adam Jensen you explore a densely layered Prague hub and tackle missions through stealth, hacking, social manipulation or open combat. Its strength lies in remarkable player freedom and a bleak cyberpunk tale of segregation and conspiracy.

37 Blade Runner

Choices with consequences

1997 PC

A detective adventure set in neon-soaked 2019 Los Angeles, where you play a Blade Runner questioning suspects, collecting clues and hunting replicants. Your choices reshape the story and lead to one of six different endings.

38 Cloudpunk

Distinctive, stylised art style

2020 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck verified 19.99 € 88 % positive

You play delivery driver Rania over one night in a rain-soaked, voxel-built neon megacity, picking up many small and large stories along the way. The focus is on atmosphere, dialogue and narrative rather than combat.

39 Gamedec

Choices with consequences

2021 PCPlayStationNintendo SwitchSteam Deck verified 29.99 € 81 % positive

An isometric cyberpunk detective RPG where you play a gamedec solving crimes inside virtual worlds. Your dialogue, investigations and decisions shape each case and your character, with no traditional combat.

40 The Alters

Economy and management

2025 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified −55 % 34.99 € 15.74 € 7 days left

Stranded worker Jan clones alternate versions of himself, each shaped by a different life choice, and must manage them in a mobile base while racing a lethal sunrise. It's survival management fused with a thoughtful drama about identity and roads not taken.

41 Quantum Break

Action-packed real-time combat

2016 PCXbox 36.99 € 86 % positive

Remedy's cinematic third-person shooter where time-bending powers like freezing, dashing and rewinding define every firefight. Live-action TV episodes between acts react to your branching story decisions.

42 System Shock 2

Dread and tension

1999 PCSteam Deck playable 95 % positive

A landmark immersive sim horror RPG set aboard an infested starship, where scarce resources, flexible skill builds and the unforgettable AI SHODAN create relentless dread.

43 Horizon Zero Dawn

Open world

2017 PCPlayStationSteam Deck verified 88 % positive

As hunter Aloy you roam a lush post-apocalyptic wilderness full of animal-like machines that you take apart with bows, traps and tactics. A gripping sci-fi mystery about the fall of the old world ties it all together.

44 Fallout: New Vegas

Post-apocalyptic setting

2010 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck playable 9.99 € 96 % positive

A post-apocalyptic RPG set in the Mojave, where rival factions vie for control of Vegas and your choices, dialogue and skills decide the fate of the whole region. Sharp writing, dark humor and huge freedom in how quests unfold make it a genre classic.

45 Steins;Gate 0

Dark, serious atmosphere

2015 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 29.99 € 96 % positive

A dark, emotional visual novel sequel to Steins;Gate in which Okabe struggles with trauma and guilt in a timeline without time travel, torn over whether to change the past again. Your choices lead to different endings in a dense, time-travel-driven story.

46 2064: Read Only Memories

Distinctive, stylised art style

2014 PCPlayStationXbox 8.99 € 80 % positive

A pixel-art cyberpunk point-and-click adventure in which you play a journalist investigating a conspiracy in Neo-San Francisco alongside Turing, the first sapient robot. Dialogue, choices and themes of identity and humanity drive the experience.

47 Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Distinctive, stylised art style

2025 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 24.99 € 94 % positive

A narrative sci-fi RPG where you play an artificial human, using a dice system to manage scarce resources and survive among the settlements of the Starward Belt. The sequel adds a customizable ship, recruitable crew and risky contracts that reward careful planning.

48 Technobabylon

Puzzles and brain teasers

2015 PCSteam Deck verified 14.99 € 94 % positive

A story-driven cyberpunk point-and-click adventure set in 2087, where you switch between three characters to uncover a deadly conspiracy in an AI-run city. Classic inventory puzzles and a dense mystery plot are the focus.

49 Stasis

Dark, serious atmosphere

2015 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 8.15 € 82 % positive

A grim sci-fi horror point-and-click adventure in an isometric view: aboard a seemingly abandoned spaceship you solve classic item and computer puzzles while piecing together a disturbing story.

50 Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Turn-based combat

2023 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck verified 49.99 € 86 % positive

A sprawling Warhammer 40K role-playing game where you command a voidship, a crew of eccentric companions and a trade empire as a Rogue Trader. Turn-based battles, deep character builds and weighty decisions define the journey.

51 Anachronox

Turn-based combat

2001 PCSteam Deck playable 5.99 € 75 % positive

A comedic sci-fi RPG following washed-up private eye Sly Boots and his ragtag crew on a decaying alien world. It blends JRPG-style turn-based combat with quirky dialogue and a cinematic, story-driven adventure.

52 The Longest Journey

Puzzles and brain teasers

1999 PCSteam Deck verified 9.99 € 90 % positive

A classic point-and-click adventure in which April Ryan travels between the science-driven world of Stark and the magical world of Arcadia. Its strengths are the long, character-driven story, strong dialogue and inventory puzzles.

53 Ever17: The Out of Infinity

Strong, story-driven narrative

2002 PCPlayStationXbox

A classic visual novel about seven people trapped in a damaged underwater theme park. Famed for its intricate mystery plot and one of the genre's best-known twists.

54 1000xResist

Distinctive, stylised art style

2024 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 19.50 € 96 % positive

A story-driven sci-fi drama where you play Watcher, sifting through memories to uncover a dark secret about the ALLMOTHER. It mixes visual novel and walking sim elements into an intense tale about identity, legacy and diaspora.

55 Torment: Tides of Numenera

Choices with consequences

2017 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck playable 29.99 € 70 % positive

A text-heavy RPG set in the strange far-future world of Numenera, serving as a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment and probing questions of identity and mortality. Conversations and choices matter far more than the rare turn-based combat.

56 Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom

Shooting and gunplay

1996 PC

A 1990s space combat game that pairs fast dogfights with lavish live-action cutscenes starring real actors. Its story of war and betrayal in a space-faring human empire is front and center.

57 VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Distinctive, stylised art style

2016 PCPlayStationNintendo SwitchSteam Deck playable 14.99 € 97 % positive

You tend bar in a cyberpunk dystopia, mixing drinks and learning your customers' stories through conversation. Your drink choices shape how things unfold, backed by a moody synth soundtrack and retro pixel art.

58 Harold Halibut

Distinctive, stylised art style

2024 PCPlayStationXboxSteam Deck verified 34.99 € 84 % positive

A story-driven adventure with a handcrafted, stop-motion look: as clumsy janitor Harold you explore a stranded ark ship beneath an alien ocean and uncover its secrets. It focuses on dialogue, characters and dry humor rather than action.

59 Outer Wilds

Lots to discover

2019 PCPlayStationXboxNintendo SwitchSteam Deck verified 22.99 € 96 % positive

Explore a solar system caught in a 22-minute time loop and unravel a cosmic mystery.

60 Death Stranding

Open world

2019 PCPlayStation 93 % positive

Hideo Kojima's singular courier odyssey turns traversal itself into the game: balancing cargo, planning routes across haunting terrain, and building roads and bridges with unseen fellow players. It wraps this in a surreal, melancholic story about death and human connection.

What matters: Story-driven sci-fi games

Story-driven sci-fi works best when the future setting is used to ask questions about people: what counts as a person, who you trust, and what a choice costs. The games on this list lean on characters and plot more than on mechanics, but they deliver that in very different ways, so it helps to decide what kind of pacing and control you want before you pick.

If you like shaping a story through dialogue and a crew you get attached to, the Mass Effect trilogy is the obvious start. Mass Effect combines action RPG combat with party-based play and choices that matter, and Mass Effect 2 keeps those tags too. For an older, more tabletop-style approach, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic uses real-time-with-pause combat and a party. If you would rather have a tense, quiet experience, Soma is a psychological horror game with stealth, and Tacoma is an atmospheric exploration mystery.

Check how much you want to play versus watch. Detroit: Become Human is cinematic and built around choices, which suits players who care more about branching scenes than combat. Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world RPG, so it asks for more time and a taste for wandering. Also note platforms: Deus Ex is listed for PC only, while 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.

Frequently asked questions

Which story-driven sci-fi game should I play first?

Mass Effect 2 is a strong pick if you want party-based action RPG play with choices that matter, though starting with Mass Effect gives you the trilogy from the beginning. If you prefer something shorter and quieter, try Tacoma.

Which sci-fi story games focus on player choices?

Detroit: Become Human is tagged cinematic and choices matter, and the Mass Effect games share that tag. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Deus Ex are also tagged choices matter if you like older RPG styles.

Are there story-driven sci-fi games that are not mostly combat?

Yes. Tacoma is an exploration mystery, Soma centers on atmosphere and psychological horror with stealth, and Portal 2 is a puzzle game with comedy and co-op.

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