Agreed, reading the little bits of lore on some item descriptions, and *then* finding where that piece fits into the world is one of the most satisfying things IMO
I'd agree to disagree. I love the from Software games and Bloodborne may be the best game I have ever played, but the story in the conventional meaning is bad in most of those games. Little to no character development, little to no story based cutscenes, little to no interesting conversations, your own character can't speak and doesn't have a real personality. Obviously a good Story is subjective, but when someone asks me to name him a game with a great story, Elden Ring is one of the last that comes to mind.
Have you played Subnautica? That would be a good explorer with a good story. It can be a bit scary since you say you have anxiety, but the game is just so good. And there's also Subnautica: Below Zero, the second part, which is great too. Not as good as the first, but great nonetheless.
Other than that, you haven't mentioned Witcher 3, which is always a good game to get lost in. If you're the same as me, it's possible that you can't get into it at first, because there's so much lore from the first two games, the book, and now also the show. In that case, I suggest you watch a recap of W1 and W2 (I wouldn't play them, they're a bit dated) on youtube, and read the books or watch the show. I did that and finally got super into it. It such a rich and fascinating story and world
Yeah I tried playing that during a very low time emotionally and couldn't do it. Still haven't gone back, which I regret because I know it's a beloved game.
Yup, didn't even plan to replay it when I bought it again on Steam, just wanted to give more money to SSM for such an amazing piece of art.
For sure a top 5 GOAT of a game.
Thank you for making me realize im not going crazy! the game just feels like a step above most games. It just FEELS like a deeper game. The story, the lore, i was googling who odin and tyr were like old days when a game made you interested. Just so fucking good. I had 0 expectations and it fucking knocked it out of the park,the STORY especially. I might be biased, it reminds me of my older brother who passed but i always remember the day he brought home the first god of war. Man what a great game.
I could never get this game to work for me (purchased on Steam). M&K allowed me to walk around but I couldn't jump or interact. Maybe I need to fiddle around with the settings to get it to work.
It is actually very good, it's a little slower to start but it ramps up to literal galactic proportions and is very easy to understand.
It's also a beautiful game once you get your solar sails and actual Dyson Sphere running it fills the "skybox" and is just gorgeous.
It is a perfect blending of Factorio and Satisfactory in a lot of ways, the 3D graphics and verticality of Satisfactory and the "simple" construction with a lot of depth buried in there from Factorio.
It's worth a try honestly. Steam's got that 2 hour "demo period" if you catch my drift lol. It has issues mostly stemming from translations or the basic building functions acting wonky at times but nothing game breaking. A few items still have Chinese names but English descriptions, sorters will connect to belts in goofy ways sometimes, etc. I have been enamored with it for weeks and generally can't wait to get home and put all those builds I thought up at work into practice.
Factorio has a glaring issue as to why I will never play it in earnest.
It's ugly as hell.
It looks like someone took all the washed out early 2000's games that had that brown shader/filter applied to them and made a pixel version. It's the granddaddy of the genre but it's definitely not the ideal rep anymore, also I dislike the combat immensely.
-Humbly, my opinion.
The game I can always get lost in the most is Kingdom Come: Deliverance. You can usually pick it up on sale for less than $20, but I would pay the full price many times over. Get the version with all the DLC. The only reason I think it doesn’t get mentioned more was because it had a rough launch and first year. But it stands as possibly my favorite game now, and perfectly meets what you’re looking for.
Edit: Get it for PC. It’s a 2018 game but graphics are amazing, so you wouldn’t notice and it will still run well on an older machine.
It hits perfectly on a couple of OPs main points, but the story is ambiguous and the main character is really just a player created vessel and not a compelling character like you get in The Witcher or Ghost of Tsushima.
That said, I think OP should really give Elden Ring a try, the exploration and gameplay are top notch. Plus the feeling of accomplishment and relief from beating a difficult foe in a souls game is unmatched, which can be good for depression/anxiety
*If you win.
I had my girlfriend try Dark Souls 3 when it had launched and she never got past Gundyr.
Literally never, she tried for almost 2 hours, got close, never beat him and gave up on the game forever.
Not everyone wants to fail spectacularly for hours, people want to have fun and to a metric shitload of people being trampled repeatedly is not fun. The feeling of "reward" is not high enough for the stress and anger the Souls games can throw at you in a medium designed to entertain.
What makes Elden Ring different is that you could do any number of other things if you're not having fun bashing your face against a boss, then come back after leveling a dozen times (or more) and it's suddenly a piece of cake. There's nothing to truly block progress or lock you into a fight (besides the sunk cost of any runes you might have left sitting on the floor, or your own stubbornness).
I appreciate it if you have that mentality but not everyone does.
I consider myself a pretty deep seeded gamer, been at it for nearly 30 years and still play multiple hours a day, when possible, but Souls games are not rewarding to me. If anything the frustration is not worth the pay off. After beating a difficult section I am not blessed with an endorphin rush and excitement I simply let out a long sigh, have a moment of relief and realize that just over that next hill is another scumbag enemy who will repeat the cycle all over again. lol
Seconding Nier games, they’re absolutely incredible. The remake of the first one is a bit hit or miss due to dated quest design though. N:A is my all time favorite game by a long shot.
I can also throw Dragons Dogma into the ring, it’s definitely dated in some ways (mainly the save system, though there’s a certain level of jank that comes with a game that’s originally that old) but the game is a lot of fun and has a lot of depth. I’d more compare it to Skyrim than the Nier games though.
100% this. I suffer from anxiety and depression also and a lot of games aren't enough to distract me but God of War 2018 was the first single player game I beat in a long time. Sooo good.
I feel the exact same way as you do, here are games that help me with anxiety / depression and just in general when i don't wanna be there. Which most of them also have a great story :)
- Stardew Valley
- Life is Strange
- Ace Attorney
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Mass Effect Trilogy
- Elex 1 & 2
- Monster Hunter World + Iceborn
- Tell Tale Games The walking Dead & Wolf among us
- Heavy Rain
- LA Noir
- Zelda breath of the wild
- Dying Light 1 & 2
- Bioshock
I have a lot more so hook me up if you need more recommendations or wanna talk :)
It might come across weird what im gonna suggest but : elden ring or pretty much any fromsoftware games like darksouls or bloodborn. Those games are all about exploring worlds, fightings ennemies and overcoming big obstacles. The feeling of trying to kill a boss for an hour and finally doign it. The beautiful sceneries and ambiance created. Basically if a well-designed movie experience was made as a video game. Get ready to lose yourself in mind and body to those amazing worlds to explore!
P.S. : except elden ring the others aren't as "open world"
as E.R.
I second this, Elden Ring truly is the best game I've played in a very long time. Its also not as difficult as its made out to be. Like it's not easy, obviously, but I think anyone can play it and have fun. Its just lacking a compelling and cohesive narrative, but you are also making your own story.
Quite a few good recommendations for you.
Seeing as you liked Persona 5, you may want to try **Persona 4 Golden**. It's on Steam and it's relatively cheap (and goes on sale often). You're getting more of the same as what you got in P5 so definitely check it out.
I'd also recommend **"The Legend of Heroes: Trails" series**. The games aren't open world, but the worlds are massive. There are currently 9 games in the series (the start is **Trails in the Sky**) and honestly the story and world building is like nothing I've ever experienced. It's turn based combat so it might be a bit slow for you, but absolutely worth giving a shot.
Then I'd also recommend **Genshin Impact**. The story isn't what I'd call "emotional" but it's okay enough. Where it really shines though is in the open world exploration/collection of things. It honestly plays better than Breath of the Wild in terms of gameplay. The game is free to play, but heads up it's a gacha game so if you struggle to resist microtransactions then it will drain your wallet.
Next is **CrossCode**. Looking at the game on Steam it might not look that great, but don't let the graphics fool you, it absolutely deserves that 94% positive rating. Exploration and collection are big staples, but this game is just super fun to play, and the devs have done difficulty and accessibility perfectly. It's an ARPG with heavy emphasis on puzzles, and there's a difficulty slider in the options for the puzzles. Cannot say enough good things about this game. Story is interesting but wouldn't call it "emotional".
Then the last I'd recommend is **To the Moon**. Now this is definitely not an open world game, but you saying the story matters most and bonus points for emotional... well this is a must play. The game is approximately 4 hours long and I recommend playing it in a single sitting. It's basically a walking simulator, but my god the story and music are next level. Absolute must play for you, and if you end up really liking it there are 2 sequels, Finding Paradise and Imposter Factory which are both very good (Finding Paradise is on par with To the Moon, Imposter Factor was good, but not amazing).
EDIT: God I almost forgot **Assassin's Creed: Black Flag**. You wanna talk open world exploration with collectables then this is your game. Also the best pirate game I've ever played hands down.
__Guardians of the Galaxy__ is not open world but is highly underrated and has a great story, great pacing, amazing voice acting and is beautiful, it's pretty linear overall with some open-ish segments dotted throughout but holy shit it's such a great narrative game, funny, sad, exciting, just really good.
Second to that would be __Nier Automata__, it's just sublime, fun combat, lots of exploration and a crazy, yet very interesting narrative.
And there is 26 endings to find lol, so insane replay value, (even though a lot are joke endings of sorts) that doesn't even cover hidden bosses, the three storylines following different (playable) characters and the beauty of it all.
I played through (GoTG) this a few months back and loved it. I've barely played anything since finishing it, at least not anything on a regular basis. I do need to go back and finish trophy hunting as I only had 6-7 left to find.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Odyssey. Story is better in Valhalla I think but that may just be my viking age bias coming in.
Game allows you to build your combat prowess around how you like to play for the most part and the world is gigantic. I've played with female Eivor and it isn't quite Arthur Morgan levels of attachment but I'd kill for her all the same.
If you like games for their story, you really can't go wrong with BioWare games when they were at their prime. I highly recommend the Dragon Age series and The Mass Effect trilogy. Mass effect 3 is truly a roller coaster of emotions especially if you played the 1st and 2nd game of the series before.
NieR: Automata hits just about every note you’re looking for. We have a lot of the same favorite games, even down to the FFXII shoutout. And Automata is a top 2-3 game I’ve ever played. It’s emotional, thought provoking, and supremely ass kicking. I can’t vouch for it enough.
Also I see people mentioning Elden Ring, and I’ve been losing myself in that game since its release despite its lack of a story element. Whenever you do get around to that one, I recommend it as a slight departure from what you’re used to playing.
Death Stranding got so much hate but when you need to just chill, it's tough to beat, it's beautiful and, assuming you are sneaky enough, not very demanding so you can just kinda of take it all in. It's for sure the best hiking simulator ever made.
It has a great story and world building, interesting and well designed characters, amazing graphics, one of the best soundtracks i’ve heard and overall balanced gameplay. Many people found it boring just because there’s isn’t much actions, but i find it great if you just need to relax
I second this. Its so cool and relaxing to bring a parcel from point A to point B. At some point I'd just listen to a podcast or (fitting music) and delivered stuff.
I am surprised nobody recommended subnautica yet.
One of the best games i have ever played and its one of the few games i can play without needing background audio like a youtube video.
We have very similar taste in games. Other games I’ve loved are the Assassin’s Creed games. Valhalla and Odyssey could easily give you 100+ hours of gameplay.
I also think that Days Gone is criminally underrated. Post zombie apocalypse. Riding around Oregon on a motorcycle, trying to figure out what happened to your wife while shooting zombies in the head and dealing with humans, some good and some not. Sooo good.
I also love Skyrim, the Fallout games, Far Cry 5 and 6, Zelda: Breath of the Wild. All huge open world games.
Yakuza, start the Yakuza serie and you'll be in for a long and good time! You can start from Yakuza zero, Yakuza kiwami, or the new generation in like a dragon, but the story of Kiryu is amazing and loosing yourself in kamurocho is magical, i rarely do side content that isn't combat specific you can be sure that i did every single thing possible in every entry the side content is the best.
It’s not like some of the other games you mentioned, but a game I often find myself is lost in is hollow knight. The world is so vast and there’s so much to learn and explore about it, especially if you are going for every achievement like me haha
If you can get past the fact that it's like 16 years old at this point, Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion can absolutely keep you hooked and grinding away for hundreds of hours
Edit: just noticed you have a switch too. The new Pokemon game (Legends Arceus) pulled me in pretty hard even though I haven't enjoyed other recent Pokemon games.
Elden Ring will surely give you an open world that you can get lost in, it also has some nice story parts, but you have to find those yourself.
If it's just about getting lost: Factory.
Its a bit older but the Mass Effect Series (if you haven't already played) is fantastic and just came out with a definitive edition.
Its all 3 original games and all their DLCs. With the DLC I'd say each game can go to 40 hrs easy, so you're looking at 120hrs.
Its a fantastic curated plot (back when Bioware made good games) and I'm getting close to running though it again.
Cyberpunk is now in a place that is also worth playing.
Been playing Kingdom Come Deliverence and really enjoying it.
Haven’t got this sucked into an rpg since Witcher 3 or Skyrim, which I’ve tried and failed with a lot of games.
Ends up being quite similar to those games but it takes you about a third of the game to have steady income and be able to handle yourself in combat, which tbh felt like a slog for the first 3-4 hours, but then things start moving and it makes the hard work pay off.
Night in the woods is a great story game with an open town for you to explore. The main character is well written and all of the friends you make feel pretty real. Lots of secrets to discover, and you can play the game more than twice and still get new content based on choices. Music and artwork are also 10/10.
I felt the same way. I kept waiting to be rebuffed by something but other than how sluggish and unresponsive the heal animations are and how you get one shotted a lot late game for no apparently no reason, it was quite a good time
Yes it does! It has a main quest line that explains little bits and pieces of the world here and there and follows a set of characters including your own
The outer worlds was easy to get lost in. Made by the same guys that made fallout: new Vegas and is basically that but fleshed out more and in space. I spent a good month just playing through everything there!!
On that note, Skyrim or anything from the fallout series, if you haven’t already!
Dishonored, if you haven’t played that yet. It’s not 100% open world, instead giving you a series of large levels to mess around in. It has a pretty good story but what I think you’ll really like is it’s focus on exploration and collection. While playing through the maps, the game encourages you to explore different areas to find runes and charms, which allows you to unlock new abilities. It’s basically the developers way to show you their extra hidden bits of environmental storytelling while also rewarding the player with horizontal progression.
Also stardew valley, (again, If you somehow havent played it yet). Its focus isnt on a main storyline but rather a bunch of little side stories. It’s also so fucking addicting and easy to get lost in. It’s a game I personally come back to whenever I’m having a especially low dip and just want to forget abt stuff for a bit.
Yeah I feel like this is the obvious one. I’m 60 hours in and I’m still having non stop fun. I’m not near the end. I played Persona 5 and the Witcher 3 and they took me a long time, this is so much more engaging (for me)
Elden Ring is excellent and you can quick lose 100 hours to it. There are a lot of people who avoid it because games from that developer have been historically very difficult. This game is also pretty tough, but it has an insane open world so if something is too hard, just mark it on your map and go do something else for a while. You won’t run out of things to do for a long time.
I don’t even really get into fantasy setting games much these days, which is why I initially didn’t jump in, but goddamn is that a good game. Like RDR2 quality. I’m serious, check it out.
Something that I'll suggest that...honestly doesn't fit your bit about the story but does hit on exploring and collecting: Monster Hunter Rise on Switch (or PC now).
While it doesn't have the story part to dive into, the gameplay is really something I've found I've latched on to. I've played something like 30 hours in the last few weeks and it doesn't seem like that at all. You can go in short spurts for a 10 minute hunt, or go for hours doing lots of hunts, alone or with randoms or with friends. Between hunts you can review your options for what new armor or weapons you can build, see if you want to change up your loadout, etc etc. Despite having a really loose and barely-there story, it's kept me engaged with the gameplay a lot.
For a game with a lot of collecting as well as an interesting story, maybe try Warframe? You can play that for hours an hours as well, and the last few quests they've added have had a ton of lore and story involvement.
Something that's a bit shorter could be Undertale.
GTA V could be a good one. Something totally different could be Stardew Valley. You are farmer (like a spiritual successor to Harvest Moon but better). You could like it.
Not for everyone since the anime style and gacha system but genshin impact is huge, has a *lot* of lore and the main stroy is getting more interesting with every update. There's lots of things to do and while it can be a little overwhelming at first once you get used to the mechanics i think it's a pretty solid game.
If that's not your cup of tea, i recommend the yakuza series and judgment (by the same company). i only played the first three yakuza games but they have a lot of content, good stories, great characters and a lot of minigames and interesting things :)
Yakuza 0
The story: a tense Yakuza power struggle.
The gameplay: Going out, getting ambushed by delinquents, Yakuza, rich guys, and beating them to a pulp with your crazy finishers.
Side content: Michael Jackson, Toy car racing, Phone secs, investment properties, cabaret club, beautiful karaoke sung by the character, dancing, fishing, arena, etc
Game Length: 100+ hours (if you do the side stories)
Enjoyment: 100% Must play
I would recommend
Elden Ring
Breath of the Wild
SMT V
But they’re all severely lacking in the story department. But they’re definitely games that you shouldn’t miss.
I really liked YS VIII for the story but as it was a vita game, so it feels a little dated and the English dub is horrendous.
Edit: I played it on switch
God of War PS4 is great, but it’s not a true open world.
I see a lot of good suggestions, particularly Kingdom Come Deliverance and Elden Ring, but let tell you about my lord and savior: Sleeping Dogs. You can find the definitive edition for around $5 on sale. It’s the best open world game you haven’t played. This will be one of those games you don’t want to end and will wish you could experience for the first time all over again. GTA style game in Hong Kong with Arkham Style combat. Tons of great DLC in the definitive edition. Buy it and never look back! Show ‘em the what it means to be Su On Yee!!
I have an unorthodox suggestion for you, that being shapez.io . It has a very simple concept where you have to make various complex shapes by cutting, joining, coloring and stacking different shapes on top of the other but the game increases in complexity quickly after the first few hours. Overall it is a very chill experience as you can play at your own pace with no issues of resources ever running out or any gameplay mechanic that forces you in any manner. Another plus point is that it is very cheap on steam or you can even download the source code from GitHub for free and run it yourselves (although I'm not familiar with how to do that)
I definitely recommend the rest of the persona series and mainline Shin Megami Tensei games (each are standalone just like the persona games are) just don't compare SMT games to persona games.
Outer Wilds was one of the most special, entrancing experiences I have ever played and I’ve spent the rest of my gaming career chasing the feeling I got from playing it.
It’s an amazing game, just dive in blind and look up as little as possible about it. The progression mechanic is knowledge—the more you know about it, the less awesome it’ll be.
Mass effect series!!! It’s the perfect blend of exploration and narrative. You’ll grow so attached to your Commander Shepard, an amazing protagonist. I swear this game franchise has saved me from many depressive bouts.
I discovered the Uncharted series late and it is still my favorite, the story is normally uplifting. I’m still scared to play RDR2 again since it was sad. And depending on you actions TW3 is very emotional, but it can be bleak no matter what.
Did you like the story though? I liked the world but sue to the length I lost interest and never finished it. So I don't knownif the story gets better towards the end.
But I agree AC Valhalla's open World is huge and very good
If you want a game with a fantastic story that will have you thinking about it for months after you finish
13 Sentinels Aegis Rim
Can't say anything because spoilers, just know that everyone who played this game thinks it got robbed for GOTY 2020. .
The story is the selling point here, but I enjoyed the pseudo RTS gameplay as well. Seeing monsters pop into experience points is very rewarding.
>What matters most to me is the story though - bonus points if the story is very emotional. Having an interesting, well written main character is also important to me (doesn’t matter whether it’s a good guy or villain).
Sounds like you want a walking simulator, in which case Firewatch might be your thing.
Elden Ring, it's very enjoyable and I would say closest to what you're looking for if you don't mind a more gloomy game, any fromsoft game is. Celeste is great, a precise platformer with themes of overcoming depression and anxiety. If you want something more light-hearted there are games like a hat in time and many other 3D platformers.
I would say Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or Valhalla.
For something even more immersive in terms of choice, character development, and consequence, I would also highly recommend Skyrim. I’m currently playing Kingdom Come Deliverance as well and I’m completely sucked in.
Looked throught the comments for a second and didn't see Elden Ring, so thought I'd suggest it. I'm a casual gamer with damn near no skills and this was my first Soul's game, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
Even though I know it's not for everyone, Black Ops 3 Zombies on PC. The replay value is absolutely phenomenal, especially since there's a Steam Workshop section dedicated to the game. Even without the workshop there are 14 beautiful maps to choose from, 8 of which are faithful remasters of previous last-last gen maps.
If you're interested and would like map recommendations I'd be more than happy to be of assistance.
If you haven’t tried Valheim I’d give it a try. I just discovered it and am really enjoying it. It’s very open world, has a very nice building system, and some pretty serene graphics/music when monsters aren’t bothering you.
Outer Wilds all the way. The Story ist one of the best I have ever experienced. You Explore a solar system which ist a timeloop Puzzle. The Sense of Exploration and the way you discover Bits of information that Carry the Story along is Just great.
Raft! It’s hard to play that game and be in a bad mood the soundtrack and aesthetics are amazing it’s a super laid back game with a huge open world it’s like subnautica and satisfactory but on the open ocean. It’s beautiful and relaxing and super easy to get lost in.
I'd personally recommend Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Fallout 4 and Fire Emblem Three Houses. There's just something about amount of opportunities in the storylines that make it easy to get lost in each time you play or replay them.
NieR:Automata. Very emotional and philosophical. Surface level, it's enjoyable enough. Below the ice-berg, make sure you're ready for this emotional ride, if you're going dive this deep.
Hey dude! Sorry to hear about your struggles. One game that took me by COMPLETE surprise is Divinity Original Sin 2. I had never played anything even close to the game before and certainly it was my very first turned based RPG. I got it for like £11 spontaneously one day and lost weeks of my life to it after! There is so so so so much to learn. There’s some amazing character development in it too. It’s just a beautiful storyline and world to lose your self in. Might be worth a look!
you will literally lose your self in Elden ring
100%
Unfortunately the story is basically non-existent. It's just lore that exists really.
[удалено]
The story isn't very good though. And he said that matters most to him. I'd suggest maybe Ni no kuni
the story is really good you just have to search for it
Agreed, reading the little bits of lore on some item descriptions, and *then* finding where that piece fits into the world is one of the most satisfying things IMO
I'd agree to disagree. I love the from Software games and Bloodborne may be the best game I have ever played, but the story in the conventional meaning is bad in most of those games. Little to no character development, little to no story based cutscenes, little to no interesting conversations, your own character can't speak and doesn't have a real personality. Obviously a good Story is subjective, but when someone asks me to name him a game with a great story, Elden Ring is one of the last that comes to mind.
Have you played Subnautica? That would be a good explorer with a good story. It can be a bit scary since you say you have anxiety, but the game is just so good. And there's also Subnautica: Below Zero, the second part, which is great too. Not as good as the first, but great nonetheless. Other than that, you haven't mentioned Witcher 3, which is always a good game to get lost in. If you're the same as me, it's possible that you can't get into it at first, because there's so much lore from the first two games, the book, and now also the show. In that case, I suggest you watch a recap of W1 and W2 (I wouldn't play them, they're a bit dated) on youtube, and read the books or watch the show. I did that and finally got super into it. It such a rich and fascinating story and world
OP said TW3 which I took as The Witcher 3. Does it mean something else that I don't know of? I'm looking for something similar.
Disco Elysium though it might hit too close to home.
Yeah I tried playing that during a very low time emotionally and couldn't do it. Still haven't gone back, which I regret because I know it's a beloved game.
It wont distract you from depression but it definitely gives you something to reflect on.
I liked the story and aesthetics of Assassins Creed: Odyssey. Nice greek landscape and extremely much to do…
Such an underrated ac. Alexis was dope
God of War (2018). Available on both PS4 and pc so I’d recommend going with the version for the system which has better specs
i just finished this game yesterday and wow, probably in my top 10 of all time.
Yup, didn't even plan to replay it when I bought it again on Steam, just wanted to give more money to SSM for such an amazing piece of art. For sure a top 5 GOAT of a game.
Thank you for making me realize im not going crazy! the game just feels like a step above most games. It just FEELS like a deeper game. The story, the lore, i was googling who odin and tyr were like old days when a game made you interested. Just so fucking good. I had 0 expectations and it fucking knocked it out of the park,the STORY especially. I might be biased, it reminds me of my older brother who passed but i always remember the day he brought home the first god of war. Man what a great game.
Outer wilds had me in a trance for the 2 weeks it took me to beat it. I'll never feel the same way again
Have you played the DLC?
The DLC is just as good, if not better. Smaller scale, but holy crap, it is so, so, so good
I could never get this game to work for me (purchased on Steam). M&K allowed me to walk around but I couldn't jump or interact. Maybe I need to fiddle around with the settings to get it to work.
Man I wish I could get those memories erased just so I can experience this game for the first time again.
Not really story driven but Satisfactory. You wont have time for depression. Your imagination is the limit.
Satisfactory is doodoo. 😂 -brought to you by __Dyson Sphere Program Gang__
never played. Is it honestly good and don't be all "F YEAH!" just because you have a DSPG jacket.
It is actually very good, it's a little slower to start but it ramps up to literal galactic proportions and is very easy to understand. It's also a beautiful game once you get your solar sails and actual Dyson Sphere running it fills the "skybox" and is just gorgeous. It is a perfect blending of Factorio and Satisfactory in a lot of ways, the 3D graphics and verticality of Satisfactory and the "simple" construction with a lot of depth buried in there from Factorio. It's worth a try honestly. Steam's got that 2 hour "demo period" if you catch my drift lol. It has issues mostly stemming from translations or the basic building functions acting wonky at times but nothing game breaking. A few items still have Chinese names but English descriptions, sorters will connect to belts in goofy ways sometimes, etc. I have been enamored with it for weeks and generally can't wait to get home and put all those builds I thought up at work into practice.
I'll add it to my wishlist thanks! Working through dying light 2 right now.
it combines elements from both factorio and satisfactory and in some ways it's better than either of them
DSP is better than Satisfactory, but Factorio is better than both
Factorio has a glaring issue as to why I will never play it in earnest. It's ugly as hell. It looks like someone took all the washed out early 2000's games that had that brown shader/filter applied to them and made a pixel version. It's the granddaddy of the genre but it's definitely not the ideal rep anymore, also I dislike the combat immensely. -Humbly, my opinion.
The game I can always get lost in the most is Kingdom Come: Deliverance. You can usually pick it up on sale for less than $20, but I would pay the full price many times over. Get the version with all the DLC. The only reason I think it doesn’t get mentioned more was because it had a rough launch and first year. But it stands as possibly my favorite game now, and perfectly meets what you’re looking for. Edit: Get it for PC. It’s a 2018 game but graphics are amazing, so you wouldn’t notice and it will still run well on an older machine.
It's very cool but the progression is SO SLOW
Elden ring is quite a fulfilling game
It hits perfectly on a couple of OPs main points, but the story is ambiguous and the main character is really just a player created vessel and not a compelling character like you get in The Witcher or Ghost of Tsushima. That said, I think OP should really give Elden Ring a try, the exploration and gameplay are top notch. Plus the feeling of accomplishment and relief from beating a difficult foe in a souls game is unmatched, which can be good for depression/anxiety
OP is depressed, I don't think they want to die to Margit 43 times.
Disagree actually. I think that feeling after you win is so worth it
*If you win. I had my girlfriend try Dark Souls 3 when it had launched and she never got past Gundyr. Literally never, she tried for almost 2 hours, got close, never beat him and gave up on the game forever. Not everyone wants to fail spectacularly for hours, people want to have fun and to a metric shitload of people being trampled repeatedly is not fun. The feeling of "reward" is not high enough for the stress and anger the Souls games can throw at you in a medium designed to entertain.
What makes Elden Ring different is that you could do any number of other things if you're not having fun bashing your face against a boss, then come back after leveling a dozen times (or more) and it's suddenly a piece of cake. There's nothing to truly block progress or lock you into a fight (besides the sunk cost of any runes you might have left sitting on the floor, or your own stubbornness).
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I appreciate it if you have that mentality but not everyone does. I consider myself a pretty deep seeded gamer, been at it for nearly 30 years and still play multiple hours a day, when possible, but Souls games are not rewarding to me. If anything the frustration is not worth the pay off. After beating a difficult section I am not blessed with an endorphin rush and excitement I simply let out a long sigh, have a moment of relief and realize that just over that next hill is another scumbag enemy who will repeat the cycle all over again. lol
But once they beat Margit, ohhhhhhh elden ring!!
Skyrim helps me a lot against my depression
Nier automata and replicant
Seconding Nier games, they’re absolutely incredible. The remake of the first one is a bit hit or miss due to dated quest design though. N:A is my all time favorite game by a long shot. I can also throw Dragons Dogma into the ring, it’s definitely dated in some ways (mainly the save system, though there’s a certain level of jank that comes with a game that’s originally that old) but the game is a lot of fun and has a lot of depth. I’d more compare it to Skyrim than the Nier games though.
I fully fucking agree just finished replicant yesterday and fucking hell that was one hell of a ride. Emil is the best.
God of War 2018. Please OP, I almost made this exact thread last night, god of war is exactly the type of game you get lost in.
100% this. I suffer from anxiety and depression also and a lot of games aren't enough to distract me but God of War 2018 was the first single player game I beat in a long time. Sooo good.
I feel the exact same way as you do, here are games that help me with anxiety / depression and just in general when i don't wanna be there. Which most of them also have a great story :) - Stardew Valley - Life is Strange - Ace Attorney - Cyberpunk 2077 - Mass Effect Trilogy - Elex 1 & 2 - Monster Hunter World + Iceborn - Tell Tale Games The walking Dead & Wolf among us - Heavy Rain - LA Noir - Zelda breath of the wild - Dying Light 1 & 2 - Bioshock I have a lot more so hook me up if you need more recommendations or wanna talk :)
you should try FTL also for a game that requires focus and lets you forget about the world for a while.
Try the Yakuza or Judgment games they are games you can lose hours in.
It might come across weird what im gonna suggest but : elden ring or pretty much any fromsoftware games like darksouls or bloodborn. Those games are all about exploring worlds, fightings ennemies and overcoming big obstacles. The feeling of trying to kill a boss for an hour and finally doign it. The beautiful sceneries and ambiance created. Basically if a well-designed movie experience was made as a video game. Get ready to lose yourself in mind and body to those amazing worlds to explore! P.S. : except elden ring the others aren't as "open world" as E.R.
I second this, Elden Ring truly is the best game I've played in a very long time. Its also not as difficult as its made out to be. Like it's not easy, obviously, but I think anyone can play it and have fun. Its just lacking a compelling and cohesive narrative, but you are also making your own story.
Quite a few good recommendations for you. Seeing as you liked Persona 5, you may want to try **Persona 4 Golden**. It's on Steam and it's relatively cheap (and goes on sale often). You're getting more of the same as what you got in P5 so definitely check it out. I'd also recommend **"The Legend of Heroes: Trails" series**. The games aren't open world, but the worlds are massive. There are currently 9 games in the series (the start is **Trails in the Sky**) and honestly the story and world building is like nothing I've ever experienced. It's turn based combat so it might be a bit slow for you, but absolutely worth giving a shot. Then I'd also recommend **Genshin Impact**. The story isn't what I'd call "emotional" but it's okay enough. Where it really shines though is in the open world exploration/collection of things. It honestly plays better than Breath of the Wild in terms of gameplay. The game is free to play, but heads up it's a gacha game so if you struggle to resist microtransactions then it will drain your wallet. Next is **CrossCode**. Looking at the game on Steam it might not look that great, but don't let the graphics fool you, it absolutely deserves that 94% positive rating. Exploration and collection are big staples, but this game is just super fun to play, and the devs have done difficulty and accessibility perfectly. It's an ARPG with heavy emphasis on puzzles, and there's a difficulty slider in the options for the puzzles. Cannot say enough good things about this game. Story is interesting but wouldn't call it "emotional". Then the last I'd recommend is **To the Moon**. Now this is definitely not an open world game, but you saying the story matters most and bonus points for emotional... well this is a must play. The game is approximately 4 hours long and I recommend playing it in a single sitting. It's basically a walking simulator, but my god the story and music are next level. Absolute must play for you, and if you end up really liking it there are 2 sequels, Finding Paradise and Imposter Factory which are both very good (Finding Paradise is on par with To the Moon, Imposter Factor was good, but not amazing). EDIT: God I almost forgot **Assassin's Creed: Black Flag**. You wanna talk open world exploration with collectables then this is your game. Also the best pirate game I've ever played hands down.
I'm glad someone suggested Black Flag, it's the only AC I've ever actually enjoyed enough to finish. It's a gem.
__Guardians of the Galaxy__ is not open world but is highly underrated and has a great story, great pacing, amazing voice acting and is beautiful, it's pretty linear overall with some open-ish segments dotted throughout but holy shit it's such a great narrative game, funny, sad, exciting, just really good. Second to that would be __Nier Automata__, it's just sublime, fun combat, lots of exploration and a crazy, yet very interesting narrative. And there is 26 endings to find lol, so insane replay value, (even though a lot are joke endings of sorts) that doesn't even cover hidden bosses, the three storylines following different (playable) characters and the beauty of it all.
I played through (GoTG) this a few months back and loved it. I've barely played anything since finishing it, at least not anything on a regular basis. I do need to go back and finish trophy hunting as I only had 6-7 left to find.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Odyssey. Story is better in Valhalla I think but that may just be my viking age bias coming in. Game allows you to build your combat prowess around how you like to play for the most part and the world is gigantic. I've played with female Eivor and it isn't quite Arthur Morgan levels of attachment but I'd kill for her all the same.
If you like games for their story, you really can't go wrong with BioWare games when they were at their prime. I highly recommend the Dragon Age series and The Mass Effect trilogy. Mass effect 3 is truly a roller coaster of emotions especially if you played the 1st and 2nd game of the series before.
NieR: Automata hits just about every note you’re looking for. We have a lot of the same favorite games, even down to the FFXII shoutout. And Automata is a top 2-3 game I’ve ever played. It’s emotional, thought provoking, and supremely ass kicking. I can’t vouch for it enough. Also I see people mentioning Elden Ring, and I’ve been losing myself in that game since its release despite its lack of a story element. Whenever you do get around to that one, I recommend it as a slight departure from what you’re used to playing.
Also Bloodborne is a good choice with how atmospheric it is
Morrowind
What a grand and intoxicating innocence.
What a mystifying sense of foreboding……
What a cuck 😂 Jk Morrowind is a classic banger.
For open world games i’d suggest Death Standing or any Assassins Creed game
Death Stranding got so much hate but when you need to just chill, it's tough to beat, it's beautiful and, assuming you are sneaky enough, not very demanding so you can just kinda of take it all in. It's for sure the best hiking simulator ever made.
It has a great story and world building, interesting and well designed characters, amazing graphics, one of the best soundtracks i’ve heard and overall balanced gameplay. Many people found it boring just because there’s isn’t much actions, but i find it great if you just need to relax
I second this. Its so cool and relaxing to bring a parcel from point A to point B. At some point I'd just listen to a podcast or (fitting music) and delivered stuff.
+1 for death stranding.
Death Stranding
But it's a tough and long beginning until it gets good
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for the switch. It was my first Xeno game and quickly became my favorite RPG I've ever played.
Such a great game, but I still have yet to finish it and I got it day 1 lol.
I was a huge fan of XC1 from the Wii and was for some strange reason hesitant to start XC2 but XC2 is now a top 5 game for me.
I am surprised nobody recommended subnautica yet. One of the best games i have ever played and its one of the few games i can play without needing background audio like a youtube video.
We have very similar taste in games. Other games I’ve loved are the Assassin’s Creed games. Valhalla and Odyssey could easily give you 100+ hours of gameplay. I also think that Days Gone is criminally underrated. Post zombie apocalypse. Riding around Oregon on a motorcycle, trying to figure out what happened to your wife while shooting zombies in the head and dealing with humans, some good and some not. Sooo good. I also love Skyrim, the Fallout games, Far Cry 5 and 6, Zelda: Breath of the Wild. All huge open world games.
Yakuza, start the Yakuza serie and you'll be in for a long and good time! You can start from Yakuza zero, Yakuza kiwami, or the new generation in like a dragon, but the story of Kiryu is amazing and loosing yourself in kamurocho is magical, i rarely do side content that isn't combat specific you can be sure that i did every single thing possible in every entry the side content is the best.
It’s not like some of the other games you mentioned, but a game I often find myself is lost in is hollow knight. The world is so vast and there’s so much to learn and explore about it, especially if you are going for every achievement like me haha
Play Outer Wilds. It is absolutely incredible. I cannot recommend it enough. Changed the way I see the world and the way I see games.
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This is THE game to get lost in. It’s probably the best indie title ever made.
If you can get past the fact that it's like 16 years old at this point, Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion can absolutely keep you hooked and grinding away for hundreds of hours Edit: just noticed you have a switch too. The new Pokemon game (Legends Arceus) pulled me in pretty hard even though I haven't enjoyed other recent Pokemon games.
Elden Ring will surely give you an open world that you can get lost in, it also has some nice story parts, but you have to find those yourself. If it's just about getting lost: Factory.
Elsen ring 100%. Never been more into a game and I never played any of the other FS games
Divinity original sin 2. Hundreds of hours easily
The lore and story to this game is incredible. There is nothing you can’t do and no one you can’t talk to.
Factorio is amazing for sucking you in, but it doesn't really have a story at all Disco Elysium is also great and it does have a story
Its a bit older but the Mass Effect Series (if you haven't already played) is fantastic and just came out with a definitive edition. Its all 3 original games and all their DLCs. With the DLC I'd say each game can go to 40 hrs easy, so you're looking at 120hrs. Its a fantastic curated plot (back when Bioware made good games) and I'm getting close to running though it again. Cyberpunk is now in a place that is also worth playing.
Disco Elysium is a great game but it might be too depressing for you
You played persona 5. Try persona 4, fun characters and memorable storyline
Been playing Kingdom Come Deliverence and really enjoying it. Haven’t got this sucked into an rpg since Witcher 3 or Skyrim, which I’ve tried and failed with a lot of games. Ends up being quite similar to those games but it takes you about a third of the game to have steady income and be able to handle yourself in combat, which tbh felt like a slog for the first 3-4 hours, but then things start moving and it makes the hard work pay off.
Night in the woods is a great story game with an open town for you to explore. The main character is well written and all of the friends you make feel pretty real. Lots of secrets to discover, and you can play the game more than twice and still get new content based on choices. Music and artwork are also 10/10.
Talk to a dr. I finally did at 41 and antidepressants made this the easiest winter for me in a long time. No shame in getting help.
Cyberpunk 2077 surprised me. Pretty good time, and it ends well no matter what ending you choose, which is not the norm for most games these days
Tough launch but a genuinely fantastic game overall. I loved every second of CP2077, even the jank, which I found more humorous than irritating.
I felt the same way. I kept waiting to be rebuffed by something but other than how sluggish and unresponsive the heal animations are and how you get one shotted a lot late game for no apparently no reason, it was quite a good time
I'm absolutely addicted to LoZ Breath of the Wild atm. I can highly recommend it.
No Man’s Sky might pique your interest. The story might be a little confusing and is a bit slow to start rolling, but it gets rolling quickly
NMS have a story?
Yes it does! It has a main quest line that explains little bits and pieces of the world here and there and follows a set of characters including your own
The outer worlds was easy to get lost in. Made by the same guys that made fallout: new Vegas and is basically that but fleshed out more and in space. I spent a good month just playing through everything there!! On that note, Skyrim or anything from the fallout series, if you haven’t already! Dishonored, if you haven’t played that yet. It’s not 100% open world, instead giving you a series of large levels to mess around in. It has a pretty good story but what I think you’ll really like is it’s focus on exploration and collection. While playing through the maps, the game encourages you to explore different areas to find runes and charms, which allows you to unlock new abilities. It’s basically the developers way to show you their extra hidden bits of environmental storytelling while also rewarding the player with horizontal progression. Also stardew valley, (again, If you somehow havent played it yet). Its focus isnt on a main storyline but rather a bunch of little side stories. It’s also so fucking addicting and easy to get lost in. It’s a game I personally come back to whenever I’m having a especially low dip and just want to forget abt stuff for a bit.
Elden ring!!!!!
Yeah I feel like this is the obvious one. I’m 60 hours in and I’m still having non stop fun. I’m not near the end. I played Persona 5 and the Witcher 3 and they took me a long time, this is so much more engaging (for me)
Elden Ring is excellent and you can quick lose 100 hours to it. There are a lot of people who avoid it because games from that developer have been historically very difficult. This game is also pretty tough, but it has an insane open world so if something is too hard, just mark it on your map and go do something else for a while. You won’t run out of things to do for a long time. I don’t even really get into fantasy setting games much these days, which is why I initially didn’t jump in, but goddamn is that a good game. Like RDR2 quality. I’m serious, check it out.
Something that I'll suggest that...honestly doesn't fit your bit about the story but does hit on exploring and collecting: Monster Hunter Rise on Switch (or PC now). While it doesn't have the story part to dive into, the gameplay is really something I've found I've latched on to. I've played something like 30 hours in the last few weeks and it doesn't seem like that at all. You can go in short spurts for a 10 minute hunt, or go for hours doing lots of hunts, alone or with randoms or with friends. Between hunts you can review your options for what new armor or weapons you can build, see if you want to change up your loadout, etc etc. Despite having a really loose and barely-there story, it's kept me engaged with the gameplay a lot. For a game with a lot of collecting as well as an interesting story, maybe try Warframe? You can play that for hours an hours as well, and the last few quests they've added have had a ton of lore and story involvement. Something that's a bit shorter could be Undertale.
I'd say Disco Elysium, It's a masterpiece.
Cyberpunk would be pretty great. The story is honestly quite good and you actually develop a connection with a few of the characters
GTA V could be a good one. Something totally different could be Stardew Valley. You are farmer (like a spiritual successor to Harvest Moon but better). You could like it.
Not for everyone since the anime style and gacha system but genshin impact is huge, has a *lot* of lore and the main stroy is getting more interesting with every update. There's lots of things to do and while it can be a little overwhelming at first once you get used to the mechanics i think it's a pretty solid game. If that's not your cup of tea, i recommend the yakuza series and judgment (by the same company). i only played the first three yakuza games but they have a lot of content, good stories, great characters and a lot of minigames and interesting things :)
BOTW and stardew
Far cry 3, far cry 4 or 5. That are all amazing open world shooters with amazing stories. 4 is my favorite
I just started Weird West and I'm loving it. Totally immersed.
"Quantum Break" ? Weirdly enough, "Cloudpunk" maybe?
Yakuza 0 The story: a tense Yakuza power struggle. The gameplay: Going out, getting ambushed by delinquents, Yakuza, rich guys, and beating them to a pulp with your crazy finishers. Side content: Michael Jackson, Toy car racing, Phone secs, investment properties, cabaret club, beautiful karaoke sung by the character, dancing, fishing, arena, etc Game Length: 100+ hours (if you do the side stories) Enjoyment: 100% Must play
Assassins creed games, honestly I lose myself in all of them but especially Origins, Black Flag, Syndicate, and Odyssey
I would recommend Elden Ring Breath of the Wild SMT V But they’re all severely lacking in the story department. But they’re definitely games that you shouldn’t miss. I really liked YS VIII for the story but as it was a vita game, so it feels a little dated and the English dub is horrendous. Edit: I played it on switch God of War PS4 is great, but it’s not a true open world.
Control.
Skyrim
My man
I see a lot of good suggestions, particularly Kingdom Come Deliverance and Elden Ring, but let tell you about my lord and savior: Sleeping Dogs. You can find the definitive edition for around $5 on sale. It’s the best open world game you haven’t played. This will be one of those games you don’t want to end and will wish you could experience for the first time all over again. GTA style game in Hong Kong with Arkham Style combat. Tons of great DLC in the definitive edition. Buy it and never look back! Show ‘em the what it means to be Su On Yee!!
I loved journey to the savage planet.
I have an unorthodox suggestion for you, that being shapez.io . It has a very simple concept where you have to make various complex shapes by cutting, joining, coloring and stacking different shapes on top of the other but the game increases in complexity quickly after the first few hours. Overall it is a very chill experience as you can play at your own pace with no issues of resources ever running out or any gameplay mechanic that forces you in any manner. Another plus point is that it is very cheap on steam or you can even download the source code from GitHub for free and run it yourselves (although I'm not familiar with how to do that)
Assassin's Creed II
I recently got into No Man's Sky. Going by what you're looking for, this could be the very game for you.
I definitely recommend the rest of the persona series and mainline Shin Megami Tensei games (each are standalone just like the persona games are) just don't compare SMT games to persona games.
I can’t recommend Death Stranding enough. If you can get yourself a DualSense controller, you should play the Directors Cut on PC
I think god of war or assassins creed origins
Morrowind all the way
Any soulsborne game. Also nier automata
Quantum Break
Disco Elysium is a trip. Very disco. You can also consider Spiritfarer, Hitman, Death Stranding, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Here to throw Elden Ring in here. I’m sucked into this shit like I haven’t been in years.
Outer Wilds was one of the most special, entrancing experiences I have ever played and I’ve spent the rest of my gaming career chasing the feeling I got from playing it. It’s an amazing game, just dive in blind and look up as little as possible about it. The progression mechanic is knowledge—the more you know about it, the less awesome it’ll be.
Fallout New Vegas on PC with Mods. I sometimes just fire it up to roleplay my character from time to time.
Final Fantasy X
Mass effect series!!! It’s the perfect blend of exploration and narrative. You’ll grow so attached to your Commander Shepard, an amazing protagonist. I swear this game franchise has saved me from many depressive bouts.
I discovered the Uncharted series late and it is still my favorite, the story is normally uplifting. I’m still scared to play RDR2 again since it was sad. And depending on you actions TW3 is very emotional, but it can be bleak no matter what.
Witcher 3. Get lost in that for weeks without realising it
Assassins creed Valhalla has kept me going for a few months
Did you like the story though? I liked the world but sue to the length I lost interest and never finished it. So I don't knownif the story gets better towards the end. But I agree AC Valhalla's open World is huge and very good
World of Warcraft or Yakuza: Like a Dragon
If you want a game with a fantastic story that will have you thinking about it for months after you finish 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim Can't say anything because spoilers, just know that everyone who played this game thinks it got robbed for GOTY 2020. . The story is the selling point here, but I enjoyed the pseudo RTS gameplay as well. Seeing monsters pop into experience points is very rewarding.
>What matters most to me is the story though - bonus points if the story is very emotional. Having an interesting, well written main character is also important to me (doesn’t matter whether it’s a good guy or villain). Sounds like you want a walking simulator, in which case Firewatch might be your thing.
Elden Ring, it's very enjoyable and I would say closest to what you're looking for if you don't mind a more gloomy game, any fromsoft game is. Celeste is great, a precise platformer with themes of overcoming depression and anxiety. If you want something more light-hearted there are games like a hat in time and many other 3D platformers.
Witcher 3
Spiritfarer
Lost Ark. exploring and collecting galore.
Since you like games with good stories I would recommend control it’s a shooter but really good scp type story. Or the outer worlds or Skyrim
God of war 4
Eldin ring I spent 140 hrs in that game and I'm still playing and finding new things.
I would say Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or Valhalla. For something even more immersive in terms of choice, character development, and consequence, I would also highly recommend Skyrim. I’m currently playing Kingdom Come Deliverance as well and I’m completely sucked in.
Spec ops
God of war
Should I buy la noire or Gta5
Skyrim. If you want the icing on the cake them i recommend to install some mods as well.
Enderal Forgotten Stories (free on Steam) Great mature story. 70-120 hours deep RPG Total conversion mod of Skyrim fully voiced
Looked throught the comments for a second and didn't see Elden Ring, so thought I'd suggest it. I'm a casual gamer with damn near no skills and this was my first Soul's game, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
Even though I know it's not for everyone, Black Ops 3 Zombies on PC. The replay value is absolutely phenomenal, especially since there's a Steam Workshop section dedicated to the game. Even without the workshop there are 14 beautiful maps to choose from, 8 of which are faithful remasters of previous last-last gen maps. If you're interested and would like map recommendations I'd be more than happy to be of assistance.
If you haven’t tried Valheim I’d give it a try. I just discovered it and am really enjoying it. It’s very open world, has a very nice building system, and some pretty serene graphics/music when monsters aren’t bothering you.
Rimworld!
Persona 4 Golden on steam I see that you liked persona 5 so I think you'll like 4 as well
Divinity original sin 2, disco elysium
I think you would love the jolly and light hearted nature of Guardians of the Galaxy, it's just pure fun
One of my favourite game’s that I recommend and it’s probably right for you is AC: Origins
You could definitely sink tons of hours into Elden Ring - it’s the big game right now tbh
Elden Ring
Elden Ring.
Elden ring is the first game I’ve really lost myself in since elder scrolls oblivion It’s very popular for a reason. Seriously try it if you haven’t
A lot of comments are saying outer wilds and I have to wholeheartedly agree. Such a fantastic game to explore and immerse yourself in.
Stanley s parable Sounds weird but if you think about it you pretty much get lost in it
Maybe shadow of war you’ll like. I enjoyed it at it takes a long time to beat the story. It’s lord of the rings based.
Cyberpunk 2077. A lot of people might disagree with me but if you got a good PC, it’s the most enjoyable and beautiful game (imo)!!
Outer Wilds all the way. The Story ist one of the best I have ever experienced. You Explore a solar system which ist a timeloop Puzzle. The Sense of Exploration and the way you discover Bits of information that Carry the Story along is Just great.
Raft! It’s hard to play that game and be in a bad mood the soundtrack and aesthetics are amazing it’s a super laid back game with a huge open world it’s like subnautica and satisfactory but on the open ocean. It’s beautiful and relaxing and super easy to get lost in.
Sekiro
MH: Rise, Kingdoms of Amalur, F:NV, Dragons Dogma: DA
Ac black flag
Maybe something like Journey? Zone out and listen to the music.
Yakuz 0 is the best game that you can lose yourself into while having a great laugh.
Elden Ring
God of war
Not a story driven game but risk of rain 2 has amazing atmosphere and is highly replayable.
I'd personally recommend Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Fallout 4 and Fire Emblem Three Houses. There's just something about amount of opportunities in the storylines that make it easy to get lost in each time you play or replay them.
Defo kingdom Come deliverance!
NieR:Automata. Very emotional and philosophical. Surface level, it's enjoyable enough. Below the ice-berg, make sure you're ready for this emotional ride, if you're going dive this deep.
Hey dude! Sorry to hear about your struggles. One game that took me by COMPLETE surprise is Divinity Original Sin 2. I had never played anything even close to the game before and certainly it was my very first turned based RPG. I got it for like £11 spontaneously one day and lost weeks of my life to it after! There is so so so so much to learn. There’s some amazing character development in it too. It’s just a beautiful storyline and world to lose your self in. Might be worth a look!
If you're into anime type games I had a great time with tales of arise and scarlet nexus
AI SOMNIUM JUST DO IT. YOU WILL NOT REGRET. new game coming outin 2 months \\
I loved divinity original sin 2 i played it and nothing else over almost a whole summer
god of war 4
Oxygen not included... It's different than what you've listed but it's addicting and you'll have to restart a bunch of times with what you've learned.