Top 10 atmospheric games. Atmospheric PC games

For the game to be remembered for a long time, you need not only an exciting plot, stunning graphics and interesting gameplay. IT.TUT.BY has compiled the top 10 games that attract gamers with the extraordinary atmosphere of the fictional world.

10. Red Alert

Red Alert fell in love with gamers not only as an excellent strategy, but also as a game that has collected the largest number of stereotypes about Russians. An alternate world in which the Soviet Union launched a full-scale offensive against Europe through tank hordes and battle bears. Add to this the pretentious music, the destroyed Statue of Liberty and, of course, the Soviet general raising a glass of vodka to Comrade General. Here is the perfect recipe to make the Russian-speaking part of the gaming community smile.

9. Dark Souls

Dark Souls is remembered not only for its "old-school gameplay", but also for its dark fantasy world, saturated with loneliness and death. The hero has to go through a difficult path, where one wrong move can interrupt life, and a meeting with any monster may be the last. A few encounters with NPCs and respites by the fires are perceived as a small ray of light in the kingdom of darkness. Dark Souls is a constant death game, but that's what gamers love it for.

8. The Elder Scrolls

The Elder Scrolls series has been able to create one of the most memorable worlds in the classic fantasy genre. Huge maps strewn with small details, a story comparable in scale to Tolkien's Middle-earth universe, full libraries of books and taverns full of rumors, cunning political games of mortals and endless intrigues of immortals. And one hero, free to go wherever he wants.

7. Machinarium

The quest from Amanita Design tells its story in the scenery of a rather strange city inhabited by intelligent machines. Mashinarium is remembered by players not only for its mysteries and history, but also for the world of robots, soaked through with machine oil, rust and touching stories of living pieces of iron. The game won the Excellence in Visual Art nomination at the 12th Annual Independent Games Festival and is considered one of the benchmarks for independent games, and is considered a work of art by many players.

The post-apocalyptic world of Fallout was remembered not only by the endless desert, but also by the atmosphere of the 60s of the last century, or rather the world that survived a nuclear war in the minds of the inhabitants of the times of the "Caribbean crisis". As if from the pages of magazines of a bygone era came "Nuka-Cola", the design of cars and weapons. Radioactive sand, gangs of marauders, the Chosen One, in whose hands the salvation of the world. Black Isle Studios gave us a game that is imbued with the spirit of "Mad Max" and "Valley of Curses" by Roger Zelazny. And of course, the player will remember for a long time the image of the game symbol, the smiling boy from the training pictures and videos, cheerfully holding his thumb up.

5. Aracanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

A world of steam and magic. Troika Games was able to successfully combine the industrial revolution of the Victorian era and the classic fantasy setting with orcs and elves in one game. The era of steampunk is coming, guns and guns are replacing swords and spells, the first Zephyr airship is already proudly soaring into the sky, but the world is still full of ancient and powerful artifacts, and any enterprising necromancer can found his own manufactory using the labor of raised zombies. A huge world, music filled with crying violins, and complete freedom for the explorer-adventurer.

4. Bioshock

First-person shooter, performed in the genre of dystopia and based on the philosophical views of the American writer Ayn Rand, set forth in the book Atlas Shrugged. The player watches the fall of the ideal world created by millionaire Andrew Ryan. Irrational Games was able to accurately convey the atmosphere of a dying city, thoroughly saturated with human vices. Bioshock is a clever, intimidating shooter that tells us a tragic story set in a 1950s setting. In 2013, Bioshock Infinite was released, taking the scene from the underwater world to the skies and telling a story in the spirit of a classic science fiction novel.

3. Silent Hill

One of the most famous game series created by Keiichiro Toyama. A desert city capable of bringing to life the dark essence of the people affected by it. The gray fog that enveloped Silent Hill is fraught with monsters created by the subconscious of the heroes. The musical accompaniment, written by Akira Yamaoka, adds even more gloom and despair to the atmosphere of the game. " Some things we forget, and some are never forgotten", - says one of the characters in the game. This phrase was able to fully characterize Silent Hill. The city of nightmares, from which you do not want to return.

2. Max Payne

We say Max Payne - we mean noir, we say noir - we mean Max Payne. Remedy Entertainment was able to create an almost perfect game. The tragic story of a police officer, told through stylish comic screensavers, shootouts in the best traditions of John Woo action movies, title theme song and the end credits of the second part of the game, which made Poets of the Fall world stars. The combination of these factors easily made gamers travel to the snowy streets of New York and watch Max fall.

1st place - Elite

The game, which conquered thousands of hearts back in 1984, with a minimal plot and a fairly simple graphic component, can immerse gamers in the cockpit of a spaceship and give maximum freedom of action. Players could safely engage in trade, pirate, be explorers and pioneers of deep space. The game engine could generate 281 474 976 710 656 unique galaxies, each of which could have 256 stars, while the game weighed 22 kb. However, the publishers felt that users were unlikely to believe in such features of the game, so a limit was made to 8 available galaxies.

Elite has been able to acquire numerous myths and legends. What was the only story about the mythical planet Raxxla, the search for which was stubbornly pursued by the fans, despite the claims of the creators that this planet is fiction. The helm of a spaceship, endless space and a sense of complete freedom - all this Elite gave its fans back in 1984.

Video games are a big escape, a first class ticket from reality.

From rainy streets in Blade Runner, snowy forests in The Long Dark, to the ruins of nuclear destruction in Fallout with an underwater city from Bioshock. In some of them you need to understand the combat system or get more points, and in some, the developers create a believable world and send the player there.

The following games managed to stand out from others due to the competent combination of sounds, visual effects and game environment, which in my opinion gives them the title of the most atmospheric games.

This brutal survival simulator can also amaze with its beauty. You literally feel the cold as you wade through the piles of snow. A shelter near a crackling fire during a howling blizzard is an incredibly atmospheric scene.

This is not without flaws, but an ambitious point-and-click adventure game from Westwood, which brilliantly recreates the look and retains the spirit of Ridley Scott's sci-fi movie of the same name. The rainy streets of Los Angeles in 2019 look very atmospheric.

Despite the stylized, almost cartoonish rendering, the Shoshone National Reserve is a great atmospheric place for a virtual walk. This reserve is beautiful and frighteningly deserted, which makes the game just great.

The same Los Angeles, but this time in the late 40s. Rockstar's meticulous attention to detail and Andrew Hale's catchy quibbling remarks certainly contribute to a greater immersion in the game, as if we were revisiting old Chinatown detective films.

The developers of the game managed to create one of the most atmospheric gaming settings - the Zone. This is a gloomy post-apocalyptic wasteland in the shadow of the exploded Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Realistic bad weather effects perfectly complement the already unfriendly one.

Uncompromising 1970s technology and muted colors on the Sevastopol space station recreate the atmosphere of Ridley Scott's original film Alien. The perfect setting for this intense, depressing horror masterpiece.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

The sleepy village of Yaton and the surrounding valley may seem like the perfect example of rural life in England, but something terrible has happened here. This sense of unease prevails over every scene of the idyll.

The scene of this action is the barren Hebrides. The creators of this game, The Chinese Room, perfectly captured the feel of the gray, windswept Scottish Isles and used it to weave a dark, mysterious storyline.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

All the games from the Assassin's Creed series are atmospheric, but Black Flag awakened in me the feeling that I am in some other place. Ubisoft's Caribbean is great, especially when a tropical storm approaches.

SOMA

This psychological, sci-fi horror from the creators of Amnesia is a game with an incredibly detailed, sullen underwater nature. The consecration is particularly impressive, taking us into a rich underwater atmosphere.

The vast open world in The Witcher is full of such beautiful places as: the golden fields of Velen and the frozen island of Skelige. These are the places where you can simply get lost from the atmosphere for a long time, let alone local sunsets.

BioShock's underwater city is truly impressive. The Art Deco skyscrapers looming above us in the murky green water have become classics of the genre in computer games. BioShock Infinite's Columbia is good too, but it still doesn't match the atmosphere of the original game.

Wherever you wander in Lordran, the spirit of antiquity is felt everywhere. This place is filled with myths, very old and almost forgotten. As if we are exploring the ruins of an ancient, long-lost civilization.

Trading and fighting is fun, but sometimes it's worth getting off the ship to get a closer look at the city. The wonderful Milky Way from Frontier is full of amazing views, and exciting music just adds to the atmosphere.

DayZ

Like the STALKER game, Chernorussia in DayZ is a rather gloomy desert place in the post-Soviet space. It may be beautiful in sunlight, but mostly Chernorussia is a gray, rainy and desperate area.

In video games, we're used to seeing and experiencing nuclear devastation personally, but DEFCON shows the other side: the eerie silence of war in rooms where world leaders calmly orchestrate the total destruction of the planet.

Before you are the consequences of an atomic war. As in the original game, in Fallout 3, we will experience an abandoned wasteland, exposed to nuclear weapons, only this time in 3D. The game has its own indescribable atmosphere, which contributes to the exploration of the game world. At least until the giant ants want to finish you off.

Improved lighting effects make the night battles in Arma 3 incredibly atmospheric. And during the day, the sun-drenched Greek islands of Altis and Stratis look very beautiful. In creating the environment, the developers from Bohemia were at their best.

This is another proof of the high level of craftsmanship from the developers of the Fullbright company, since an ordinary house turned out to be so atmospheric. The flickering TV in the living room, which signals an impending storm, is just a great detail.

No one expected Valve to set the sequel to Half-Life in a city in eastern Europe. City 17 shows us oppressed townspeople, abandoned streets, dilapidated Soviet apartments, and faded Cyrillic signs.

Hotline Miami's heady, unreal, neon-drenched atmosphere, combined with relentless ultraviolent firearms, makes the game very attractive to the player. The pounding, heavy synth soundtrack only heightens the game's wicked energy with 80s-style graphics.

An interesting, abstract adventure game that insanely owes its style to the films of David Lynch. This game is far from perfect point-and-click play, but the mysterious story and atmospheric visualization makes up for it.

The snowy mountains, icy debris and seething hot springs of Skyrim are great fun to explore, especially at sunset. The Bethesda devs still need to work on the character models, but the game world they've created is one of the best so far.

Everything in Portal 2 is very carefully crafted, including the Aperture Lab itself. Traveling through different eras, you feel as if you have unlocked some ancient time capsule, the integrity of which was never worth breaking.

Exploration of the dark depths of the sea became an example of atmospheric environments in the game. The whole point of the story lies in the eloquent lines, but the illustrations in the shade of green are also very expressive details.

If you have ever wondered what it is like to be alone on the planet, only I can convey this to you in more detail. You really feel like you are in another world, driving your rover across the desert red planet.

There are games that can hook you with something incomprehensible. They do not have the most advanced graphics, the plot has holes and bloopers, and the gameplay itself is not up to par. But they want to forgive all this, if the developers did their best and created an enticing atmosphere. It is about these games that will be discussed in our today's top. Of course, the atmosphere is not a graphic and cannot be measured, so all the games presented below are arranged in a very rough and subjective order.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R series

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. can be scolded for a lot. And for unjustified expectations, and for a clumsy plot by modern standards, and for stupid dialogues. However, what cannot be taken away from the brainchild of Ukrainian developers is the meticulously recreated atmosphere of the Exclusion Zone. For this we fell in love S.T.A.L.K.E.R... Even though he was not what we expected him, he plunged us headlong into the life that was rapidly flowing on this preserved piece of the Soviet Union. In every location, every building, every rusting car, the developers put their soul into it.

Fallout series

Without a doubt, the Fallout series can be considered one of the best examples of atmospheric gaming. This epic about the world after the end of the world has left a deep mark in the heart of every gamer. We love these games wholeheartedly, devotedly, and are ready to forgive them over and over again for an ever greater bias towards the mass consumer, just to once again touch this enchanting atmosphere. It is the carefully crafted world and the atmosphere of the post-apocalypse, and not the gameplay or the plot at all, that keep us at the computer when we play Fallout.

Vampires: The Masqarade - Bloodlines

The latest RPG for the legendary studio Troika Games, can rightfully be considered one of the most atmospheric games of all time. An excellent design, a gorgeous soundtrack that will definitely settle in your playlist after passing through, and juicy, bright characters create an indescribable atmosphere of nighttime Los Angeles. It was not at all the Los Angeles that we are used to seeing in the movies. This is a gloomy place full of drug addicts, freaks and maniacs, among whom vampires do not look so scary monsters. Unfortunately, towards the end, the game loses a lot due to the limited development time. Still, it's one of the most atmospheric games ever to see the light of day.

Slender: The Eight Pages

Children don't go for a walk in the forest ... Especially if it's a forest from the game Slender: The Eight Pages, in which a creepy creature named Slanderman awaits you. If your mental health is still dear to you, do not touch this game. This horror will scare anyone, regardless of age or gender. The creepy game of hide and seek with the Slenderman will stay in your memory for a long time, and this huge, mysterious forest will look great in your nightmares. Slender: The Eight Pages is getting a place in our top for its scary atmosphere.

Manhunt

It's scary to imagine a world of inflamed fantasies of developers from Rockstarwho were responsible for creating this game. At one time, she defied all the guardians of morality, becoming one of the most brutal games of all time. But in addition to senseless violence, she was remembered for the oppressive atmosphere. A creepy TV show for perverts, the audience of which we unwittingly had to be, was perfectly choreographed and written. The gloomy streets of the city forgotten by God left an indelible impression on the soul of everyone who had to visit here. Rockstar is unlikely to ever release a sequel, but it may be for the best.

GTA series

You can talk about this series for a very long time and a lot, but since our top is dedicated to the most atmospheric games, we will dwell only on this moment. Whatever era Rockstar wanted to cover in the next game in the series, they did it consistently well. Whether it's the eighties from Vice City, the nineties from San Andreas or the 2000s from GTA IV, every time the developers managed to capture the very essence of the era and meticulously transfer it to our screens. Sometimes you just want to wander the streets of these cities and watch, because Rockstar makes truly living worlds in which the player feels at home. The GTA series has held the highest bar for quality for many years now, and it doesn't seem like Rockstar is going to stop there.

World of warcraft

Why World of warcraft has been alive for 11 years, and his killers, who come out almost once every six months, invariably die a sudden death? What do developers from Blizzardthat others do not have? To answer this question, take a walk in the Elvin forest in the rain. Ride a fast-winged griffin as you take in the vast expanses of the Eastern Kingdoms. Spend an hour drinking rum with friends in Pirate Cove. Hear young children gossip about the giant crocolisk found somewhere in the canals of Stormwind. Stand shoulder to shoulder with your comrades-in-arms to once again reflect another Evil that is about to wipe Azeroth off the face of the earth. I think that then you yourself will be able to answer your question, but this answer cannot be expressed in words.

Journey

This strange, silent game, which from the first seconds grabs your hand and pulls you somewhere into unknown distances. This is an adventure in which you write your own story based on your own feelings. The most important thing this game has is the atmosphere of something fabulous, unforgettable, not conveyed in words. Journey will generate more questions for you than it will leave answers, and that is why she is good.

Mafia Series

The great and mighty Grand thieft auto there is at least one competitor that can compete with her. And we are, of course, about the series Mafia, which over and over again pleases us with an excellent storyline, interesting gameplay and, what is important in the light of our top, an excellent atmosphere of the 30s-50s. Fans of gangster movies will be delighted with this epic, which undoubtedly can be attributed to the classics of the genre. Mafia is a truly human and very human story that takes place in a lively and interesting world.

The Elder Scrolls Series

This fantasy universe is close to the heart of every gamer. This is a huge world with its own history and mythology, which we get to know better and better with each new game in the series. And every time we surrender ourselves to Tamriel without a trace. Each game in the series pulls us out of our daily routine for a long time. And not the least role here is played by the excellent atmosphere of real fenetesis. Games series The elder scrolls is an excellent fantasy that follows the classic canons and yet is free from outside influences.

It is easy to believe in the reality of events if we are watching some kind of drama about a divorce or a life passing aimlessly. Another thing is to convince the viewer, and in our case the player, that this elf with a blue skin color is actually worried about her missing father, who can control the forces of nature. Today we choose games that stand out for their impeccable atmosphere, even if their world is not at all like the real one.

BioShock

This isn't the first time a shooter series has made it to our selection, but it certainly deserves it. BioShock 1 and 2 take place in the underwater city of Rapture, which was inhabited by prominent people in the fifties of the last century. The best scientists, doctors, artists, musicians and thinkers got tired of the imperfection of the familiar world and decided to retire at the bottom of the ocean.

Delight is a utopian city, which its inhabitants destroyed. A substance capable of developing superpowers turned into a powerful drug, which led to disaster and the decline of the city. Rapchur connects gloss and dirt: expensive furniture is stained with blood, marble floors are covered with salt water, a mutilated corpse sits at a shiny piano.

The place and time of BioShock Infinite has changed: a new hero is sent to the air city of Columbia, and the events unfold in 1912. The city only seems to be prosperous: the locals have even more skeletons in their closets than the inhabitants of Rapture. Both worlds of BioShock are worth exploring: this is one of the most atmospheric and detailed series.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

A rare case when the game "based on" was worthwhile. Howard Phillips Lovecraft is one of the twentieth century's most enigmatic writers. The author did not receive much recognition during his lifetime, but his work acquired a cult status after his death. Reading these works is like wading through a forest through thick fog. You hear the crackling of branches and rustles nearby, but you don't understand if it's a squirrel, a drunken mushroom picker, a bear or something worse. The same feeling arises when passing Call of Cthulhu.

The developers surprisingly accurately conveyed the atmosphere of the writer's stories. This is a leisurely and gloomy game, from which sometimes goosebumps run through the body. Horror scares not with sudden screams, but with a quiet whisper from around the corner. Not a jumped out monster, but a killed girl who simply stands covered in blood and stares at you. The entourage is formed thanks to the conversations of the characters, the detailed locations, the eerie details of the events. Detective Jack Walters will regret more than once that he undertook to investigate the case in the quiet town of Innsmouth, but it will be too late.

Far cry primal

Far Cry took place on tropical islands, and in sultry Africa, and in the Himalayan mountains. After the fourth part, the developers chose an unexpected setting - primitive. There are practically no games in such an entourage, you can only recall Zeno Clash right off the bat, but there is a share of fantasy. Here everything is more or less detailed, although it is impossible to check the realism in any case.

We are assigned the role of a representative of an almost extinct tribe who revives the settlement and prepares to repulse opponents. The gameplay is tied to hunting, and this becomes boring over time: after all, hunting down animals was only one of the gameplay elements in Far Cry 3-4, and not the main one. And here there is little variety: either get the skins, then collect the leaves, then kill the enemy squad.

But the atmosphere is excellent: nature has not yet been touched by people, mammoths walk in the fields, saber-toothed tigers and other long-extinct animals are found in the forests. You can wander for hours and just take screenshots for your desktop.

Red Dead series

The line of cowboy action games didn't start with Red Dead Redemption, but with Red Dead Revolver. But the games are practically unrelated: different times of action and characters. In the original action movie, the hero Red takes revenge on the gangsters for killing his parents, while John Marston from the new action movie tries to save the family by eliminating his former gang colleagues. Red Dead Redemption 2 should be released this fall, there is no information about the connection with the previous parts.

In the games, the territory and characters are well developed, the locations are full of interesting little things and random events. It would seem that what can happen practically in an open field? You ride calmly on a horse, looking at the setting sun, and suddenly you find yourself in an ambush, then bumping into a hermit, then you see how the Indians deal with the pale-skinned. Rockstar, the developer of GTA, knows how to make rich worlds: there is more life on the prairie of Red Dead Redemption than in the metropolis of Chicago from any Mafia 3.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

The series is based on the story "Roadside Picnic" by the Strugatsky brothers. The franchise currently has three games plus a ton of fan addons. Ukrainian GSC Game World made "our Fallout", which played on its popularity.

The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has spawned a new business that is equally dangerous and profitable. The release of radioactive substances provoked the appearance of artifacts that give bonuses to characteristics and are required, among other things, for scientific purposes. This is how stalkers appeared, hunting for valuable substances.

On a large territory, key objects of the Zone have been recreated: a giant radar, the town of Pripyat with the same Ferris wheel, a dump of abandoned equipment that took part in the operation after the accident, and the nuclear power plant itself. There is still life in the dead lands, which for many stalkers lasts a couple of days at best. The atmosphere is depressing, but this place is definitely worth visiting.

Bloodborne

Dark Souls, a popular series from the same developers, can also be added to this list. Games are sometimes compared, but there are still differences. First of all, they have different combat systems - Dark Souls is slower. But what they have in common is complexity. The developers have made very difficult conditions for the player as their "feature": the hints are sometimes even more confusing, sometimes it is not clear what they want from us and where to go, the enemies kill with just a few hits, and the bosses reach the size of the Troitsky house.

The protagonist comes to the city of Yharnam, where medicine has reached great heights: doctors have learned to cure diseases by blood transfusion. But because of the epidemic, people began to turn into monsters. We have to cleanse the city and figure out what is really going on here. The locations are impressive in beauty, despite the general gloomy state of Yharnam. The game, like BioShock, features aesthetics mixed with dirt, both literally and figuratively.

Mass effect

The cosmic epic captivates with the scale of events and the detailed study of the universe. Despite the abundance of races, planets and conflicts, everything looks very reasonable. Detailed descriptions of creatures and uneasy relationships between species, the reasons for the aggression of one side or another - during the game there are almost no moments at which you can catch the scriptwriters.

Studio BioWare should be chided only for the same type of structure of their games: in Mass Effect, in Dragon Age, the hero needs to collect a squad of fighters, fulfill (not necessarily) all their wishes and then go to the main reptile. Captain Shepard and his crew will visit many planets - snowy, covered with greenery, volcanic, incinerated by the rays of the sun. Let many of them turn out to be corridor, but the tenacious plot, interesting dialogues and situations keep them on the screens for a long time.

Fallout

A nuclear war did not destroy humanity, but completely changed its behavior, lifestyle, priorities. From Maslow's pyramid of needs, in fact, there is a foundation - basic needs, such as satisfying hunger. Judging by the Fallout world, people in the Wasteland will never be able to get to at least the third stage.

Video games are usually judged according to certain, tangible, criteria - graphics, sound, gameplay, plot elaboration, and so on. But there are projects that can be a failure in all respects, and at the same time adored by millions of gamers. Such games attract with a thick, enveloping atmosphere, which contributes to the complete immersion in the virtual world. We will tell about them in this collection.

24. Heavy Rain

A month ago, this game could not make it to our top atmospheric PC games, but now that the PC version has been announced, we simply cannot help but include it in the list. from the studio will tell you the story of completely different heroes who have one thing in common - a serial killer, nicknamed the "Origami Master". The dark plot, which through the choices made, can lead to one of several endings, is complemented by a thick atmosphere of hopelessness from the feeling that a dangerous maniac is always one step ahead.

23. Half-Life 2

22. Mafia 1-2

21. Bioshock Trilogy

Each game from the Bioshock line in its own way brilliantly demonstrates the setting in which its events unfold. Whether it is underwater Rapture or heavenly Columbia, in any case, you will plunge headlong into the thick atmosphere of the era, feel the mood of decline and despair hidden behind the screen of idleness and luxury. This is facilitated by both the visual style and the plot, as well as minor details - a random phrase dropped by an NPC, an audio diary found in a box, a corpse lying in a gateway.

20. Dead Space

19. Tom Clancy's The Division Dilogy

18. Sunless Sea

Exploring dark waters in a universe reminiscent of Lovecraft's horrors - what could be more exciting and intimidating? Sunless Sea invites you to take control of a steamer and go on an unforgettable journey across the ocean, hiding many nightmarish monsters. If you love games that focus on survival and exploration, then this project may be just what you were missing.

17. This War of Mine

Surviving a city engulfed in civil war is not an easy task. Especially if you are never a fighter, you are hiding in a dilapidated house and constantly wondering how to feed a dozen hungry mouths under your care. This War of Mine is a game where you have to look at war from a different perspective. Not the one where it is so fun and exciting to shoot at the enemies, but the one that forces you to ransack buildings in search of canned food, risking getting shot or running into looters. Arguably the most powerful anti-war utterance in the gaming industry.

16. Alien: Isolation

The space station is the perfect place for a good horror movie. Just add in some crazy androids and one deadly Alien who behaves so intelligently that you have almost no chance of survival. This is exactly what the authors of Alien: Isolation have done, presenting one of the most intimidating games of recent years. Everything here works for the atmosphere: the universe, a recognizable environment, terrible enemies and even the name of the main character - yes, you have to play for the daughter of that same Ripley from classical quadrology.

15. Assassin's Creed Odyssey

14. Metro 2033 / Last Light / Exodus

Each Metro game is a journey into the world. Let this world be shown somewhat pretentious, hypertrophied, but nevertheless, it is felt by every gamer who lives in the countries of the former. Particularly successful in this field is the third part of the line - Metro Exodus, the events of which go beyond and show how the fate of the survivors to the east of the capital developed.

13. Resident Evil 2

12. Limbo / Inside

The stories that are hidden behind the plots of games from the studio Playdead must be conjectured on your own. You will spend more than one day trying to understand what exactly the developers wanted to say, what goals the characters are pursuing and what is generally happening in these universes. But even if you can't solve all the secrets of Limbo and Inside, you can't argue with the fact that these games leave a lasting impression.

11. RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard

The last numbered part of the RESIDENT EVIL 7 line for 2019 stands in a slightly different field than its predecessor. Here, the developers took as a basis a horror about a house somewhere in the rural outback, the owners of which are not at all happy with uninvited guests. Each member of this crazy family will be remembered for a long time, and the first-person view will make boss fights as frightening and atmospheric as possible.

10. Hellblade: Senua`s Sacrifice

Project from British studio Ninja Theory. The developers set themselves an unusual goal for the gaming industry - to visualize the mental disorders of a person to gamers. And they succeeded one hundred percent: thanks to excellent graphics with an abundance of special effects and very high-quality sound, the immersion in the palaces of the mind of the main character - a warrior named Senua, happens very organically and frighteningly believable. Together with the girl, the player makes a journey through Celtic myths, and it is simply impossible not to feel the atmosphere of the enchanting world created by the authors.

9. Firewatch

8. Beholder

7. Dark Souls

Anyone who has ever suffered in the dark worlds of Dark Souls is sure to include them in the list of the most atmospheric games on PC. The mysterious universe, full of unknown secrets, both attracts and scares away, and the numerous hiding in the shadows are always ready to punish the unwary traveler who so imprudently wandered into their domain. All episodes are known for their high difficulty, but whoever can overcome all difficulties will discover the fascinating story of a fallen world.

6. Alan Wake

One of the most atmospheric thrillers in the gaming industry, as if descended from the pages of Stephen King's novels. The American hinterland, a writer trying to find his missing wife, and the creatures of Darkness creeping out at nightfall - such adventures are remembered for a long time. Alan Wake may not scare as much as other horror games, but in terms of immersion in the world invented by the developers, this project is able to give odds to many of its competitors.

5. L.A. Noire

Rockstar knows how to create atmospheric projects, and Detective L.A. Noire, which offers players to investigate crimes in the 40s, is the leader among them.

The main character, a police detective, will have to expose murderers, rapists, swindlers, arsonists, and a revolutionary facial animation system for its time allows you to follow the facial expressions of the characters and determine whether they are honest with the investigator or are cunning, hiding important information. Every aspect of the game - virtual Los Angeles, story missions, - is made with strict quality requirements and attention to the smallest details, which contributes to the deepest immersion in the game world.

4. Silent Hill

3. The Witcher

When compiling the top of the most atmospheric PC games, one cannot but include this RPG series in the selection. The Poles from CD Projekt RED managed to transfer the fictional universe by Andrzej Sapkowski to the screens, while retaining the unique Slavic flavor and medieval atmosphere with an admixture of fantasy.

The third part of the saga The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt deserves a separate mention - here game developers have jumped over their heads, having realized a huge world filled with exciting quests, dangerous monsters and charismatic characters. In this game, you can easily forget about the main goal and go about your business - play "Gwent" in taverns, explore the swamps on horseback on the Roach, twist intrigues in brothels, look for hidden robbers, fulfill witcher contracts. With all of this, it's no surprise that The Witcher 3 is widely regarded as the best RPG of the decade on PC and consoles.

2. Grand Theft Auto

If even those who don't play horror know about Silent Hill, then everyone is familiar with it. The franchise created by the studio has become a real cultural phenomenon that has escaped far beyond the gaming industry. The secret of success is high-quality gameplay with complete freedom of action, a detailed world with a parody of modern society, a carefully written script and a huge number of little things that make the universe alive and believable.

s.T.A.L.K.E.R. series Yes, the game is full of bugs, the life simulation system is far from what the developers promised, and the plot sags in places - but how good the atmosphere is here!

Traveling around the Zone, he tempts to leave all business and just enjoy being in this harsh, but very beautiful world: listen to jokes of stalkers around the fire, walk the streets of an abandoned city, help one traveler fight off a pack of pseudo-dogs. The franchise has already celebrated its tenth anniversary and is now suitable even for weak PCs, despite the fact that at the start it was far from democratic system requirements, but the players do not forget about it, releasing custom modifications with new locations, stories and characters - is this not an indicator of people's love?

Conclusion

It was very difficult to compile this rating, because there are much more favorite projects than were included in it. Nevertheless, we managed to select the best atmospheric PC games, but you can add to our selection or argue with us in the comments. After all, each list is subjective, and where one sees only a set of pixels, the other sees the "soul".