There’s something special about a game so good that you can’t help but want to return to it. Whether it is because of a major twist, like something inBioShock, or because there are so many other paths to explore, like inBaldur’s Gate 3, something pulls you to return. Plus, with New Game+ being such a common feature these days, virtually all major modern games are expected to have some level of replayability.
Warning! This article contains major spoilers for each entry on the list, mostly related to their endings.
Replayability could mean that the game simply allows you to keep your weapons or stats so that a second playthrough is easier and allows you time to explore everything, but it could also be because something you learn during your first playthrough gives you a new perspective the second time around. While not every game is worth devoting a second run to it, there are a large number out there that are.
10Bugsnax Isn’t As Cozy As It Seems
Bugsnax Are Just Cute Little Snack Creatures… Right?
When you start playingBugsnax, it couldn’t possibly be any more adorable. As you explore the island filled with fun little characters, also known as Grumpuses, you also get to learn aboutBugsnaxthemselves.Bugsnaxare small little bugs cleverly paired with food to create fun little creatures with puns as names. You spend a large amount of the game capturing and logging newBugsnaxwhile also feeding them to the residents of the island.
You don’t have to feed them to residents, but each food item lets you select a different body part that you can then replace with theBugsnaxthey just ate. Plus, the game doesn’t give you any real reason not to do it. At least not yet.Things quickly take a dark turn as you approach the end and learn the terrifying truth aboutBugsnax, which quickly shifts this cute story from cozy to horrifyingly unsettling. A second playthrough not only has you on edge, but I can guarantee you won’t play the game the same way after knowing the truth about these tasty parasites.
9Elden Ring Is Simply Too Big For One Playthrough
With Tons Of Optional Content And Extensive Lore, The Lands Between Requires Several Runs
It goes without saying thatElden Ring, andSoulsgames in general, have such a vast and extensive lore that it’s practically impossible to know everything about it. Every section ofthe map inElden Ringoffers new discoveries to be made that only further enhance your experience. However,not everything can be done on the first go and most of it is optional, so it’s extremely easy to miss things on your first run.
Additionally,completing certain tasks or making certain choices will automatically lock you off from other aspects of the gameas a result. So, if you don’t do yourself a favor and play the game a second or even third time, even if it’s just the exact same build, you’ll never be able to enjoy all the things you missed the first time. Plus, you might even get a different ending.
8Metaphor ReFantazio’s Surprise Reveal Certainly Changes Things
When Atlus first announcedMetaphor ReFantazio, players were on the edge of their seat to see what this unique title would have to offer. LikePersona, it featured bonded allies, turn-based combat, and a strong story with a ticking deadline, all of which earned it the notoriety of being one of thebest RPGs of 2024. Not only does having a deadline push the story along at a steady pace, it also forces you to make decisions about how to spend your time and accept the consequences.
Having no idea what’s coming,navigating your day is certainly something made easier in a second playthrough. However, withMetaphor ReFantazio, that’s not all that changes. Towards the end, you’ll learn some shocking revelations about who you really are, and who you’re not, which makes a second playthrough an entirely different experience as you grapple with the news you never saw coming.
7Baldur’s Gate 3 Is Different Every Time
Even Two Playthroughs Isn’t Enough To Experience All This Game Has To Offer
If you’ve done even one playthrough ofBaldur’s Gate 3, then you know thatthere is no possible way to experience everything the game has to offer in a single run. In fact, even if you’ve done two to three playthroughs, you still haven’t seen it all.Baldur’s Gate 3offers players a chance to change the story with every single interaction, whether it is minor conversations or major plot decisions, which makes itnearly impossible to have the same exact experience twice.
Multiple playthroughs allow you to truly see all the contentBG3has to offer, and different paths can give you new perspectives on various characters. Doing a single playthrough is about the worst disservice you could do to this game, so do yourself a favor andreplayBaldur’s Gate 3, I promise it’ll feel like a completely different game.
6Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Broke My Heart
Even Cal Kestis Couldn’t See This One Coming
While playing throughStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, Cal gets to know several allies, one of whom is Bode Akuna.After meeting him very early on in the game,Bode becomes one of Cal’s main confidantsrather quicklyas you steadily learn more about him. Then, as you reach the late-game events, he even goes on to assist you in some bigger fights that I was almost certain he would die in, but to my surprise and relief, he didn’t.
Unfortunately, the relief of him surviving that fight is short-lived as you are immediately confronted with his betrayal when he offs another one of your allies. This betrayal is perhaps the most hurt I’ve ever been by a character in a game andplaying throughJedi: Survivoragain gives you a vastly different experience as you complete missions alongside someone you know will ultimately betray you in the end, looking for any indication of what’s to come.
5Silent Hill 2 Hits Different The Second Time Around
Once You Find Out What You’re Really Doing At Silent Hill, You Won’t Be Able To Experience It The Same
As you might already anticipate when playing a game likeSilent Hill 2, or its remake, things don’t end particularly well. Despite spending the majority of the game trying to find his wife, Mary, James will eventually find out that his wife is dead. However, the real kicker here is thatnot only is Mary dead, but James is the one that killed her and his being in Silent Hill is a way of grappling with the guilt he can’t handleas he lives in denial over doing it.
While there are a number of endings you can get inSilent Hill 2, this truth will always remain the same, and it makes a second playthrough feel a bit different when you know what’s coming. That being said,depending on what ending you get the first time around, you may intentionally begin a second playthrough to receive a different one, if you feel the one you received doesn’t satisfy you with the knowledge you now have. Some have James succumb to his guilt in some way, others have him leave with Maria, andone ending reveals a dog is in control, and no, I’m not kidding.
4Cyberpunk 2077 Can Be A Bit Overwhelming The First Time
V’s Journey Through Night City Is More Fun When You Have Some Familiarity
Like some of the other entries on this list,Cyberpunk 2077is simply a game with far too much to do in one playthrough. You canspend hundreds of hours insideCyberpunk 2077and still find yourself discovering something you missed earlier. However, that’s not necessarily the only reason to return to the game; it also just makes the story itself more enjoyable.
Don’t forget tokeep an eye out for new patchesas well, as these also add new content and reasons to replay.
If you were anything like me,a large part of your first playthrough was likely spent being overwhelmed and trying to keep up with everything that was going on. However, a second playthrough not only allows you to go into the story with some background knowledge, which gives you a better understanding of things that are happening as they’re happening, but it also gives you the opportunity to do all the things you missed. LikeBaldur’s Gate 3, multiple playthroughs only stand to improve your overall opinion on the story.
Arthur Morgan’s Fate Makes A Replay An Entirely Different Experience
Red Dead Redemptionis a series all about change and escaping the past. Various characters around Arthur Morgan, as well as him himself, are all grappling with the changing world around them and who they want to be in it. Feeling somewhat like an outsider, players get to decide what sort of life Arthur Morgan will embrace throughoutRed Dead Redemption 2.
Unfortunately, whether you opt for a more ruthless path or attempt to make all the right choices, Arthur Morgan will ultimately suffer the same fate, as the result of a choice he made long ago.While you may have seen his death coming all along, it’s still tragic to experience it firsthand and makes a second playthrough that much more bittersweetand sentimental as you make choices you know will ultimately change nothing inRed Dead Redemption 2’s tearful ending.
2Undertale Feels Incomplete After Just One Playthrough
Each Ending Only Makes Undertale More Of A Masterpiece
While indie games are seemingly on the rise, with their quality only getting more impressive and their prices being far more reasonable than those of triple-a games,Undertaleis a gem that managed to stand out in a time when this wasn’t the case. Despite being a fairly short game,Undertale’s story and multiple endingsmanage to pack such a punch that many consider it to be a must-play for everyone, regardless of your normal genre preferences.
Withnumerous endings to experience that only then deepen the love of this beautifully crafted little world, multiple playthroughs are not only recommended, they’re required in the eyes of most who have done so.Undertaleis a game that players have continuously gone back to over the years and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, as the entire experience is truly unlike anything else and only allows you to get to know the world and its characters more with every run.
1BioShock Left Me Speechless
“Would You Kindly” Play BioShock Again?
Given how longBioShockhas been out and that it’s regarded as one ofthe best plot twists in gaming history, I’d honestly be shocked if you haven’t already played through this a second time. As you progress through the story,you’re introduced to your main antagonist, Andrew Ryan, as well as a sort of mentor character, Atlas,who helps guide you towards defeating Ryan and freeing his family from the villain’s hold in Rapture. However, as you reach the end of the game, things take such a shocking turn.
Every instruction from Atlas begins with the casual phrasing of “Would you kindly…” which players just chalk up to being part of his character. However, you’ll eventually learn that this is a sort of sleeper agent phrase that actually forces you to follow his instructions andAtlas, who is actually Fontaine, has been lying to you from the start and using you for his personal goal of taking over Rapture. Playing through it again after receiving this jaw-dropping information makes this charming phrase much more ominous and changes the vibe ofBioShockentirely.
