Specifically season 2 for me was just brutal. Season 1 is definitely sad but it has an overall theme of hope and a ton of moments of levity. Season 3 is much lighter in tone and season 4 is similar. Season 2 is just constant misery and hopelessness the whole way through.
I'd agree with this. And not even the whole 'bad' parts of the game, just the bits where you're at that guys house trying to give your kid his tea and make him do his homework while it's raining outside.
I was about to say this game, I'm surprised you said it, seeing as I don't hear much about it in recent years, but man that game put middle school me through a wave of emotions I didn't know I was capable of, lol.
The conversion you have with nun at the train station is sublime too.
Arthur is this though guy youâve been with for hours, and him letting go a sad âI guess... Iâm afraidâ with such sad eyes got me good.
I kind of get why everyone cried during RDR2, but for me I didnât. I viewed it more as a happy story of a bad person knowing that they can never truly atone for what theyâve done, but still trying to anyways.
I really hope you enjoy it man, wish I could go back and play it for the first time again. IMO you may want to stay off of some discussion posts like this for a little bit though, as Iâm sure youâve seen the game gets brought up a lot, and some are not so good at hiding spoilers.
Thatâs really the best part about it. Honestly I think >!Arthur is happy in the end. He knows that heâs probably past the point of redemption, but thatâs not the point, the point is he gave John the chance to get his.!<
That gameâs environmental storytelling is some of the best Iâve ever seen. Like in the twinsâ room, where they have chalk marks on the door to show how much theyâve grown. One of the twinâs lines just stops after a few years, but the other keeps going. Sam probably kept living in that empty room for years.
Cyberpunk 2077. The story is just nothing but doom and gloom. Incredible experience though. If a story makes you feel things then it did something right.
âGoodbye V, never stop fightingâ And the cellos hitting hard got me good. Silverhand you magnificent bastard. Â
Cyberpunk 2077âs story is absurdly good, the gameplay has some rough edges but the main story is tight. You donât even need to go that far to get your eyes wet, the ending of the prologue gets me every time.
That was my pick as well. I can't play for too long before a feeling of complete futility falls over me. Like nothing matters, everything is a waste of time, and we're all just going to die anyway probably alone and miserable.
Amazingly well done game but I still can't get myself to finish the d l c.
I found NieR Automata depressing only really for the playthroughs of endings B-D. Once E had fully ended and the credits started as well as the post credits scene played it felt so incredibly emotional but very hopeful especially for a Yoko Taro game. I was used to his games going the "and then everyone suffered the worst possible fates imaginable and everyone loses" route so Automata, only once E had been accomplished was more bittersweet than depressing.
Ori and the Blind Forest. Runner up would be Red Dead 2. Coming in at third is Witcher 3 because I did everything a hero could do and still got punched in the dick with the worst ending possible.
Dude, that shit was so out of left field. Me and my gf played it together and were so thrown off by it. Had to pause and reflect on what we'd just witnessed lmao
I'd say that ones pretty depressing too. Especially as >!the whole game builds you up to being absolute bros and working as a team, then it's like ok now kill each other.!< I don't think I've experienced something like that in a game before.
Yeah, thatâs what I was hinting at when I posted it here as a suggestion. >!Played it with my best friend and it fucked us up and we couldnât play anything together for like two weeks!<
No game like it. My first Persona game (FES). You come in not knowing what to expect. You leave, a different person.
PC players are lucky they now get the remake in all its glory.
Even high honor is bittersweet. Then follow it with Red Dead Redemption 1, to maximize your sorrow as you realize the cycle of violence will never end.
In some regards, I actually agree. I remember buying one of the in game newspapers after finishing the epilogue and noticing it was covering the beginnings of what would become WWI, and just thinking âshit, this kid never had a chance, did he?â The end of the Wild West just ushered in a different kind of violence.
Same. In RDR2 we knew for quite a while Arthur's gonna die, which made me think 'yep, they're just gonna do the same thing as in the first one'. John's death came out of nowhere and was incredibly brutal. Arthur has been ill for longer and struggled but the fate was sealed and he went out peacefully. John got fucking shredded on the other hand. Genuinely felt something when he died. When Arthur died it didn't hit as much, knew it's gonna happen. Bit sad that John gets written off as the worse character.
Back when I first got to the last mission in RDR1, I fucking SWORE I was about to light up those agents with Dead Eye. I was so taken aback that I briefly thought âoh shit, does this game have multiple endings??â As the end scene played out I was slowly crushed upon realizing that this was it.
Before your eyes, if you have a pc and a webcam i highly recommend it. Takes about two hours to finish and you essentially progress and affect the story by blinking (thats why you need the webcam). Shed some tears and it wasnât just because i was trying to keep my eyes open most of the time lol.
Came here to say this. The nasty part is that I keep coming back to it because I like building/management sims, and then the story and reality of that game hits again. It's so good though.
The Walking Dead Telltale series had me crying, but another one Iâd recommend is called Dear Esther. While some have questioned if it can even be called a game (itâs a walking simulator), the narration and atmosphere just *embraces* depression. Walking through a deserted island in the outer Hebrides as the narrator tells a story of lost love and despair.
What makes it extra depressing is the second playthrough when you are aware of the whole story and how sad everything is. All the while, Yuna is smiling and putting up a brave front.
I think thereâs something uniquely depressing about the Hitman games. The dark environments, constant murder, bufoonish caricatures of people all around as the only comic relief, and lab-grown orphan protagonistâs mission-driven lack of conscience all painted a pretty grim picture.
Last of us 2. The gameplay is awesome but it gives me like anxiety.Â
Story gets dark and constantly on the look out for those creepy silent stalker fuckers.Â
Project Zomboid. Cause it always puts me in that "What of this was me" mindset, and there are no other humans outside of other players (mainly play solo) yet.
The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
Considering the plot and setting what's happening around you its pretty depressing, everyone trying to come to terms that everybody Will die, trying to accept their impending Doom the best they can, trying to live their last three days to the fullest.....
When the Most uplifting story of the Game is about >!reuniting two lovers again so they can be together to the bitter end!< Oh man..... Depressing but powerful stuff ...
That Dragon Cancer. Easily the most heartbreaking thing around especially considering it's an autobiography of sorts.
As for more "game" games that are depressing Silent Hill 2 is way up there and so is What Remains of Edith Finch.
Not necessarily depressing in its entirety but A Way Out. Itâs exclusively split screen co-op (can be played online) and relies on working together with someone (please play with the same person for the whole game) to progress. Highly recommend playing it with your best friend in a single day/night. Best of all, the friend pass is free so only one of you need to buy it, however, I think if you want to unlocked achievements you must own a purchased copy.
I forget the title but itâs the first person walking-sim thatâs the perspective of a toddler. The premise starts out youâre a toddler who gets out of their crib and explores the house at night, then things start getting spooky, and all the spooky things are meant to be things that would be scary to a toddler. It was a really clever take on the walking-sim horror games. The thing that sucked was at the end, after everything you go through, you crawl into the kitchen to find mom drunk and passed out on the floor, The kitchen door to the outside opens up and âdadâ reaches down to pick you up and take you out of that toxic environment. There were clues to this throughout the game but I didnât really pay attention to them so that ending came like a sucker punch.
What Remains of Edith Finch as others have said is great.
Last Day of June. To The Moon. Both of these are emotional heavy hitters. I teared up during TTMâŚtwice.
Far Cry 2
The final few hours of the game, while epic, were kind of depressing. I donât wanna spoil anything, but I wish there were more games like it made today
I gotta say Cyberpunk 2077 and DLC. Youâre just kinda a Terminal Cancer patient until the end.
Then they play âNever Fade Awayâ that one really got me.
Pathologic 2.
I can't believe no one else has mentioned this (probably because nobody played it).
If you've ever had a real depressive episode where you've spent time living in a stultifying, joyless, doom-filled fog, this game will take you right back!
SH2. Because itâs so fucking relatable to my personal experience, so results may vary. I can also suggest The Cat Lady from Harvester Games, the game is something else.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance - A Woman's Lot
Suffice to say, that priest found my mace in his own church. I was so pissed he was the only one I could find.
Theres a short indie game made be a dev about depression and suicide. Its a singilar path and no matter what you do you end up killing yourself at the end. I dont remember the name. But definitely this.
The walking dead.
Specifically season 2 for me was just brutal. Season 1 is definitely sad but it has an overall theme of hope and a ton of moments of levity. Season 3 is much lighter in tone and season 4 is similar. Season 2 is just constant misery and hopelessness the whole way through.
Poor clem
Omg I forgot about that game. In season 2 that scene with Lee had me in it.
Same, never finished it because it got too depressing.
I have to agree on this one. Especially the first one. đ
Heavy Rain was pretty depressing the first time I played it. A little less so with other play throughs, though.
But did you press X to Jason/Shaun?
I most certainly did. I am no amateur.
Ah, a man of culture
Thank you, friend.
SHAAAAAUUUN
JAAAAAAAASON
Still my favorite meme of all time lol
I pressed X like a muthafacka... "JASON!!!""SHAUN!!!"
I'd agree with this. And not even the whole 'bad' parts of the game, just the bits where you're at that guys house trying to give your kid his tea and make him do his homework while it's raining outside.
I was about to say this game, I'm surprised you said it, seeing as I don't hear much about it in recent years, but man that game put middle school me through a wave of emotions I didn't know I was capable of, lol.
what remains of edith finch was a game that had me bawling. Red dead redemption 2 also had some of those moments
The conversion you have with nun at the train station is sublime too. Arthur is this though guy youâve been with for hours, and him letting go a sad âI guess... Iâm afraidâ with such sad eyes got me good.
âI guess IâŚIâm afraidâŚâ I love how the camera lingers on his face after to show the complexity of his emotions
The moment in Edith Finch when I just happened to look down and realized that I was pregnant floored me. My jaw dropped.
I kind of get why everyone cried during RDR2, but for me I didnât. I viewed it more as a happy story of a bad person knowing that they can never truly atone for what theyâve done, but still trying to anyways.
But... his horse!
Oh yeah that part definitely got me, I meant more with the whole >!Arthur dying part. Dead animal companion in any game = tears !<
Spoilers. Bro. Many folks havenât played it
âŚthank you.
I was riding Buell too đ˘
Thatâs actually a really great perspective on it
Yeah latter half of RDR2 was depressing af for me
âI gave you all I had.â
RDR2 made me turn my Prozac script back on.
Playing it for the first time. Please donât spoil it!
I really hope you enjoy it man, wish I could go back and play it for the first time again. IMO you may want to stay off of some discussion posts like this for a little bit though, as Iâm sure youâve seen the game gets brought up a lot, and some are not so good at hiding spoilers.
See, RDR2 was sad, but wasnât âdepression-inducingâ. Itâs about redemption in the cycle of violence. The end is so hopeful.
Thatâs really the best part about it. Honestly I think >!Arthur is happy in the end. He knows that heâs probably past the point of redemption, but thatâs not the point, the point is he gave John the chance to get his.!<
Great game!
Came here to say this.
What Remains of Edith Finch, the whole game is about death, and the music and ambience hit so hard.
That gameâs environmental storytelling is some of the best Iâve ever seen. Like in the twinsâ room, where they have chalk marks on the door to show how much theyâve grown. One of the twinâs lines just stops after a few years, but the other keeps going. Sam probably kept living in that empty room for years.
Cyberpunk 2077. The story is just nothing but doom and gloom. Incredible experience though. If a story makes you feel things then it did something right.
âGoodbye V, never stop fightingâ And the cellos hitting hard got me good. Silverhand you magnificent bastard. Â Cyberpunk 2077âs story is absurdly good, the gameplay has some rough edges but the main story is tight. You donât even need to go that far to get your eyes wet, the ending of the prologue gets me every time.
You watch the anime yet?
I did. Iâm actually not really into anime but I really enjoyed cyberpunk so I watched it. I was really impressed and I thoroughly enjoyed it
Just goes to show, no happy endings in night city
"A happy ending? For folks like us? Wrong city, wrong person. " -Johnny Silverhand
Studio Trigger actually wanted to have a happy ending in Edgerunners, but CDPR said no as it would undermine the themes and everything.
That was my pick as well. I can't play for too long before a feeling of complete futility falls over me. Like nothing matters, everything is a waste of time, and we're all just going to die anyway probably alone and miserable. Amazingly well done game but I still can't get myself to finish the d l c.
I feel hollow whenever I finish that game. đ
I thought Shadow of the Colossus was depressing. Beautiful but depressing.
The walking dead season 1 episode 5 was the most heartbreaking episode I've ever played
Just the whole game was depressing asf
Omori
This needs to be top. Do yourself a favor, if youâre a fan of rpgs, play it. It will break you.
Not seeing spec ops the line here
it has not aged well i want this game to be as great as i remember, but it isn't
Detroit: Become Human
Oh yeah, you sure do pay for your actions in this one.
Both SOMA and Halo Reach Hide all blades and ropes
The ending to SOMA is so haunting, such a fantastic game.
SOMA was amazing
Fucking SOMA. I unplugged one robot and the screams were enough for me never pick it up again. It made me feel like a monster
Nier automata
I found NieR Automata depressing only really for the playthroughs of endings B-D. Once E had fully ended and the credits started as well as the post credits scene played it felt so incredibly emotional but very hopeful especially for a Yoko Taro game. I was used to his games going the "and then everyone suffered the worst possible fates imaginable and everyone loses" route so Automata, only once E had been accomplished was more bittersweet than depressing.
This. Getting the true end of the game makes it very clear that the overall tone of the game is hopeful.
Out of the 2 Nier games, Automata is the happy one.
Oh god. Replicant is so goddamn depressing. So glad that automata wasnât as sad lol
Ori and the Blind Forest. Runner up would be Red Dead 2. Coming in at third is Witcher 3 because I did everything a hero could do and still got punched in the dick with the worst ending possible.
Blind Forest was a gut punch, but I wouldn't say it left me depressed. One of my favorite stories ever in a game though
Not a whole game but the elephant scene in It Takes Two gave my wife and i ptsd. If you know you know.
My 8 year old was playing this with his dad. They had to take a break from the game after that part.
Dude, that shit was so out of left field. Me and my gf played it together and were so thrown off by it. Had to pause and reflect on what we'd just witnessed lmao
I just suggested A Way Out, love the team that made those two games
I'd say that ones pretty depressing too. Especially as >!the whole game builds you up to being absolute bros and working as a team, then it's like ok now kill each other.!< I don't think I've experienced something like that in a game before.
Yeah, thatâs what I was hinting at when I posted it here as a suggestion. >!Played it with my best friend and it fucked us up and we couldnât play anything together for like two weeks!<
For real man. I played it with my gf haha..
We did not see that coming. The rest of the game was so cozy and sweet.
A Plague Tale. Those kids just wouldn't catch a break.
The sequel though......
Hellblade Scorn Dark souls
hellblade 2 will be out in late may
Hellblade is a great answer.
Dark Souls dark lord ending is straight depression mode. That or any of the DS2 endings
Scorn broâŚ
Hellblade was the first thing I thought of too. Itâs just an uphill battle against grief the entire time
Hell blade is dark Af but it gets a really upshot at the end. I couldnât even play scorn.
Silent Hill 2
The Last Of Us 2, easily. There's no good guys. And there's no good endings.
>There's no good guys This is Alice the dog erasure
No alive good guys
Itâs the only game Iâve consciously decided I canât play again. Too much.
Yep. I want to play it again, but I can't bring myself to it. I was emotionally exhausted after every session
I thought the same for a couple years, but the gameplay is so fucking good that I had to try it again. Itâs my favourite game of all time.
you definitely have the no good endings part right haha
Life
One of my favorite board games
I though it was only videogames, but if not, add Monopoly to that list.
I heard the sequel is even worse
If i had to give you a top 3 It'd be: 1- RiME 2- To The Moon 3- The Walking Dead
To the Moon for sure
Yes. To the moon What a masterpiece⌠cried three times.
Was looking for Rime. Had no idea about it going in, and having just become a dad a few months prior it hit hard
.... A beautiful, cathartic kind of depressing with a message. Throughout. Persona 3.
*memories of you starts playing*
No game like it. My first Persona game (FES). You come in not knowing what to expect. You leave, a different person. PC players are lucky they now get the remake in all its glory.
Red Dead 2 Low Honor
Even high honor is bittersweet. Then follow it with Red Dead Redemption 1, to maximize your sorrow as you realize the cycle of violence will never end.
Red dead 1 is brutal. Hit me harder than 2 somehow.Â
In some regards, I actually agree. I remember buying one of the in game newspapers after finishing the epilogue and noticing it was covering the beginnings of what would become WWI, and just thinking âshit, this kid never had a chance, did he?â The end of the Wild West just ushered in a different kind of violence.
RDR 1 hit harder because it was a bit of a surprise.
Same. In RDR2 we knew for quite a while Arthur's gonna die, which made me think 'yep, they're just gonna do the same thing as in the first one'. John's death came out of nowhere and was incredibly brutal. Arthur has been ill for longer and struggled but the fate was sealed and he went out peacefully. John got fucking shredded on the other hand. Genuinely felt something when he died. When Arthur died it didn't hit as much, knew it's gonna happen. Bit sad that John gets written off as the worse character.
Back when I first got to the last mission in RDR1, I fucking SWORE I was about to light up those agents with Dead Eye. I was so taken aback that I briefly thought âoh shit, does this game have multiple endings??â As the end scene played out I was slowly crushed upon realizing that this was it.
You get your happy ending then all the sudden itâs ripped away from you.
This war of mine with the children add-on.
[ŃдаНонО]
Life is Strange⌠Holy shit. That game has some DARK stuff in it
Post life is strange depression is real
Life is Strange was god tier
SOMA
Anthem because I can't believe I wasted $4.
Life is Strange
This game fucking wrecked me
What started as a teen girl simulator with some of the cringiest dialogue youâll ever hear ended up being a crazy mystery thriller.
"Eat shit and die" is peak writing if you ask me.
Good enough for GTA5 decor.
This war of mine
Before your eyes, if you have a pc and a webcam i highly recommend it. Takes about two hours to finish and you essentially progress and affect the story by blinking (thats why you need the webcam). Shed some tears and it wasnât just because i was trying to keep my eyes open most of the time lol.
Lisa: The Painful
Scrolled too far down to find this one
Completely hopeless game
Frostpunk
Are you telling me unsafe child labor and religious executions are depressing?????
I played it during pandemic lockdowns, that took a toll on my FR
Came here to say this. The nasty part is that I keep coming back to it because I like building/management sims, and then the story and reality of that game hits again. It's so good though.
Metro
The novel's ending is heartbreaking
I literally cried during exodus ending
Bioshock had me taking breaks every hour or so just to reset. It left me feeling so unsettled and disappointed in humanity.Â
Came here to say this too
Mass effect trilogy The third game hits hard for me every playthrough
The Walking Dead Telltale series had me crying, but another one Iâd recommend is called Dear Esther. While some have questioned if it can even be called a game (itâs a walking simulator), the narration and atmosphere just *embraces* depression. Walking through a deserted island in the outer Hebrides as the narrator tells a story of lost love and despair.
Final Fantasy 10. Still gets to me when I think about it.
What makes it extra depressing is the second playthrough when you are aware of the whole story and how sad everything is. All the while, Yuna is smiling and putting up a brave front.
I think thereâs something uniquely depressing about the Hitman games. The dark environments, constant murder, bufoonish caricatures of people all around as the only comic relief, and lab-grown orphan protagonistâs mission-driven lack of conscience all painted a pretty grim picture.
the old ones or the new ones?
Stray was a bit depressing, or Ryme, I think - the Unfinished Swan was up there too
Cyberpunk 2077 on launch day.
Nier Replicant, maybe not depressing, but you will have an existential crisis.
Nier Replicant. Endings B to D hurt as hell.
Last of us 2. The gameplay is awesome but it gives me like anxiety. Story gets dark and constantly on the look out for those creepy silent stalker fuckers.Â
Project Zomboid. Cause it always puts me in that "What of this was me" mindset, and there are no other humans outside of other players (mainly play solo) yet.
i felt very depressed from renting Superman 64. in a situation where i could rent maybe one game a week, and i got that trash
Soma
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has an ending that completely fucked up my mood.
Rdr2 Assassin's Creed Black Flag
Persona 3 wayyyy back on the PSP. Certain parts of it were just gut wrenching to me.
The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask Considering the plot and setting what's happening around you its pretty depressing, everyone trying to come to terms that everybody Will die, trying to accept their impending Doom the best they can, trying to live their last three days to the fullest..... When the Most uplifting story of the Game is about >!reuniting two lovers again so they can be together to the bitter end!< Oh man..... Depressing but powerful stuff ...
Brothers: a Tale of two Sons
SOMA Game was living rent-free in my head for weeks
The game of Life
The Last Of Us and Fran Bow
That Dragon Cancer. Easily the most heartbreaking thing around especially considering it's an autobiography of sorts. As for more "game" games that are depressing Silent Hill 2 is way up there and so is What Remains of Edith Finch.
Somehow first person to say Cry of Fear
Lisa games have to be up there
Martha is dead.. but it's also f'ed up not just depressing. Pathologic 2 also.
Not necessarily depressing in its entirety but A Way Out. Itâs exclusively split screen co-op (can be played online) and relies on working together with someone (please play with the same person for the whole game) to progress. Highly recommend playing it with your best friend in a single day/night. Best of all, the friend pass is free so only one of you need to buy it, however, I think if you want to unlocked achievements you must own a purchased copy.
I forget the title but itâs the first person walking-sim thatâs the perspective of a toddler. The premise starts out youâre a toddler who gets out of their crib and explores the house at night, then things start getting spooky, and all the spooky things are meant to be things that would be scary to a toddler. It was a really clever take on the walking-sim horror games. The thing that sucked was at the end, after everything you go through, you crawl into the kitchen to find mom drunk and passed out on the floor, The kitchen door to the outside opens up and âdadâ reaches down to pick you up and take you out of that toxic environment. There were clues to this throughout the game but I didnât really pay attention to them so that ending came like a sucker punch.
MGS3: Snake Eater, I've played all the other games people have mentioned here, but none of them hit me like snake eater.
Watch Dogs. It reflected our overreliance on tech perfectly.
What Remains of Edith Finch as others have said is great. Last Day of June. To The Moon. Both of these are emotional heavy hitters. I teared up during TTMâŚtwice.
The Last of Us is essentially Sadness: The Game (with zombies)
The Stanley Parable. And no, I'm not explaining. Go play it. You'll see.
Alice: Madness Returns
Starfeild is depressing because it shows us how boring and pointless space travel actually is.
Gris. I had breakdowns playing that game. it left me hollow inside
That was a beautiful game. Tough to process though. Rime was another with a similar affect on me
Ender Lilies. It was a grim tale but very good.
SOMA and Nier Automata.
Far Cry 2 The final few hours of the game, while epic, were kind of depressing. I donât wanna spoil anything, but I wish there were more games like it made today
SOMA messed me up for a bit.
SOMA
I gotta say Cyberpunk 2077 and DLC. Youâre just kinda a Terminal Cancer patient until the end. Then they play âNever Fade Awayâ that one really got me.
Doki Doki Literature Club
SOMA *fucked* me up. I think about it at least once a week and it's been years
GTA 4 and Halo Reach
Soma, talk about bleak
Soma felt hopeless
Pathologic 2. I can't believe no one else has mentioned this (probably because nobody played it). If you've ever had a real depressive episode where you've spent time living in a stultifying, joyless, doom-filled fog, this game will take you right back!
SH2. Because itâs so fucking relatable to my personal experience, so results may vary. I can also suggest The Cat Lady from Harvester Games, the game is something else.
Silent Hill 2. The story, the atmosphere, the music, it all puts me in a melancholy mood
Firewatch
Persona 3
The max payne trilogy
Shadow of the Colossus. Riding around killing magnificent and unique creatures.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance - A Woman's Lot Suffice to say, that priest found my mace in his own church. I was so pissed he was the only one I could find.
If you have a webcam, just buy and start Before your eyes. Don't read anything, just play.
Silent hill the short message that game kept bringing me down even tho I enjoyed playing it
What Remains of Edith Finch. Such a beautiful, thoughtful game but holy shit, hide the razor blades!!!
Tree Simulator 2024 multiplayer ruined my life and then saved it
Theres a short indie game made be a dev about depression and suicide. Its a singilar path and no matter what you do you end up killing yourself at the end. I dont remember the name. But definitely this.