10 Best Stop Motion Video Games

Key Takeaways

• Stop motion games offer unique visuals and meaningful stories that provide players with a nostalgic and memorable gaming experience.
• There are both classic and underrated stop motion games available, offering creative worlds, quirky characters, and imaginative storylines.
• The traditional charm of stop motion will always hold a special place in the industry, with new releases like Harold Halibut revitalizing the popularity of stop motion games.

Stop motion video games and movies have been stealing fans’ hearts for decades now. While they might not be one of the most popular types of games, the stop motion art style still provides unique experiences to its players through one-of-a-kind visuals that magnify the games’ meaningful stories. Some of these games became classics; however, there are also a few underrated creations and exciting new options gamers should know about.

Stop motion games always have creative worlds and imaginative storylines with quirky characters and all kinds of cute animals that are also perfect for avid and casual gamers too, who love to try animal or cat video games with beguiling and weird visuals.

Updated on December 3rd, 2024, by Fatima Naeem: The key aspect that makes stop motion games so important to the gaming industry isn’t just their distinctive visuals, though that plays a part. It’s the fact that, no matter how advanced technology gets, the traditional charm of stop motion will always be something irreplaceable and will always maintain its unique place in the world. With the official release of Harold Halibut, there’s been another resurgence in the popularity of stop motion games — and there are so many stunningly mystical stop motion titles either set to release soon or already out.

10 Tanita: Plasticine Dream

Vibrant Stop Motion Made With Clay Work

• Platforms: PC
• Developer(s): Trickstar Games
• Released: August 29, 2006

Tanita: Plasticine Dream is one of the most vibrant and charming stop motion adventure games that’s a whole lot of fun for adults and kids too. Thanks to its beautiful claymation, it’s one of those games that is not only fun to play, but also fun to watch.

The game’s story is about Tanita, a young and clever Plasticine girl, who finds herself on a mysterious island after a plane crash. Players will have to find a way to help her survive and escape this island while also defeating an evil enemy who turns fishes into monsters. While solving fun puzzles, riddles, mini-games, and using weird machines, players will go on Tanita’s colorful and often humorous journey in this weirdly wonderful fantasy world.

9 The Dark Eye

Psychological Horror In The Form Of Stop Motion

• Platforms: PC
• Developer(s): Inscape
• Released: 1995

The Dark Eye is one of the darkest psychological horror games that’s one of the most beloved classic stop motion games ever created. The game’s creative story was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s spooky macabre stories. The creators used stop motion animation, 3D graphics, and chilling video segments to create the game’s unique world.

The game’s story is about an unnamed character who’s suffering from horrifying and surreal nightmares. After he visits his uncle, he gets involved in the characters’ ill-fated love story which leads to insanity. It’s a dark yet beautiful adventure with atmospheric music that lets players experience some of Poe’s most haunting stories in a completely new and unique way.

8 The Neverhood

Puzzle Adventure From The 90s That Redefines The Genre

The Neverhood is one of the most charming puzzle adventure stop motion video games from the late 90s. The game’s world is filled with vibrant and weird hand-crafted creations and its story is wonderfully quirky and humorous. The Neverhood is about the story of Klaymen, the protagonist, who suddenly discovers that his entire world and he himself are made out of clay.

Players will have to guide Klaymen through this imaginative world while solving puzzles and riddles and enjoying upbeat music. The goal is to help him figure out his purpose in this newly realized clay life of his.

7 Judero

Medieval Themed Stop Motion With The Main Character Having Powers Of Nature

• Platforms: PC
• Developer(s): Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya
• Released: 2024

Judero isn’t the most typical-looking game on this list, even by stop motion standards. It is set in a medieval setting and revolves around a Celt called Judero who has powers to manipulate nature around him. Naturally, this makes him very in touch with the environment and gives him the realization that something dark is at work secretly.

Since Judero is an action-adventure, it is obviously filled to the brim with a tonne of action sequences and combat. Some of its boss fights, side quests, and mechanics are pretty awesome despite it being an indie game. It has an overall ‘grim’ aesthetic that surprisingly suits the theme its developers are going for. All in all, it’s a solid indie action-adventure that deserves more love.

6 Harold Halibut

Sci-Fi Mixed With Retro

Harold Halibut is a 2024 adventure indie stop motion game with linear gameplay and a very charming storyline. Although this story-rich and atmospheric game about life and friendship is considerably new in the scene, it’s already won multiple prestigious gaming awards.

The game’s story follows a young maintenance worker named Harold and is set on a stunning city-sized spaceship submerged in an alien ocean. The spaceship’s inhabitants fled Earth 250 years ago because of a Cold War and are now stranded in the middle of nowhere on an alien planet. Players, as Harold, get to go on an adventure in this extremely detailed and vibrant retro-future style world in which the ship’s lead scientist, Mareaux tries to fix the ship and find a new drier home for everyone.

5 Armikrog

Clay-Motion Stop Motion Revolving Around A Space Explorer And His Alien Dog

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, Wii U, Mac operating systems
• Developer(s): Pencil Test Studios, Versus Evil
• Released: 2015

There’s a high chance that players who are already familiar with The Neverhood are also familiar with Armikrog since it’s technically the game’s spiritual successor. One could say it is the new and improved version of The Neverhood — in terms of development and technical stuff — and does a lot of stuff better.

Like its predecessor, Armikrog is also a point-and-click game that places a strong emphasis on — well, clicking. The main character of the story is a space explorer known as Tommynaut, who, alongside his sidekick/ pet alien Dog Beak-Beak, traverses through a very surreal-looking clay-motion world.

4 Derrick the Deathfin

Papercraft Stop Motion Video Game Set Underwater

• Platforms: PC
• Developer(s): Trickstar Games
• Released: August 29, 2006

Derrick the Deathfin is one of the most colorful and entertaining modern stop motion video games that takes its players on a fantastical underwater papercraft adventure. Players will have to help Derrick, a goofy shark, take revenge after his parents’ death.

While the story might seem menacing, it’s actually a joyful and fun game in which players can help Derrick eat all kinds of animals including bears, birds, and rabbits while leaping through flaming tires, collecting diamonds, and trying to destroy all man-made structures. The game has fun levels and is easy enough to be enjoyable for both casual and beginner gamers.

3 Lumino City

Award Winning Puzzle Game With Handmade Stop Motion Action

• Platforms: PC
• Developer(s): Trickstar Games
• Released: August 29, 2006

Lumino City is one of the most beguiling and charming stop motion games ever created. This award-winning hand-made adventure is one of the greatest puzzle games with breathtaking visuals. Players will have to help Lumi explore this detailed and extraordinary city while using their wits and creativity to piece together imaginative puzzling mechanisms.

Players will get to discover all kinds of quirky and wonderful buildings and even create some themselves. The game’s story follows Lumi as she tries to find her missing Grandad. While exploring the city she also learns interesting new things about her grandfather that put him in a new light.

2 Once A Tale

Retelling Of Hansel & Gretel

• Platforms: PC
• Developer(s): Carcajou Games, Triple Boris Inc., 2 Igloos
• Released: 2023

Fairy tales are already pretty magical, all things considered. But with Once A Tale’s intricately handmade stop motion graphics and its heavy inspiration from one of the most underrated stories ever, Hansel and Gretel, fairy tales somehow become even more magical.

Once A Tale is a 3D single-player puzzle adventure that also doubles as a Hansel and Gretel retelling. It follows the two siblings in their quest to find their way back home through the dark forest, all the while being stalked by unseen forces in the shadows. The deeper they go, the more peculiarities they find — some very magical, but some slightly sinister.

1 The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2

Surreal Point-And-Click Adventure That Leaves Players Feeling Uneasy

• Platforms: PC
• Developer(s): Cockroach Inc.
• Released: 2012

The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is one of the most mind-bending award-winning games ever created. The game not only has one-of-a-kind visuals thanks to its stop motion art style but also an inspired storyline with meaningful themes. This point-and-click adventure game takes its players on an atmospheric and weird adventure.

Players will control a character named Victor, who can enter people’s dreams. Through various engaging puzzles, players will have to help Victor save his neighbors from the dream machine. The Dream Machine‘s world is set in a creepy apartment complex filled with mystery and secrets and the creepy gameplay is matched with equally haunting music that increases the game’s surreal atmosphere.