Games with a good atmosphere. What are some atmospheric games with a delightful storyline? Video games Dead by Daylight

Why atmosphere?

For me, the most important thing in games is the atmosphere.

The atmosphere in games is a combination of surroundings, supported colors and soundtrack with a unique sound pattern in the context of the game's plot.

I decided to make a selection of games that seemed to me the most atmospheric. The games are in order, there will be no ratings or comparisons, because each game is good in its own way.

For the entire impressive set of advantages of the Metro shooter series, and first of all the unique atmosphere - so thick that you could eat it with a spoon - there is one big minus.

Whatever one may say, the shooters from these games turned out so-so. There are no normal ballistics, the enemies are stupid and do not react to hits, the weapons are unconvincing - a set of symptoms is generally typical for shooters made in the post-Soviet space, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. suffered from the same disease. Neither the interesting arsenal nor the ability to attach the stock and optical sight to a regular revolver helped.

But timid hope still glimmered, especially considering that the developers, without being modest, declared that, following the graphics, they would improve updated version and gameplay.

In addition to the visual part, the developers have tidied up the gameplay. Metro 2033 was a good shooter, but there were frequent stealth episodes and no possibility of normal silent kills. Now everything is as it should be, that is, as in Last Light. We can sneak up on the enemy from behind, kill him or stun him - the karmic system, we can’t live without it these days. Your decisions do not affect the ending: we still make the final choice at the very end of the game. Convenient throwing knives are still a great help in difficult situations when it is desirable to complete levels quietly. There are no problems with the warriors, but the monsters could be weaker: even at the basic (“normal”) difficulty level you need to land 3-4 machine guns to kill some of the reptiles.

The developers clearly wanted to emphasize the difficult life in a post-apocalyptic world and even divided the game into two styles: “Spartan” and “Survival”. The latter speaks for itself: emphasis on quiet passage, little ammo, enemies are accurate and sensitive, it is strongly recommended to play only in stealth mode. “Spartan” is more suitable for fans of noisy gunfire and explosions: there is enough ammunition, and first aid kits are not a problem to find either. Although situations where you are left with virtually no ammunition are very real. In addition, do not forget that one type of bullet is considered currency here, and it is better not to waste money in the literal sense of the word. These rounds in Metro 2033 Redux are now incendiary, as implemented in Last Light.

If “Survival” doesn’t seem enough, welcome to the “Ranger Hardcore” difficulty level: plus devilish difficulty, minus the interface. The only thing that helps is the initial machine gun, which can be used to determine the number of cartridges in the clip by eye - the magazine goes into the barrel as you fire.

What we have left is a well-remade Metro 2033, which is still interesting, and a couple of changes in Last Light purely for fans. It makes sense to purchase both parts only if you have not played Last Light before.

The universe of the game "Stalker" is large and vast, full of secrets and mysteries that fill every corner of the Forbidden Zone. The primary source is, of course, the work of the Strugatsky brothers “Roadside Picnic”. The idea existed - it was loneliness, a feeling of deep melancholy, dull colors and constant danger, because of which you had to be on guard everywhere.

The first part of the saga about Marked, the lone stalker, came out back in two thousand and seven. At that time, the little-known company GSC Game World released a game, the setting of which was not the surroundings of Chernobyl and Pripyat. Sights were present: the fourth power unit, the Prometheus cinema, a dump of abandoned equipment and much more. The player was told the story of a tramp who had lost his memory, a hunter of the wealth of the Zone - artifacts. On behalf of the hero, the gaming community observed a new, unlike any other world after the apocalypse in the north-west of Ukraine.

The seemingly lifeless landscape was diluted with millions of small details. The flora was noisy, the fauna was running about its business, both could do harm! People went about their daily lives - mostly sitting safely in improvised bases, occasionally making forays into dangerous parts of the contaminated territory. The picture that opened up was captivating; there was a sense of the reality of what was happening. Melancholy could penetrate to the depths of the soul if the player happened to fall under acid rain in one of the buildings of the Zone. The atmosphere of loneliness was conveyed with rare skill. Despite this, I didn’t want to quit the game. For eight whole years, “Shadows of Chernobyl” has not lost its relevance, forcing fans of the series to return to familiar places.

Two thousand and eight was marked by the release of the second part - the prehistory of the first part, in which they explained to us how the Zone became the way the players saw it a year ago. The developers managed the impossible - on old map show a completely different performance, the development of the plot and the atmosphere of which still fit perfectly into the world of the Zone. A relatively densely populated area where a war is being waged for areas of influence, terrible thickets of forest, new secrets, the disclosure of which could lead to far from happy consequences. The picture of the history of the contaminated area began to be put together into a bizarre mosaic, the plot developed, and the players, having completed the second part, waited with even greater hope for the appearance of the third. What can you do if the writers, having answered all the questions of the first part, accidentally dropped a dozen more, forcing loyal fans to scour the Zone in search of answers that could not be found.

The final, third part, being a sequel to the first, was released in two thousand and nine, immediately recouping the development costs. The player was placed in the very center of the contaminated area - the vicinity of the ghost town of Pripyat, again left alone with a seemingly simple mission. The third adventure lasted much longer than the first two - three huge locations allowed fans to unfold in full force. The developers should also be given their due. Few third parts can boast such rapid development and such high quality content. New opportunities, interesting tasks, old acquaintances and the unique, but nostalgic spirit of “Stalker” has returned, allowing the gaming community to once again enjoy the game that has sunk into the souls of many.

Series The Elder Scrolls is unique in its own way - among Western role-playing games of the old school, it is almost the only one that continues to live and develop. You can also only name the post-apocalyptic saga Fallout, but it’s also in certain moment almost sank into oblivion, and it was Bethesda, the developer of The Elder Scrolls, who saved it from this fate. The most surprising thing is that the series is also extremely in demand. The release of a new episode is a global event. Almost no other modern game doesn't even come close to what The Elder Scrolls has to offer. The player is given a huge fantasy world where he is free to do whatever he wants. Of course, there is an ultimate goal, you must certainly prevent some ancient Evil from causing another dirty trick for everyone, but the emphasis is not on this, but on various kinds of side activities. They are available in abundance in any Western RPG, and in The Elder Scrolls they are completely placed in the foreground. Sometimes the language does not even dare to call them side effects - they are, rather, alternative storylines. They are less epic, but certainly no less exciting.

The action of the fifth part takes place in the northern province of the Tamriel Empire - Skyrim. This meteorologically unfavorable region is inhabited mainly by Nords - stern, blond warriors who are clearly based on the Vikings. The situation in the region is deplorable: a war is raging there between the nationalists and the imperial legion that has arrived to pacify them. Freedom fighters believe that the Empire infringes on the rights of the Nords on their own land, and the authorities of Tamriel have decided that the law is the same for everyone. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a criminal. The game begins when the hero, along with the leader of the rebels, is led to execution. At the most crucial moment, it turns out that his name is not on the list of those sentenced, but this hesitation does not bother the imperial officers. To avoid bureaucratic red tape, they decide to behead the stranger anyway. The unfortunate man's life is saved by a dragon that suddenly attacks the settlement. In the chaos, the hero frees himself and escapes, after which the player is left to his own devices.

Once you get out into the vastness of Skyrim, you can go anywhere, even to the opposite edge of the virtual world. There are plenty of places to visit: forts, castles, huts, ruins and caves. Initially, only cities are marked on the map; other locations are displayed as you visit. The game allows you to move freely between known places, which significantly saves time. A compass is an indispensable aid in navigation. It shows in which directions nearby houses are located and worthy of attention hero attractions. In addition, the compass marks destinations for active quests. Thus, despite the impressive size of the game world, it is difficult to get lost in it.

Quests - both large and small - await you literally at every turn. In the nearest large village, Whiterun, they will try to lure you into a squad of werewolf mercenaries. Their elderly captain is concerned about finding a cure for lycanthropy: he is afraid that after the death of such a bloodthirsty beast like him, they will not be allowed into the paradise for Sovngarde warriors. You can move to the separatist stronghold, Windhelm, and join the ranks of the rebels, fortunately the hero had the opportunity to meet their leader on the scaffold. The headquarters of the Imperial Legion is located in the capital of Skyrim. The Imperials are tough but pragmatic people, and for the sake of promising cooperation they are ready to forget the “misunderstanding” that happened. Riften in the southeast is notorious for being home to a thieves' guild in its sewers. She once held the whole of Skyrim in her fist, but for several decades she has been haunted by a series of failures. For some unknown reason, its patron, the goddess of shadows, turned away from the guild. If you are attracted to the witchcraft path, your path lies to the north - to the college, where warlocks teach the basics of magic to everyone. Don't forget about the main plot related to the return of dragons after centuries of sleep. After completing several assignments, it turns out that the hero is the reincarnation of the legendary dragon slayer. Revelation unlocks a special type of magic powered by the souls of defeated dragons.

Where The Elder Scrolls has always differed from other role-playing games is its hands-on approach to character development. There is no distribution of points according to parameters; all qualities improve themselves as they are used. The degree of mastery of a certain type of weapon increases in parallel with how the hero shreds enemies with this weapon. To master any school of magic, you need to regularly use spells related to this school. Unlocking locks becomes a little easier with each broken master key. Unlike Oblivion, where the hero’s level increased only by leveling up basic skills, in Skyrim all skills without exception are counted. As you level up, you can improve your health, stamina (consumed when running and swinging strikes), or your magic reserve, as well as choose one perk. So, when you bring your oratory to “30”, a perk is unlocked that allows you to bribe guards. The system is simple: in most role-playing games everything is much more complicated, if not more complicated. For The Elder Scrolls, however, it is optimal, since the dominant place in the series has always been occupied not by numbers, but by the virtual world.

“I dreamed of money, cars, women, respect, freedom. I think I got it all... more or less” - these words of Vito Scaletta, the protagonist of Mafia 2, best express the essence of the game. Even if there is not so much (or rather, not at all) freedom here, there are women, money, good music, enemies and especially cars - even freight cars.

The cars in the game are made almost better than anything else. In addition to the fact that the era itself is conducive to this (be sure to look at our material with a comparison of game models and their real prototypes), and driving them is a pleasure. Driving on a slippery road in slow and heavy cars is somewhat reminiscent of balancing on a tightrope: if you make a slight mistake, your out-of-control suitcase will already end up in the oncoming lane. Of course, in order not to deprive yourself of this pleasure, you need to enable “simulator” physics in the game settings. There are not so many car models this time - only 37, but each is designed with manic attention to detail (the only thing missing is the view from the cockpit) and is recognizable even by its sound. In a word, if we consider Mafia 2 as a simulator of cars from the era of the 40-50s, then it has no equal in this.

As, indeed, in the attention to detail. For some reason, some blame the game for its complete lack of activity and side quests in the city, but who needs to be involved in driving stolen cars and robbing shops if every gateway, every facade in Empire Bay is sculpted by hand? During missions, you look around every now and then, amazed at the detail of the interiors, and going down the stairs, you can meet a cleaning lady listening at the door, who is immediately embarrassed by our appearance. It is clear that all these mise-en-scenes are calculated in advance and occur almost exclusively on our way, but you never cease to be amazed at the meticulousness of 2K Czech even the second and third time.

The only thing that gives the Czechs away is the typical Eastern European approach to polishing the game - in this regard, Mafia 2 differs from GTA 4 about as much as a Skoda differs from a Volkswagen. The camera in rooms often shows only a piece of the ceiling instead of the hero’s back, checkpoints are placed in such a way that the same mission has to be completed several times due to a stupid design error, and people are killed in the game quickly and unexpectedly (enemies are often not visible due to cover ). It's a shame that Take-Two Interactive's huge budgets were spent just on creating a beautiful world, amazing cars and licensing all the best music from the 50s.

The plot is well done, the characters are well done, and their animation is satisfactory. But there is no desire to break down Mafia 2 into its components, because its main advantage is its era and history. Which, however, is about an errand boy. If we discard both the plot and the fashionable scenery, we have to admit that Mafia 2 does not fully meet expectations from best game years and even more so decades. But whatever one may say, they waited for it for so long that the ratings hardly matter.

In just a few years, CD Projekt RED has managed to accomplish something that other development companies can only dream of - creating a gaming analogue of Game of Thrones and achieving worldwide recognition, expanding the target audience The Witcher from a group of fans of the brainchild of Andrzej Sapkowski to the entire gaming community. In addition to the unique world in The Witcher, there is something that radically sets it apart in the RPG space - this is the stunning naturalism of everything that happens. The developers do not conform to the toothless norms of artistic expression, which dictate that naked bodies and pools of blood should be bashfully hidden, that women and children should not be offended, and, of course, that as many representatives of all kinds of races and minorities as possible be included in the frame, even where they are inappropriate.

Both in terms of plot and the severity of the questions raised, the authors remain faithful to the spirit of the original. There is no good and evil here, the ideals of justice give way to real social problems. Tyranny, infringement of the rights of population groups, widespread cruelty and, of course, the struggle for power - politicized fantasy is very popular in popular culture today, but in the world of role-playing games it is a rare bird. The Witcher is tightly integrated into the artistic framework and confidently uses its resources. Did the developers manage to finally reveal the potential of the universe in the final chapter of the story of Geralt of Rivia?

Both in terms of the degree of elaboration of the plot, characters and voiced social problems, and the territorial world “ Wild Hunt"became larger and more holistic than in previous parts. In this case, it would be quite correct to compare not even with them, but with the standard of “large sizes” - The Elder Scrolls. However, unlike the latter, scale in The Witcher is not a goal, but a condition for immersion in what “The Scrolls” is precisely lacking - in the spiritual atmosphere of the Slavic epic.

Galloping on horseback through dense forests and endless plains, strolling through the streets of local villages, climbing the snow-capped mountain peaks of the Skellige Islands, you not only receive aesthetic satisfaction from the grandiose landscapes and incredibly beautiful graphics, but also feel the scale and significance of what is happening. Every frame of The Witcher 3 is filled with life: trees sway from gusts of wind, village children frolic by the lake, bandits and warriors pass along the roads. In the tavern you can change into gwent (this is a local card game) and drink beer. In Novigrad you can listen to a sermon by a priest, and in a tavern you can reminisce to the delightful song of Priscilla. The living world of the game, full of romantic adventure, is beautiful.

Dark Souls is an action RPG based on a simple but fair combat system based on focusing the camera on the enemy, circling around him waiting for the right moment to attack, rolling, blocking and parrying. The fame and popularity of Souls came from its complexity, which never exceeded reasonable limits, but always kept you in suspense. Every enemy dies in just a few hits, as does the hero. Death threatens the loss of souls, which are both money and experience for leveling up: caution will not hurt, but no loss will be truly critical, since everything can be replenished.

The feeling of hopelessness and despair has been firmly associated in the minds of the series before, but in Dark Souls 3, in every grain of the story it is felt that this journey is the last. We have never seen this world in such a deplorable state. But we should not forget that the history in the games in the series does not tolerate superficial study. It reveals itself only to the most meticulous. You need to look very closely. Peer into the abyss for a long, long time. Everything is not as it seems to you. The next chosen dead will follow the paths of his heroic predecessors, but it is not so easy to discern familiar outlines in new lands. Time is merciless - impregnable fortresses have long since turned to dust, new walls have grown in place of majestic castles, once blooming gardens are drowning in poisonous liquid, and where the sun once shone, a merciless cold reigns. Today these lands and kingdoms are called completely differently, but we will remember their true names. Or is it just an illusion? An evil joke of the abyss, which has been trying to devour the world for centuries? In Dark Souls you need to look with all your eyes, but, as before, do not blindly believe everything you see.

The possibility of inadvertently “messing up” your passage hasn’t gone away either. For example, I played through the game as a mage, and the only NPC teaching new spells, after I killed the next boss, for no apparent reason, disappeared forever because I did not bring him a single scroll of those that he was looking for. A wizard armed with only variations of the Soul Arrow is truly a pitiful sight. And I had to either start the game over, or put up with the inferiority of the character. However, be that as it may, among Dark Souls, the third part is, perhaps, still the best. It focuses on the right things, it learns from the experience of its predecessors, it offers what many games cannot do. This is a long, intense and exciting journey through vibrant and memorable places. This is a wonderful, beautiful and truly three-dimensional world that is extremely interesting to explore. These are all battles that are growing in complexity, forcing you to act more carefully, quickly, and cunningly.

On the other hand, DS3 has the main thing that distinguishes the entire Souls series - mystery. The developers of modern blockbusters are accustomed to not just putting all the most interesting things on display, but actually poking the player into this “most interesting” face. Here, on the contrary, all the most delicious things are hidden from inattentive eyes; the game is full of secrets, non-obvious moments and even entire story branches that are easy to miss if you play it carelessly. And for such a unique approach and technical roughness, you can once again forgive. The graphics in the game are not very good, but the atmosphere does everything for it, and in overall game not about that at all. A funny paradox emerged with DarkSouls: the third part became exactly what they wanted to see the second at one time, but from the triumphant conclusion of the trilogy you still wanted more. A repetition of what has been done, even if more or less justified, remains a repetition. The series is marking time, and this is not the best solution with so many rough edges and elements that frankly need a major overhaul.

Atmospheric games on PC are the TOP 10 most interesting and memorable projects that you want to return to again and again.

A deep plot, high-quality picture and an ideal soundtrack - the combination of all factors creates the very atmosphere that sets them apart from ordinary projects.

This collection contains ten of the most atmospheric games. Most are in Russian.

1. Dead by Daylight – horror in its purest form

“Dead by Daylight” - imagine that all your favorite horror games were collected in one game, and even allowed players to take part in any role.

Video games Dead by Daylight

The replay value is almost endless - track down the stupid humans and kill them in a variety of ways as an assassin, or team up to outsmart death itself as survivors.

2. Nioh - the difficult path of the samurai

"Nioh" - big complex role-playing game with powerful bosses that force you to spend dozens of hours destroying them.

Video games Nioh

Be careful, the game can drag on for 200 hours, making you forget about real life. Everything here is done too well and beautifully.

3. Killing Floor 2 – zombie meat destruction

« Killing Floor 2" is one of the coolest atmospheric action games to destroy zombies and mutants. Graphics, sound, entertainment - everything is top notch.

Video games Killing Floor 2

And also: customization of heroes, a whole bunch of perks, and sometimes even good humor. Big updates are released regularly.

4. No Man's Sky - endlessly generated space

“No Man's Sky” is one of the largest modern space sandboxes with beautiful graphics and co-op play.

Video games No Man's Sky

Unfortunately, the developers did not implement everything they promised in the game, so its ratings are average. But the atmosphere is there!

5. Endless Space 2 – management of 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 a huge amount of content.

Video games Endless Space 2

Large development tree, detailed ship creation editor, diplomacy and just very beautiful Big world. We recommend.

6. Aragami – stealth action in an interesting world

Aragami is a game where atmosphere comes first. Although the gameplay is very good.

Aragami video games

The picture looks especially beautiful in night missions, but they are not easy to complete. This is a quality indie that, unfortunately, few people know about.

7. Warspear Online – cozy RPG with tough PvP

“Warspear Online” is a lamp MMO from Russian developers. The game looks simple only at first glance, but when immersed you realize that there is a lot of content in it.

Video games Warspear Online

The game is entirely in Russian. It has beautiful old-school graphics, not the easiest gameplay and consistently great online.

8. Steep – winter sports competition

“Steep” – maximum realistic graphics and endless snow in Ubisoft's winter adventure. This is a game about winter sports.

Video games Steep

The game is made of very high quality - the tracks are copied from real ones and their passage depends on the player’s personal skills. And there's great sound here too.

9. We Were Here Too – A dark co-op adventure

“We Were Here Too” – delve into the mysteries of a medieval castle, trying to get out of it with your partner.

Video games We Were Here Too

Interesting, atmospheric and sometimes even too difficult, but this is the fun of the game. You won't be able to pass it the first time.

10. Depth – massacre 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 games Depth

There is a game mode with real opponents and training with bots. A lot of different cards, Russian language, always good online.

These may not be all the great atmosphere games on PC that exist today, but we tried to remember the best ones. Need more? Look for them in other collections and reviews!

I couldn’t ignore this question. Despite the fact that many games have already been mentioned, I will make my contribution.

There are a lot of games with an exciting plot, because this is what all developers strive for at the creation stage, but there is also a narrower category - games without complex gameplay, the so-called “interactive movie”, where you don’t need to shoot at anyone, develop strategies, etc. This genre is now gaining popularity and developers continually delight us with new products.

From famous games I can highlight HeavyRain, Beyond: Two Soyls, Until Dawn, which successfully combine beautiful graphics and plot, a real movie! It’s a shame that it’s only exclusive to Sonya, but you can watch the walkthrough on YouTube, it looks like a TV series.

Life is Strange What can I say, I'm impressed by the game. Even my sister, who is far from gaming, was stuck to the screen, and until we got to the end, she couldn’t tear it away. The game keeps you in suspense until the end, and the ending pulls the rug out from under your feet. The action takes place in a college, in a small town in America, the game has a large number of characters, all of them have secrets that we will get to know during the game. And as we know, it is in such small towns that all the most interesting things happen...

Let's move on to the lesser known ones.

Blues and Bullets It's strange that no one mentioned it. The game is new, interesting graphics, if you watched Sin City, you will understand the Noir style; you will have to play as detective Elliot Ness, the same one who put Al Capone behind bars. Thus, we will investigate the disappearance of children under the control of a historically existing person, surrounded by luxurious scenery against the backdrop of stunning Blues.

To the Moon Just an indie game with a strong story, unusual plot presentation and emotional music. (I’m sure after completing your playlist your playlist will definitely be replenished) And don’t let the graphics scare you, the game is worth your time! By the way, if anyone is interested, then on the Freebird developer website you can find several mini-games, free for download, in the same style, in particular the addition to To the moon - The bird story. The guys try hard and regularly delight fans with art, games and music. For which we have great respect.

Fahrenheit. The oldest of them all, the progenitor of action-choice games. The first game from Quantic Dream, the guys who would later create the aforementioned HeavyRain and Beyond: Two Soyls. Yes, you'll have to tinker a little with the controls, the atmosphere is captivating, you can change your character during the game, and overall, it's a very good toy for its time.

I will include Mafia and Mafia 2 in this list, although this is not an interactive movie, it leaves an aftertaste no worse than others. The first part is generally ingenious, all the houses of the city are not drawings, but real photographs, also a chip with a weapon left on the other side of the city, whoever played will understand, they don’t make such things anymore, which is a pity(

Well, as I said before, there is a demand for such games, so I think our list will soon be replenished)

Video games are usually evaluated according to certain, tangible criteria - graphics, sound, gameplay, plot elaboration, and so on. But there are projects that can be a failure in all respects, and at the same time adored by millions of gamers. Such games attract a thick, enveloping atmosphere that promotes full immersion into the virtual world. We will tell you about them in this collection.

24. Heavy Rain

Just a month ago, this game could not get into our top atmospheric games on PC, but now that the PC version has been announced, we simply cannot help but include it in the list. from the studio will tell you the story of completely different heroes who are united by one thing - a serial killer nicknamed the “Master of Origami”. The gloomy plot, which through the choices made can lead to one of several endings, is complemented by a thick atmosphere of hopelessness from the feeling that a dangerous maniac is always one step ahead.

23. Half-Life 2

22. Mafia 1-2

21. Bioshock trilogy

Each game from the Bioshock line brilliantly demonstrates the setting in which its events unfold. Whether it’s underwater Rapture or celestial Columbia, in any case you will plunge headlong into the thick atmosphere of the era, feel the mood of decline and hopelessness hiding behind the screen of idleness and luxury. This is facilitated by both the visual style and plot, as well as minor trifles - a random phrase dropped by an NPC, an audio diary found in a box, a corpse lying in a gateway.

20. Dead Space

19. Tom Clancy’s The Division duology

18. Sunless Sea

Exploring murky waters in a universe reminiscent of Lovecraftian horror - what could be more exciting and frightening? Sunless Sea will invite you to take control of the ship and go to unforgettable journey across the ocean, which hides many nightmarish monsters. If you love games that focus on survival and exploration, then this might be just what you've been missing.

17. This War of Mine

Surviving in a city engulfed in civil war is not an easy task. Especially if you have never been a fighter, take refuge in a dilapidated house and are constantly thinking about how to feed a dozen hungry mouths under your care. This War of Mine is a game that will challenge you to look at war from a different perspective. Not the one where it’s so fun and exciting to shoot at enemies, but the one that forces you to rummage through buildings in search of canned goods, risking getting shot or running into looters. Perhaps the most powerful anti-war statement in gaming industry.

16. Alien: Isolation

A space station is the perfect setting for a good horror movie. Just add some crazy androids and one deadly Alien who behaves so intelligently that you have almost no chance of survival. This is exactly what the authors of Alien: Isolation did, presenting one of the most frightening games recent years. Here everything works for the atmosphere: the universe, recognizable surroundings, terrible enemies, and even the surname of the main character - yes, you have to play as the daughter of that same Ripley from the classic quadrology.

15. Assassin's Creed Odyssey

14. Metro 2033/Last Light/Exodus

Each game in the Metro series is an excursion into the world. Even though this world is shown somewhat pretentiously and exaggeratedly, it nevertheless feels familiar to every gamer living in the countries of the former. The third part of the series has been especially successful in this field - Metro Exodus, the events of which go beyond and show how the fate of the survivors east of the capital developed.

13.Resident Evil 2

12. Limbo/Inside

The stories that are hidden behind the plots of games from the Playdead studio need to be imagined independently. You will spend more than one day trying to understand what exactly the developers wanted to say, what goals the characters are pursuing, and what generally happens in these universes. But even if you can't unravel all the mysteries of Limbo and Inside, you can't argue with the fact that these games leave a lasting impression.

11. RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard

The latest numbered part of the RESIDENT EVIL 7 line for 2019 plays in a slightly different field than its predecessors. Here the developers took as a basis a horror story about a house somewhere in the countryside, the owners of which are not at all happy about uninvited guests. Each member of this crazy family will be remembered for a long time, and the first-person view will make boss fights as frightening and atmospheric as possible.

10. Hellblade: Senua`s Sacrifice

A project from the British studio Ninja Theory. The developers set themselves an unusual goal for the gaming industry - to visually present gamers with human mental disorders. And they succeeded one hundred percent: thanks to excellent graphics with an abundance of special effects and very high-quality sound, the immersion into the palaces of the mind of the main character, a warrior named Senua, occurs very organically and frighteningly believable. Together with the girl, the player travels through Celtic myths, and it is simply impossible not to be immersed in the atmosphere of the enchanting world created by the authors.

9. Firewatch

8.Beholder

7. Dark Souls

Anyone who has ever suffered in the gloomy worlds of Dark Souls will definitely include them in the list of the most atmospheric games on the PC. The mysterious universe, full of unexplored secrets, both attracts and frightens, and numerous ones hiding in the shadows are always ready to punish the careless traveler who so carelessly wandered into their domain. All episodes are known for their high difficulty, but whoever can overcome all the difficulties will discover fascinating story fallen world.

6. Alan Wake

One of the most atmospheric thrillers in the gaming industry, as if straight from the pages of Stephen King's novels. The American outback, a writer trying to find his missing wife, and creatures of Darkness crawling out at nightfall - such adventures will be remembered for a long time. Alan Wake may not be as scary as other games in the horror genre, but in terms of immersion in the world invented by the developers, this project is able to give a head start to many of its competitors.

5. L.A. Noire

Rockstar knows how to create atmospheric projects, and Detective L.A. Noire, which asks players to investigate crimes in the 40s, takes a leading position among them.

The main character, a police detective, will have to expose murderers, rapists, swindlers, arsonists, and a revolutionary facial animation system for its time allows you to monitor the characters’ facial expressions and determine whether they are honest with the investigator or are cunning, hiding important information. Every aspect of the game is a virtual Los Angeles, story missions, – made with strict quality requirements and attention to the smallest details, which contributes to the deepest possible immersion in game world.

4. Silent Hill

3. The Witcher

When compiling the top most atmospheric games on PC, one cannot help but include this role-playing series to the selection. The Poles from CD Projekt RED managed to transfer the fictional universe authored by Andrzej Sapkowski to the screens, while preserving the unique Slavic flavor and medieval atmosphere with an admixture of fantasy.

The third part of the saga The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt deserves special mention - here the game makers jumped over their heads by implementing huge world, filled with exciting quests, dangerous monsters and charismatic characters. In this game, you can easily forget about the main goal and go about your business - play Gwent in taverns, explore the swamps on Roach, have affairs in brothels, look for hidden robbers, fulfill witcher contracts. It is not surprising that with all this, many consider The Witcher 3 best RPG decades on PC and consoles.

2. Grand Theft Auto

If about Silent Hill Even those who don’t play horror games know it, but everyone is familiar with it. The franchise created by the studio has become a real cultural phenomenon, reaching far beyond the gaming industry. The secret of success is high-quality gameplay with complete freedom of action, a detailed world with a parody of modern society, a carefully written script and a huge number of little things that make the universe alive and believable.

series S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Yes, the game is replete with bugs, the life simulation system is far from what the developers promised, and the plot sags in places - but how good is the atmosphere here!

Traveling through the Zone, you are tempted to leave everything and just enjoy your stay in this harsh but very beautiful world: listen to the jokes of stalkers around the fire, walk through the streets of an abandoned city, help one traveler fight off a pack of pseudo-dogs. The franchise has already celebrated its tenth anniversary and is now suitable even for weak PCs, despite the fact that at the start it was far from democratic system requirements, but players do not forget about it, releasing custom modifications with new locations, stories and characters - isn’t this an indicator of people’s love?

Conclusion

It was very difficult to compile this rating, because there are many more favorite projects than were included in it. Nevertheless, we managed to select the best atmospheric games on PC, but you can add to our selection or argue with us in the comments. After all, each list is subjective, and where one sees only a set of pixels, another will see the “soul”.

It’s easy to believe in the reality of events if we watch some drama about divorce or a directionless life. Another thing is to convince the viewer, or in our case the player, that this elf with blue skin is actually worried about her missing father, who can control the forces of nature. Today we choose games that stand out with their impeccable atmosphere, even if their world is completely different from the real one.

BioShock

This is not the first time a shooter series has been included in our selection, but it undoubtedly 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 were 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. Rapchur 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.

Place and time of action BioShock Infinite has changed: a new hero is sent to the airy city of Columbia, and the events unfold in 1912. The city only seems to be prosperous: the locals have even more skeletons in their closets than the inhabitants of Rapture. Both worlds of BioShock are worth exploring: it is one of the most atmospheric and detailed series.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

It’s a rare case when a game “based on” turned out to be 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 works acquired cult status after his death. Reading these works is like walking through a forest through thick fog. You hear the cracking 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 occur when passing Call of Cthulhu.

The developers surprisingly accurately conveyed the atmosphere of the writer's stories. It's leisurely and dark game, which sometimes gives me goosebumps. Horror scares not with sudden screams, but with quiet whispers from around the corner. Not as a monster who jumped out, but as a murdered girl who just stands there covered in blood and stares at you. The ambience is formed thanks to the conversations of the characters, well-developed locations, and the eerie details of 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

Action Far Cry happened on tropical islands, in sultry Africa, and in the Himalayan mountains. After the fourth part, the developers chose an unexpected setting - primitive. There are practically no games in such surroundings; one can immediately remember only Zeno Clash, but there is some fantasy there. Here everything is more or less detailed, although it is impossible to check the realism in any case.

We play the role of a representative of an almost extinct tribe, who revives the settlement and prepares to repel opponents. The gameplay is tied to hunting, and this becomes boring over time: after all, tracking down animals was only one of the elements gameplay in Far Cry 3-4, and not the main one. But here there is little variety: either get skins, then collect leaves, or 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 can be found in the forests. You can wander around for hours and just take screenshots for your desktop.

Red Dead series

The line of cowboy action games began not with Red Dead Redemption, but with Red Dead Revolver. But the games are practically unrelated: the action time and characters are different. In the original action film, the hero Red takes revenge on the bandits for the murder of his parents, while John Marston from the new action film tries to save his family by eliminating his former gang colleagues. Red Dead Redemption 2 is due out in the fall, but there is no information about connections to previous installments.

The games have excellent territory and characters; the locations are full of interesting details 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, or you see how the Indians deal with the pale-skinned people. Rockstar, the developer of GTA, knows how to create rich worlds: there is more life in the prairie of Red Dead Redemption than in the Chicago metropolis from some Mafia 3.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

The series is based on the story “Roadside Picnic” by the Strugatsky brothers. On this moment the franchise has three games plus a ton of fan additions. Ukrainian GSC Game World made “our Fallout,” which played on its popularity.

The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has given rise to a new business - both dangerous and profitable. The release of radioactive substances provoked the appearance of artifacts that provide bonuses to characteristics and are also required for scientific purposes. This is how stalkers appeared, searching for valuable substances.

The key objects of the Zone have been 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 on the dead lands, which for many stalkers lasts best case scenario a couple of days. The atmosphere is depressing, but you definitely want to visit this place.

Bloodborne

This list can also include Dark Souls, a popular series from the same developers. Games are sometimes compared, but there are still differences. First of all, they are different combat systems- Dark Souls is slower. But what they have in common is complexity. The developers have made it their “trick” to create very difficult conditions for the player: the tips are sometimes even more confusing, sometimes it is not clear what they want from us and where we need to go, enemies are killed in literally a few blows, and bosses reach the size of the house “U Troitsky”.

The main character comes to the city of Yharnam, where medicine has reached great heights: doctors have learned to cure diseases with blood transfusions. But because of the epidemic, people began to turn into monsters. We have to cleanse the city and figure out what's really going on here. The locations are impressively beautiful, despite the general gloomy state of Yharnam. The game, like BioShock, features an aesthetic mixed with literal and figurative dirt.

Mass Effect

The space epic captivates with the scale of events and detailed elaboration of the universe. Despite the abundance of races, planets and conflicts, everything seems very reasonable. Detailed Descriptions creatures and difficult relationships between species, the reasons for the aggression of one side or another - during the course of the game there are almost no moments where the writers can be caught.

The BioWare studio should be reproached only for the same type of structure of its games: what in Mass Effect, what in Dragon Age the hero needs to gather a squad of fighters, fulfill (not necessarily) all their wishes and then go to the main reptile. Captain Shepard and his team will visit many planets - snowy, covered with greenery, volcanic, incinerated by the rays of the sun. Even though many of them turn out to be bellhops, the compelling plot, interesting dialogues and situations keep people glued to the screens for a long time.

Fallout

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 satisfying hunger. Judging by the world of Fallout, people in the Wasteland will never be able to get even to the third stage.