Looking for games that will make me cry
Basically what the title says. I've only played two games like this so far (Silent Hill 2 and OMORI) and am looking for more.
Could be games, ROM hacks, mods of existing games, etc.
EDIT: So many great suggestions! Getting a bit overwhelmed by how many there are, so I'm going to need to find a way to put this in some kind of list with an order to play the games in. By all means, keep 'em coming, though!
I beat Outer Wilds right after my first kid was born and it absolutely tore me to pieces.
Came to say Outer Wilds. That end moved me.
I don’t think I stopped thinking about that game for a solid three months after I beat it.
Outer Wilds is a masterpiece.
This, entirely. It's just one of those games that I can't get past. Truly a solid recommendation
Ctrl-F Outer Wilds
Ah yes, thank you for beating me to it. It's been years since I first played and I still think about it almost every day.
To The Moon, was such a good story. The music from that game still floats around my head to this day.
I can't recommend this enough. Such a gem of a game.
I've played a bit of it, but haven't gotten around to finishing it yet.
It's a slow start but then gets to a point where I just HAD to finish it
Spiritfarer. I loved it on switch, but it's also on steam.
"Spiritfarer® is a cozy management game about dying. As ferrymaster to the deceased, build a boat to explore the world, care for your spirit friends, and release them into the afterlife."
Spiritfarer is such a gem, one of the spirits you send to the afterlife really broke me. It's also available on Netflix Games so if you have a tablet and a Netflix sub you can try it from there.
It does such a good job of making you get attached to the characters. I cried for more than a couple of them. They don’t all end the same way too, and some are really heartbreaking.
The light you showed me was more than a beacon. It was a guide. Only I was too blind to see it. My shades were too opaque.
Never heard of it. I'll have to check it out! I also hear To The Moon is really good, but I haven't finished it.
I'll look into it. Thanks!
For some shorter experiences I haven't seen mentioned when skimming through a few comments here, I definitely recommend trying Transistor. It was one of the strongest emotional experience I've ever had in a game. I've managed to play it in a single sitting, but it is around 6 hours long. Supergiant games make such a uniquely perfect audiovisual experiences, that every game from them is a treat, but Transistor is the strongest emotional experience I've played from them.
Another one would be two-hours long walking simulator with amazing environmental storytelling - What Remains of Edit Finch. You can play it in a single sitting, and it's gorgeous and really well done.
You should also play Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice . It's also around 8 hours long, and you definitely want to play it with headphones, it's such a strong emotional experience. The audio and game design is so well done, and the game has stuck with me for such a long time. It's one of the few games where just seeing the trailer again tears me up and gives me chills. And after you play it, I recommend watching the documentary about how they tried to protray the mental illness of the main character through game design - it's such masterfully done that I didn't even realize most of what they are doing, but it has stuck with me and it worked wonders to make the experience even better.
And for some even more unique game design - Before Your Eyes. What makes this experience so strong is the whole premise of looking over your life and memories after you've died, with the main mechanic of how to advance time being by blinking - physically blinking, because the game can work with your camera. That makes for a pretty strong metaphor that makes it even more emotional experience.
And just to mention some games others have mentioned, to add to their recommendations - Outer Wilds, Ori and the Blind Forest, Life is Strange, Planet of Lana, all are really good games!
+1 for transistor. It's such a strangely compelling, bizarre and emotional story.
I completely forgot about What Remains Of Edith Finch, but yeah. It's pretty good
Another vote for Edith Finch, the ending made me bawl like a baby. Great storytelling, each level doesn't overstay it's welcome, its funny and emotional throughout, but the ending really hit me in the feels.
Transistor missed the mark for me. I preferred Bastion. Hades is obviously great. I never tried Pyre.
Red Dead Redemption has an emotional ending.
I heard good things, but open world games intimidate me due to the length.
It's long, but in a good way. The content isn't drawn out and repetitive. You want to play it that long. Mostly mentioning rdr2 here which is much better.
There are a million things that you can do in the game, but you don't have to do any of them. You can stick to the story if you want. It's probably still a very long game though, even if you only engage in the story.
you kinda want to dive into that one yeah, although it is a great "on-rails" experience
… and now I know the only compass that I need …
This War of Mine.
That game is the embodyment of "there are no right or wrong actions, just consequences" and it makes you feel terrible regardless.
Hijacking to mention also Valiant Hearts
Chrono Trigger. A timeless game that will make you laugh and cry and experience all that in between. The sequel Chrono Cross is also great but the original is just unrivalled.
Chrono Trigger is my favorite game of all time.
Here is a list of games I think are timeless (pun kinda intended): https://lemmy.sdf.org/comment/1552760
Life is Strange
Life is Strange: Before the Storm
I was going through a really rough time when I played both of those games. There was something in Before the Storm that I know was coming but I cried anyways, multiple times. I’ve never been that invested in a game before and I don’t know if I’ll ever be again.
LiS is exactly what I came to suggest. I cried from every one of the LiS games and so recommend them all, but the original is hands down the best in pretty much every way.
LiS1 and before the storm were excellent, but my partner and I found LiS2 laughable and LiS3 downright cringy. :c
That's some high praise. "Ever" is a very long time.
Yes I went into that game knowing only that choices matter and nothing else. It was a huge eye opener to mental health. I’m very tempted to get a tattoo of the spiral because I want to make it resemble when I made a choice to stay alive. I am in a much better place now and that game has really helped me.
I love BTS. There’s something liberating about playing carefree rebel Chloe that I never managed to tap into when I was playing Max.
Also in LiS you can undo most choices. In BTS you can't
Same here. LiS games are my goto for moods. It's an interesting feeling when a song comes on from the games, that elicits an emotion so well.
I've had a few times hearing a song from the games and either stopping and listening, getting a little teary eyed, or just getting goosebumps.
UNDERTALE goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway.
Haven't played it. Only thing I know about it is that it's rich with memes.
Firewatch made my heart hurt. Twice.
It was such an amazing game, ruined by a rushed ending that just completely skipped over many of the events that had happened in the story. It makes me so mad because it could easily have been a 10/10.
I still very much recommend it tho
It's 10/10 either way for me. I played that game at the right time in my life I think because things were changing for me and it made me release a lot of emotion I had been holding on to. Fuck it sucks trying to be stoic.
It's definitely one of those games that the strength is in the journey, not the destination.
I started playing it right during a divorce and did not keep going. Noped out in the first 10 minutes. I should revisit it now that I'm in a better place.
Came here to say this
Every time a 95% shot misses in XCOM (or X-Com), I cry.
Hahaha indeed. This game truly taught me picard's words.
"getting over it" but you'll cry for different reasons
Lol played it already.
Mass Effect trilogy made me pretty emotional at times.
For real.
Your reward for playing the first two correctly is that #3 will wreck you at least three times.
The ending still kind of sucks, but it's the journey that makes it worth while.
100%. A great emotional experience.
I cried at the ending of Outer Wields. Its was very beautiful. You need to search the story for yourself and complete little puzzle. At the end when you get the full story its just beautiful and scary.
Outer Wilds is my favorite game ever. Man what I would love to experience it all for the first time again. The ending definitely made me cry as well.
Outer Wilds makes you think about the nature of existence itself.
What a beautiful game.
Outer Wilds and Undertale are the only two games where I happened to coincidentally quit playing them right at a part where the narrative made sense. I died in outer wilds and I got stuck on the Sans fight in Undertale. I can't go into details without spoilers.
I'd have to say Nier Automata, as well as the recent remaster of the game that came before it, Nier Replicant (ver 1.22...). Both are soul-crushing, which is helped by their amazing soundtracks. I definitely recommend them if you're looking for something to make you cry.
Started Automata already. Been meaning to finish it.
NieR: Automata is also definetely my favourite tip. Especially if you want to cry.
Just as a hint: you need to play until you get ending c or d to experience the full story (and by that I mean, you are literally missing half the story otherwise). You don't need to do anything special, just keep playing.
Also after you get one you can easily do the other and then get the "true" ending.
Nier Replicant is a magnitude more soul crushing. You'd at least get a glimmer of hope at the end of Automata, but not with Replicant!
They're both amazing!
Braid
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Also reiterating The Walking Dead, but only the first season.
I bought Brothers forever ago and never actually played it. Had Braid spoiled for me years ago, but I feel like I should still play it.
I was also going to say Brothers. There’s one moment (anyone who has played it probably knows what I’m talking about) that actually gave me a visceral reaction.
I've played through this game a few times over the years - twice playing with one of my kids. I've always played as the older brother, and every time it chokes me up at the end with the swimming part. My kids never seemed to mind, but it wrecks me.
First season of Walking Dead was really emotional, but I also loved the 2nd season. The scene with Clem and the dog tore me up inside.
They really went out of their way to make a scene designed to hurt :(
Ori and the Blind Forest would be my recommendation. Prologue starts strong and the rest of the game doesn't let it down.
Okami is pretty good too, if you're into the traditional Japanese art aesthetic
Journey
I need to check out Annapurna games in general, especially since they're making one of the new Silent Hill games.
Outer Wilds developed by Mobius and published Annapurna.
A game you can ever truly experience once because the “unlocks” and “progression” are about what you learn and know.
Journey made me cry. Journey made my partner rage. It’s all about the RNG. I got the perfect match my first go, they got multiple poor matches in a row.
Brothers: a tale of two sons. You play as both brothers, working together to find a cure for their father sickness. Pretty sure I traumatized my SO with this one...
Came here for this - thisgames was amazing and I totally did not see the ending coming until just before it happened. Heart wrenching and bittersweet - such a mind-blowing game!
Hey, I also get stick from my partner for telling her to play it.
These are the games that came to mind:
Hopefully you haven't played these already.
Life is Strange for sure. Idk what it is but I was emotional for days after finishing it. Wasn't a huge fan of the others in the series but I can't recommend the first one enough
Same, it was the first game that ever made me cry, and honestly opened me up for crying on other stuff.
I liked True Colors as well.
Idk what it is but I was emotional for days after finishing it
Same! I played it as it was being released in 2015 (I think?) and I still find myself thinking about it every now and then. Such an experience.
I played Before the Storm and True Colours but they just couldn't compare to the first game so I'm not a big fan of them either.
Life is Strange. I played the first chapter of this game. It's just awesome 👌
It only gets better from there. 👍
In fact Chapter 1 is free on Steam (maybe on console as well but I don't have a console to check) so I encourage anyone even remotely interested to give it a shot.
I was supremely disappointed with The Last of Us. The intro was fantastic, but everything after that (including the ending) was just "meh".
FFX has been on my list for a long time now. Only FF game I've played is VI.
I kept hearing about TT TWD when it came out. Been meaning to play it. IDK much about Life is Strange.
Ah bummer. I'm sorry to hear TLoU didn't work for you.
FFX has been on my list for a long time now. Only FF game I’ve played is VI.
It's a great game with some really emotional moments. I enjoyed it a lot and it's a lot of people's favourite game in the series (mine is VI which you've already played).
IDK much about Life is Strange.
It's really hard to describe without spoiling anything. I mentioned in another comment that the first chapter is free on Steam so if you wanted to try it without a monetary risk then that's always an option.
Two things that readily come to mind:
To The Moon.
Rakuen.
Life is Strange.
Last Day of June.
All of those made me cry, and they seem common recommendations on this kind of request.
To the Moon is both one of a very few games to ever make me cry, and the only game to ever make me ugly cry. I'm talking full-on runny nose, the works. The final 10% of that game is devastating.
I recommended Life is Strange to a guy at work on a Friday and that Monday he came in yelling "I didn't sign on to feel things! Why did you do that to me?".
Yeah, sounds about right. I didn't know what I was getting myself into...
Life is Strange is a good one.
+1 on To the Moon and Life is strange.
I came to the comments to add those myself!
Disco Elysium made me cry after a short conversation with a random man on the street. I haven't played much of it yet, so I can't speak to the majority of the content, but what I have played of it evokes more emotion than any game I've ever played before.
Been hearing a lot about this game. Apparently it has some of the best writing of any game?
I know you probably didn't ask for emotional games, but I implore everyone to try Before Your Eyes. It is one of the most unique games I've played.
That is literally what I asked for :P.
I second Before Your Eyes. Go in blind!
Didnt see anyone suggesting Bastion. Great game and will definitely make you cry.
There’s another comment about transistor. But Bastion was my favorite. Supergiant just spits hot fire.
I very rarely cry from games, but Ori and the Blind Forest made me shed a tear or two. Ori and the Will of the Wisps made my full-on ugly cry, and I was literally distraught for days.
I don't know if I'm just weird but Ori and the will of the Wisps did it for me.
Spiritfarer is an absolutely wonderful experience that is somehow both a casual open world chill game and a game that delves deep into the topic of death, being prepared for it, and leaving people behind. Really special game.
If you get this game don't grind for resources. Only get them as you need them. There's no reason to stockpile them.
True, I sold my stash for a great fortune near the end of the game. It wasn't particularly worthwhile to have stockpiled as much as I did (though it was still fun, I really like crafting games).
I really liked Before Your Eyes, it's a game that advances every time you blink.
This is the first one I thought of. It completely wrecked me and I was sobbing by the end.
Rime
I cried so much in the end.
To the moon. That game for sure 100%
Y'all might think I'm crazy but Halo 1-2-3 is so fucking epic that I cried at the ending of 3
This may be from a different angle, but here are two games about grief:
Spiritfarer
That Dragon: Cancer
Reply All did a truly heart-wrenching episode on the second one.
came here to say spirit farer. that game is responsible for normalizing me hugging my spouse for no reason besides it feels good. Also definitely made me cry more than pretty much any other work of fiction in any medium.
I've been dreading playing That Dragon Cancer for years now because of the reviews (how effective and good it is). I'll have to check it out.
Xenoblade 3.
a world where each person only has only ten years to live and is forced to fight throughout in a never-ending war between two nations in a decaying land. There's a lot of depth surrounding the main characters, especially joint protagonist Mio who has only 3 months life remaining at the start of the story. Game gets real fucking dark.
And nah you don't need to play the first two to enjoy it, as long as you avoid the DLC expansion as that's the series conclusion.
Edit: also the most believable and well written romance between two characters I've ever seen in a game and the fantastic VA makes a huge impact (all UK talent - Mio's VA is better known for Peaky Blinders, Jenna Coleman is better known for Dr Who, for example). And anyone who says they didn't cry in chapter 5/6 is a liar.
The Xeno games always intimidated me just because of how many there are. I hear Xenogears is fantastic as well.
Xenoblade has no relevance to anything that came before it (aside from a small couple of references).
Xenoblade 1, 2, 3 can be played in any order. They are self contained aside from certain references. 1 is more serious, 2 vastly more light-hearted (for most of it, anyway). 3 takes place countless centuries after the other two with references to them in certain circumstances, removes the anime-ness of 2 and makes things vastly more serious. There's really nothing lost playing them out of order.
Playing in order gives you the "oh shit, it's that place", or person or music or whatever experience as you go on, but you would get that just as easily in any order I'd imagine. And the game works great on Yuzu on PC in 4k too.
Edit: yes there is an overarching plot in the trilogy, which reaches its conclusion in 3's expansion. But the games are structured in a way that is best for new players while rewarding long term fans.
Yakuza 0. That ending. Bruh.
It might not fit entirely in, but check out Spec Ops: The Line. It's more or less linear shooter, but the story (and ending) makes it quite unique and very different from any other game I've played. Could too get pretty emotional at times.
League of Legends Solo Queue will break you! At some point you are going to cry.
The thread is quite large at this point, so sorry if it's been recommended already. GRIS is definitely a very emotional game. It's quite short, probably on sale quite often, visually stunning, and very sad.
The ending of Transistor made me feel things. There may have been a sob or two.
Such a gem of a game, the music and the art still live with me rent-free. My favorite Supergiant game and that's saying something.
Slime rancher always makes me cry at the end, but it deffo requires you reading the random notes and emails, and then also giving a shit about characters you never actually interact with. I can’t remember why it’s so emotionally effective, but this is the exact trap that keeps leading me back to replaying it and crying at the end again.
I had no idea Slime Rancher even had a story. I have a friend who used to be damn near addicted to this game.
I played Heavy Rain and somehow managed to get the ending where everyone died. That kept me off gaming in general for quite a while. Brothers was mentioned here, I can recommend it too. Papo y Yo is a allegory of your relationship with an alcoholic abusive father, and it didn't make me cry outright but was pretty heavy.
+1 Heavy Rain. Don't expect too much gameplay wise, the emotional story is the highlight.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter! I'm not going to say anything, except that you need to do all the "side" quests. If you miss any, the map at the end will show which you missed. See the ending!
Dear Esther is also quite special, the monologues change every playthrough and everyone interprets the game differently. Very impactful.
I didn't know the voice over changes every play though with Dear Esther.
Even the items that lie around change every time you play.
You don't mind porn? Go and play the AVN Acting Lessons. It's on Steam. It's not too long but the punch it packs... it has this reputation of "the AVN you'll never wanna play again".
I like to compare it to Requiem for a Dream.
If you want less heart-rending tears, I just finished chapter 3 of Being a Dik and there were tears, but the kinda good emotional kind. I'm the first surprised, but it seems to be a signature of the author and I quite like it.
Otherwise I'm playing Metro Exodus and man, that game is oozing with that uniquely Russian despair. No tears yet, but I'm preparing for some dark moments and the whole thing is just... wow. Mad Max had beautiful everything, but M:E has fantastic writing throughout. It all feels deeply personal and with that dreadful feeling of inevitability. And you only get to see/hear it if you want, mostly. Very glad I gave this game a second chance (it's very... clunky. Again in that typical slavic way, I guess; but it works if you accept it as it is).
Been meaning to get more into eastern European horror.
Also if you like fucked up VNs, check out Saya no Uta. Fantastic story.
Also never watched Requiem for a Dream. Been high up on my list of movies to watch, but I feel like I have to be in the right mood.
+1 for Metro Exodus. I'm a little surprised that it comes up in discussions like this so rarely. I'm a huge fan of post-apocalyptic settings so I might be biased, but it's easily one of my favorite games ever.
My first thought is definitely Valiant Hearts: The Great War. That one, I found, to be devastatingly sad. Regularly on sale for super cheap, including right now. Also available on mobile if you prefer
I can recommend all games from SIGONO's OPUS series https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/sigono/#browse
How has A Plague Tail not been mentioned? Most of these mentioned a good games with a sad scene or two thrown in. Plague Tail, especially the sequel will make a grown man ugly cry.
Tale
But appreciate the pun nonetheless ;)
Lol I didn't even see that, thanks auto suggestion!
Ori and the Blind Forest? I know it's not quite as mature as some of the things suggested here, but it really knows how to hit you hard at some points throughout the story.
I mean, if Majora's Mask is anything to go by, I don't think maturity has much basis in how good a game is.
Try SIGNALIS ! It is extremely depressive, emotional and evocative, and to an extent it is a homage to stuff like Silent Hill 2
Started it a couple days ago
Ah great hope you enjoy it I found it fantastic
The Last Day of June is quite lovely.