Best Games Worth Playing Just For The Atmosphere

Some games excel with their narratives, others with gameplay, and a number of them manage to balance both to great success. However, an immersive atmosphere can be an important factor for many players, and not every game is capable of nailing down a consistent ambiance.

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However, there are a number of games that are worth playing just for their atmosphere. These games are often immersive regardless of their gameplay or narrative, though the best of them use their atmosphere to support the rest of the title.

8

Dredge

Minimalist Gameplay On Calm And At-Times Spooky Waters

Released

March 31, 2023

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco

Dredge is an open-world fishing game that can provide true moments of calm on its bobbing, soothing waters. The complete accessibility of its fishing mechanics helps tremendously with the overall atmosphere, allowing players to easily wind down as they sail about the game’s archipelago in search of new fish.

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However, Dredge also features a Lovecraftian horror twist, with plenty of eldritch creatures lurking in its world. This turns the atmosphere on its head during the night, offering a tense and creepy ambiance that’s sure to drive players back to the nearest port.

7

BioShock

An Expertly Crafted Setting

Released

August 21, 2007

ESRB

m

Despite its age, BioShock is still worth playing today, if only for its deeply immersive atmosphere. The game’s awe-inspiring underwater setting is truly memorable, but it’s the effortless combination of sound design, art-direction, and music that allows BioShock‘s atmosphere to be so immersive.

BioShock‘s cast of talented voice actors and deftly-woven narrative are the driving force, but it’s the environmental storytelling and distinctive environments that fuel the experience. Arriving in Rapture amid complete chaos offers a particularly unique atmosphere that’s almost sickening, especially as players begin to uncover the variety of horrors taking place. Supporting this is an expert combination of licensed music and original score, being brought to life through immersive sound design that provides a grounded sense of place.

6

Pacific Drive

Atmospheric Driving With An Immersive Soundscape

Systems

Released

February 22, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Language

Pacific Drive centers around an extraction-based gameplay loop, tasking players with driving through a variety of environments plagued by supernatural hazards. There’s no combat in Pacific Drive, and much of the game is based around exploration and car maintenance, making the title’s immersive atmosphere one of the primary reasons to play.

Players who enjoy lightweight simulation and survival game mechanics will likely enjoy the vehicle maintenance and resource management of Pacific Drive. However, it’s the game’s immersive sound design, alternative soundtrack, and careful art direction that make it tick.

5

Resident Evil

Methodical Survival Horror That Excels With Atmosphere

Systems

Released

April 30, 2002

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence

Although this classic survival-horror game features gameplay that may feel a little clunky to modern audiences, Resident Evil excels with its tense atmosphere. Furthermore, these old-school controls make each of the game’s slow and methodical scraps with the dangerous undead all the more intense.

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It’s not just the rate of play, though; Resident Evil‘s careful sound design and, more importantly, its sparse but effective use of music make for a truly atmospheric experience. The game’s safe rooms, in particular, grant an overwhelming sense of relief thanks to the tranquil atmosphere that they provide, offering a memorable tune that signals a rare and complete safety.

4

Animal Well

A Mysterious World That Encourages Curiosity

Released

May 9, 2024

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence

Animal Well is an exploration-focused puzzle game with the structure of a Metroidvania, providing players with a frequent and rewarding sense of discovery. The game’s dense and unique atmosphere, however, offers a consistent backbone to the experience.

With its dense forest of neon pixels, exotic animals and enchanting plant-life, and ambient synth-based soundtrack, Animal Well‘s synergistic presentation is in of itself a reason to play, especially for players looking to immerse themselves in an alien environment.

3

The Wolf Among Us

A Narrative-Driven Adventure Elevated By Its Unique Tone

Released

October 14, 2013

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Tobacco

​​​​​​​The Wolf Among Us is a narrative-driven adventure game that follows the typical Telltale formula. However, it’s elevated by its cast of colorful characters and distinctive neo-noir atmosphere, immersing players in the unique underworld of Fabletown.

This dense atmosphere is brought to life via a combination of distinctive art-direction and expert mise en scene, offering players a truly cinematic experience. This is further supported by the game’s throbbing, ambient synth-based soundtrack.

2

Hollow Knight

A Truly Memorable Interconnected World

Released

February 24, 2017

ESRB

E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood

​​​​​​​Hollow Knight is a modern classic Metroidvania that takes place in an interconnected underground world, populated with dangerous creatures and charismatic NPCs alike. It’s the game’s enigmatic atmosphere, however, that makes it such a joy to explore.

The soundtrack does a lot of heavy lifting, but Hollow Knight is supported by excellent art-direction and evocative sound design that brings each of its distinctive locales to life. There’s great gameplay at the heart of Hollow Knight, but nothing beats the sense of place its ruined kingdom facilitates.

1

Kentucky Route Zero

Deeply Atmospheric & Emotional Interactive Fiction

Released

January 7, 2013

ESRB

T For Teen due to Language, Use of Drugs

​​​​​​​Kentucky Route Zero is unlike any other game. In fact, it’s hard to describe it as a game; Kentucky Route Zero is more of an experiment, a tour de force in interactive fiction, an emotional road trip that provides as much heart as it does surrealist imagery.

Offering a string of truly memorable vignettes, Kentucky Route Zero provides a melancholic journey that blends tragedy and kindness to great effect. The emotional weight of its narrative and the frequently revealing character moments are made all the more memorable thanks to the game’s soundtrack, which combines ambient synths with bluegrass tunes. In combination with the evocative writing and cinematic art-direction, Kentucky Route Zero is able to provide an experience that’s all about the atmosphere, slowly letting players into its world without ever quite explaining it.

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