Summary
- No Man's Sky crafts infinite, unique adventures with millions of procedurally generated planets and missions.
- Darkest Dungeon's procedural design delves into psychological challenges, creating replayable battles with stressed heroes.
- XCOM 2's procedural map system ensures tactical surprises with pre-designed "parcels" for constantly changing battlegrounds.
There’s a unique thrill when video games serve up the unexpected, dropping players into worlds where the script is always changing. That magic is powered by procedural generation, a design revolution that’s taken gaming from static quest lines to ever-shifting adventures. Think of these systems as the “improv theater” of gaming: a blend of algorithms and player-driven choices, crafting missions that are unpredictable and personal.
6 Earliest Games That Used Procedural Generation
Procedural generation has been in vogue recently, thanks to titles like Minecraft and Starfield, but few know it was also used in the earliest games.
Some games now use procedural quests not just to inflate map size, but to inject dynamic objectives, create living rivalries, and build stories that feel like they’re being written in real time. Here are eight of the very best games with procedurally generated quests that offer more than just replayability, ranked based on their adaptability and creativity.
1 No Man’s Sky
Charting an Infinitely Evolving Cosmos
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Hello Games
- Publisher(s)
- Hello Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
No Man’s Sky didn’t just promise an endless universe — it delivered a living galaxy where every journey feels unique. At launch, players were floored by the procedural scale: 18 quintillion planets, each brimming with unique wildlife, weather, and secrets. Early gameplay was often exploration-based, but the Nexus mission system update was a complete game-changer.
Want to raid a pirate freighter, gather rare minerals on a hazardous world, or build an outpost in a wasteland? The game’s algorithm generates objectives and target worlds that ensures even repeated mission types play out in wildly different environments. The years of updates have deepened mission complexity, introducing settlement management, exocraft races, and high-stakes combat raids.
2 Darkest Dungeon
Crypts of Endless Torment and Algorithmically Spawned Despair
Darkest Dungeon
- Released
- January 19, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Darkest Dungeon by Red Hook Studios carves its niche with a challenging gothic experience, where the psychological toll on heroes is as significant as any monster. Players lead a roster of flawed adventurers through procedurally generated dungeons beneath and around a cursed estate, battling not only grotesque monsters but also stress, starvation, and disease.
Every run isn’t just about fighting monsters; it’s about battling madness, as heroes pick up quirks and afflictions in response to randomized horrors. One dungeon might see a healer break under pressure, while another ends in a heroic last stand etched into the player’s memory. The replayability is extremely high, driven by these ever-shifting tactical and psychological puzzles.
3 XCOM 2
Tactical Warfare on Ever-Changing Battlefields
XCOM 2
- Released
- February 5, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Publisher(s)
- 2K Games
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, RPG
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Firaxis Games' XCOM 2 throws players into a desperate fight against alien occupiers, blending intense turn-based tactical combat with strategic management of a mobile headquarters. The game's "Plot and Parcel" system for map generation is a sophisticated approach to procedural generation that enhances the game’s replayability.
The genius here is balance. Instead of pure randomness, XCOM 2 crafts maps from hand-designed “parcels,” modular pieces that guarantee fair, visually coherent battlegrounds, but in unpredictable combinations. That means VIP rescues, sabotage runs, and alien ambushes demand new strategies from the players, every time.
4 Deep Rock Galactic
The Galactic’s Ever-Changing Expeditions
Deep Rock Galactic
- Released
- May 13, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ghost Ship Games
- Publisher(s)
- Coffee Stain Publishing
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Deep Rock Galactic turns cooperative mining into a procedural playground. Every dive sends squads of dwarves into alien cave systems that are carved fresh for each mission. The game’s engine creates destructible tunnels, filling them with rare minerals, deadly traps, and swarms of alien beasts that keep every run unpredictable.
Objectives range from mining expeditions to egg hunts, salvage operations, and refinery defense, but the obvious beauty is that no two layouts are ever alike. Whether players are battling through magma-flooded tunnels or racing for extraction while the cavern collapses, Deep Rock Galactic’s procedural quests guarantee no expedition is ever just a repeat.
5 Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Forging Personal Vendettas with the Nemesis System
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Released
- September 30, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
Few systems have redefined procedural storytelling like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor’ s Nemesis engine. While its main campaign is hand-crafted, the real legacy is the legion of Uruk captains — dynamic adversaries generated by the game’s algorithms. Each nemesis emerges with a unique name, appearance, strengths, weaknesses, and even a personal vendetta against the player.
11 Open-World Games That Make Great Use Of Procedurally Generated Content
Procedurally generated worlds are incredibly impressive and offer immense replayability, and these open-world titles certainly do it best.
Their personal missions play out across Mordor, and players can intervene to manipulate the evolving power hierarchy. No two rivalries are ever the same; one player’s nemesis may fall early, while another evolves into an unforgettable archenemy. The Nemesis system isn’t just a quest generator — it’s a complete engine for emergent, player-driven narrative.
6 Warframe
Endless Combat in Modular, Shifting Arenas
Warframe
- Released
- March 25, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Digital Extremes
- Publisher(s)
- Digital Extremes
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
When it comes to sheer volume, Warframe is in a league of its own. The game’s tile-based procedural generation assembles countless missions, from exterminate runs to spy infiltrations, by stitching together modular rooms and corridors themed to enemy factions and planetary locales. Every run feels different, even when the objectives remain familiar.
The variety goes beyond layouts: randomized enemy placements, environmental hazards, and optional objectives keep players on their toes. While repetition can creep in after hundreds of hours, the core loop, fast-paced action, loot collection, and community challenges ensure players keep coming back for more.
7 Shadows of Doubt
Unraveling Mysteries in a Fully Simulated City
Shadows of Doubt
- Released
- April 24, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadows of Doubt offers a truly innovative take on procedural generation with its first-person detective stealth gameplay. The game generates an entire noir city — its buildings, streets, and, crucially, its citizens, each with jobs, routines, and relationships. Players take on the role of a private investigator, and when a crime happens, it’s not a scripted event; it’s a consequence of these simulated lives, and the clues are scattered throughout the city.
No two investigations play out the same way. The city feels alive, and cases require true detective work, piecing together stories shaped by the simulation, not by a designer’s hand. Replayability is nearly infinite; start a new game, and players get a new city, a new set of suspects, and entirely different mysteries.
8 Wildermyth
Legends in the Making by Procedural Storytelling Engine
Wildermyth
- Released
- June 15, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Worldwalker Games
- Publisher(s)
- Worldwalker Games
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Tactical
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
No game blurs the line between designed narrative and player-driven myth like Wildermyth. At its core, it’s a tactical RPG, but the real innovation lies in how every campaign spins a tapestry of legends from procedural character arcs, comic-strip events, and evolving relationships.
Every hero’s journey is unique: a farmer might gain wolf-like powers, fall in love with a rival, or lose a limb to a mystical curse. All outcomes are driven by a sophisticated procedural event system that responds to personalities, choices, and relationships. Among the best games with procedurally generated quests, Wildermyth stands out for turning algorithms into storytelling gold.
6 Best Tactical RPGs with Procedurally Generated Levels, Ranked
RPGs are known for presenting players with multiple challenges. Here are some titles in the genre with procedurally generated levels.