Classic genre-defining video games are hard to come by these days, and that is why we always tend to play classics over and over again, even if we have beaten them dozens of times. While some prefer to shoot their way through hordes of enemies in First-Person Shooters, others blow off some steam by delving into the fantasy worlds created by the developers.

There are, however, some who enjoy living through an already packaged thriller of a story through interactive video games, in which the story tends to take precedence over gameplay and graphics. 2015’s Until Dawn, developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, is a great example of a successful interactive game in which an incredible drama-horror story takes players away from their couches into the dark and quite a scary world created by writers Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick.

Until Dawn was initially planned for PlayStation 3’s motion controller PlayStation Move. However, the developers later decided to port the game onto their next-generation console as well, dropping the motion controls in the process. With a Metascore of 79 and a User Score of 8.3 on Metacritic, there is no denying that Supermassive’s horror drama was a success back in its days, which is why gamers are still looking for games like Until Dawn in order to quench their thirst for such impressive interactive videogames.

Surely you, too, are eager to find out about the best videogames like Until Dawn, as that is the main reason you are here, to begin with. So without further ado, here is a quick tour of five games that you should try if you are a fan of Until Dawn.

Top 5 games like Until Dawn

One of the main features that actually attracts numerous gamers towards playing such genres is the butterfly effect system, which allows players to consciously or unconsciously affect the story and the final outcome it entails through their actions and the choices they make. That is why some of the videogames listed below might be similar to Until Dawn only in the fact that they, too, boast such a system in their storytelling. Even though not all games like Until Dawn are horror dramas, they are certainly worth your time if you are interested in this system in particular.

Telltale’s The Walking Dead

Telltale’s rise and fall as a game-developing company is a story worth a novel by itself, so there is no surprise that most of their creations were also hits when they came out. Interactive stories are always fun and engaging, and Telltale surely knows how to create such stories. The Walking Dead’s first season was released way back in 2012, and it is still worth going back to from time to time, all because of its incredible storytelling and surprisingly fun gameplay mechanics. Every dialogue option could have dire consequences at the end of this video game, and that is the beauty of it.

There are few games like Until Dawn that boast a deck of Hollywood superstars as their main characters, and that is why Telltale’s The Walking Dead falls short in that manner as well. But that certainly does not make the game any less enjoyable or interesting. With a Metascore of 89 and a User Score of 8.8, one can clearly see that a lot more people enjoyed playing TWD. If in any way you got to enjoy Until Dawn’s butterfly effect system, make sure to check out TWD as well if you have not already done so.

The Evil Within

While Telltale’s The Walking Dead showcases its storytelling qualities through the butterfly effect system and mainly focuses on the player’s dialogue choices, Shinji Mikami’s survival horror game The Evil Within is simply sworn to scare the heck out of you. One would definitely expect to be scared playing through a game created by someone who is literally lauded as the father of the survival horror genre.

Mikami invented the genre with his Resident Evil videogame series and has since created several classics throughout the years. As one of the best videogames like Until Dawn, The Evil Within 2 got a Metascore of 82 and a User Score of 8.9 on Xbox One when it was first released in 2017, which proves our point and the fact that you should definitely try this one out if you want a good scare.

Detroit: Become Human

Getting back to games like Until Dawn that boast the butterfly effect system, we get to Detroit: Become Human. The PS4 exclusive was developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2018, as it showcased how far we had gotten in the videogame player agency. Become Human is one of the few games out there that also features the “Perma-death” option, which means that certain characters could die and stay dead forever if the player does not tread lightly and take into account the consequences of his actions.

The main difference between Until Dawn and Detroit: Become Human, however, is the fact that the former is a horror game, while the latter is mainly a sci-fi story, in which players get to discover and decide if robots could be on the same level as humans and experience the same emotions. While the game’s PS4 version got a Metascore of 78 on Metacritic, it got an 80 on PC, with a User Score of 8.0 as well.

Heavy Rain

“Press X to Shaun” is one of the classic memes in the gaming world, and there would be no such meme if it weren’t for Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain. Quantic Dream clearly knows how to create an interesting story and pour various gameplay mechanics into their stories to make them even more attractive in the process. Heavy Rain was first published as a PS3 exclusive in 2010. It managed to receive dozens of accolades for its incredible story and its engaging gameplay mechanics.

Even though there were some laughable and quite silly glitches here and there, and players could have fun watching their characters fail to pull off the right moves after failing to push the correct buttons in QTEs, Heavy Rain managed to cement its place in the videogame halls of fame for its one-of-a-kind music and its nail-biter of a story. Until Dawn and Heavy Rain both provide an active experience for players while also engaging them with their sophisticated dialogues.

The main difference between the two video games is obviously the fact that the former is mainly a horror drama, while the latter is an adventure drama. With a Metascore of 87 and a User Score of 7.8, it seems that the original PS3 version of Heavy Rain had managed to pique the interest of the critics more than the players. But that certainly does not mean that the game is not worth playing, as it is considered to be a classic game in its own genre.

Life Is Strange

If you are looking for even more critically-acclaimed videogames that are similar to Until Dawn in a way or two, then look no further, as we have got one of the best videogames you can play on your consoles or on your PC. Developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix in 2015, Life is Strange is an episodic graphic adventure that puts you inside the world of an 18-year-old Maxine “Max” Caulfield, who returns to Arcadia Bay, Oregon, to attend Blackwell Academy.

Designed by Baptiste Moisan, Sebastien Judit, and Sebastien Gaillard and written by Christian Divine and Jean-Luc Cano, Life Is Strange is one of the prime examples of the true potential that lies behind videogames when it comes to presenting engaging narratives that could be on par with that of films and even books. The main difference and one of the best things about this game is the fact that you have the power to rewind time and change your choices in a single playthrough without having to start the game over and over again to experience all the choices in the game.

Each choice will obviously affect you as the player and those around you in the videogame, which adds to the thrill that comes with the ability to turn back time and make other choices. Life Is Strange boasts a Metascore of 85 and a User Score of 8.6, which is a testament to how engaging Dontnod’s creation is both as a narrative and a videogame.

Bonus Games

If you have already played all of the five games listed above, you might as well give these a try, as they, too, are worth your time if you are a fan of either graphic adventures or survival horror games. If you want to face the consequences of your own actions and feel the butterfly effect by writing your own story through dialogue options and QTEs, you can give “Beyond: Two Souls” a go, as it was developed by Quantic Dreams, the same guys behind some of the best examples on the list.

If you are looking for more agency, interactivity, character control, and more overall action, you might want to try out the all-time classic of a game Fahrenheit, aka Indigo Prophecy. Fahrenheit is a cinematic adventure with paranormal elements which has been re-mastered for the newer generation of consoles as it was originally released way back in 2005. You might also want to delve deeper into the worlds created by Shinji Mikami by playing the Resident Evil Series if you have yet to give this series a go.

The Final Word

Until Dawn is a great example of an adventure game filled with horror elements, and it is quite difficult to find similar games with a similar level of quality. However, players can still find themselves in an ocean of incredible games that share some similarities with Supermassive Games’ interactive drama horror video game, whether it is a simple gameplay mechanic or a narrative genre. Even though you might not see in other games everything you got to experience in Until Dawn, incredible works of art such as Life Is Strange, Heavy Rain, The Evil Within, and Detroit: Become Human can still keep you hooked with their engaging storytelling and fun gameplay. After reading this post, you might also like to read our blog on best PS4 dirt bike games. You will sure enjoy reading it.