Great Games Where Your Decisions Truly Matter

Key Takeaways

• Choices in video games can matter, with decisions altering storylines and character relationships significantly.
• Popular RPG games like Fable 2 and Mass Effect 2 emphasize strategic choices impacting outcomes.
• Content-heavy games like Detroit: Become Human and Life is Strange 2 are home to diverse narrative paths.

One of the factors that separates gaming from other popular forms of entertainment like film is that gaming, generally speaking, puts players in the shoes of the main character. Today, many games expand upon the idea of the player truly being in control of the protagonist by giving them a vast range of choices and decisions to make that will alter the direction of the story. This certainly isn’t a new feature of gaming, as it was the key selling point of numerous 80s and 90s graphic adventures.

However, it’s fair to say that the choices in many games today are far more expansive than ever before, and the popularity of games where the player’s choices matter has led to significantly more games being available to choose from. Unfortunately, the popularity of decision-based games has meant that many developers and publishers have tried to shoehorn decision-making into their games despite the choices having little to no impact on the direction of the story. Thankfully, there are numerous games where decision-making isn’t just a gimmick but a key, in-depth feature.

Updated November 16, 2024, by Mara Cowley: Choice-based games remain a popular option among gamers, especially those who are fans of RPGs. These games allow players to feel as though they truly have a role within the game and its world. While there are many games where players’ decisions don’t have too much sway, there are plenty of decision-based games that provide players with ways to change how the story unfolds. This article already included some of the best choice-based games out there, but there are still many more that deserve to be hailed as such.

38 Batman: The Enemy Within

The Player has a Direct Impact on The Joker’s Character

Telltale Games prides themselves on choice-driven games. They confront players with decisions they must make quickly, as well as providing dialogue choices to allow them to address other characters as they wish. Batman: The Enemy Within is one such game, letting players control the Caped Crusader as he does what Batman does best: protecting the people of Gotham.

Many famous villains make their appearance in this game, but the dark stars of this show are Joker and Harley. Their relationship is inverted so that Harley is the manipulative mastermind, and Joker is the one manipulated. But the player can also have a hand in shaping the Joker’s character. Depending on how they choose to treat him, the player either makes him become a vigilante, or turns him into a villain.

37 Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Minor Choices Echo Throughout The Game

In the role of Rook, it is up to the player to stop the Gods from enacting their plans to spread the Blight over the world, which would end all life as it is known. On their quest to do so, they will travel to many different locations, meet many different people, and, of course, be met with different choices, such as decided the fate NPCs, and how they speak to them.

Decisions made, such as the fate of the Mayor in D’Meta’s Crossing, will have consequences that players won’t know about until they are further in the game. Smaller choices, such as which dialogue options they pick, will even have influences on future dialogue with that same character. The result is a game where players truly feel that their choices are being taken into account.

36 Chrono Trigger

Choices Made Throughout Various Eras Will Influence the Narrative

Even back in the mid 90s, developers such as Square Enix allowed players to have a hand in how their game plays out by presenting choices that could have a major impact on the story. This is no more true than with one of their most beloved RPGs of all time, Chrono Trigger.

The game’s story will take players and their companions through several different eras on their quest to save the world as they know it. And with time travel stories, there are always consequences for meddling with the timeline. Choices that the player makes can change how the narrative unfolds , which is an impressive amount of freedom considering the game’s age.

35 Fable 2

The Final Decision Determines The Player Character’s Fate

Fable 2 was perhaps the most heralded title in the series, and it is clear to see why. It oozed charisma, character, and took players on a whirlwind story in order to save the lands from the evil powers of Lucien, the man who killed their older sister when they were both poor orphans living on the streets.

Players will be presented with choices throughout Fable 2, and the well-implemented morality system gives their decisions weight and can alter how their character looks. There are three possible endings to Sparrow’s adventure, and what choice the player makes will determine what ending they receive. It certainly isn’t an easy choice to make, and most players will go through multiple playthroughs just so they can experience everything Fable 2 has to offer.

34 I Was A Teenage Exocolonist

The Character’s Life Hinges On Certain Decisions That Can Be Made

In a game that perhaps rings a bit too true to reality, the Earth has become unlivable, leading to a group of colonists taking a spaceship through a wormhole to colonize a habitable planet. The player character falls into a coma and awakens to see their new home on Vertumna 4.

I Was A Teenage Exocolonist players have great agency with their character; they are able to customize them, select their childhood friend, and pick traits that can have an impact on their game. As the plot spans multiple years of the protagonist’s life, the player chooses what activities they partake in as time passes, and some of these activities can even spell death for their colonists. The choices in this game are not to be underestimated, as they can have some of the biggest impacts seen in choice-based games.

33 Vampyr

The Fate Of London And Its Inhabitants Rest In The Bloody Hands Of Dr. Reid

Army medic Jonathan Reid returns to his home in London after his time in the war, only to be welcomed back into the arms of death. He awakens in a mound of corpses and must learn to temper his thirst as he upholds the hippocratic oath even in death.

However, it is up to the players if they want to resist the hunger for blood. There are many humans that players are free to feed on to grow more powerful, but this choice will have consequences. If enough humans are drained, the district becomes dangerous, and Jonathan Reid loses just a little of himself, which is reflected in the ending. Alternatively, Vampyr players can ignore the beast inside and choose to remain an ally and protector of the people.

32 Frostpunk

Players Choices During Construction Can Impact The Lives Of Inhabitants

One might think that a city builder game such as Frostpunk couldn’t qualify as a choice-based game, but they would be wrong. Along with the gameplay of creating cities, constructions, and advancing technology to protect habitations and inhabitants from the bitter cold, smart choices and resource-managing all play a big part in this game and require smart thinking on the player’s side.

Players will also be challenged to certain moral choices throughout the game that can have serious consequences for their settlements. Making the wrong choice could cost several lives, but what makes these choices even more impactful is the fact none of them are easy. Players might even be forced to make a few suffer for the betterment of many.

31 Road 96

Players Decisions Alter The Entire Story And The Setting

Road 96 takes players on a tour through the fictional nation known as Petria, an authoritarian place nearing a new election that could shake the political landscape. A group of hitchhiking teenagers are attempting to escape across the border without being caught by border patrol. Each failure results in the player taking control of one of the other teens, with the decisions made during their subsequent run referenced in this new one.

There are more decisions to be made outside a player’s escape attempts, such as interacting with various NPCs and engaging in mini-games to learn more about them and the world at large. One’s choices in Road 96 have the potential to shape the future of an entire nation.

30 The Quarry

Decisions Must Be Made Quickly, And They Have The Potential To Lead To Death

The Quarry is a strong entry in Supermassive’s library of horror games, taking clear inspiration from classic horror titles such as Friday the 13th with its summer camp setting and roster of counselors who are more interested in throwing parties than following the rules.

Before long, they learn that their extra night at camp has led to disastrous consequences, as werewolves prowl these woods and will tear apart any person they come face to face with. Players will not only be challenged with QTEs but also with decisions that must be made quickly. These decisions can lead to the deaths of characters, which makes the timer placed on the player even more stressful.

29 Tyranny

Player Choices Can Lead To The Eradication Of Locations

Set in a fantasy world with its own unique technology, Tyranny puts the player in the shoes of the Fatebinder, tasked with the onerous mission to quell the rebellion rising due to the infighting of two major factions or die along with everyone else.

With stakes this high, it makes sense there are many sensitive choices the player must make that can have drastic consequences. Depending on what choices players follow, some game locations may not even exist, dramatically altering the narrative path.

28 Disco Elysium

The Player’s Build Can Alter What Information They Are Privy To

Disco Elysium is an ambitious RPG that impressed gamers with its unique dialogue system and well-crafted characters. The game features very little combat, focusing more on plot, dialogue, and player agency.

Like most RPGs, players are able to put points into skills to create a unique build for their character, and even this choice is one to be made with care. Depending one’s builds and background, the player may be privy to unique tidbits of information and lore they wouldn’t know otherwise, which they can then use to their advantage during some conversations with certain NPCs.

27 Oxenfree

Dialogue Choices Play A Big Role In The Player’s Relationship With Characters

This charming graphic 2.5D adventure game sees players controlling Alex, a teenager who unwittingly frees a dangerous paranormal power that they must now find and put a stop to.

As they are trying to save the island, players can stop and chat with the various other characters in a unique way, as they are still free to move around during conversations. Oxenfree players will be offered multiple dialogue choices, with each one having the possibility to affect the relationship with the character in a positive or negative way. If the player cares for particular characters, they need to be mindful of how they talk to them.

26 Divinity: Original Sin 2

Side Quests Can Be Failed, Causing NPCs To Never Return Or Die

Before Baldur’s Gate 3, there was Divinity: Original Sin 2, Larian’s unique RPG set in original lore with pages of lore for players to sink their teeth into. Players could choose to play as one of the Origin characters or create their own Sourcerer to set upon the world and stop the Voidwoken.

Aside from the main quest, there are various side quests players can embark on, with choices that can result in the quest failing, causing the associated character to leave or even die. Players are given agency to approach missions how they wish, which they might encounter the consequences of later down the line.

25 The Outer Worlds

The Player’s Morality Reflected Through Dialogue Options Directly Influence The Game’s Ending

Following on from the major success of New Vegas, gamers were clamoring for another RPG game in the same vein as Obsidian, and they delivered with The Outer Worlds. This game changed the course of history by having Roosevelt never succeed McKinley, and megacorporations soon took over the earth, which had moved their ambitions to space, colonizing planets. They successfully do so, transforming many planets in the Halcyon system into new homes for citizens of Earth.

There are many choices players will be confronted with while space-faring in The Outer Worlds, both big and small, with some influencing the attitudes of other characters towards the player. These choices should not be made lightly, as players may come to regret it later.

24 As Dusk Falls

The Player’s Actions At Pivotal Moments Can Change The Trajectory Of The Plot

This narrative-driven adventure drama game spins the tale of two families who find themselves crossing paths with one another in the Arizona desert after a robbery goes horribly wrong. In a similar vein to games more like Life is Strange and less like Dragon Age, it requires plenty of choice-oriented input from the players.

Split across two ‘books,’ As Dusk Falls plays like an interactive movie, with the players interjecting their choices into pivotal moments in the game and directly influencing the trajectory of the plot. It even has a co-op mode for players to have a friend join them, much like the Dark Pictures anthology series.

23 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

How Players Choose To Navigate Certain Missions Impacts The Ending

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has taken players far and wide, from Renaissance Italy to Victorian London. Odyssey takes them back to the times of Ancient Greece, in which they take control of either Alexios or Kassandra as they fight as a Spartan in a war between Athens and Sparta. In comparison to earlier titles, Odyssey takes on more RPG elements, focusing less on stealth and more on combat.

It also features multiple endings, with the outcome depending directly on the player’s choice. With a total of nine endings that players can get, they must make sure to make wise choices on certain missions if they want the best outcome.

22 Catherine: Full Body

The Game Poses A Moral Question Each Night, With Every Answer Influencing The Ending

Catherine: Full Body falls into the same category as P4 Golden or P5 Royal: It’s not quite a remaster; it’s more of a rework with added content. The new content found in Catherine mostly centers around newcomer Rin, who becomes the new neighbor of Vincent and one of the new possible romance routes that players can pursue. Suffering a bout of amnesia other than a certain piano melody Rin often plays, it is up to the players to help Rin uncover those buried memories.

Choices play a major part in this game, with the players given a question after every nightmare stage they pass. They will be confronted by a moral dilemma and given two answers to choose from. While some questions are obvious as to which will put them on the good or bad path, these become less obvious as the game progresses, and depending on how that morality meter looks like at the end of the game, Vincent’s fate can be affected.

21 Baldur’s Gate 3

Every Decision Proposed To Players During Missions Will Ripple Throughout The Entire Campaign

Larian’s epic Dungeons and Dragons-themed RPG has captured the hearts of millions of gamers, bringing them and their characters into the world of Faerun as they travel far and wide in search of one with the skills to cure them of their recently acquired passenger. The quest to rid themselves of the Illithid passengers will bring them to multiple locations and multiple people, giving them the freedom to choose who they trust and ally themselves with.

These choices aren’t ones to be made on a whim, as their ripples will be felt throughout the campaign. Siding with the wrong (or right) person can close players off from certain missions and companions.

20 NieR: Automata

Multiple Secret Endings Can Result In The Game Ending Prematurely

This hit-action RPG from Square Enix follows the tales of three androids, 2B, 9S, and A2, as they fight against the machine lifeforms that have taken over the Earth after humanity fled to the moon, or so the androids think. In truth, humanity is no more, and the story was fabricated to give meaning to their lives of violence. NieR‘s story explores humanity, love, and loss and is more linear than other choice-based games.

However, NieR: Automata is filled with secret, optional endings that players can encounter by chance, such as exploding while on base or eating a piece of mackerel that Jackass offers as part of her research. Such decisions can lead to rather abrupt and humorous endings. If players unlock all of the game’s optional endings, they are awarded with an achievement for their troubles.

Making Strategic Choices During Combat Ensures The Run Continues

The XCOM series has predominantly become known for two things since the franchise reached the attention of mainstream gaming: its brutal difficulty and often ridiculous hit percentage chances. This made some people who hadn’t played the game believe it to be a gimmick, though this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Although the game does have its moments of absurd difficulty, players who get to grips with it will be rewarded with a challenging yet rewarding turn-based strategy game that demands that gamers think a few moves ahead, like a game of chess. Players don’t just need to think ahead and carefully plan out their decisions to complete each mission but also because, if one of their team members dies, they’re gone for good.