Branching paths are often used as a marketing technique for story-driven games, and are often oversold as intricate paths where player decisions matter, when in actual fact these decisions are shallow and offer little consequence, especially concerning the main narrative of the game.
However, there have been many games, both new and old, that feature a variety of branching paths not just in the minutiae of their gameplay, but in the overarching story as a whole. Weaving branching paths together with real player choice and freedom is no small feat, and game's that fit just two parallel paths together successfully can be rewarding experiences, but some games have more branching paths than others.
8 The Age Of Decadence
This turn-based RPG takes place in a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting and features a wide variety of meaningful skills, plenty of player choice and consequence, and multiple ways to handle the game's quests.
The Age Of Decadence features an overarching story told through interwoven quests, and hardcore turn-based combat. The game does feature a lot of text, and is very dialogue-heavy, which will turn some players away, but for those that don't mind a lot of reading, The Age Of Decadence is a tremendously replayable game.
7 Front Mission 3
This tactical RPG has players controlling a squad of mechs and their pilots in turn-based combat, interspersed with visual-novel style dialogue and a handful of great cutscenes. The game was originally released in Japan in 1999 on the PlayStation, with a wider release coming a year later. Unfortunately, the game has no official PC port at the time of writing.
What makes Front Mission 3 so great, though, is a choice that players make right at the start of the game that determines which branch of the game's narrative players will follow. Although the game doesn't feature many branching paths, the decision that players make at the start is so impactful that it earns itself a place on this list. The decision that players make is as simple as which party member to take, but it sets the player down one of two unique plot paths featuring a different story and set of locations that dramatically changes the game.
6 Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world action-adventure RPG set in a dystopian sci-fi universe and developed by CD Projekt Red. While the game had a rough launch with plenty of bugs and performance issues, the developer's have since stabilized the experience, making Night City a place worth visiting.
Although some players were disappointed at the lack of branching paths in Cyberpunk 2077, some of its quests, and indeed its overarching story, feature several branches for the player to explore. However, while Cyberpunk does ask players to make choices, some are more meaningful than others.
5 Tyranny
This game, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, is a story-driven RPG that prides itself on meaningful player choices that impact the world around them. The game takes place in a fantasy world taken over by tyrannical leaders that the player works for, at least to begin with.
The game features plenty of branching paths, NPCs, and quest-lines in which the choices that the player makes actually matter. Tyranny also has real-time-with-pause tactical combat with party-based mechanics that inject a good amount of action into the game.
4 Until Dawn
Until Dawn is an incredibly polished narrative experience that even features performances from professional actors. This game tells an intense and frightening slasher-horror story set on a snowy mountain, featuring some truly horrific creatures and nail-biting moments along the way.
In Until Dawn, it's possible for every character in the game to die, depending on the choices that players make. Although the story doesn't change too much, getting as many characters as possible to the end of the game is a rewarding experience that requires meaningful choices; many of the actions players take in Until Dawn can have lethal consequences.
3 The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings
The second game in CD Projekt Red's Witcher series, The Witcher 2 is a third-person action RPG with fluid, dynamic combat and a non-linear narrative set in a unique and often grim fantasy world.
The Witcher 2 is renowned for its player choices that impact the game world and even the main quest-line in meaningful ways, giving player actions real consequences. Because of the game's immense attention to detail in its various branching paths and endings, The Witcher 2 is an extremely replayable RPG.
2 Detroit: Become Human
This science-fiction, story-driven game prides itself on meaningful decisions that can dramatically impact its branching narrative, and allows players to take control of three unique characters in the form of androids meant to serve humanity.
The decisions that players are forced to make can impact both the three protagonists and the fate of Detroit, where the game takes place. Some of these decisions can make the difference between life and death for the game's protagonists, while many of them are based around moral dilemmas. All of these decisions impact the game's branching narrative and allow players to work towards one of the game's many unique endings.
1 Baldur's Gate 3
This narratively-driven party-based RPG from the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2 features tactical turn-based combat and an absurd amount of player choice at every turn, all set in the iconic universe of Dungeons & Dragons.
Baldur's Gate 3 is turning a lot of heads for its amount of player freedom and choice, starting with the game's in-depth character creation and running through the entirety of the game's complex, branching narrative. Furthermore, the game's variety of endings and the way that character creation can affect the game make it a highly replayable experience.