Video games are a great way of escaping from everyday life, mostly due to their interactive nature compared to other entertainment mediums like movies, TV, books, etc. That also means games can be incredibly immersive compared to those other mediums as well, but some more than others.
With more and more games embracing the single player audience, some titles have introduced more and more gameplay elements that enhance immersion. From Red Dead Redemption 2’s interactivity, to Cyberpunk 2077’s incredibly realized and detailed world design. It’s a great time to be fully immersed in video game worlds.
But which game does it best? And more specifically, what is the most immersive game you have ever played? There are thousands of games out there which crank up the immersion factor to often make you feel like you’re really there, that you’re really in this world and experiencing the stories within those worlds.
Due to their nature of literally role playing a character you have created, RPGs tend to be the most immersive genre out there. But that doesn’t mean other genres can’t be immersive, so we want to know which ones you have found to be the best at sucking you into its story and world.
What do you think? What is the most immersive game you have ever played? Do you enjoy being immersed in games? Which genre tends to do it best? And when is it okay for games to not be so immersive? Let’s debate!
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Video games are not always the most immersive entertainment medium.
TV series can be also very immersive and addictive
What games concern I'd say Mafia 1 (the original), KOTOR series, Mass Effect series, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion with tons of mods, GTA IV with an enormous amount of mods.
After these ones I've never experienced it again.
I hope that more will come in the future
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Final Fantasy VIII.
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I must go with the Metro series, especially the first two games on Ranger mode (HUD off).
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Shenmue. I've never played another game this immersive. The attention to detail, the richness of the settings, the liveliness of the places visited, it was so realistic. I really felt like I was travelling to Asia.
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Crysis 1 and 2
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mostly older games like Tomb Raider 2 & 4, Silent Hill, Project Eden, Half-Life, Rune, Ico, Unreal, Dead Space, Quake and many more. I think complex level design where there is more chance to get lost added to immersion plus old games had really distinct sound... maybe even lack of too many audio sources made sound and music tracks more apparent... other thing is overall more sections of uninterrupted gameplay. Something about visuals too.. more grimy looking
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For me Battlefield 3 and GTA IV...also pretty much every Total War title.
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Battlefield 1 is the most immersive game I've played to date. It is nowhere near realistic but everything about it makes you feel like battling on the frontline
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It's a tough match between Dishonored and Dark Souls for me.
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At that time, Far Cry 2. I am from Africa, and they really did a great job emulating the environment. They in fact sent their artists to Africa to experience the environment first hand in addition to recording the voices in Johannesburg, South Africa. The audio design was in perfect sync with the environment since they heard it themselves. It did have its flaws, but overall, was great.
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because i think in "images" i can see every game being immersive.
But a few that stood out. Cyberpunk, witcher 2 and 3, last of us 1 and 2, uncharted series, mass effect series, days gone, horizon zero dawn, god of war, tomb raider series and i can keep on going with this list for eternity i think.
Special notion here should be the graphic adventures like life is strange, tell me why >>>
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RTS: Warcraft 3, Rise of Nations, Company of Heroes, Stronghold.
GSG: EU4, Vic2, Civ6, Hoi4, Cities Skylines
CRPG: Diablo, Path of Exile, Sacred, Divinity, Grim Dawn
Action-RPG: Soulsborne, Castlevania, Monster Hunter, Nier, Nioh, Code vain, CP2077.
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RPG: Final Fantasy, TES, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, The Witcher, Fallout, Ys, Tales of, Jeanne D'arc, Valkyrie Chronicles, Hexyz force, Fire Emblem, Chrono Trigger
Action-adventure: God of War, Prince of Persia, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, Sekiro, Star Wars, Batman, Middle-Earth/LotR, MGS, MGR, Horizon:ZD
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Action-Adventure: Far Cry, Ratchet and Clank, Bioshock and Systemshock
Shooters: CoD, Battlefield, Rainbow Six(not Siege), Halo, Doom, Wolfenstein, Quake, Borderlands, Crysis, FEAR, Insurgency, Titanfall, Metro, Escape from Tarkov, Titanfall
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Racers: Gran Turismo, NFS, Forza Motorsport, Assetto Corsa, Dirt, Burnout, F1(EA), Trackmania, Wipeout.
Stealth: Splinter Cell, Hitman, Styx, Dishonored, Thief.
Fighting: Soulcalibur, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Def jam, Street fighter, naruto
Platformers: Mario, Rayman, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Sonic, Shovel Knight
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it takes two, super meatboy, Trine, cuphead.
All these games/franchises have been very impressive IMO and have been innovative and ground breaking at one point in time, very immersive and enjoyable.
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Skyrim and Witcher 3.
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Gothic I and II
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God of war ps4 and the last of us 2.
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kingdom come deliverance and by far !!! there is also resident evil code veronica, little nightmares 2 , plague tale innocense
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For me Rdr2 was most immersive and also witcher 2 & 3. I haven't played cyberpunk 2077 yet cuz I am waiting for them to fix the game
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I try to immerse myself in every game I play, (mostly RPG's) but the kings of immersion for me are:
The Witcher 1
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl
I guess it's the slav magic doing its work.
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Completely agree about The Witcher 1. I was suprised I got more immersed in it, than in The Witcher 3.
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance was an amazing game in my opinon.
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So underrated but mainly because some idiots complained why there are no black people in 15th century Bohemia. It is a good game.
No need to talk about Skyrim etc, because to experience full immersion i had to mod those games heavily (Hypothermia, Immersive armors, Ragdolls, skill mods, beautification and graphics mods primarily etc.)
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When I was a kid playing BF1942 sometimes I would take some choco bars with me (like Twix) and then after a successful assault on the beach of Iwo Jima I would stop, take cover and stay in place while eating Twix, pretending I was eating...
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...an MRE.
Yeh, I was special, all right.
I WAS fully immersed though
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**** mate thats a good one i gotta try this one out myself