The ability to stop, slow, or rewind time is often introduced as a core mechanic in games, adding a new layer of depth and complexity to the gameplay loop for players to interact with. Reversing the flow of time is an inherently overpowered ability that requires proper balancing and care to avoid breaking the game.
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This list only includes titles where stopping time is an in-game superpower or special ability possessed by the player character and not a system mechanic. Turn-based games and CRPGs with tactical pauses have been excluded for that reason.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Lets You Rewrite Every Mistake With the Power of a Dagger
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
- Released
- October 28, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is one of the earliest examples of using time stop as a game mechanic, and doing it justice. The game is centered entirely around the Dagger of Time, a powerful artifact with the ability to manipulate time. As a basic ability, the Prince can rewind time by up to 10 seconds, depending on how much sand is stored in the dagger, allowing players to reset the game state and avoid death.
As the Dagger of Time becomes stronger over the course of the game, it also gains the ability to slow down time around the main character, immobilize an enemy in time-stopped stasis, or freeze the entire world around the Prince while letting him move freely.
Iron Danger
Turns Every Battle Into a Puzzle You Can Perfect Over Time
Iron Danger
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 73 /100 Critics Rec: 56%
- Released
- March 25, 2020
Iron Danger is an underrated gem of an ARPG that revolves entirely around the concept of controlling time. Players are put in various scenarios in highly interactive environments with the goal of defeating enemies in isometric real-time combat. The unique twist is that, at any time, players can rewind time by up to five seconds, effectively resetting the state of the entire game world, including death and dismemberment.
The combat scenarios are absurdly difficult, nearly equivalent to a one-man army storming a castle full of enemies armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction. Without the ability to rewind time, overcoming these odds is nearly impossible, but with it, they turn into a fun yet challenging puzzle game where players have to suss out the most optimal approach to every combat situation in order to come out victorious.
Transistor
Freezes Time To Let You Plan Every Perfect Strike
Transistor
- Released
- May 20, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Strategy
Developed by Supergiant Games, Transistor is a sci-fi isometric ARPG that puts players in the shoes of Red, a singer who loses her voice, wielding a giant greatsword called the Transistor to defeat machine-controlled enemies. Transistor gives Red access to powers called Functions, and one of the very first Functions she unlocks is called Turn(), the ability to stop time.
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Turn() freezes time for Red and all enemies, allowing her to plan out what actions she will take. When time resumes, all actions players have planned out for Red to take will play out in sequential order. Using Turn() is purely optional, however, and players can easily defeat enemies without it if they have good reaction time and know the right skills to use. But when in a tight pinch, Turn() is the ultimate fallback tool to plan out the most optimal route to success.
Fallout Series
V.A.T.S. Lets You Freeze Time To Target Enemies With Surgical Accuracy
Fallout 3
- Released
- October 28, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
First introduced in Fallout 3, V.A.T.S., or the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, has become one of the series' most iconic mechanics, allowing players to pause time and aim their guns at specific body parts. The feature functions as an auto-targeting system that's baked into the in-game lore and tied to the Pip-Boy's capabilities.
In Fallout 3 and New Vegas, V.A.T.S. Stopped time completely, whereas in Fallout 4, it was turned into a Bullet Time effect instead, vastly slowing down time but not stopping it entirely. In Fallout 76, due to the online nature of the game, the time manipulation aspect was removed entirely, and V.A.T.S. Was transformed into a real-time aim assistant.
Dishonored Series
Turns Stealth Into an Art Form With Time-Bending Powers
Dishonored
- Released
- October 9, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
The Dishonored series consists of two stealth action games where players use supernatural powers like teleportation, possession, telekinesis, and summoning to carry out missions. One of the most useful supernatural abilities in the Dishonored series is the ability to slow and stop time, allowing players to reposition and plan out their actions with ease.
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In the first Dishonored game, this power is named Bend Time. Bend Time I slows time significantly, similar to a Bullet Time effect, whereas Bend Time II stops time completely for 8 seconds. In Dishonored 2, this ability is split, with Bend Time slowing the world around the player, and Stop Time freezing the passage of time entirely.
Life is Strange
Mixes Heartfelt Storytelling With the Ability To Alter Time
Life is Strange
- Released
- January 30, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
Life is Strange is a narrative-driven episodic adventure game following the life of Max Caulfield, an 18-year-old high schooler with the ability to manipulate time. Max's powers manifest in various ways throughout the course of the game, but her main ability is Temporal Rewind, the power to reverse the flow of time and step into her own past.
When in the past, Max can find and keep objects, interact with the environment, and talk to people as she sees fit. Anything Max finds in the past and keeps on her person remains with her when she returns to the present. Additionally, Max's actions in the past allow her to alter the past and the present, saving people who would've died otherwise.
Braid
Blends Puzzle-Solving and Time Reversal Into a Beautiful Journey
Braid
- Released
- August 6, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Platformer
Braid is a critically acclaimed 2D puzzle platformer where players control Tim, a man with the ability to infinitely rewind time, reversing death and platforming mistakes with ease. The game is split into six major levels called "worlds," each introducing a new signature mechanic that adds a new challenge to overcome.
Combat and platforming in Braid are balanced around Tim's ability to reverse time, and are nearly impossible to complete without using it. As the new worlds add more mechanics to the mix, more layers of complexity are added on top of the base difficulty, giving players who have mastered the basics more challenge.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Slows Down Time So You Can Dominate Every Battle
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
The time stop mechanic in Skyrim comes in the form of a dragon shout called "Slow Time." It can be acquired by learning the Words of Power from the Word Walls spread out across the world. At full power, this shout slows down time to 90% for 16 seconds, which can be further amplified by acquiring Perks like Stability (Alteration) and Fortify Alteration enchantments.
In practice, Slow Time is one of the most powerful shouts in all of Skyrim, especially useful for Archers who can draw and fire dozens of arrows in the span of half a second when using it. While Slow Time doesn't completely stop time, it amounts to basically the same thing when used correctly and at its highest level.
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