Best Time Travel Games

In video games, time travel can be as simple as rewinding gameplay or as complex as hopping across space-time dimensions. Furthermore, the concept is not limited to a single genre and is often manipulated in a variety of ways. Undoubtedly, people have been fascinated with time travel for a long time, even if the actual technology seems destined to remain exclusive to fiction. While some projects use it as a simple mechanic for retrying an action, other time travel games travel deep down the theoretical wormhole.

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Regardless of the concepts that are toyed around with, there's no denying that there's a wealth of amazing video games that do a great job of capitalizing on the mind-bending nature of time travel, letting players enjoy some memorable video game experiences that they won't tire of anytime soon.

Updated November 21, 2024, by Hamza Haq: The concept of time travel has always fascinated the human mind, as evidenced by the popularity of movies like Groundhog Day, anime like Re:Zero, and more. Games incorporate time travel in their gameplay in various forms. Some use it to give an in-game explanation for common gaming concepts like saving, reloading, and roguelike mechanics, while others use it as a vehicle for storytelling or to make gameplay more interesting.

33 The Forgotten City

A Time Loop Adventure That Began As A Skyrim Mod

The game that started out as a Skyrim mod, it's amazing to see the major steps that The Forgotten City has taken in its development. After being hailed as one of the best mods ever released for Bethesda's magnum opus, fans were more than glad to find out that it would be released as a standalone adventure title that focuses on a time loop in Ancient Rome, changing the setting from a mysterious Dwemer ruin.

Suffice it to say that a lot of rewriting needed to happen for the script to make sense, and it was clear that the developers were passionate about making this game a reality. The Forgotten City launched to rave reviews and let players enjoy a compelling time loop adventure regardless of whether they played Skyrim or not, which says a lot about the game's quality writing and storytelling.

32 Steins;Gate 0

An Alternate Reality Where Rintaro Strives To Change Kurisu's Fate By Changing The Past

Steins;Gate is one of the best visual novels in the business, featuring a mind-boggling story that starts out relatively simple before bringing some unique themes to the table. For a series to tackle PTSD and other mature themes in such a riveting manner makes it clear why both this game and its anime inspiration were such a joy to experience.

Steins;Gate 0 serves as another riveting chapter in the series, where Rintaro Okabe regains his love for science after being shown a glimpse of hope. Kurisu may be dead in his timeline, but he still partakes in some riveting research to ensure that her existence remains intact in other timelines. It's a visual novel that fans of the original will love for all the same reasons.

31 The Sexy Brutale

Save The Lives Of Multiple People In This Time Loop Adventure

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Amazon Luna
• Release Date: April 11, 2017
• Developer: Cavalier Game Studios, Tequila Works
• Genre: Adventure, Puzzle

Many games combine the excitment of time travel with a compelling murder mystery, since both concepts work in harmony to create a riveting mystery experience. Such is the case with The Sexy Brutale, where players must explore a mansion and save its members from death before things get too dire.

The puzzles in this game are very engaging, with the slow drip of the narrative making it a blast to experience from start to end. The Sexy Brutale may have a few more slow moments than most people would like, but all of that is forgiven because of a narrative that truly personifies the sexy part of the title.

30 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Zelda Travels Back In Time To Heal The Master Sword For Link

Tears of the Kingdom had some big shoes to fill and took its sweet time to come out. This wait was worthwhile since players got to experience what many people consider a worthy sequel despite retreading familiar ground.

The story is certainly improved by leaps and bounds, with Zelda's tale being a fascinating one. She decides to become a dragon and help the Master Sword repair for ten thousand years before Link can finally harness its power once again.

29 Twelve Minutes

A Time Loop Adventure That Is Intriguing Despite Its Missteps

The voice cast of Twelve Minutes was its biggest selling point, with James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe taking on the role of the three characters who play a central role in this narrative. The story focuses on a husband who is killed by a home intruder, only for time to rewind twelve minutes after these events have transpired.

The repetition and frustration caused by the time loop mechanic can make things somewhat irritating, but the central mystery at the heart of things ties events together in a neat way. That being said, this plot twist can also have a mixed reception from players.

28 Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within

The Prince Embarks On A Journey After Being Punished For His Use Of The Sands Of Time

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

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Action-Adventure

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Released

November 30, 2004

Developer(s)

Ubisoft Montreal

Platform(s)

GameCube, PS2, PC, Xbox (Original), iOS, PSP

Genre(s)

Action-Adventure

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After the success of Sands of Time, Ubisoft took the bold approach of making the sequel darker and more foreboding to appeal to a new audience. The results were pretty mixed, with some people hating the edgy nature of this title while others loved how metal this game was, with everything from the storyline to the characters reflecting this.

There's a lot of time travel involved in Warrior Within, and it's handled with great care. While backtracking can be a huge issue in this title, the rest of the experience is a rollercoaster ride that players just can't get enough of!

27 Steins;Gate

A Mind-Bending Time Travel Adventure That Explores Trauma And PTSD In A Nuanced Manner

Steins;Gate is an anime that many people consider to be one of the best sci-fi shows of all time. However, some people might not be aware that the show is an adaptation of a visual novel that uses time travel as its central mechanic. Players control the protagonist Rintaro Okabe, a self-proclaimed mad scientist, who discovers a way to send messages back in time via his phone.

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The game involves navigating various branching timelines and making decisions that affect the outcome of the story. The use of time travel creates a complex and engaging narrative that keeps players invested throughout the story, with its many alternate endings revolving around whether players choose to mess around with the fabric of time or not.

26 Final Fantasy 13-2

The Search For Lightning Spans Different Time Periods

Final Fantasy 13-2 serves as an official successor to one of the most divisive Final Fantasy games of all time. The sequel promotes Noel and Serah as protagonists and follows them as they travel through different moments in time in search of Lightning, who disappeared after the events of the first game.

Players who liked Final Fantasy 13 will likely have a great time with its sequel, especially if they wished the original game had more open areas and exploration. However, the story is pretty confusing, and even die-hard fans of Square Enix's franchise may find it hard to follow along with the plot.

25 Singularity

Time Manipulation Plays A Central Role In This Underrated FPS

Singularity is a first-person shooter built around time manipulation. The game is set on an island in Russia called Katorga-12 where experiments with a substance called E99 have gone wrong, causing time anomalies and mutations.

Players use a device called the Time Manipulation Device (TMD) to navigate the island and manipulate time in various ways, such as aging or reversing objects and enemies. Singularity's use of time manipulation creates unique and creative gameplay opportunities, making the FPS stand out from other entries in the genre.

24 Shadow Of Memories

A Time Loop Adventure Where Players Prevent The Protagonist's Death By Traveling Back In Time

Shadow of Memories is a unique adventure game where players are tasked with preventing their murder by traveling back to the past. The protagonist, Eike, explores different time periods and makes several critical decisions that send ripples across the fabric of time and affect the outcome of the story.

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The use of time travel in Shadow of Memories creates a sense of mystery and suspense, as players try to unravel the events leading up to Eike's death. It's easily the most underrated game on this list that fans should check out.