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Most of the best story-driven games have moments that emotionally wreck you. This could be a betrayal, a death, or someone getting an illness of some kind. Whatever it is, it typically results in tears from the person playing. In most cases, these sorts of moments occur deep into the game when you’ve begun to love and appreciate the game’s characters.
Yet, there have been games that have been able to get you crying within the very first hour. That is difficult to do since the writers don’t have much time to make you care about the characters. These titles still managed it, though.
Stray
Stray
5.0/5
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- BlueTwelve Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Annapurna Interactive
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
The inclusion of an animal in a game increases the chances of tears, as many people are more likely to be emotionally invested in an animal’s pain than a human’s. This empathy for animals is used against everyone in the early stages of Stray.
In this game, you play as a stray cat. At the start, you have a group of feline friends that you’re hanging around with. That is until you step on an insecure pipe and fall down into the abyss. Seeing the cat hold on for dear life with their family watching on is heartbreaking.
Life Is Strange 2
Life is Strange 2
- Released
- September 27, 2018
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Dontnod Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Life is Strange 2 is about a pair of young brothers. Their mom is already gone, and their dad is looking after them. He’s looking after them in the opening of the game anyway.
However, the two brothers end up getting into a fight with the next-door neighbour, accidentally severely hurting the young man. At this point, a police officer arrives, sees that the guy is hurt, and gets his gun out. Soon after, the father comes outside, and the officer shoots him amid the chaos. As a result, the dad is dead and the kids are alone. It’s a painful start, especially after seeing how good of a father he is before all this goes down.
The Walking Dead: Season Two
Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 2
- Released
- December 17, 2013
By the end of the first season of The Walking Dead, the main character Clementine had lost most of her closest allies. However, two that did remain were Omid and Christa. So, she is traveling with both of them at the start of Season Two. Yet, the situation is short-lived. This is because you meet a survivor in a bathroom, who ends up shooting and killing Omid.
He is a very likable and funny character, which makes his death extra painful, even if you’re used to loss after the first season. Plus, Clementine is still a young girl, so losing one of her two protectors makes you even more concerned about her chances of survival.
Ori And The Blind Forest
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Moon Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Microsoft Game Studios
- Engine
- Unity
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Switch, PC
At the start of Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori, who is a newborn, is taken in during a storm by a creature named Naru. Together, they form a strong bond. Unfortunately, though, a cataclysmic event makes the forest they live in wither, meaning there is a lack of food.
Naru gifts the last piece to Ori before succumbing to starvation. It’s an emotionally devastating moment of self-sacrifice. Plus, the creature’s passing leaves Ori all alone again, which may make you weep even more tears.
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- MachineGames
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- id Tech 6
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
In Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, the main character starts the adventure in a wheelchair due to the events of the first game. He copes pretty well for a while, but eventually, you find yourself on the ground in front of Frau Irene Engel. She is one of the most chaotic evil villains in all of gaming. So, this is not a situation anyone wants to be in.
While you lay helpless, the antagonist gleefully decapitates your friend from the first game, Caroline, with a fire axe. The mere shock of it may stop you from crying, but losing a close ally like that is sure to make you sad.
Firewatch
Firewatch
- Released
- February 9, 2016
Forget the first hour, Firewatch starts breaking your heart in the first few minutes. This is because the game gives you a full backstory on what your character has been going through. You hear about his life with his wife.
You learn about how they met, some of the difficulties they’ve had, and most importantly, that she has started to develop early-onset dementia. Reading about how she slowly began to become forgetful and started to look at her loved ones as strangers is incredibly sad.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Proprietary (overall), Havok (physics)
- Platform(s)
- PS3, PS4
The Last of Us’s tear-jerking opening is very famous. In it, you meet the protagonist, Joel, and his young daughter Sarah, who find themselves amid a zombie-like outbreak. They attempt to flee, hoping to save themselves.
In the process, they come face-to-face with a soldier, who is ordered to kill them to help stop the virus from spreading. Therefore, he fires at the duo. Joel manages to survive, but Sarah takes a bit hit. The young girl then dies in her father’s arms in one of the most emotional scenes in gaming history.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Expedition 33 is set in a world that contains a giant monument with a number written on it. Each year, a creature called the Paintress lowers the number by one. Everyone over the age of the number immediately dies. You piece much of this concept together during the prologue.
In this section of the game, you play as a woman called Sophie and a man named Gustave. The former is about to be wiped out, as the Paintress is preparing to lower the number. So, the whole sequence is quite somber. But the truly sad part comes when the 34 on the monument changes to 33, and you see Sophie fade to nothingness.
