As interactive storytelling became a standard in building engaging and dynamic narratives in video games, more and more productions feature decision-based gameplay that creates uniquely personal experiences.
These titles are chosen by players due to their emotional depth, replayability, and a sense of agency we all love to have – even if it’s only in the virtual world.
Today, we’ll explore the best games with branching storylines and decision-making gameplay, each offering unique experiences heavily influenced by players’ choices. Let’s dive right in!
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | Video | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mass Effect | 2008-05-28 | Shooter & Role-playing (RPG) | BioWare | |
 | The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt | 2015-05-18 | Role-playing (RPG) & Adventure | CD PROJEKT RED | |
 | Detroit Become Human | 2020-06-18 | Puzzle & Adventure | Quantic Dream | |
 | Until Dawn | 2024-10-04 | Adventure | Supermassive Games | |
 | Life Is Strange Remastered Collection | 2022-02-01 | Adventure & Role-playing (RPG) | Deck Nine | |
 | Dragon Age Inquisition | 2014-11-18 | Tactical & Role-playing (RPG) | BioWare | |
 | Fallout: New Vegas | 2010-10-21 | Role-playing (RPG) | Obsidian Entertainment |
Mass Effect
In the critically acclaimed Mass Effect series (2007-2017), decisions made by players affect both short- and long-term plot elements across the trilogy.
Mass Effect
Release Date: May 28, 2008
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
They are usually made through selecting different conversation options on the dialogue wheel, which may lead to unpredictable consequences despite its intuitiveness. Making choices that influence squad loyalty and survival, character development and morality, and even the future of the whole galaxy has turned the game into a deeply personalized narrative experience.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Player choices influence both main and side stories of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015), with dozens of decisions waiting to be made throughout the playthrough.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Release Date: May 18, 2015
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
While some of them affect Geralt of Rivia’s relationships with other characters or alter the outcome of a particular quest, others lead to achieving one of many endings as long-term consequences of the player’s actions. The impressive size of the game and its complex branching narratives have set new standards for modern story-driven RPGs.
Detroit: Become Human
With three amazing stories of android characters intertwining themselves in a complex narrative, Detroit: Become Human (2018) allows players to make countless decisions that will affect futuristic Detroit and its inhabitants.
Detroit: Become Human
Release Date: June 18, 2020
Genres: Puzzle, Adventure
As the game utilizes a flowchart-based narrative structure with branches leading to dramatically different outcomes, it encourages discovering various paths while exploring subjects of human future, artificial intelligence, civil rights, and one’s identity, which turns out to be particularly relevant today.
Until Dawn
Heavily influenced by classic horror and thriller tropes, the smash hit from Supermassive Games, Until Dawn (2015), has set new standards for decision-based games, not only with its state-of-the-art visuals.
Until Dawn
Release Date: October 04, 2024
Genres: Adventure
The game utilizes the butterfly effect concept to show how players’ choices affect the fate of a group of friends trapped in a remote mountain lodge in the middle of winter. Selecting different dialogue options, succeeding or failing QTEs, and exploring the environment can lead to drastically different outcomes, including brutal, cinematic deaths of all characters.
Life is Strange
Following the engaging story of Max Caulfield, a teenager who discovers that she can rewind time, Life is Strange (2015) is an emotional video game full of difficult moral decisions to be made.
Life is Strange Remastered Collection
Release Date: February 01, 2022
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Players’ choices are made with dialogue options as well as optional actions and exploration. They not only impact relationships, but also determine the fate of the characters and the town of Arcadia Bay as a whole, all the way to the heartbreaking final decision that will leave no player indifferent.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Both regular dialogue choices and important political decisions influence the rich narrative of Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014).
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Release Date: November 18, 2014
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Tactical, Adventure
As its players take the role of the Inquisitor, whose actions shape the fate of the whole continent of Thedas, the game is a great example of a story-driven RPG full of meaningful choices. Everything they do can turn out to be affecting various factions, companions, and romantic relationships, eventually leading to one of multiple endings available.
Fallout: New Vegas
Also allowing players to reach one of multiple endings, Fallout: New Vegas (2010) is a classic example of in-game decisions affecting more than just the protagonist’s fate.
Fallout New Vegas
Release Date: October 21, 2010
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
With an amazing, branching main story and a variety of side quests, optional activities, dialogue choices, and a highly interactive character of building relationships with factions fighting for domination, the Mojave Desert changes as a reflection of the player’s actions.
We hope that the titles we’ve selected will satisfy your hunger for games featuring branching storylines and decision-making gameplay crafted by your actions alone. Just give them a try – but remember, your choices may shape not only relationships and particular quests, but also the whole in-game world!