As a major genre of gaming, sci-fi isn't showing any signs of becoming less popular. With very exciting sci-fi titles in the horizon, such as Starfield from Bethesda and Cyberpunk 2077 from CD Projekt Red, 2020 and beyond looks very promising.
What really makes a sci-fi game good, however, isn't necessarily the novelty of things. A great game can stay afloat for years if it manages to build a fanbase around its lore and universe, through creative and unique world-building. That's why these 10 games not only excel as sci-fi titles in general, but also in terms of storytelling and immersion.
10 Dishonored
While Dishonored is mainly a game about the combination of stealth and combat to assassinate the right targets, people often seem to forget just how incredibly good the lore for it is. The world is a mixture of high tech and Victorian London, a strange yet really unique vibe.
The story follows Corvo Attano, once bodyguard to the Empress and now an assassin looking to exact revenge on those who framed him for her death. Through stealth and supernatural abilities, Corvo has to navigate the city and those who hunt him down for what he's done.
9 Half-Life Series
There's a pretty good reason why so many fans still hold on to their hope to see Half-Life 3 announced. The series, created by Valve and the engine of which spawned various other mods of the game and even independent game, is among the most iconic video game series ever.
There is so much to discover in this game, from factions to monsters to the myriad of characters. With such a simple yet efficient storyline, which starts with Gordon Freeman making his way out a research facility after an experiment gone terribly wrong, this game delivers splendidly in story and background.
8 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
The Star Wars franchise is one of the richest out there in terms of lore, and it's definitely what helped KOTOR become such a successful game. To this day, no other Star Wars game has quite managed to reach its level of popularity among fans.
Thousands of years before the events that led to the birth of the Galactic Empire, the Republic is threatened by the rise of Sith. The main character must set out on a journey to destroy Dart Malak's forces while in turn making decisions that ultimately decide their alignment to the Dark or Light side.
7 System Shock Series
In the far future of humankind, a nameless hacker is stranded on a space station when awakening from a six-month coma, only to discover that the station's systems have been conquered by SHODAN, an evil artificial intelligence.
System Shock may be a traditional FPS survival horror game, but much of its story is found through logs and various e-mails of the station's other characters. This all builds the incredibly dark yet real world of System Shock.
6 Prey
Although Prey went under the radar for most people, it's an incredibly underrated game. When Morgan Yu wakes up and realizes their reality isn't what it seems, and that the research station they're stuck on is overrun by Typhons, they need to make their way out and find what role their brother plays in all of this.
Prey doesn't just limit its story to the events within the space station; so much of the lore found in terminals and written notes detail how the world and humanity ended up building a research station in space in the first place. It's truly unfortunate this level of world-building went unappreciated.
5 Deus Ex Series
For the ultimate cyberpunk experience while waiting for the release of Cyberpunk 2077, the Deus Ex series is absolutely astounding. With each game, a new storyline takes place within the same futuristic world where various factions and forces are clashing.
Each game also follows a slightly new and different main character in the same reality, with themes of conspiracies and oppressive corporate politics at the forefront. This series has created a cult following, and for a good reason: its world feels close and more realistic than those of most other games.
4 Horizon Zero Dawn
Aloy is a hunter in a world that appears deceptively limited with technology. However, it's the Old Ones, the massive machine-like beasts, that are a constant reminder of what once existed on Earth.
Horizon Zero Dawn's success can't be contested. It managed to create a brand new, purely unique world that sucked players in at once. Through quests and adventures, Aloy finds out more about her past, as well as the background of the world, and how it came to its current state.
3 BioShock Series
There's no other game quite like BioShock, and its twisted dystopia worlds. From Rapture to Columbia, the player travels from one strange world to another, and through a colorful cast of NPCs and various voice logs, pieces together its story.
BioShock thrives off of its unique lore, which it introduces through the thoughts and recordings of the various characters who are still alive or once walked the halls of its dystopian worlds. These games will make any player wish they could walk the halls of Rapture, at least for a few seconds.
2 Halo Series
No sci-fi list would be complete without a mention of the Halo franchise. While over the years, Halo has failed to deliver what it once was, it pioneered in the genre of sci-fi FPS shooters by introducing an iconic character: Master Chief.
Set in an era of war between humankind and the Covenant alien species, which seek to use the Halo ringworlds and super weapons as artifacts. Much of the lore in the Halo series has been built carefully over time, and inspired by various great works of sci-fi, which is why it's so foolproof and rich.
1 Mass Effect Series
Most players would be inclined to think of Andromeda at the mention of the Mass Effect franchise, but let's not forget all the good its previous installments have brought to gaming. Its classic sci-fi world full of both good and evil species are what make sci-fi as a genre so great.
Mass Effect is also one of the few games that doesn't treat alien species as mere accessories. Each character is carefully defined and constructed, which successfully completes the diverse and rich universe of Mass Effect.