Atmospheric online games. From S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and BioShock to Mass Effect. Top most atmospheric games. We Were Here Too is a dark co-op adventure
Games should be entertaining – that is the general opinion about them, but, in fact, this is far from always the case. Mobile gamers are often looking for light and unobtrusive time-killers for their devices, allowing them to pass the time between any activity.
Nevertheless, games that are serious, sometimes even depressing, also exist, and find their fans - this is evidenced by Banner Saga 2, which appeared on iOS not so long ago. It offers picturesque locations, characters and the most incredible life situations that make your characters feel anger, longing and disappointment - and these feelings will be transferred to you during the game.
But not only Banner Saga 2 has such an impact on the mood of gamers - we bring you a selection of the most depressing games on mobile platforms.
Limbo
Here you will play the role of a little boy making his way through dark and gloomy locations inhabited by nightmarish creatures. The only people your hero will meet will be other victims, or hunters, no less dangerous than those terrible creatures that lurk in the darkness. Your destiny in this game is inevitable death, which lies in wait for the character at every turn, and gets to him in every possible way. Limbo's black and white color palette rounds out her storyline to an overall, frightening, and hopeless picture. This atmospheric puzzle platformer, magnificent in its atmosphere, is worthy of both praise and attention.
This War of Mine
Many video games present war as something similar to Hollywood blockbusters, where everything happens easily and beautifully. This War of Mine will shatter that illusion by offering you survival in a city that has become the scene of hostilities. You have to look for food and water, get medicine and clothes, strengthen your shelter, avoid clashes with the inhabitants of the city, hardened and aggressive. The gameplay is incredibly addictive, creating a rather painful and sad feeling for the players that there is no way out.
Papers, Please
The role of the customs inspector of some totalitarian Eastern European country, the little wheel of a huge bureaucratic machine, is by no means fun. You have to prevent citizens from passing through the border, citing their nationality, surname or lack of necessary documents. Sometimes, for a certain amount, you can get nice and make an exception for someone, but this is a risk for you and your family, which is not funny at all. As you can see, the authors of Papers, Please do not promise you a good mood.
The Walking Dead: The Game
Understand what's depressing in the game The Walking Dead is not difficult - the TV series and comics of the same name do not leave you hope for a joyful plot. Traveling through a world full of zombies will be both difficult and not very optimistic. Now it is you who will have to make difficult decisions, sometimes leading to someone's death, and it is you who should not become attached to any of the heroes - it is not known which of them will live to the end of the episode.
Heroes Reborn: Enigma
The mix of puzzle and action will not necessarily be purely entertaining, especially if the heroine of the game has superpowers, and she is kept on the territory of a gloomy scientific complex, conducting experiments on her. Escape will require serious efforts from you, remarkable ingenuity, caution and the development of your own skills. Depressive mood, stress and a sense of hopelessness are guaranteed.
past memories
The authors of the game are convinced that even a runner can be gloomy and atmospheric, especially if you keep it in black and white, add appropriate voice acting and carefully thought-out gameplay with an interesting but sad storyline. Your heroine here will be a woman who finds herself in the world of her own memories, and bad memories haunt her like monsters from nightmares.
Knock-knock
Your hero in this gloomy and atmospheric game is a strange nameless guy who lives in a house in the middle of the forest. He suffers from insomnia and is forced to wander through the corridors and rooms of his house, instead of painfully trying to sleep. But the most interesting thing is that every time he wakes up in the middle of the night and sees that his house looks completely different, and strange sounds are heard around - growling and gnashing, rustling and knocking.
Games are countless virtual worlds allowing us to become what we want, but cannot in real life. However, among these worlds there are those that have earned the title of the best, both from gamers and from impartial critics.
To select the best games on PC, we studied popular Russian-language resources such as Iwantgames, stopgame and kanobu, as well as read reviews of popular games on Metacritic. Thus came the list of twenty best games on PC of all time which we present to your attention. The rating of games is given according to the data stop game.
Genre: MMORPG.
Release date: 2004-present.
Platform: Mac, PC.
One of best online games for PC offers not only an epic confrontation between two opposing alliances - the Alliance and the Horde, but also a beautiful, very large world, interesting quests, a carefully crafted story and raids.
In them you can fully show your talent as a healer, a melee or ranged fighter, or a powerful defender. Or just kiss squirrels in the nearest forest, if the soul lies only in peaceful pursuits.
The game is quite old by today's standards, but additions are regularly released to it. The next one - Battle for Azeroth will be released on August 14th.
19. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Rating: 8.8.
Genre: Shooter, addon.
Release date: 2015
Platform: PC, PS4, XONE.
According to many players, this is the most realistic and intense tactical first-person shooter. The game does not have a solo campaign, but there is an exciting team game. The task of the attacking side is to take the opponents by storm, and the defensive team must strengthen their positions as much as possible and set up cunning traps for the enemy.
The plot is based on real events that took place during counter-terrorist operations.
Rating: 8.8.
Genre: Shooter.
Release date: 2011
Platform: PC, PS3, X360
As bullets whizz overhead and explosions slam into the ground, the battlefield feels more realistic than ever before. In Battlefield 3, players will have to transform into the elite US Marines for a while. They are waiting for dangerous missions, both single and cooperative.
Great graphics, a wide variety of vehicles, a well-thought-out environment and a nice reward for a good game. team game- that's what even very picky gaming publications praise Battlefield 3 for.
Rating: 8.8.
Genre: Arcade.
Release date: 2015
Platform: PC, X360, XONE
This is perhaps the most beautiful platform arcade in our ranking of games. From the very first minutes, its unusual graphics attract attention and do not let go until the game is completed. Atmospheric world, pleasant and unobtrusive soundtrack, RPG elements, a cute character that will appeal to both young and adult gamers - what else do you need to pass a couple of evenings in front of a computer?
Rating: 8.9.
Genre: Strategy.
Release date: 2017
Platform: Mac, PC.
For many people, sci-fi Starcraft strategy is one of the greatest computer games of all time. And StarCraft: Remastered lives up to the high bar set by its predecessor. With stunning new Ultra HD visuals, re-recorded audio and updated online support, this game is highly recommended.
15. Assassin's Creed 2
Rating: 8.9.
Genre: Action.
Release date: 2009.
Platform: PC, PS3, X360.
The product of over two years of hard work and part of the popular Assassin's Creed franchise. In a vast open world environment, the game invites you to play as Ezio, a young nobleman living in the Renaissance. An interesting story about revenge and retribution is successfully complemented by a variety of missions, unusual gameplay elements, wide choose weapons and character development that fans of the original Assassin's Creed love so much.
Rating: 9.0.
Genre: Shooter.
Release date: 2007
Platform: Mac, PC, PS3, WII, X360.
This game was amazing for its time, thanks to the atmosphere of a real war, a coherent story, an exciting multiplayer mode, hundreds of beautiful cutscenes and the most meticulous study of the game environment. Even now a military blockbuster Modern Warfare can give you several hours of exciting gameplay.
Rating: 9.0.
Genre: Action.
Release date: 2012
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XONE
The main character of the game is Jason Brody, a man stuck on a mysterious tropical island. In this wild paradise, where lawlessness and violence reign, Brody will determine the outcome of the war between the rebels and pirates for control of the island.
Rating: 9.1.
Genre: RPG.
Release date: 2017
Platform: PC, PS4, XONE
Twenty hours into this RPG, you'll still be discovering new mechanics you never knew existed. In this respect Original Sin 2 is not very friendly to beginners, and requires some perseverance and patience from them.
Wherein great amount quests and secrets, the non-linear nature of the game, and its world, almost unparalleled in terms of scale and detail, is an experience not to be missed.
Rating: 9.2.
Genre: Action, RPG.
Release date: 2010
Platform: PC, PS3, X360.
This thrilling space saga takes players to unknown alien civilizations and battles against aliens, mercenaries and sentient robots. In addition, it offers one of the most interesting and well-designed characters in RPG games.
Rating: 9.2.
Genre: RPG.
Release date: 2011.
Platform: PC, PS3, X360.
An open world adventure from Bethesda Game Studios doesn't have the best combat or magic system or even better graphics compared to competitors. Instead, it offers something much more - one of the biggest, richest, and totally immersive worlds you'll ever see.
Traveling through locations in Skyrim will take such a long time that you can lose sleep, take off from work, and test the patience of family and friends while playing.
Rating: 9.2.
Genre: Action, racing
Release date: 2013
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XONE
The best games of all time would be incomplete without this superbly optimized, atmospheric game. Its action takes place in the sunny city of Los Santos, in which a criminal trio operates:
- Franklin, a young thief looking for some serious money.
- Michael, a former bank robber whose retirement was not as rosy as he thought.
- Trevor, a violent guy suffering from a mental disorder.
Players can switch between characters at any time, and it's definitely worth doing. After all, each character has his own set of quests, as well as primary and secondary skills that help to survive and get the most out of the world of GTA5.
Rating: 9.3.
Genre: Strategy.
Release date: 1999
Platform: PC.
This legendary game became the most popular entry in the Heroes of Might and Magic series. Compared to previous installments, it offered new types of cities, seven small story campaigns for each faction, and at the same time ran even on low-powered computers. Thanks to good localization, The Restoration of Erathia was a huge success in Russia.
Rating: 9.3.
Genre: RPG.
Release date: 2009
Platform: Mac, PC, PS3, X360.
As the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, one of the most successful RPGs in the industry, dragon age: Origins is a symbiosis best elements fantasy with stunning visuals. It cannot be called a revolution in the RPG genre, it is rather an evolution.
The story of Dragon Age: Origins is captivating and eventful, the characters are unforgettable, and the journey through the game world inhabited by humans, dwarves and elves is something that will captivate you and not let you go until the very end.
Rating: 9.3.
Genre: Puzzle.
Release date: 2011
Platform: Mac, PC, PS3, X360.
Valve has created a fun puzzle game with excellent game mechanics. It offers players not only a single-player game for the main character Chelsea, who has to escape from the Aperture laboratory, but also a cooperative mode for two players. In it the main actors there will be Atlas and P-Body robots. Story line cooperative regime does not intersect with the plot of the single mode, which leads to unexpected endings.
Rating: 9.3.
Genre: Action, racing.
Release date: 2002
Platform: PC
One of the best games in history still evokes warm and nostalgic feelings among those who played it. And those who didn’t pass can do it for three main reasons:
- The huge map of Lost Haven is filled with diverse and magnificent places. Each area has a peculiar look, has its own unique atmosphere and even musical accompaniment.
- Basic game process can be summarized by simply saying that it consists of shooting and driving in a third-person perspective. However, in reality, it offers much more: from a variety of missions to dialogue and interaction with many NPCs that inhabit the streets The City of Lost Heaven.
- An unusual and very beautiful main theme created under the direction of the Czech composer Vladimir Simunek, and with the participation of the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra.
The only weak point in the game is the imperfect AI of the hero's enemies and companions. On the other hand, the fact that the Lost Haven cops aren't geniuses adds to the realism.
Rating: 9.3.
Genre: Shooter.
Release date: 2004
Platform: PC.
This game enjoyed great love, and fans of the series are still waiting for the release of the third part. The graphics engine in Half-Life 2 was so realistic that players felt like they were in the movie. Excellent character animation, an original way of telling the story, a variety of environments and ways to interact with it, and most importantly - a charismatic protagonist made the first-person shooter Half-Life 2 what it is to this day. Namely, one of the most popular games in history.
Rating: 9.4.
Genre: RPG.
Release date: 1998
Platform: PC.
Amazing atmosphere, great music, exciting story make Fallout 2 a gem of the RPG genre. This is a real non-linear game that allows you to do whatever you want in a world full of mutants, radiation, and hundreds of other dangers.
Rating: 9.5.
Genre: RPG.
Release date: 2015
Platform: Mac, PC, PS4, XONE.
The game about the adventures of Geralt of Rivia has set a new standard for the quality of games in the open world RPG genre. Diverse and exciting locations full of important decisions, interesting characters, and brutal enemies, excellent graphics and music, thoughtful plot, funny and dramatic moments - all this gave the players more than 100 exciting hours gameplay.
For everyone who does not know the magical universe created by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher 3 explains the history of all the important characters and what connects them to Geralt. Thus, even beginners quickly get up to speed.
Rating: 9.6.
Genre: Addon, RPG.
Release date: 2016
Platform: PC, PS4, XONE.
The Witcher 3 is one of the highest rated games on PC. And her Blood and Wine addon is better than most games released in 2016. Even players who have spent hundreds of hours in The Witcher were surprised and delighted with the new addition with an interesting storyline. It is an excellent conclusion to the story of the White Wolf.
The amount and quality of content in this add-on is simply stunning, making it quite like a full-fledged game. You are waiting for a lot of quests, dialogues and, of course, monsters in the new Toussaint location.
Video games are the big escape, first class ticket from reality.
From rainy streets in Blade Runner to snowy forests in The long dark and ending with the ruins of nuclear destruction in Fallout with an underwater city from Bioshock. In some of them you need to understand the combat system or score more points, and in some, the developers create a believable world and send the player there.
The following games managed to stand out from the others due to the clever combination of sounds, visuals and game environments, which in my opinion gives them the title of the most atmospheric games.
This brutal survival simulator can also amaze with its beauty. You literally feel the cold, making your way through the blockages of snow. And hiding near a crackling fire during a howling blizzard is an incredibly atmospheric scene.
This is not without flaws, but an ambitious point-and-click adventure from Westwood, which brilliantly recreates appearance and retained the spirit of Ridley Scott's sci-fi film of the same name. The rainy streets of Los Angeles in 2019 look very atmospheric.
Despite the stylized, almost cartoon-like visualization, the Shoshone National Wildlife Refuge is a great atmospheric place for a virtual walk. This reserve is beautiful and frighteningly deserted, which makes the game just great.
The same Los Angeles, but this time in the late 40s. Rockstar's close attention to detail and Andrew Hale's memorable quips certainly add to the immersion of the game, as if we're revisiting old Chinatown detective movies.
The game developers managed to create one of the most atmospheric game settings - the Zone. This is a gloomy post-apocalyptic wasteland in the shadow of the exploding Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Realistic weather effects perfectly complement the already unfriendly.
Uncompromising 1970s technology and muted colors on space station"Sevastopol" recreates the atmosphere of the original film "Alien" by Ridley Scott. The perfect setting for this tense, oppressive horror masterpiece.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
The sleepy village of Yathon and its surrounding valley may seem like the perfect example of rural life in England, but something terrible has happened here. This sense of unease prevails over every scene of the idyll.
The scene of this, the barren Hebrides. The creators of this game, The Chinese Room, perfectly captured the feel of the gray, windswept Scottish Isles and used it to weave a dark, mysterious story.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
All games from the Assassin's Creed series are atmospheric, but Black Flag made me feel like I was somewhere else. The Caribbean at Ubisoft turned out just great, this is especially noticeable when a tropical storm is approaching.
SOMA
This psychological, sci-fi horror game from the makers of Amnesia features incredibly detailed, eerie underwater environments. The consecration is especially impressive, transporting us to a rich underwater atmosphere.
Huge open world The Witcher is full of such beautiful places as: the golden fields of Velen and the frozen island of Skelige. These are the places where you can simply get lost from the atmosphere for a long time, to say nothing of local sunsets.
The underwater city in BioShock is really impressive. Art Deco skyscrapers looming over us in murky green water have become classics of the genre in video games. Columbia from BioShock Infinite is also good, but it still doesn't match the atmosphere of the original game.
Wherever you wander in Lordran, you can feel the spirit of antiquity everywhere. This place is filled with myths, very old and almost forgotten. It's like we're exploring the ruins of an ancient, long-lost civilization.
Trading and fighting is fun, but sometimes it's worth getting off the ship to get a closer look at the city. The miraculous Milky Way by Frontier is full of amazing views, and the exciting music just completes the atmosphere.
DayZ
Like game STALKER, Chernarus in DayZ is a rather gloomy desert place in the post-Soviet space. It may be beautiful here in the sunlight, but basically Chernarus is a gray, rainy, and despair-filled area.
In video games, we're used to seeing nuclear devastation in person and experiencing it for ourselves, but DEFCON shows the other side: the eerie silence of war in rooms where world leaders are quietly orchestrating the total destruction of the planet.
Before you are the consequences of a nuclear war. Just like in the original game, Fallout 3 features an abandoned wasteland exposed to nuclear weapons, only this time in 3D. The game has its own indescribable atmosphere, which contributes to the study of the game world. At least until the giant ants want to finish you off.
Improved lighting effects make the nighttime battles in Arma 3 incredibly atmospheric. And during the day, the sun-drenched Greek islands of Altis and Stratis look very beautiful. In creating the environment, the developers from Bohemia were at their best.
This is another proof in the direction of the high level of craftsmanship of the Fullbright developers, as an ordinary house turned out to be so atmospheric. The flickering TV in the living room, which signals an approaching storm, is just a great detail.
No one expected that Valve would set the Half-Life sequel to a city in Eastern Europe. City 17 shows us oppressed citizens, abandoned streets, ramshackle Soviet apartments and faded Cyrillic signs.
The intoxicating, surreal, neon-soaked atmosphere of Hotline Miami, combined with the ruthless gunshot ultra-violence, makes the game very appealing to the player. The hammering synth-heavy soundtrack only enhances the game's evil vibe with 80s-style graphics.
An interesting, abstract adventure game that insanely owes its style to the films of David Lynch. This game is far from a perfect point-and-click game, but misterious story and the atmospheric rendering makes up for it.
The snowy mountains, icy debris, and bubbling hot springs of Skyrim are great fun to explore, especially at sunset. Developers from Bethesda still need to work on character models, but created by them game world is on this moment one of the best.
Everything in Portal 2 is very carefully crafted, including the Aperture Lab itself. Traveling through different eras, you feel as if you have unlocked some ancient time capsule, the integrity of which was never worth breaking.
The exploration of the dark depths of the sea has become an example of the atmospheric environment in the game. The whole essence of the story lies in the eloquent lines, but the illustrations in a green tint are also a very expressive detail.
If you've ever wondered what it's like to be alone on the planet, only be able to convey it to you in more detail. You really feel like you're in another world as you race your rover across the deserted red planet.
It is easy to believe in the reality of events if we watch some drama about a divorce or a life passing aimlessly. Another thing is to convince the viewer, and in our case the player, that this blue-skinned elf is actually worried about her missing father, who can control the forces of nature. Today, we choose games that stand out for their impeccable atmosphere, even if their world is not at all like the real one.
bioshock
It's not the first time the series of shooters has been included in our selection, but it certainly deserves it. BioShock 1 and 2 take place in the underwater city of Rapture, which was inhabited by prominent people in the 1950s. The best scientists, doctors, artists, musicians and thinkers are tired of the imperfections of the familiar world and decided to retire to the bottom of the ocean.
Rapture is a utopian city, which its inhabitants destroyed. A substance capable of developing superpowers turned into a powerful drug, which led to disaster and the decline of the city. Rapture combines gloss and dirt: expensive furniture is stained with blood, marble floors are covered with salt water, a mutilated corpse sits at a shiny piano.
The place and time of BioShock Infinite has changed: the new hero is sent to the air city of Columbia, and the events unfold in 1912. The city only seems to be prosperous: the locals have even more skeletons in their closet than the inhabitants of Rapture. Both worlds of BioShock are worth exploring: this is one of the most atmospheric and elaborate series.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
A rare case when the game "based on" was worthwhile. Howard Phillips Lovecraft is one of the most enigmatic writers of the twentieth century. The author did not receive much recognition during his lifetime, but his work acquired a cult status after his death. Reading these works is like making your way through the forest through thick fog. You hear the crackling of branches and rustling nearby, but you don’t understand whether it’s a squirrel, a drunken mushroom picker, a bear, or something worse. The same sensations arise during the passage of Call of Cthulhu.
The developers surprisingly accurately conveyed the atmosphere of the writer's stories. This is a leisurely and gloomy game, from which goosebumps sometimes run through the body. Horror scares not with sudden screams, but with a quiet whisper from around the corner. Not a jumping monster, but a dead girl who just stands covered in blood and stares at you. The entourage is formed thanks to the conversations of the characters, the well-developed locations, and the terrible details of the events. Detective Jack Walters will regret more than once that he undertook to investigate the case in the quiet town of Innsmouth, but it will be too late.
Far Cry Primal
The action of Far Cry took place on tropical islands, and in sultry Africa, and in the Himalayan mountains. After the fourth part, the developers have chosen an unexpected setting - primitive. There are practically no games in such surroundings, you can immediately recall only Zeno Clash, but there is a share of fantasy there. Here everything is more or less detailed, although it is impossible to check the realism in any case.
We are assigned the role of a representative of an almost extinct tribe, who revives the settlement and is preparing to repulse the enemies. The gameplay is tied to hunting, and this becomes boring over time: after all, tracking down animals was only one of the elements of the gameplay in Far Cry 3-4, and not the main one. And here there is little variety: either get the skins, then collect the leaves, then kill the enemy squad.
But the atmosphere is excellent: nature has not yet been touched by people, mammoths walk through the fields, saber-toothed tigers and other long-extinct animals are found in the forests. You can wander around for hours and just take screenshots for your desktop.
Red Dead Series
The cowboy action line didn't start with Red Dead Redemption, but with Red Dead Revolver. But the games are practically unrelated: different time of action and characters. In the original action movie, the hero Red takes revenge on the gangsters for the murder of his parents, while John Marston from the new action movie tries to save the family by eliminating his former gang colleagues. Red Dead Redemption 2 should be released in the fall, there is no information about the connection with the previous parts.
In the games, the territory and characters are well developed, the locations are full of interesting little things and random events. It would seem that what can happen practically in an open field? You ride calmly on a horse, looking at the setting sun, and suddenly you fall into an ambush, then you stumble upon a hermit, then you see how the Indians deal with the pale-skinned. Rockstar, the developer of GTA, knows how to make rich worlds: there is more life in the prairie of Red Dead Redemption than in the metropolis of Chicago from some Mafia 3.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
The series is based on the story Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers. The franchise currently has three games plus a ton of fan-made additions. Ukrainian GSC Game World made "our Fallout", which played on its popularity.
The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has spawned a new business - both dangerous and lucrative in equal measure. The release of radioactive substances provoked the appearance of artifacts that give bonuses to characteristics and are required, among other things, for scientific purposes. This is how stalkers appeared, hunting for valuable substances.
Key objects of the Zone are recreated on a large territory: a giant radar, the town of Pripyat with the same Ferris wheel, a dump of abandoned equipment that participated in the operation after the accident, and the nuclear power plant itself. There is still life in the deadlands, which for many stalkers lasts a couple of days at best. The atmosphere is oppressive, but you definitely want to visit this place.
bloodborne
This list can include Dark Souls- a popular series from the same developers. Games are sometimes compared, but there are still differences. First of all, they have different combat systems- Dark Souls is slower. But what they have in common is complexity. The developers have made very difficult conditions for the player their “chip”: tips are sometimes even more confusing, sometimes it’s not clear what they want from us and where to go, enemies are killed in just a few blows, and bosses reach the size of the Trinity house.
The protagonist arrives in the city of Yharnam, where medicine has reached great heights: doctors have learned to cure diseases by blood transfusion. But because of the epidemic, people began to turn into monsters. We have to clean the city and figure out what is really happening here. The locations are impressive in their beauty, despite the general gloomy state of Yharnam. The game, like BioShock, shows an aesthetic mixed with dirt in the literal and figurative sense.
mass effect
The space epic captivates with the scale of events and detailed study of the universe. Despite the abundance of races, planets and conflicts, everything looks very reasonable. Detailed descriptions creatures and difficult relationships between species, the reasons for the aggression of one side or another - during the game there are almost no moments at which you can catch the writers.
BioWare should be blamed only for the same type of structure of their games: what mass effect that in Dragon Age the hero needs to assemble a squad of fighters, fulfill (not necessarily) all their wishes and then go to the main reptile. Captain Shepard and his crew will visit many planets - snow-covered, covered with greenery, volcanic, incinerated by the rays of the sun. Although many of them turn out to be bellboys, a tenacious plot, interesting dialogues and situations are kept at the screens for a long time.
Fallout
A nuclear war did not destroy humanity, but completely changed its behavior, lifestyle, and priorities. What remains of Maslow's pyramid of needs is actually the base - basic needs, such as satisfaction of hunger. Judging by the world of Fallout, people in the Wasteland will never be able to get close to at least the third step.
There are games that can hook you in some way. They do not have the most advanced graphics, the plot has holes and blunders, and the gameplay itself is not up to par. But they want to forgive all this if the developers have tried their best and created an enticing atmosphere. It is about such games that will be discussed in our today's top. Of course, the atmosphere is not graphics and cannot be measured, so all the games below are in a very approximate and subjective order.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. can be blamed for a lot. And for unjustified expectations, and for a plot that is clumsy by modern standards, and for stupid dialogues. However, what cannot be taken away from the brainchild of Ukrainian developers is the meticulously recreated atmosphere of the Exclusion Zone. That's why we love S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. Although he was not what we expected him to be, he plunged us headlong into the rapidly flowing life on this mothballed piece of the Soviet Union. In every location, every building, every rusting car, the developers put their soul into it.
Fallout series
Without a doubt, the Fallout series can be considered one of the best examples atmospheric games. This epic about the world after the end of the world left a deep mark in the heart of every gamer. We love these games selflessly, devotedly, and are ready to forgive them over and over again for their ever-increasing bias towards the mass consumer, just to once again touch this enchanting atmosphere. It is the carefully crafted world and atmosphere of the post-apocalypse, and not the gameplay or plot at all, that keep us close to the computer when we play Fallout.
Vampires:The Masqarade-Bloodlines
This role-playing game, which became the last for the legendary studio Troika Games, can rightfully be considered one of the most atmospheric games of all time. Excellent design, a chic soundtrack that will definitely settle in your playlist after passing and juicy, vibrant characters create an indescribable atmosphere of nighttime Los Angeles. It was not at all the Los Angeles that we are used to seeing in the movies. This is a gloomy place full of drug addicts, freaks and maniacs, among which vampires do not look like such scary monsters. Unfortunately, towards the end, the game falls apart due to the limited development time. But it's still one of the most atmospheric games ever seen.
Slender: The Eight Pages
Don't go for a walk in the forest, kids... Especially if it's a forest from the game Sender: The Eight Pages, in which a creepy creature named Slenderman is waiting for you. If you still value your mental health, don't touch this game. This horror will scare anyone, regardless of age and gender. The creepy hide-and-seek game with Slenderman will stick in your memory for a long time, and this huge, mysterious forest will look great in your nightmares. For its scary atmosphere, Slender: The Eight Pages gets a place in our top.
Manhunt
It is terrible to imagine the world of inflamed fantasies of developers from Rockstar who were responsible for the creation of this game. At one time, she challenged all guardians of morality, becoming one of the most cruel games of all time. But in addition to senseless violence, it was remembered for its oppressive atmosphere. The creepy TV show for perverts that we unwittingly had to watch was superbly directed and written. The gloomy streets of the godforsaken town left an indelible impression in the soul of everyone who had to visit here. It's unlikely that Rockstar will ever release a sequel, but maybe it's for the best.
GTA Series
You can talk about this series for a very long time and a lot, but since our top is dedicated to the most atmospheric games, we will focus only on this moment. Whatever era Rockstar wanted to cover in the next game in the series, they did it consistently well. Whether it's the eighties from Vice City, the nineties from San Andreas or zero from GTA IV, each time the developers managed to capture the very essence of the era and meticulously transfer it to our screens. Sometimes you just want to wander the streets of these cities and watch, because Rockstar makes truly living worlds in which the player feels at home. GTA Series has been holding the highest quality bar for many years and it does not seem that Rockstar is going to stop there.
World of Warcraft
Why World of Warcraft has been alive for 11 years, and his killers, who come out almost once every six months, invariably die a sudden death? What do developers have Blizzard what others don't have? To answer this question, take a walk through the Elvin forest during the rain. Ride a swift-winged gryphon across the vast expanses of the Eastern Kingdoms. Spend an hour drinking rum with your friends in Pirate's Cove. Listen to little kids gossip about the giant crocolisk somewhere in the canals of Stormwind. Stand shoulder to shoulder with your allies to once again repel the next Evil that is about to wipe Azeroth from the face of the earth. I think then you yourself will be able to answer your question, but this answer will not be possible to express in words.
Journey
This is a strange, silent game that grabs you by the hand from the first seconds and pulls you somewhere into the unknown distances. This is an adventure in which you write your own story based on your own feelings. The most important thing that this game has is the atmosphere of something fabulous, unforgettable, indescribable in words. Journey asks you more questions than it answers, and that's what makes it so good.
Mafia Series
At the great and mighty Grand Thieft Auto there is at least one competitor that can compete with it. And, of course, we're talking about the series. Mafia, which over and over again pleases us with an excellent plot, interesting gameplay and, which is important in the light of our top, a great atmosphere of the 30s-50s. Fans of gangster films will be delighted with this epic, which can undoubtedly be attributed to the classics of the genre. Mafia is a truly human, and very human story that takes place in a vibrant and interesting world.
The Elder Scrolls Series
This fantasy universe is close to the heart of every gamer. This is a huge world with its own history and mythology, which we get to know better and better with each new game series. And every time we give ourselves to Tamriel without a trace. Each game in the series pulls us out of our daily routine for a long time. And not the last role here is played by the excellent atmosphere of a real fenetesi. Series games The Elder Scrolls- this is a great fantasy that follows the classical canons and yet free from outside influences.