13 BEST Emotional Games of 2022

Sometimes you want a game that has a strong narrative journey. We should have you covered if you want an emotional connection in the game narrative in 2022. In this list, we will highlight a few games that we think the narrative will keep you playing until you reach the credits. With that said, don’t pay too much attention to the ranking here. We’re just highlighting some story-driven emotional games coming out this year, and the ranking is opinionated. We very well could see these games change up as they eventually release.

Disclaimer: Dead Space, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, My Father My Son was removed as the game is now slated for 2023.

#13 Beacon Pines

Developer: Hiding Spot
Publishers: SEGA
Platforms: PC Xbox One Switch
Release: September 22, 2022

We form or consolidate some of our strongest relationships in the most testing of circumstances, and that’s certainly the case in Beacon Pines. You’re looking to change fate, whilst sneaking out at night doing things that you really shouldn’t be, while making new friends along the way, and those emotional ties are what bonds Beacon Pines throughout its journey. It’s not likely to be an experience you’ll forget and is easily one of the most emotionally driven games of the year.

#12 Persona 5 Royal

Developer: ATLUS
Publishers: SEGA
Platforms: Microsoft Windows Xbox One
Release: October 21, 2022

2022 – mark it on the calendars folks, because it was the first time that players on PC, Switch, and Xbox could play a core Persona game, and its a gripping, emotional one at that. Persona 5 was already one of the greatest RPGs of all time when it first launched in 2017, but it managed to get even better when Persona 5 Royal launched a few years later, fresh with a new character, new palace, and a new semester to experience. There were numerous elements that were reworked across both the dungeon exploration, as well as the day-to-day life pillars of the game making this version of Persona the definitive experience. 

#11 Nobody – The Turnaround

Developer: U.Ground Game Studio
Publisher: Thermite Games
Platform: PC
Release date: November17, 2022

Many people will happily tell you that “life is hard,” and the question becomes, “what are you going to do to make it easier on yourself?”

In Nobody – The Turnaround, you will be put to that task. You’re put in a world where you aren’t a “person of destiny” but a regular human trying to make it in this crazy world we live in. You must do your best to find a job, keep it, stay healthy, and work your way up.

Much like life, random things will happen, and you’ll need to handle the good with the bad to keep on going. You might even find someone in life to partner with and attempt to be happy in a new way.

#10 Monument Valley: Panoramic Edition

• Release date: July 12, 2022
• Developer: Coffee Addict Studio
• Platforms: PC, Android, iOS
• Publishers: Another Indie, Neon Doctrine

Monument Valley: Panoramic Edition is the enhanced and arguably better version of the original game that blew everyone’s minds when it came out.

Because in this game you’ll once again play as the silent princess Ida in a quest for forgiveness in a world that isn’t always what it seems. You’ll get to go and take part in some visually striking puzzles that’ll make you question the world around you and put you in awe of how clever the developers got in the process of making this title.

Change your perspective, and you might just learn something more about this world, and the quest of Ida.

#9 Hazel Sky

• Release date: July 19, 2022
• Developer: Coffee Addict Studio
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
• Publishers: Another Indie, Neon Doctrine

In the realm of Hazel Sky, young engineers are sent to an island to go and face a series of trials before they can truly embrace the role. You play as Shane, who has just been sent away to this island in order to start his trials.

But as he begins then, he strikes up a friendship (and maybe something more) with a fellow engineer in Erin. And this leads him to question more and more if this is what he wants. Because in this world, if you’re not an engineer, you’re a “reviled artist”, yet he wonders if that’s what he truly wants to be.

Dive into this deep world and seek the truth as you repair flying machines and learn the histories of those that came before you. Find out what Shane really wants to be, and what he’s willing to give up in order to get it.

#8 South of the Circle

• Release date: August 3, 2022
• Developers: State of Play, State of Play Games Limited
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, iOS, MORE
• Publishers: State of Play, 11 Bit Studios

What happens when your memories are the only thing keeping you alive, all the while making you wonder whether you made the right choices in life?

South of the Circle asks those questions and more, as he has crash landed in Antarctica and must venture into the frigid cold wastelands in order to try and find help in order to escape. As he does, his life memories play before you and you learn the choices (for better and for worse) that led to him being there.

Memories are powerful things, and the more Peter remembers, the more he sees what he had, and all he has to lose if he doesn’t escape.

#7 Gerda: A Flame in Winter

• Release date: September 1, 2022
• Developer: PortaPlay
• Publisher: Don’t Nod
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch

Gerda: A Flame in Winter is a video game based on real events from World War II. You play as Gerda, a nurse in a small Danish town that is altered overnight when her home is occupied during the war.

Gerda is determined to protect her fellow villagers at all costs, but with only her mind and the knowledge of the people, she must walk a tight rope if they’re all going to survive.

The game challenges you and Gerda to make decisions that will affect all around you. How trusting will you be of certain people, how will you treat the ones who are occupying their home, how far will you go to ensure the safety of your home? With multiple endings and ways to develop Gerda, you might have to play quite a bit to find out.

#6 Far: Changing Tides

• Developer: Okomotive
• Publisher: Frontier Developments
• Platform: X/S, XBO, PS4, PS5, NS, PC
• Release: March 1, 2022

If you enjoyed Far: Lone Sails, then there’s a sequel to keep an eye out for its sequel. Far: Changing Tides is a game that has the same overall gameplay. You’re in a barren civilization and trying to find a new home. However, in order to do that, you’ll need to use a massive vehicle to move around the area. We’re also trading the environments out from the last game. Instead of the dusty planes and scorched grounds of a desert, we’re tossed in an area flooded with water. Taking the role of a young boy trying to survive, you’ll fight storms, rough seas and explore the dangerous environments within the depths below. Far: Lone Sails was a very atmospheric adventure, and we’re expecting nothing less with Far: Changing Tides when it launches this March.

#5 As Dusk Falls

• Release date: July 19, 2022
• Developer: INTERIOR/NIGHT
• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows

As Dusk Falls is definitely not for those who want a “light and fluffy” game to go and play. Because in this “uncompromising crime thriller” you play as a set of family across decades. And needless to say, these families affect each other in some not so nice ways.

Your decisions in the small town of Arizona where you live will determine what your character becomes, and the fates you will inspire.

Then, when you’re done with one playthrough, go and try the game from a different angle and see what life is like then.

Will you be able to handle the choices you’ve made when you see the results they cause?

#4 God of War Ragnarok

• Developer: Santa Monica Studio
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Platform: PS4, PS5
• Release: 2022

God of War Ragnarok is a massively anticipated release. After the 2018 reboot of sorts for the franchise, fans can’t wait to follow Kratos again through another journey. I will be very brief with this game description to avoid as many spoilers as possible from that 2018 release. This is because the game just launched this year for the PC platform, so more players are actively enjoying the game for the first time. With that said, after the thrilling journey of Kratos and his son, Atreus, we knew that Ragnarok was coming. It wouldn’t be but a few years before a massive battle would once again find its way at Kratos’ doorstep. More gods will appear to fight off, and fortunately, it looks like we’ll get to enjoy this game within this year. We don’t know exactly when it will be coming, but quite a few fans are eager for its release on the PlayStation consoles. With that said, it might mean that we might finally get this game on the PC platform a few years later, but in 2022 you’ll need to own a PS4 or a PS5.

#3 Horizon Forbidden West

• Developer: Guerrilla Games
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Platform: PS4, PS5
• Release: February 18, 2022

Horizon Zero Dawn fans have a new installment available with Horizon Forbidden West. The game will once again see players take on the role of Aloy, but this time she has a new threat emerge. The new threat is a virus rather than the massive mechanical beasts or rival tribes in the immediate area. A plague of some sort has begun to spread across the land, killing off all living life. To save humanity, Aloy is forced into venturing to the west in hopes of uncovering the source of the plague. However, it’s another harsh post-apocalyptic journey for Aloy to make as she battles off new deadly machines and even hostile local tribes that she must venture through. As a result of a new long journey, players will meet new interesting characters, enemies, and a wide array of environments to explore through.

#2 Life is Strange Remastered

• Developer: Deck Nine
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platform: PC, PS4, XBO, NS
• Release: February 1, 2022

Life is Strange has become an episodic journey series that is full of emotional stories. But, it all originated from the first installment. Developed by Dontnod Entertainment, Life is Strange has players taking control of a young female named Max. Returning to her childhood hometown of Arcadia Bay, Max discovers she can rewind time while also having a vision of a massive storm taking out the entire town. What follows is an incredible story of Max alongside her childhood best friend, Chloe, using this power to uncover some dark, sinister secrets kept hidden within the town of Arcadia Bay. This is all while enduring the strange unusual weather patterns that have hit the immediate area. We’re actually getting a remastered edition of the game this year, including improved visuals for the characters and environments.

#1 A Plague Tale: Requiem

• Developer: Asobo Studio
• Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
• Platform: PC, NS, PS5, X/S
• Release: 2022

A Plague Tale: Innocence was a big hit when the game launched in 2019. The players took control of a young female named Amicia in 1348. You live within a peaceful homestead with your father, mother, and younger brother being of noble descent. But, of course, things take a dark turn quickly, and you soon find out that your brother Hugo, who has been ill and fighting off a strange disease, is actually cursed. The black plague, which is spread by massive swarms of rats, could be controlled using his blood. This has left players through an emotional journey of the two children fleeing their homes from an inquisition seeking to claim Hugo for their own control. We end that game with the group still seeking a cure for the curse and finding a new home. In A Plague Tale: Requiem, our party of characters is venturing to find an island that is said to hold power to lift the curse and potentially end the black plague spread.