• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Gameranx

Gameranx

Video Game News, Lists & Guides

  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides
  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides

11 Best Intros In Video Game History | Most Shocking, Emotional & Awesome Openings Ever

May 21, 2020 by Kevin Thielenhaus

These games blow you away in the opening minutes with incredible introductions. Here are the best ones in the last 30+ years of gaming.

#10: Figure It Out Yourself (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) – Released: 2017

The intro to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is perfect in a way no other intros are. There are no long cutscenes, there aren’t even tutorials — the music and images aren’t carefully curated. You’re literally dropped into a massive, enclosed sandbox and told to figure it out for yourself. In this extended opening, you’re stuck on a plateau with no special abilities.

By the time you exit the plateau, you’ll understand everything you need to know about playing Breath of the Wild. It’s both a tutorial and an experiment in helping players uncover the mechanics on their own. You’re encouraged to explore, play around, and basically use everything you’ve got to overcome obstacles. It’s a breath (no pun intended) of fresh air in a series that’s usually so linear, and one of the best openings in video game history.


#11: Welcome Home (Prey) – Released: 2017

Prey plays with your expectations right from the moment you gain control. Arriving by helicopter, you travel to your apartment and live several days in complete bliss. Until you notice that something isn’t quite right, and the skyline outside your apartment flickers. Before long, the simulation shuts down — and you find yourself in a strange experiment. The game proudly states its themes and ideas from this screwy opening. You’ll need to play until the end of the game to fully understand what was going on.

The opening to Prey is fully-playable, completely bonkers, surprising, and shocking in ways that make this sequence unforgettable. It helps that the rest of the game is amazingly unique in a way few games are. Once you reach your ending, you’ll see that the intro is just a microcosm of the entire game. The developers dropped us into a strange situation, and wanted to see what we would do.


Those are my personal picks for the best intros in video game history. There’s a lot of history in video games, and I’m sure I could list 100 games that deserve a spot on this list. What favorites did I miss? Let us know!

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest

Recent Videos

CYBERPUNK SEQUEL CITY, RESIDENT EVIL 9 OPEN WORLD LEAKS & MORE

CYBERPUNK SEQUEL CITY, RESIDENT EVIL 9 OPEN WORLD LEAKS & MORE

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad - Before You Buy

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad - Before You Buy

Elden Ring Nightreign: 10 Things You NEED TO KNOW

Elden Ring Nightreign: 10 Things You NEED TO KNOW

Top 10 NEW Games of June 2025

Top 10 NEW Games of June 2025

What The HELL is Going on With UBISOFT?

What The HELL is Going on With UBISOFT?

10 Things ONLY RPG Gamers Will UNDERSTAND

10 Things ONLY RPG Gamers Will UNDERSTAND

20 WORST Video Game Endings EVER

20 WORST Video Game Endings EVER

25 Upcoming MEDIEVAL Games You SHOULDN'T MISS

25 Upcoming MEDIEVAL Games You SHOULDN'T MISS

GTA 4 REMASTER LEAKED? UBISOFT DELAYS ALL BIG GAMES & MORE

GTA 4 REMASTER LEAKED? UBISOFT DELAYS ALL BIG GAMES & MORE

Category: FeaturesTag: Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight, DOOM 2016, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Guides, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain, Ninja Gaiden, Prey, Resident Evil 4, super metroid, The Last of Us, Vagrant Story

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Doom: The Dark Ages – How To Find All Secrets | Chapter 12 Guide
  • The Best Video Game Deals Available Right Now
  • New Roblox Documentary Tackles The Darker Elements Of The Game Universe
  • Nintendo Switch 2 Will Allow You To Use A Standard USB Mouse
  • Doom: The Dark Ages – How To Find All Secrets | Chapter 11 Guide

Copyright © 2025 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme