20 Games With Surprisingly Deep Lore

Many games offer more than just immediate gameplay; they conceal rich histories, complex groups, and detailed timelines for players to uncover. Often, those who explore beyond the main story are rewarded with things like in-game books, item details, online puzzles, and environmental clues that expand the game’s world in surprising ways. Below are some games with particularly interesting lore to discover, ranging from company documents and alien landscapes to multiverse plots and reimagined myths. We’ve included tips on where to find these hidden details and who created the game, so you can easily begin your exploration.

‘Hollow Knight’ (2017)

The story of the fallen kingdom of Hallownest in Team Cherry’s Metroidvania is revealed gradually through collectible mask shards, subtle dream visions, and hints from the game’s characters. Instead of direct storytelling through cutscenes, players uncover the truth about the Pale King’s experiments, the Radiance’s influence, and the creation of the Vessels by finding lore hidden in the world and learning from boss battles. The game features multiple endings, influenced by optional items and completing side quests like the Grimm Troupe’s story, which offer new perspectives on Hallownest’s past. Team Cherry both created and published the game, and continues to add free updates that further expand its rich lore.

‘Control’ (2019)

Control, created by Remedy Entertainment and 505 Games, plunges players into the Federal Bureau of Control, a secret government agency dealing with the supernatural. The game’s collectibles reveal how urban legends are actually true, and the constantly changing headquarters, known as the Oldest House, is full of powerful, strange objects and a hostile force called the Hiss. You learn about these mysteries through video briefings and detailed case files. Optional missions uncover everyday items twisted by the paranormal – like a fridge you have to constantly monitor – and hidden areas with their own incident reports. The game also ties into Remedy’s other title, Alan Wake, and builds a shared universe with consistent, in-game procedures, creating a rich and interconnected mythos.

‘Subnautica’ (2018)

Subnautica tells a story of planetary survival that unfolds as you explore. You piece together the larger mystery by finding data logs in underwater facilities and learning about the planet’s unique ecosystems. Through these discoveries, you uncover the history of a deadly bacterium called Kharaa, the failed attempts to cure it by an ancient alien race called the Precursors, and the important role of a massive creature known as the Sea Emperor. You also learn about the reasons behind a crashed spaceship, the Aurora, and the intentions of the corporation that sent it. The developers, Unknown Worlds Entertainment, chose to reveal the story through these environmental details rather than traditional cutscenes.

‘Deep Rock Galactic’ (2020)

Deep Rock Galactic cleverly blends a co-op shooter with a humorous critique of corporate greed in space mining. The game builds a rich world on Hoxxes IV not through direct storytelling, but through details like creature descriptions linked to the planet’s environment, historical notes on minerals, and memos from fictional companies. You learn about the game’s world through scanning creatures, reading mission briefings, and even discovering jokes about unions and rival businesses. Regular seasonal events introduce new challenges and expand the game’s ongoing story, with the world subtly revealed through in-game terminals, unlockable lore, and collectible items.

‘Warframe’ (2013)

Warframe tells a sprawling space story that’s unfolded over ten years through its missions, detailed lore entries, and dramatic cutscenes. Important quests like “The Second Dream,” “The War Within,” and “The New War” reveal more about the characters – the Lotus, the ancient Orokin, and the powerful Tenno – and their pasts. The game also explores the different groups within its universe, detailing the decline of the Grineer, the greed of the Corpus, and the evolution of the Sentients. Large, open areas add local stories and unique language. Digital Extremes, the game’s developer and publisher, is constantly adding to this rich story with new updates and events.

‘Pathologic’ (2005)

In Ice-Pick Lodge’s haunting town, a strange sickness masks deeper, hidden rules that players uncover through notes, short scenes, and unique conversations depending on their chosen character. As the Bachelor, Haruspex, or Changeling, you’ll encounter conflicting explanations about the plague, a mysterious shape called the Polyhedron, and the rituals of the Kin. The game even features nightly performances in a theater that playfully acknowledge the story’s constructed nature. Ice-Pick Lodge collaborated with different publishers in various regions, and each translation carefully maintains the complex and often misleading way information is presented.

‘Darkest Dungeon’ (2016)

Darkest Dungeon, created by Red Hook Studios, slowly reveals a rich history through character stories, descriptions of items, and the epitaphs of defeated bosses. The game’s underground catacombs hint at a larger, terrifying corruption that builds towards a central, dreadful location. Instead of relying on cutscenes, the backgrounds of each character class – like the Flagellant and the Leper – are subtly revealed through their abilities and in-game dialogue. Red Hook both developed and released the game, crafting a vast, Lovecraftian world through narration and item details.

‘The Talos Principle’ (2014)

In this puzzle game by Croteam and Devolver Digital, players explore a futuristic archive managed by a being named Elohim. Through computer terminals, emails, and conversations, they uncover the story of a fallen civilization and a journey toward artificial intelligence. Hidden collectibles like stars and secret audio logs add layers to the game’s themes of free will and what it means to be conscious. The story is told primarily through optional text and terminals, allowing players to solve puzzles without interruption.

‘Outer Wilds’ (2019)

In Outer Wilds, the developers at Mobius Digital and Annapurna Interactive have created a unique archaeological adventure centered around a time loop. Players piece together a grand cosmic story by finding and interpreting ship logs, ancient murals, and the writings of a lost civilization called the Nomai. Each planet holds clues about a past experiment—like the project on Ash Twin or the rules governing the Quantum Moon. The game’s story is revealed entirely through exploration; there are no upgrades needed to unlock information. Instead, your growing knowledge is your progress. Mobius designed a clever system that organizes all your discoveries into a complete, understandable timeline of events across the star system.

‘Inscryption’ (2021)

Daniel Mullins Games and Devolver Digital have cleverly woven a mysterious, unfolding story into their game, revealed through things like found video footage, collectible cards, and behind-the-scenes developer notes. The game’s world, with characters like the Scrybes and Kaycee, and clues hidden within the game, hints at a much larger conspiracy extending beyond what you see on screen. The gameplay itself changes throughout the game, gradually revealing different parts of this overarching story. Daniel Mullins created the game, and Devolver Digital helped bring its complex, hidden secrets to life.

‘Titanfall 2’ (2016)

Respawn and EA tell the story of a frontier war through in-game messages, conversations, and collectible data. The conflict between the IMC’s corporate colonization and the Militia’s fight for freedom is connected to bigger themes of technology and power, and the story of the Titan BT-7274 fits into this larger picture. Detailed environments, like the Fold Weapon facility, contain logs that immerse you in ongoing research. This world-building extends to other games, creating a connected universe.

‘NieR: Automata’ (2017)

Okay, so playing NieR:Automata, it’s not just about the main story. PlatinumGames and Square Enix really built out this post-apocalyptic world. You learn so much through the weapons you find – each one has its own story and side quests. And honestly, the game wants you to replay it multiple times because each ending totally changes how you see everything – what YoRHa is all about, how the machines think, and even what’s really going on with humanity. It’s wild! They also hide character backstories and little text-based adventures inside the boss fights, which is super cool. What’s really clever is how they use things like data logs and plug-in chips – even the UI elements – to add to the game’s lore and make it all official canon. It’s not just fluff; it’s part of the story!

‘Disco Elysium’ (2019)

The RPG from ZA/UM immerses players in the richly detailed city of Revachol by hiding its history within conversations, character thoughts, and an in-game encyclopedia. The backgrounds of different groups, like the Union, the RCM, and the Moralintern, are revealed based on how you develop your character. Even details like clothing descriptions, graffiti, and books contribute to understanding a larger, continent-spanning conflict. ZA/UM, the game’s creator and publisher, cleverly uses character skills to deliver this lore, essentially making the characters themselves living history books.

‘Splatoon’ (2015)

The world of Nintendo’s Splatoon series has a surprisingly dark history hidden within collectible lore found in the games. Inklings and Octolings, the game’s playable characters, are descendants of creatures who evolved after a massive flood. Their vibrant pop culture hides a past filled with conflict and scientific experimentation. Each collectible item and story entry reveals pieces of a larger timeline that continues throughout the Splatoon games. Nintendo created and released the series, using the single-player campaigns to primarily tell this backstory.

‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ (2014)

Scott Cawthon created the game series, and its story is revealed bit by bit through minigames, secret screens, and phone calls. Clues like company memos and newspaper articles point to a restaurant chain involved in cover-ups and the disappearances of children. The strange behavior of the robotic characters and what happens at night suggest possession, hidden ownership, and family connections – details that fans have pieced together to create a timeline. Newer games and related titles add even more mystery, changing dates and identities and encouraging players to analyze every detail to uncover the full story.

‘Sea of Thieves’ (2018)

Rare and Xbox Game Studios build a rich backstory into Sea of Thieves through things like story-driven quests (‘Tall Tales’), collectible journals found on islands, and unexpected events that happen in the game world. Details about lost civilizations, the history of key characters, and mysterious happenings are revealed through diaries and artwork found throughout the game. The world itself changes with live events, affecting the landscape and how characters interact, constantly adding to the game’s story. Rare keeps a running record of these changes through in-game logs and the stories told by characters at outposts, tracking the ever-evolving balance of power in the Sea of Thieves.

‘Hades’ (2020)

Supergiant Games reimagines Greek mythology in a game where each attempt reveals more of the story. As you play, you unlock details about the characters, deepen relationships, and even rebuild the House of Hades. The game cleverly adapts to your choices – the weapons you use, which bosses you show mercy to, and the tasks you complete – to gradually reveal the complex family histories of the gods. Items you collect and lists of prophecies act as in-game records of Zagreus’s connections. Supergiant Games both created and released the game, using a roguelike format to slowly reveal the rich mythological background.

‘Overwatch’ (2016)

Blizzard Entertainment builds a rich backstory for its hero shooter through various media like animated shorts and comics, as well as details hidden within the game itself. The history of the Omnic Crisis, the original team’s downfall, and how different groups reacted are revealed both outside of gameplay and through the game’s environments. Character backgrounds, in-game dialogue, and special events all contribute to a connected, worldwide story. Blizzard continues to develop the franchise and carefully maintains all of this lore.

‘League of Legends’ (2009)

Riot Games has been fleshing out the world of Runeterra through articles, character backgrounds, and special in-game events. They’ve expanded the stories of places like Freljord, Shurima, and Zaun-Piltover with short stories and animated videos. Even small details in the game, like tooltips and item descriptions, hint at the world’s history and different groups. Riot carefully plans updates and new characters to fit seamlessly into this established history.

‘Death Stranding’ (2019)

Kojima Productions and Sony Interactive Entertainment (with 505 Games handling the PC release) have built a vision of a post-apocalyptic America revealed through in-game documents like emails, interviews, and facility records. As players rebuild connections between cities, they uncover research about the mysterious ‘Death Stranding’ event, the strange creatures called BTs, and the DOOMS phenomenon. Details about equipment and delivery requests offer glimpses into the world before its collapse, along with ideas about the importance of human connection. The game’s central mechanic, the chiral network, serves as both a way to play and a way to learn about the world’s history, science, and politics.

‘Outer Worlds’ (2019)

As a huge fan, what I love about this game is how it really digs into the dark side of a company running a whole colony. You don’t just play in this world, you uncover how messed up it is by reading emails, listening to conversations, and doing quests. It’s brilliant how they show you the inner workings – the company slogans, employee records, even lab notes – to explain why each settlement is the way it is. And the stories of your companions? They’re not just personal tales, they’re totally tied into the bigger problems with how the colony is governed. It’s not info-dumping either; you discover all this cool lore through talking to people and exploring, which makes it so much more engaging!

Share your own favorite deep-lore discoveries—and which entries we should add next—in the comments!

2025-11-17 03:20