Summary
- Some games offer rich lore that expands with sequels, like Alan Wake and Legacy of Kain.
- Franchises like Persona maintain lore across multiple games with interconnected stories and returning characters.
- Even action-packed games like Destiny and Borderlands have deep lore waiting to be discovered by players.
Some people play games to relax, others to hone their skills, and some people show up primarily for the stories. But no matter why you play games, it's easy to get invested in the worlds of the games we love. Perhaps the main storyline left questions unanswered, or maybe you just found a world that utterly entrances you.
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PostsBut regardless of why, we all know that feeling of wanting to dive further into the universes of our most beloved games. In fact, there are entire communities online dedicated to digging around in games and teasing out little details. If you're looking for a new universe to immerse yourself in, then these gaming franchises are a good place to start.
Updated January 26th, 2025 by Hilton Webster: There are a lot of reason you'll play a game, but sometimes it has a world that feels so enticing and lived in, you can't help but get absorbed regardless of the gameplay or genre. We've updated this article to highlight even more of the games that show off just how diverse and deep some game worlds are.
28 Dishonored
Dishonored
Action Adventure Stealth Released October 9, 2012 Developer(s) Arkane Studios Publisher(s) Bethesda Platform(s) PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC Powered by Expand CollapseAt first glance, the Dishonored games can feel simple in their world building. An assortment of islands that resemble European cultures and the great unexplored beyond that. But then the Outsider is introduced, and the small ways you see ritualistic practice are woven into the world. You realise then that the world of Dishonored is temporary, transitory. A drop in the great beyond.
Whales are turned into deific figures in a world fearful of its own speedy development. Arcane powers are subjugated yet envied after. And every cobblestone of Karnaca, each dank alley of Dunwall, all of them are loaded with history and stories, big and small, that make this setting feel so lively and changeable.
27 Death Stranding
Death Stranding
Action 10.0/10 Released November 8, 2019 Developer(s) Kojima Productions Publisher(s) Sony, 505 Games Platform(s) iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand CollapseDeath Stranding was by all means a controversial game, but it was also one very confident in its own vision. The game's strengths are primarily shown in the organic gameplay and asynchronous player interaction, though these same themes and deeper lore are played out across the story as well.
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PostsThe strength of Death Stranding's lore comes from reality. The BT's looking like oil, the westward push where more and more golden chiral is found. The scientific tying of extinction entities to human greed. It's a game that can be viewed in many ways, and applying real-life history and science to its world helps unravel its unique mysteries.
26 The Ivalice Final Fantasy Games
Final Fantasy 12
JRPG Released October 31, 2006 Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Platform(s) PS4, PS2, Xbox One, Switch, PC Powered by Expand CollapseOutside of direct sequels, the Final Fantasy games are mostly disconnected. A few summons and themes can reappear, but that's it. Final Fantasy 12 stands out in this regard though. Rather than sharing typical FF aspects, it reuses the world of Ivalice, first introduced in Final Fantasy Tactics. And that is a world steeped in its own history.
The Ivalice world is comprised of FF Tactics, FF 12, and the non-FF Vagrant Story. They all take place across various swathes of history, and are seemingly disconnected at first glance. But certain figures and names reappear when you dig deeper, the shifting borders of the world start to align. It is a deeply complex and political world that rewards you diving in at the deep end.
25 Alan Wake Series
Alan Wake 2
Survival Horror 10.0/10 Released October 27, 2023 Developer(s) Remedy Entertainment Publisher(s) Epic Games Platform(s) PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Powered by Expand CollapseAlan Wake was a solo affair for a straight decade. Then, in 2019, Control was released. While at first Control seemed to be its own thing, fans slowly started sniffing out the connections, and before long we all realized that the Federal Bureau of Control, and its Objects of Power, existed within the same universe as Alan Wake.
And just like that, what was once a creepy, Stephen King-inspired horror title expanded to include a rich world filled with mysteries, oddities, and paranormal activities. Heavily inspired by SCP fan-fiction, and David Lynch films, the world of Alan Wake is an incredibly bizarre home for rich lore and fascinating storytelling. With Alan Wake 2, the world has once again grown. Needless to say, we look forward to seeing where the story of this franchise goes next!
24 Legacy Of Kain Franchise
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered
Action-Adventure Platformer Released December 10, 2024 Developer(s) Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics Publisher(s) Aspyr Platform(s) PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC Powered by Expand CollapseIn the first game in the Legacy of Kain series, Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen, we followed the titular Kain as he was turned into a vampire, and then gradually accumulated power. While Blood Omen features two endings—including one where Kain acts as a redemptor of the world—it would be the "bad ending" which would serve to set the scene for the game's sequels.
From here, we get multiple games that feature elder gods with dubious intentions, a post-apocalyptic world of vampires, and an ever-twisting timeline. The Soul Reaver games allow us to see Kain from the perspective of Raziel - one of Kain's subordinates whom Kain betrayed. The games go in a number of unpredictable directions. The world of Nosgoth is thick with lore, it is just a shame that we haven't been given a new game in the franchise in well over a decade.
23 Mega Man Series
Mega Man Z / ZX Legacy Collection
Platformer Released February 25, 2020 Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Xbox One, PS4, Switch, PC Powered by Expand CollapseSure, we understand why you may think that Mega Man is an odd choice for a lore list. The first seven games barely have a story after all. However, with each new franchise, things got more and more interesting. What started off as Mega Man (or Rock in Japan) hunting down robots that have been corrupted by the sinister Dr. Wily, would transition to robots advancing, having obtained free will. As the series continues, there are civil wars, the robots are subjugated, and, with the Legends series, we see that eventually human life itself is wiped out. Replicants, which we all designed based on Mega Man X, become the new humans.
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PostsThere is more to this, too. Zero, one of the heroes from the Mega Man X series, has direct ties to Dr. Wily. Who, himself, may or may not still be influencing events. There is even some indication that his consciousness was present in one of the Mavericks. Though none of this is confirmed. Oh, and the original Mega Man? His fate is a mystery. These elements have made the Mega Man series one that, over time, has grown quite a bit of interesting lore.
22 Castlevania
Castlevania: Dracula X
Platformer Released July 21, 1995 Developer(s) Konami Publisher(s) Konami Platform(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Wii U Powered by Expand CollapseWoah! Hold your horses. Castlevania? The game where you spend all your time walking to the right and whipping things? Yes! That Castlevania. While the series started off simple enough, being about a family of vampire hunters who kill Dracula once every hundred years, as the franchise grew, so did the surrounding lore. The roster of heroes began to grow, including Dracula's own kin. We learned about the Belmont's lineage.
We witnessed the (tragic) origin of the Belmont's signature whip. And we even saw heroes live long enough to become the villain, and villains long enough to become the hero. How many franchises feature a thirty-game-long redemption arc? Castlevania even managed to work Bram Stoker's lore into the mix. That's right, the literary masterpiece is, technically, part of Castlevania's lore. Castlevania is (kinda) part of the literary canon, people!
21 Persona
Persona 5
RPG Social Simulation Released September 15, 2016 Developer(s) P-Studio Publisher(s) Atlus Platform(s) PS3, PS4 Powered by Expand CollapseMy how far the Persona series has come. It used to be a Shin Megami Tensei spin-off. Now, it feels more like the centerpiece of Atlus' RPG franchise. One of the primary distinctions between the two franchises is how interconnected each Persona game is. For starters, all the Persona games are set within the same world. The (underappreciated) first three games in the series had playable characters cross over. But other elements, such as the Velvet Room and Igor, (and to a lesser extent, Philemon) run throughout nearly every game. We have also seen entire Persona casts interact with each other in a number of side games.
So, each story has built on the lore. The end result is a fascinating version of the world that intersects with a shadowy version of itself. One where our emotions, and our identities, manifest themselves as creatures and entities. The characters in the Persona games must confront these elements of their being. Famously, Persona is heavily rooted in Jungian psychology. This has all led to a fascinating alternate version of our world that has maintained continuity across all six mainline games (yes, SIX) as well as the various off-shoot titles.
The most recent title to release in the Persona franchise is Persona 5 Tactica, which adds a whole new wrinkle to the already pretty elaborate Persona lore.
20 Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
RPG Released December 21, 1998 Developer(s) BioWare Publisher(s) Interplay Platform(s) PC, macOS Powered by Expand CollapseIs this cheating? Is it cheating to add a game franchise set in a world that has had literally hundreds of books written in it? Yeah, probably. But here's the thing; even if you've never read a Forgotten Realms book, based solely on the games alone, the lore in Baldur's Gate is fascinating. The world of Toril is lively and filled with memorable characters. There is a palpable sense of history here.
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PostsHowever, Toril, as seen in Baldur's Gate, is also a treacherous world where damn near every other character has machinations of some sort. But political intrigue is far from being the player's only obstacle! Dark, twisted gods are always involved in some way, shape, or form. The plots of the first two Baldur's Gate games entwine elegantly. While Baldur's Gate 3 is set over a hundred years after the second game, there are a number of returning characters who play a pivotal role in the most recent entry.
19 Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts 3
Action Adventure 8.0/10 Released January 25, 2019 Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Powered by Expand CollapseIs the lore labyrinthine in the world of Kingdom Hearts? Absolutely. Not even the most ardent Kingdom Hearts apologist is going to argue that the series isn't a bit convoluted. But even if it can be a touch messy, there is a reason why this series has such an incredibly devoted fanbase. There are twists, turns, and a whole host of characters with complicated motivations.
Kingdom Hearts isn't bashful about diving into the thick of it headfirst. Every entry makes the series slightly more unwieldy. But if you are a lore hound who loves jumping into the weeds with some truly multifaceted world-building, then there are few series that can offer you a more enthralling world than Kingdom Hearts.
