The games that change the most with player decisions

The illusion of choice is one of the most common aspects of many RPGs and other games that mimic such mechanics. They offer numerous dialogue options or multiple paths that ultimately lead to the same outcome. A clear example is Genshin Impact, the gacha action RPG from Hoyoverse. In theory, it gives you multiple dialogue options, but ultimately, they make no difference in the story's outcome, as the path is unique and predefined, regardless of whether you're nice or mean to an NPC.

However, many games, especially those focused on single-player and storytelling, have multiple lines of dialogue, multiple decision-making moments, and paths to follow that change—some completely—in their endings. And these are games worth playing over and over again to see how these decisions change your life and the characters' endings.

Let's talk about some games where your decisions really matter and make a difference in the endings, and if you have any questions, leave a comment.

The series is primarily about choices, and they all matter to a greater or lesser extent. The series Life is Strange follows two characters, one with some kind of power and the other with many problems. Max and Chloe, the duo from the original Life is Strange game, are the best known and the poster girls for the franchise. While each game is well worth playing, the original is still the most famous.

Max can rewind time with her powers and reverse decisions and actions. However, each use of her power complicates matters further, leading her to an ending where she must choose to save an entire town or the girl she loves. Although the game has only two endings (the town or Chloe), the path to them is full of choices that change dialogue, scenes, and even the surrounding landscape. These details make a difference in the gameplay and make us want to play the titles in the franchise over and over again.

Over the years, the series has seen some changes Dragon Age, moving from a dark RPG full of strategy and skill micromanagement to a game more focused on action, fast-paced combat, and less strategy. But one thing that hasn't changed is the focus on the consistently engaging and emotional story, even if not all fans enjoy one game or another in the franchise.

Across four mainline games, Dragon Age is full of defining moments that can change the outcome of your entire gameplay, causing companions to join or leave the campaign, romantically involved with them, deciding who lives or dies, changing the game's ending, and even significantly altering subsequent games.

Initially, the save import system from the first game to the second ensured you carried your choices over to the next game. Then, the website Dragon Age Keep allowed you to reconstruct your story in the previous two titles based on key decisions that change the entire game. Currently, in the latest game, Veilguard, almost nothing from the previous games matters. But ultimately, whether a lot or a little, the choices you make matter.

Telltale Games prides itself on its choice-based games. They confront players with decisions they must make quickly, and also offer dialogue options that allow them to address other characters as they wish. Batman: The Enemy Within is one such game, allowing players to control the Dark Knight as he does what Batman does best: protect the people of Gotham.

Many famous villains appear in this game, but the dark stars of this series are Joker and Harley Quinn. Their relationship is reversed, so that Harley Quinn is the manipulator and Joker is the oppressed. But the player can also play a role in shaping the Joker's character. Depending on how they choose to treat him, the player transforms him into a vigilante or a villain.

It's hard not to mention Bioware from the "Old Testament" in an article about decisions that matter, and we could mention its main franchises, like Mass Effect, but to avoid repetition, we'll just mention this one, which, ultimately, is the "cradle" of the adventures of Commander Shepard and his companions. Knights of the Old Republic is a Star Wars RPG that puts you in the shoes of a protagonist with amnesia, tasked with tracking down the evil Darth Malak. Along the way, you make a series of different choices.

Most of them impact different characters and the course of certain missions. There's also a romance system in the game, so deciding who you want to win over is another choice you'll need to make. The most important decision, however, comes at the end of the game and completely changes the story's outcome and the type of person your character will become. A typical Bioware story that's still worth replaying. If the graphics are your issue, then you can wait for the upcoming remaster.

Another RPG that gives you choices that’ll make a difference in the end. The first game paved the way for the excellent Fable 2, which was perhaps the most acclaimed title in the series (so far), and it's easy to see why. It was full of charisma and personality, and took players on a sweeping journey to save the lands from the evil powers of Lucien, the man who killed their older sister when they were both poor orphans living on the streets.

Players will have choices throughout Fable 2, and the well-implemented morality system gives weight to their decisions and can alter their characters' appearance. There are three possible endings to Sparrow's adventure, and the player's choice will determine which ending they receive. It's certainly not an easy choice to make, and most players will play through the game multiple times just to experience all that Fable 2 has to offer.

Before Baldur's Gate 3, there was Divinity: Original Sin 2, Larian's only excellent RPG set in its own world that featured an original story, with pages of lore for players to dive into. Players could choose to play as one of the Origin characters or create their own character to invade the world and stop the Voidwoken.

In addition to the main quest, there are several side quests players can embark on, with choices that can result in the quest failing, causing the party member to abandon you, or even death. Players are free to pursue quests as they wish, the consequences of which can be faced later. If you haven't started playing Baldur's Gate 3 yet, you might want to try Divinity first.

But you can't talk about games where decisions matter without mentioning Baldur's Gate. And I'm not just talking about the third game, but the entire series. Based on Dungeons & Dragons, the Baldur's Gate franchise brings tabletop RPGs to computers and consoles, emulating the decisions and roleplaying of a character with the controls and mechanics of dice rolling, adapted spells and talents—everything found in the pages of the books, but in a game.

The players' adventures in Baldur's Gate, in general, involve the group of players composed of characters from various RPG classes against the evil god Bhaal, but among them, there are the "Spawn of Bhaal" who have demonic blood. The player's choices can lead you to become a great hero or even a curse to the world if you embrace your dark side.

Another game that's all about decisions. Detroit: Become Human, and other games from the same developer, Quantic Dream, like Beyond Two Souls and Heavy Rain, are about choices, and all of them significantly change the game's ending. Detroit: Become Human has multiple endings, multiple branches, so many choices, answers, and reactions that it's hard to see them all, requiring multiple playthroughs.

The game depicts a distant future where humans and androids live together, but not in harmony. The population is dissatisfied with androids, as they increasingly take up more space in society and family relationships. Throughout the game, we follow three androids on their journey: Connor, the detective robot investigating rebellious robots; Kara, a domestic robot caring for a child; and Markus, a robot who used to accompany an elderly man and ended up leading a revolution.

Undertale is a unique RPG that follows a child who ends up in a strange underground place. There, you must make countless choices, follow paths, and talk to NPCs who may be your allies or enemies. The game records these decisions, even if it doesn't immediately reveal the consequences. In fact, in many cases, you have to wait a while before finding out if the choice you made truly matters.

You can choose how to deal with each of your enemies: fighting, sparing them before the final blow, or not harming them at all. There are several alternatives to a simple combat against a minion. For certain decisions, you only discover the consequences at the end of the game. For example, how you treat the bosses you face affects the game's outcome. If you spare them all, you'll have a different ending than bloodthirsty players who decide to kill them all.

Even in the mid-90s, developers like Square Enix allowed players to have a say in how the game unfolds, presenting choices that could have a major impact on the story. And the greatest example of this is one of their most beloved RPGs of all time, Chrono Trigger.

The game's story will take players and their companions through several different eras in their quest to save the world as they know it. And with time travel stories, there are always consequences for meddling with the timeline. The player's choices can change how the narrative unfolds, which is an impressive amount of freedom considering the game's release date.