Life Is Strange Games, Ranked

The Life is Strange series began when the first episode of the original game launched on most platforms in early 2015. The developers at Dontnod Entertainment helped bring the adventure genre back into the spotlight with realistic and well-written characters, choices that truly feel like they matter, and a superhero twist that gives you more than just the power to decide what you want to wear to school.

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Each game in the Life is Strange series stars its own cast of characters in unique locations, though it’s indicated heavily that all of these titles take place in the same universe. You could play any of them in any order you like, but for the best experience, you should check them out chronologically. While every Life is Strange game has compelling ideas and stories, some are certainly better than others.

Updated on November 7, 2024, by Kyle Chamaillard: We’ve decided to revisit this list to include Life is Strange: Double Exposure and see where it lands against its predecessors.

6

The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit

Super Short, Super Fun

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is a short experience that’s meant to be played between the first two episodes of Life is Strange 2. At only a couple of hours long, it does an excellent job introducing a new character, Chris, as he spends a day performing chores while pretending to be a superhero.

Captain Spirit excels at showing you what the world looks like through the eyes of a child, where everyone or everything looks like either a superhero or a supervillain. It’s also a bit heavier than you might expect, as a certain character deals with addiction after the loss of a loved one. It’s easily the least essential Life is Strange game, but it’s also free, so if you want to dive into the series without spending a dime, this would be a great place to start.

5

Life Is Strange: Before The Storm

A Bold Prequel

If the original Life is Strange is Twin Peaks, then Before the Storm is Fire Walk With Me, the prequel movie that pulls back the curtain on the darkness lurking beneath a town like Arcadia Bay. It’s more polarizing than the game that came before it, but if you want to know more about characters like Chloe Price and Rachel Amber, it’s an essential ride that’s worth strapping in for.

Unlike the main Life is Strange game, Before the Storm was developed by Deck Nine, who would later return to work on Life is Strange: True Colors. While the writing and playfulness of this game possibly surpass the original, a few things prevent Before the Storm from being perfect. It’s only three episodes and feels a bit rushed toward the end, and the decisions you make throughout the adventure don’t feel nearly as important as in other games in the series.

4

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure

Max Is Back

Nearly a decade after the original Life is Strange gripped fans with its engaging story and believable characters, the series returned to its roots with Double Exposure. After introducing us to new protagonists with each entry, we’re finally reunited with the original woman with superpowers, Max Caulfield. A few years have passed since her last adventure, but she still carries the trauma from what happened in Arcadia Bay and can no longer access her rewind abilities.

Working at a university as an in-residence photographer, Max quickly returns to the world of tough decision-making after one of her friends is murdered. Borrowing elements from previous Life is Strange games, Double Exposure feels like the culmination of the series but fails to reach the same heights as its predecessors. It’s easily the best-looking entry, but limited exploration and a predictable and familiar narrative keep it from feeling as special as the other titles.

3

Life Is Strange 2

A Road Trip You Won’t Forget

Life is Strange 2 is very ambitious and bold with its storytelling, and it feels like it goes out of its way to be as different as possible as the first game in the series. Instead of playing as someone with superpowers in a small town, you control a normal teenager traveling across America with his younger brother who’s recently discovered that he has telekinetic powers.

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One of the best parts about Life is Strange 2 is its commentary about being a person of color in America toward the end of the 2010s. It’s a perspective that is rarely highlighted in video games, but there is a realness to how the game approaches Sean and Daniel’s interactions with people in 2016 that are equally tense or liberating. Similar to movies like Into the Wild or Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Life is Strange 2 is about the journey of self-discovery and the people we meet along the way that helps us understand ourselves better.

2

Life Is Strange: True Colors

A Triumphant Return

After the coast-to-coast adventures of Daniel and Sean in Life is Strange 2, True Colors brings the series back to its roots by revolving its story around a mysterious death in a small town full of memorable and quirky characters. Alex Chen is an empath, and you’ll use her powers in creative and intriguing ways to solve what happened in Haven Springs. True Colors is easily the best-looking game in the series and even the smaller decisions you make have an impact on the characters and story around you.

Unlike the other Life is Strange games that released new episodes every couple of months, True Colors launched with all of its content ready to go, a great change that will hopefully stay with future entries. While Before the Storm showcased what Deck Nine could do with the Life is Strange series, True Colors fulfills that promise with endless creativity, a relatable and well-written protagonist, and an emotional story that you won’t want to stop playing until the credits finally roll.

1

Life Is Strange

The Game That Started It All

The original Life is Strange was incredibly ambitious and brought an emotional weight to the adventure genre that felt unique at the time. The story of Max Caulfield, a high-school student who discovers she has the power to rewind time, is unforgettable, and the use of licensed music and grounded, well-written characters create an absorbing environment that is still rare to find in video games today.

Throughout five episodes, Max and her friend Chloe investigate the disappearance of another student while trying to decipher Max’s peculiar visions of a terrifying future. Life is Strange dabbles with elements of horror and drama, but it’s the relationship between Max and Chloe that drives you to keep playing until you get to the end of the game, where you’ll be forced to make one of the toughest decisions in any game ever. As long as you don’t mind hearing words like “Hella” and “Wowzers”, Life is Strange is still the best game in the series and worth replaying whenever you get the chance.

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10 Small Details We Love From The Life Is Strange Series

These small details help to make Life is Strange even better.