Video games are a combination of art that's put together for players to experience. Part of what makes that art stand out is the story that comes with the game. The story can add to every aspect of a game including how a player views the gameplay and the outcomes of their choices. Sometimes what makes a story great is its capacity to make a player feel something. The emotions a story has are what keep gamers thinking about games years after they release.

This list will cover games that presented some of the best stories in the gaming world. These will cover stories that range in creativity and purpose. This list will make sure to include as few spoilers as possible.

10/10 Heavy Rain

Ethan From Heavy Rain Standing In The Rain

Heavy Rain has a captivating mystery that takes place in a world that's much like ours but with slight elements of advanced detective technology. The game's story focuses on four different characters trying to figure out who the main serial killer of the game is. The gameplay in Heavy Rain consists of quick-time events that work alongside the plot. The story has multiple twists that are unique to the playstyle that a player chooses to pursue.

Depending on whether a player lets a character die or survive can change the entirety of a player's experience. Heavy rain is a really good experience but some of the dialogue options, though it rarely occurs, can feel repetitive and take the player out of the moment.

9/10 Portal 2

Portal 2 Broken Down Testing Chamber

Portal 2 tells a story that constantly seems to be going in a direction that it is never actually heading in. It's not a confusing story to follow. The story sets up characters with intentions that can change at any moment. That's what makes going through this game's story so enjoyable.

They made every character the player comes across charismatic. It's a great touch. The game also retains a level of humor throughout itself that keeps the player looking forward to the next joke. The plot is not as dense as some other stories on this list but is nonetheless a great story players should experience.

8/10 Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Kingdom Hearts 358 2 Days Game Cover

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days might not have the most exciting worlds in the Kingdom Hearts series. What it does have is one of the best stories in all of the Kingdom Hearts series and games that are similar to it. The story touches on themes of corruption. It gives characters big moral dilemmas that they need to learn to understand. The inner workings of the political structure of one of the game's enemies, Nobodies, opens up.

The plot is both heart-wrenching and warm. It's one of the best experiences to go through if a player has time. The barrier of entry for this plot is what puts it farther in this list as players need to understand Kingdom Hearts lore and put hours into text-based storytelling to get the most out of this.

7/10 Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Nathan Drake In A Forest Area

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is one of the best action-adventure games. The gameplay is some of the best in the genre, but what makes it stick out is the story that it dispenses. The game feels like someone grabbed Indiana Jones and decided to turn those movies into a game.

The players' main focus revolves around buried treasure but the true gold is in the dialogue. The characters are well-rounded. There are also relationships introduced that'll have the player rooting for them. The main plot points of the story are not anything new, but the way the plot is presented feels novel.

6/10 Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption John Marston Holding Double Barrel Shotgun

Red Dead Redemption is chocked full of movement in the plot. A player never really knows what's going to happen next. The game is full of tense situations and makes the player feel like a true ex-outlaw. Up until the ending, John Marston--the main character--keeps opening up.

Witnessing the struggle of watching John trying to fight for a normal life is beautiful. It's a cowboy story full of vengeance and an old life crashing with the creation of a new one. This is a story for anyone willing to immerse themselves into a world set in the not-so-distant past.

5/10 BioShock

Big Daddy With A Little Sister

BioShock feels is like a revolving door of emotional turmoil as the story is full of twists. Everything that the player starts to uncover is frequently in a state of being torn apart and reconstructed. The plot is never what it seems until the very end. Even at the very end, the player is left satisfied with what conspired but also in a state of confusion.

Many questions are answered but so many more are formed. The most magnificent part about BioShock, aside from level design, is the wow factor it exudes from players.

4/10 God Of War

God Of War Kratos Fighting Enemies And Blocking

The 2018 God of War game has one of the best stories in the series. The game builds up a character, Kratos, who's known for being vengeful, and gives him a son. The father and son dynamic creates moments where they learn from one another.

Kratos gets to experience all of the emotions that come with being a father on a journey with his son. The story combines a Bildungsroman, coming-of-age story, with that of an adventure to complete a loved one's final wish after they've passed.

3/10 The Last Of Us

Ellie In The Last Of Us

The Last Of Us has players feel like they've been thrown into the life of Joel Miller. They get to witness him live his life as the Cordyceps outbreak occurs and changes him. The character development feels like a web of intrinsic exploration from Joel's perspective. The choices made to survive are always on the moral brink of right or wrong.

Many parts of The Last of Us feel a lot like the bonding between a rough father and daughter. The game makes players think about the choices that they're witnessing and because of that, it has one of the most well-written stories to date.

2/10 Resident Evil Village

The Village In Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village puts together an intense nightmare of a story that is unlike any of its predecessors or any game at that. The main plot point of the story continues where the previous game left off. The plot, in this sense, starts in the middle of the action which makes the entirety of the game feel like absolute chaos.

The main reason why Ethan travels to the Village is enough to creep players out, but keep them so intrigued that they want to know more. It never dries up and the stakes never balance out as there is a constant tension in all of its story arcs.

1/10 Undertale

Undertale Frisk Talking To Sans and Undyne

Undertale flows with creativity in its presentation. It integrates combat with the story in a way that allows for players to go through the game without ever hurting anyone, trying to kill everything that breathes, or sitting somewhere in between. The variety in ways that the player can receive the story is in itself captivating. Playing through the game multiple times unveils different plot points and builds the world in a deeper light.

Some runs are bound to give players a deep tug to their heart strings while others might invoke the feeling of overcoming a challenge. Undertale seamlessly connects its story to every other art that this game offers from combat options to music. The game has many secrets for players to uncover that build a special world that all players can find deep meaning in.