Summary

  • Some games allow you to explore at your own pace without time limits or urgent storylines.
  • Titles like Elden Ring and Hollow Knight offer rich lore but let you uncover it slowly.
  • Games such as Pokemon Scarlet & Violet provide multiple storylines without forcing a specific order or pace.

Some games give you 72 hours to solve a mystery before the entire town is nuked and all is lost. Other games have a clock where certain events happen at specific points in the day. ෴Miss out on them, a🎐nd you’ll need to go back in time and try again. Sometimes, you just want to enjoy the story at your own pace.

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168澳洲幸运5开奖网: The𝔉 Best Story-Driven Video Games ♌

If you're really into goodꦬ storytelling in your video games, then these story-driven games with excellent plots will be right u🥂p your alley.

Not every game will pressure you to complete ꧙the story. In fact, many games have so much content you can ski𓂃p out on the story altogether if you want to. Mostly, you just want to be able to explore freely without the pressure of saving the world or preventing some kind of disaster.

10 The Elder Scrolls 4: O𓆉blivion Remastered

Closing The Doors To Oblivion Can Wait

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Your Rating

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaste🥀red
Action
RPG
Open-World
Adventure
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 86%
Released
April 22, 2025
ESRB
♈ Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, ꩲViolence
Developer(s)
Virtuos, Bethesda
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Engine
Unreal Engine 5

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL

Number of Players
Single-🌌player 🅘
Steam Deck Compatibility
Verified
PC Release Date
𒈔 April 22, 2025 🔴
Xbox Series X|S Release Date
𒉰 April 22, 2025 ꦫ
PS5 Release Date
🍌 April 2𒁃2, 2025
OpenCritic Rating
Strong
X|S Optimized
Yes
File Size Xbox Series
123.2 GB

Once you step foot out of the sewers with the Amulet of Kings in Oblivion, you’re pretty much all set to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:do whatever you want in this open w🍸orld. Sure, the Emperor’s final words are filled with gravity and the need for haste, but you can wait a few sea🔴sons before finally saving the world.

There are so many stories to become a part of and each one gives you a better perspective of the region. From clear🦂ing the basement of pests to returning cursed items to their rightful owners, you can take your time seeing everything Cyrodil has to offer🧜.

9 Elden Ring ও

Plenty Of Time To Discover The Story

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Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Elden Ring
RPG
Action
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 95/100 Critics Rec: 98%
Released
February 25, 2022
ESRB
💯 🧔 M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
ܫ From﷽ Software
Engine
Proprietary

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Multiplayer
🔥 Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
ꦗ PS4 & PS5 and Xbo♚x One & Xbox Series X|S
Cross Save
no
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
How Long To Beat
58 Hours
X|S Optimized
yes
Wiki

Metascore
96
Platforms That Support Crossplay
PS4 & PS🐠5𝓀 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Souls games are filled with story, with each item in the game having a detailed description of how it fits into the world. You can even get some e🔯nvironmental storytelling from the types of enemies you encounter and the various locations you discover 🐎throughout the map.

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168澳洲幸运5开奖网: 8 Most Underrated Story-Driven Games 𝐆

These story-driven games deserve far more love.

The game never pushes you into learning all this. It simply has great gameplay to keep you going. It's the sense of discovery that pushes you towards examining everythi🐈ng. So you can spend one playthrough just focusing on a fresh build, or you can take a deep dive into the lore at your own pace.

8 🐓 The Talos Principle

Puzzles And AI

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Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: The Talos Principle
Puzzle
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 87/100 Critics Rec: 89%
Released
December 11, 2014
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Mild Sexual Them🐲es, Mild Violence
Developer(s)
Croteam
Engine
Serious Engine 4

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
How Long To Beat
16 Hours

The Talos Principle is filled with fantastic scenery and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:engaging puzzles. It also has aಌ story you can catch up on when you're not focusing all your brain power on p🧸ushing buttons, connecting lights, or putting together blocks to open up new paths.

The plot of The Talos Prin🐻ciple is told through audio logs and messages on the terminal. There's never any rush to listen to these, which pairs well with the game's serene atmosphere. If you get caught up doing puzzles or simply fall into the groove of things, the story is waiting for you.

7 Dredge

Go Anywhere Your Boat Can Float

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Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Dredge
Adventure
Systems
3.0/5
Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 89%
Released
March 31, 2023
ESRB
E10+ For Ever☂yone 10+ Due To Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco
Developer(s)
Blaꦬck Salt Games ♔
Publisher(s)
Team17
Engine
Unity

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

OpenCritic Rating
Strong
How Long To Beat
10 Hours
PS Plus Availability
🍸 Extra & Premium
Metascore
81

Dredge doesn't flood you with plot at every single corner. Instead, it lets you ease into it whenever you can. This is because you have the freedom to fish anywhere as long as you haveไ the equipment and boat strength to do so.

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The꧙ overall cost of gaming can really get out of hand quickly. Here are some free-to-play games with plenty of content to keep youꦡ engaged.

While you may feel some pressure avoiding some of the deep sea horrors lurking beneath the surface, you’ll never feel꧑ any pressure getting from one piece of the story to the next. So take your time, explore, and try not to get your boat wrecked.

6 ꦿ Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Multiple Stories At Your Pace

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Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Systems
2.0/5
Top Critic Avg: 71/100 Critics Rec: 47%
Released
November 18, 2022
ESRB
E For Everyone🌄 Due To Miꦕld Fantasy Violence
Publisher(s)
Nintendo, ღThe Pokemon Company
Engine
Proprietary Engine

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Multiplayer
𓂃 ꦛ Local Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
no
Cross Save
no
Franchise
Pokemon
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
Platform(s)
Switch
OpenCritic Rating
Fair
How Long To Beat
32 Hours
X|S Optimized
no
Metascore
72

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are unique in the series. This generation offers three distinct stories that can be tackled in any order and without any reaꦑl haste. You can tackle🌄 Titan Pokemon with Arven or take down the various Team Star Outposts.

Even the Gym Challengꦫe doesn’t force you to go in any particular order as long as you have Pokemon that are strong enough. The game also doesn’t shওove the story in your face with severe roadblocks that won’t go away. Every roadblock feels natural.

5 Fallout: Ne🅠w Vegas

No Hand Holding

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Your Rating

Fallout: New Vegas
9.0/10
Released
October 19, 2010
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs🤡
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Engine
Gamebryo
Franchise
Fallout

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
How Long To Beat
28 Hours
PS Plus Availability
Premium
Metascore
84

Time limits aren’t the only thing that prevents you from exploring a story at your own pace. Too much hand holding can prevent you from doing things your way. Fallout: New Vegas is a great example of giving a player a starting goal but very 🦋little direction.

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1

You could go after the people who attack🧸ed you, or you can go in the completely opposite direction just to explore the wasteland. It never feels like a necessary first step, like encountering the Minutemen or stopping by Diamond City 🐻in Fallout 4.

4 🎃 Spiritfare⛄r

Take Your Time Getting To Know The Dead

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Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Spiritfarer
Platformer
Indie Games
Simulation
Systems
3.5/5
Top Critic Avg: 87/100 Critics Rec: 92%
Released
August 18, 2020
ESRB
T For Tee๊n due to Language, Us🌱e of Tobacco, Violent References
Developer(s)
Thunder Lotus Games, Kowloon Nig🧸hts, Canada Media Fund
Publisher(s)
ꦿ Thunder Lotus Games 🉐
Engine
Unity

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Multiplayer
൲ Online Multiplayer 𒈔
Platform(s)
Xbox One, Stadia, PC, PS4, Switch
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
How Long To Beat
30 Hours
X|S Optimized
No
File Size Xbox Series
🎶 6 GB (November 20ℱ23)

There are plenty of games that make you c🔯ry when they’re finally over, but Spiritfarer will have you tearing up throughout. You'll be ferrying souls into the afterlife while collecting and managing resources. There’s plenty of time to ge𒀰t to know each character that enters your life just as long as you’re ready to say goodbye at the end of their stories.

There's no time limit as to when characters leave. T🌃ime only runs out when you’ve done everything you can before sending th൩em off. So, you can take your time absorbing each individual story at your leisure.

3 🐲 Hollow Knight ꦅ

A Metroidvania Rich In Lore

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Your Rating

Hollow Knight
Top Critic Avg: 90/100 Critics Rec: 99%
Released
February 24, 2017
ESRB
💙 E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy꧅ Violence, Mild Blood
Developer(s)
🅷 🅷 Team Cherry
Publisher(s)
𒀰 Team Cherry 🌠
Engine
Unity

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
How Long To Beat
27 Hours
X|S Optimized
No
File Size Xbox Series
7 GB (Novembe💖r 2023) ﷺ
PS Plus Availability
ꦛ Extra & Premium ꦬ
Wiki

There’s plenty of lore to be discovered in Hollow Knight. However, you have all the time in the world to uncover it. As it's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a metroidvania, you’ll be venturing back and forth through previously explored areas. This giไves you time to 𝔉take in the haunting scenery and the serene music.

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1

Hollow Knight has neither a time limit or hand holding. From the very start, you learn from experience. Take your time revisiting characters to hear more of t♌heir dialogue, or pay attention to the level designs. Lore can be found in almost every corner of the game, and it’s never spoon-fed.

2 Subna꧂utica

Deep Sea Wonders And Horrors

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Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Subnautica
Survival
Horror
Open-World
Science Fiction
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 84/100 Critics Rec: 92%
Released
January 23, 2018
ESRB
⛎ 🧜 E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
Developer(s)
🔴 Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Gearbox Publish𒆙ing
Engine
Unity

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

PC Release Date
January 23, 2018 ꩲ 🅷
Xbox Series X|S Release Date
🌃 May 14, 2021
PS5 Release Date
May 14, 2021 ꦦ
Nintendo Switch Release Date
May 14, 2021 🥃
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
How Long To Beat
30 Hours
Metascore
87

Subnautica has you exploring the oceans of an alien plane🍃t. After crash-landing, you need to gather resources and construct your 🐲base as you dive deeper into the sea. Along the way, you’ll discover PDAs scattered around the depths.

These PDAs contain intel which is needed to make progress in the story. However, you can do this at your own pace. There is plenty of alien sea life to keep an eye on and some you’d rath🦄er not know exist unless you’re b♉rave.

1 🌸 The Long Dark

The Best Of Both Worlds

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Your Rating

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: The Long Dark
Survival Horror
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 78/100 Critics Rec: 71%
Released
August 1, 2017
ESRB
T For Teen due to Blood, Language, Vi꧟olence
Developer(s)
Hinterland Studi𝓡o
Publisher(s)
✨ Hinterland Studio
Engine
Unity

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

The Long Dark is a bru🐠tal survival game in which you must navigate the frozen Canadian wilds after a plane crash. 

OpenCritic Rating
Strong
How Long To Beat
22 Hours
PS Plus Availability
Extra & Premium 𒅌

The Long Dar🍰k features two distinct ways to play. One gives you a closer look at the story with scripted events, while the other has you survivi๊ng endlessly in the wilderness. This is another way a game can let you take your time experiencing the world while also giving you that rush for survival.

There’s a global disaster happening, and 𝐆you’ve found yourself stranded in the frozen wilderness fighting the wildlife and hostile humans. It’s not your typical end of the world scenario, but it reels you in whether you love survival games or just enjoy a good narrative.

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168澳洲幸运5开奖网: 10 Best Free Indie Games On St🍌eam

These fr🏅ee indie games are sure 🌺to keep you entertained.