The line between video games and movies/TV gets smaller by the year.
Whether it’s the graphics, the use of big name actors, or just the lack of control given to the player throughout the game, there are plenty of games that let you just sit back and relax as the action plays out on screen.
We’re going to check out some of the most cinematic experiences in gaming today. This list will include multiple genres, and will largely focus on games that wrestle away control or involve lengthy cutscenes, or limited control segments.
10Horizon Zero Dawn
The Dawn of Something Special
Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon: Zero Dawnis one of thestandout experiences of the past generationand part of the reason is due to how it felt like you were playing a big budget Hollywood blockbuster at times.
While the action is incredible to see play out,the best parts of the game happen in slow, highly cinematic exploration of the underground bunkerswhich slowly uncover what happened in the world’s past.
These segments feel like a sci-fi movie come to life and the voice acting and environments combine to have you sitting back and watching in awe as the revelations of the game are told to you.
It also doesn’t hurt to have a legit actor like Lance Reddick there to have a prominent role, making this experience on the whole one of the most cinematic games ever made.
9Final Fantasy 16
The JRPG Game of Thrones
Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16was thebig-time comeback for the iconic series. Part of the reason was the focus on making the game feel like Game of Thrones, as the writing staff was asked to watch the entire 1st season of the show before writing the game’s plot.
That research comes out in a big way, withtons of long, drawn-out cutscenes and epic set pieces that give you limited control while the action plays outon screen in dazzling fashion.
There are tons of segments that are just lengthy conversations where you barely interact and even the boss battles only give you a limited amount of control at times.
Overall, it’s arguably the most cinematic experience of a series known for just that.
8The Last of Us Part 2
The Highest Budget Zombie Movie
The Last of Us Part 2
The Last of Us: Part 2was trulyone of the next-gen feeling gameswhen it came out in 2020 and with the world in utter chaos at the time, it did its part to engross us in the action on screen in a variety of ways.
First,the graphics were unreal, with facial animations leaving the uncanny valley far behind, and instead giving us possibly the most realistic depictions of video humans and, of course, zombiesto this day.
Every emotion from the words spoken by the characters was matched to their faces and that’s part of what makes the story so brutal to watch play out.
There are also several long cutscenes, segments where you’re simply walking or riding around, taking in the scenery and really just being a passenger while the game plays out on screen.
While the overall product is divisive, it’s hard to find a game that gives you that big budget, Hollywood thriller likeThe Last of Us: Part 2.
7The Order: 1886
Could’ve Been a Movie
The Order: 1886
The Order: 1886is one of the more unique experiences out there. From a game perspective, it was a relatively straightforward cover shooter, but from an experience perspective? Get your popcorn ready.
This was a cinematic experience unlike any other, withlengthy cutscenes, forced walking segments and, overall, just felt like a playable movie at certain points, especially the Werewolf fights.
While that didn’t sit well with a lot of players, for me, I loved itand while I paid about $5 for it 4 years after it released, the experience itself was stellar, feeling like a thrill ride from start to finish with some of the best voice acting, character animations and storytelling in any game I’ve played.
The biggest tragedy is we will probably never see a sequel, as this is a world ripe for the picking when it comes to engaging stories to tell.
6God of War
Boy, This is Cinema
God of War
While you could go with the sequel, I choose the original reboot ofGod of Warfor its more quiet and contemplative nature.
From the opening moments, you can feel the power emanating from the game.Just a quiet walk through the forest with Atreusas you teach him to hunt tells such a story and everything from the voice acting to the incredible graphics follow suit.
The game is not short on epic moments either, with the first fight against Baldur being one of the best I’ve ever seen.
The graphics in the game were about the best you could possibly hope for on the PS4 and the facial animations were so realistic that you could feel every thought each character had.
There were also some guided walking segments, where you are meant to just soak in the atmosphere and there was nothing taken away from the experience during these. It only added to the mystique.
The Immersion is Unparalleled
Whenever you see a great movie, you often remember the first time you were introduced to its world. Remember the first time you laid eyes on the real world of The Matrix? The castle of Helm’s Deep in Lord of The Rings?
That’s how I felt about the first time I took the elevator down into RaptureinBioshock. You’re just a passenger here, literally, as you travel down into the depths and what reveals itself is a mind-blowingly intricate city that seems like a paradise.
All those thoughts go out the window in brilliant fashion as you’re attacked by a deranged Adam addict, and from there,the journey into the darkness gets more and more twisted.
Every new area you discover is dripping with atmosphere and, since movies love to throw twists into the mix, I don’t think any can stand up next to “Would you kindly?”, one of the biggest rug pulls in fiction history.
The Old West Runs Deep
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2is one of the best games ever made, but it didn’t click with everyone and part of that is because of the term “playable movie”.
It’s not wrong to describe the game as such, asit constantly takes control away from you to tell its story.
However, that story is amazingly well done with some of thebest voice acting, character animations and overall presentationthat you will ever see, movie or otherwise.
There are many segments where you’re just riding on your horse, for 10 minutes sometimes, and all you’re getting is the scenery and the music.
It’s pure magic, watching the world around you react to your presence, the contemplative strings strumming along as you gallop on your journey.
In every way, this is an incredible cinematic experience that is not to be missed.
3Baldur’s Gate 3
A Script for the Ages
Baldur’s Gate 3was the GOTY in 2023, and its partially attributed to the incredible script that powers everything.
While the gameplay is fantastic, you’re going to spend a lot of time sitting back and watching the game play out in front of you.
Conversations are long and intricate and the writing is top-notch, making each word matter and keeping you gripped along the way.
You’ll decide how to progress through the conversations for sure, buta lot of the time you’ll be watching the back and forth with a big smile on your face.
Gameplay wise, each of the areas you visit is a visual display and is so immersive with everything going on around you.
These are living worlds you’re visiting and everything from small hovels to bustling cities burst to life, making you feel a part of things in a way that most games don’t achieve.
2Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
The Force is Strong with This One
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Standard Edition
Star Warsis one of the most famous properties in the history of fiction and logically, it made sense for the games based on that universe to be of equal cinematic quality.
That somehow was not the case for many years, but once Respawn got hold of it, that changed.Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
While the first game was very good, it lacked in the storytelling department.The sequel fixes that with some incredible performances (Bode, wow) and some of the more incredible in game graphics gaming has seen.
The gameplay also managed to take those high octane lightsaber fights from the prequel trilogy and put them into gameplay form, resulting in some incredible visual displays, including a showdown with Darth Vader which really shows off the power of that character in a full way.
There are tons of cutscenes throughout the game, which helps a ton to tell the awesome story, and it all feels like the Star Wars movie that never got made, but luckily, it’s in playable form now.
1Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Gaming Reinvented
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrificeis the only game of its kind. Part of the reason is the focus on atmosphere and, of course, cinematic quality.
Graphically, we had to blink twice when this masterpiece dropped in 2017 andit is still one of the best looking games I’ve ever played.
The thing that grips you with this game, though, is the atmosphere, the music and the overall sound design.
PlayingHellblade: Sensua’s Sacfrificeredefined what it is to be a videogame. It’s part walking simulator, part combat, part puzzle game, and overall, much bigger than the sum of its parts.
It showed that a game could be a work of art, while still maintaining what it means to be a game. It’s dripping with cinematic flair in every way, from its lack of UI to the incredible facial and body animations at work.
The sequel tried to strike gold twice, but didn’t quite hit the mark, and theoriginal still holds the title in my eyes for the best in the seriesand an incredible, cinematic achievement.
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