An overview of the best atmospheric games of the past. From S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and BioShock before Mass Effect. Top most atmospheric games. We Were Here Too - a dark co-op adventure
Video games are a big escape, a first class ticket out of reality.
Starting with rainy streets in Blade Runner, 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 get more points, and in some, the developers create a believable world and send the player there.
The following games managed to stand out from others due to the competent combination of sounds, visual effects and the gaming environment, 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 as you wade through the piles of snow. A shelter 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 game from Westwood, which brilliantly recreates appearance and retains the spirit of Ridley Scott's sci-fi film of the same name. The rainy streets of 2019 Los Angeles look very atmospheric.
Despite the stylized, almost cartoonish rendering, the Shoshone National Reserve is a great atmospheric place for 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 meticulous attention to detail and Andrew Hale's catchy quibbling remarks certainly contribute to a greater immersion in the game, as if we were revisiting old Chinatown detective films.
The developers of the game managed to create one of the most atmospheric gaming settings - the Zone. This is a gloomy post-apocalyptic wasteland in the shadow of the exploded Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Realistic bad weather effects perfectly complement the already unfriendly one.
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 intense, depressing horror masterpiece.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
The sleepy village of Yaton and its surrounding valley may seem like the perfect example of rural life in England, but something terrible has happened here. This sense of uneasiness prevails over every scene of the idyll.
The scene of this action is the barren Hebrides. The creators of this game, The Chinese Room, perfectly captured the feel of the gray, windy Scottish Isles and used it to weave a dark, mysterious storyline.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
All games from the Assassin's Creed series are atmospheric, but Black Flag awakened in me the feeling that I was in some other place. Ubisoft's Caribbean is great, especially when a tropical storm is approaching.
SOMA
This psychological, sci-fi horror game from the creators of Amnesia is a game with incredibly detailed, morose underwater nature. The consecration is especially impressive, taking us into a rich underwater atmosphere.
The vast open world in 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, let alone local sunsets.
BioShock's underwater city is truly impressive. Art Deco skyscrapers looming over us in muddy green water have become classics of the genre in computer games... Colombia from BioShock Infinite is also good, but it still does not match the atmosphere of the original game.
Wherever you wander in Lordran, the spirit of antiquity is felt everywhere. This place is filled with myths, very old and almost forgotten. As if we are 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. Frontier's Miraculous Milky Way is full of amazing views, and exciting music just adds to the atmosphere.
DayZ
Like game STALKER, Chernorussia in DayZ is a rather gloomy desert place in the post-Soviet space. It may be beautiful in the sunlight, but mostly Chernorussia is a gray, rainy and desperate area.
In video games, we're used to seeing and experiencing nuclear devastation personally, but DEFCON shows the other side: the eerie silence of war in rooms where world leaders calmly orchestrate the complete destruction of the planet.
Before you are the consequences of an atomic war. As in original game, in Fallout 3, we will experience an abandoned wasteland, exposed to nuclear weapons, only this time in 3D. The game has its own indescribable atmosphere, which contributes to the exploration of the game world. At least until the giant ants want to finish you off.
Improved lighting effects make the night 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 further proof of the high level of craftsmanship from the developers of the Fullbright company, since an ordinary house turned out to be so atmospheric. The flickering TV in the living room, which signals an impending storm, is just a great detail.
No one expected Valve to set the Half-Life sequel to a city in Eastern Europe... City 17 shows us oppressed townspeople, abandoned streets, dilapidated Soviet apartments and faded Cyrillic signs.
Hotline Miami's heady, unreal, neon-drenched atmosphere, combined with relentless ultraviolent firearms, makes the game very appealing to the player. The pounding, heavy synth soundtrack only heightens the game's wicked energy 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 perfect point-and-click play, but the mysterious story and atmospheric visualization makes up for it.
The snowy mountains, icy debris and seething hot springs of Skyrim are great fun to explore, especially at sunset. Bethesda developers still need to work on the character models, but the game world they've created is in this moment one of the best.
Everything in Portal 2 is very meticulously 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.
Exploration of the dark depths of the sea became an example of atmospheric environments in the game. The whole point of the story lies in the eloquent lines, but the illustrations in the shade of green are also very expressive details.
If you have ever wondered what it is like to be alone on the planet, only I can convey this to you in more detail. You really feel like you're in a different world, driving your rover across the deserted red planet.
Computer games have always been considered the most colorful and effective way out of the reality of gray everyday life. PC Gamer compiled a list of the most atmospheric games. In the listed games, one hundred percent harmony of light, sound and environment.
Blade runner
Unfinished but very ambitious project from the company Westwood... In the best traditions Ridley Scott and futuristic cyberpunk. Los Angeles has never been so truly unreal.
L.A. Noire
The same Los Angeles, only in the 40s. Manic attachment Rockstar to detail has played a role. As a result, we got one of the most memorable games.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
The zone is the queen of atmosphere. The gloomy post-apocalyptic world did not leave anyone indifferent. An endless world with great potential, where games are simply made to be played over and over again.
Alien: Isolation
1970s grungy and lopsided technology. Throughout the Sevastopol space station, the original Scott's behests echo. A tense, all-consuming atmosphere of fear.
Dear Esther
There will never be many games about the Hebrides. What could be better mysterious history in gray, windy Scotland?
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
All games from Yubisoft are quite atmospheric. But the Black Flag does indeed transport the player to another dimension.
BioShock
The underwater city is a serious claim to the atmosphere. Skyscrapers gleaming languidly through the dark layers of water. Never has the inanimate been so beautiful.
Wherever you go while in Lordran, you can feel the breath of history everywhere. This is not just a game, it is an excursion into the ancient secrets of the world.
Wonderful world bright in daylight. But mostly gray, dark and deadly. The atmosphere is like in Stalker. Who said it was bad.
We are used to seeing the end of the world and nuclear explosions from the front rows. But not in the game DEFCON. We are on the other side of destruction. Where the war is fought from.
Fallout 3
The third part of the game was exactly what the developers had in mind from the very beginning. A wonderful world full of adventure.
Everyone remembers the night fights in this game? So this game is just as beautiful during the day.
Gone Home
How everything should really work. A moving, flashing, living Fullbright monument.
Half-life 2
I never and never thought that the setting of this game would be in some European city. City number seventeen is a delightful mix of abandoned streets, ruined houses and fading history.
Hotline miami
Intoxicated. Fairy. Neon. And all would be fine, but the soundtracks said their last word in the verdict - very atmospheric.
Kentucky route zero
An abstract, sometimes completely incomprehensible game, very similar to the films of David Lynch. Pixelhunting is perfectly saved by the plot and atmosphere.
The elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Snow-capped mountains, icy streams, ringing spring air and blazing sunsets. Bethesda has broken all records for the development of the environment.
Portal 2
Everything in this game is perfectly worked out. Painful perfectionism.
Sunless sea
Good example successful plot and stage setting.
Take on mars
If you have ever thought about what it is like to be the only person on the planet, Take On Mars - the best way.
Atmospheric PC games are the TOP 10 most interesting and memorable projects to which you want to return again and again.
A deep plot, high-quality picture and a perfectly suitable soundtrack - a combination of all factors creates the very atmosphere that sets them apart from ordinary projects.
This collection contains a dozen of the most atmospheric games. Most are in Russian.
1. Dead by Daylight - pure horror
"Dead by Daylight" - Imagine that all your favorite horror games were collected in one game, and even allowed the players to take part in any role.
Video Game Dead by Daylight
The replay value is almost endless - hunt down foolish people on the trail and kill them different ways as an assassin, or team up to outsmart death itself as the survivors.
2. Nioh - the hard way of a samurai
"Nioh" - big hard role-playing game with powerful bosses, forcing you to spend dozens of hours to destroy them.
Video Games Nioh
Be careful, the game can drag on for 200 hours, forcing you to forget about real life... Everything is done too high quality and beautifully here.
3. Killing Floor 2 - Zombie Meat Kill
Killing Floor 2 is one of the coolest atmospheric action games to destroy zombies and mutants. Graphics, sound, entertainment - everything is on top.
Killing Floor 2 video game
And also: customization of heroes, a whole bunch of perks, sometimes even good humor. Big updates come out regularly.
4. No Man's Sky - infinitely generated space
"No Man" s Sky "is one of the largest modern space sandboxes with beautiful graphics and the presence of a joint game.
Video Game No Man's Sky
Unfortunately, the developers did not implement everything they promised in the game, so the ratings are average. But the atmosphere is there!
5. Endless Space 2 - control of a space civilization
"Endless Space 2" - the second part of the game lives up to its name, it is truly endless space with cool graphics and huge amount content.
Video Game Endless Space 2
A large tree of development, a detailed editor for creating ships, diplomacy and just a very beautiful big world. Recommended.
6. Aragami - stealth action game in an interesting world
Aragami is a game in which atmosphere comes first. Although the gameplay is very good.
Aragami video games
The picture looks especially beautiful in night missions, but it is not easy to pass them. This is a quality indie that, unfortunately, few people know about.
7. Warspear Online - cozy RPG with tough PvP
Warspear Online is a tube MMO from Russian developers. The game looks simple only at first glance, when you dive you realize that there is a lot of content in it.
Video Game Warspear Online
The game is completely in Russian. She has beautiful old-school graphics, not the easiest gameplay and consistently large online.
8. Steep - winter sports competition
"Steep" - maximum realistic graphics and endless snow in Ubisoft's winter adventure. This is a winter sports game.
Video Game Steep
The game is made very high quality - the tracks are copied from the real ones and their passage depends on the player's personal skills. It also has great sound.
9. We Were Here Too - dark co-op adventure
"We Were Here Too "- plunge into the secrets of a medieval castle, trying to get out of it together with your partner.
Video Games We Were Here Too
Interesting, atmospheric and sometimes even too difficult, but that's the fun of the game. You will not be able to complete it the first time.
10. Depth - slaughter of sharks and divers
"Depth" - dive into the very depths of the ocean to fight bloodthirsty sharks, or play as predators tearing stupid divers to pieces.
Video Game Depth
There is a game mode with real opponents and training with bots. Many different cards, Russian, always good online.
It may not be all the great atmosphere PC games that exist today, but we tried to recall the best ones. Need more? Look for them in other collections and reviews!
A large percentage of gamers always strive to find an atmospheric game that will add not only gameplay and graphics, but also the plot, music, design and general mood. Such projects can improve mood, inspire or make you think. Most of them, by the way, are far from funny - it is the gloomy and depressing atmosphere that is popular. In this article, we will consider the top atmospheric PC games, regardless of the time frame.
Let's not take into account indie projects, most of which are trying to lure only with the atmosphere. We will look at games where atmosphere coexists with interesting plot and gameplay. The only thing we will not pay attention to is the graphics. It is known that the most modern technologies are not required to create a truly atmospheric PC game - this has been proven by many examples and time.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Let's start with the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game series, developed by a Ukrainian studio. The fate of the project is complex, but interesting. The first part was released in 2007 and immediately fell in love with almost all players in the CIS. All parts are similar in their mood and spirit. The action takes place in the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after the tragic events. In the game universe, there are anomalous zones and mutants that fill it. The player in the role of one of the stalkers will have to go to the very depths of the Zone and solve its riddle.
At the beginning of the passage you are "thrown" into an open world with a large number of possibilities and characters. The atmospheric game captivates with its mood - abandoned buildings, songs with a guitar around the fire, a gray autumn palette and hostile opponents. Stories of other stalkers, bars, groups and much more - all this awaits you in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
BioShock
The top atmospheric PC games continue with the BioShock series. The game has one of best designs levels, soundtrack and a mesmerizing history of the underwater city. Interest in what is happening appears from the first minutes of the gameplay - the main character swims to an abandoned lighthouse and goes inside, where a bathyscaphe is waiting for him. He will sink in it to the very bottom of the ocean with the huge and beautiful city of Rapchur. During the first excursion, you can gaze for a few minutes at the landscapes behind glass windows, the water world, the strict and beautiful decoration of the city. We will not reveal all the subtleties of the story - we will do without spoilers.
The third part of the series will send you to a different, but no less mesmerizing place. The airy city also has a friendly face, beautiful scenery. But inside you will find a story with a tyrant ruler, several parallel worlds and a charming partner. It can be seen that the designers and designers of Bioshock did a good job on the atmosphere.
Max payne
Let's go back from fictional universes and cities to a more real story. Gaming series Max payne tells the story of a police officer whose family was killed by bandits. Max Payne loses his wife and daughter, after which he sets out to take revenge on his offenders. The first two parts cannot boast of excellent graphics due to the fact that they were released in the early 2000s. However, they can be safely called some of the most atmospheric PC games ever. The action takes place at night, which adds to the atmosphere of noir and detective movies. Dynamic firefights with time dilation give way to surreal inserts using the main character's inner voices, dreams, and offscreen narration.
Max Payne 3 was released in 2013 and slightly changed course from a noir work with an atmosphere of hopelessness to a spectacular action movie. The game tells us about the fate of Max a few years after the events of the second part. The action takes place in South America with all its inherent flavor.
Fallout
The top most atmospheric games could not be left without the Fallout series. The first two parts, released at the end of the 90s, are performed in isometric graphics, so they do not allow you to completely immerse yourself in the oppressive atmosphere of the post-apocalyptic world. However, for those who like to read dialogues and descriptions of quests, these games may be even better than modern ones.
Fallout 3, 4 and New vegas developed in a full-fledged 3D world, which helps to feel the spirit of America after a nuclear explosion. In the third part, the hero travels around the outskirts of Washington, New Vegas copies locations near Las Vegas, and in the "four" the action takes place in California.
The journey of the protagonist takes place under a selection of jazz music and conversations of partners. The world is completely open to exploration. On the way, you will meet many interesting characters, factions and tasks. The Fallout series draws in the player for dozens of hours.
The elder scrolls
The popular RPG series also ranks among the top most atmospheric PC games. In the first two parts - Arena and Daggerfall, the modern gamer, of course, physically cannot bring himself to play. However, starting with Morrowind, which is created on a 3D engine, nothing prevents you from immersing yourself in the fantasy world of Tamriel.
The two subsequent parts - Oblivion and Skyrim - differ in general mood and location design, but they have one thing in common - the atmosphere. Every player will find something to do in game world- he will explore locations, wander around castles or dungeons, craft or simply sit in a tavern until he is affected by a random event. The Elder Scrolls is an excellent fantasy, made according to all the canons of the genre.
Dark souls
Many gamers can't get past the difficulty threshold Dark games Souls, so the mesmerizing atmosphere of Lordran does not have time to please them. However, we recommend every player to challenge themselves and spend a few hours mastering the mechanics and controls in order to enjoy the game in the future. It is captivating that the game does not tell you the history of the world in plain text.
Even more - the game doesn't tell anything. You must learn about all the events and riddles on your own through the descriptions of objects, hints, rare dialogues with lonely characters and bosses' remarks. This makes you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Dark Souls with your head. Over time, you will stop noticing the complexity of bosses and locations, enjoying the design and general mood of this RPG.
The Witcher
The game based on a series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski is rightfully considered one of the best RPG last decade. The Polish studio managed to convey the atmosphere of the Middle Ages with an admixture of Slavic mythology and flavor. The third part of Wild Hunt with a lot open world deserves special praise. If you are a fan of The Witcher, then we recommend that you go through all the parts. However, it was the extreme game that became the most popular and received the best marks.
Geralt of Rivia is left to himself and can explore the vast world in any sequence. The player can do the usual witch work, help the village, meet with his old friends and, of course, do not forget about the main mission - to find and protect Ciri. Big and complex game will not let you go from the computer monitor for a long time.
Grand Theft Auto
Each part of the action game boasts its own unique atmosphere. We should also highlight games starting with Vice city... Here you will immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Miami, the sunny coast and the theme of the movie "Scarface". The joyful and carefree resort hides the bloody showdown of the mafia and drugs.
The next part is San andreas- introduces the player to the flavor of the whole state. In the beginning, you are in the thick of the Los Angeles ghetto, then you move to San Francisco, and then to the entertainment city of Las Vegas. All this is accompanied by large rural landscapes and a good plot.
The last part of the GTA once again returns the player to Los Santos, this time redesigned and more interesting. Every corner is waiting for you random events, the night view of the city is simply mesmerizing.
Mafia
The most gangster franchise ever. It is impossible not to mention "Mafia" after the story about the series Grand theft Auto. The atmosphere of the 30s is remarkably conveyed in the first part of the game. Here you will completely immerse yourself in what is happening thanks to the magnificent musical accompaniment... In all three Mafia games there is a well-chosen soundtrack, detailed cities and an intriguing story based on the events of the time.
We have reviewed the best atmospheric games that can give you a lot of pleasure from passing and will not let go of the gameplay for a long time. All the projects presented have become successful and popular due to the atmosphere and detailed elaboration of the game world.