Some games stick to familiar formulas, while others boldly break the mold. This list highlights titles that cleverly subvert expectations with unique gameplay, surprising stories, and innovative control schemes. Expect quirky characters, bizarre worlds, and experiences that feel like playful experiments.
Okay, so I’m building this list to be super straightforward. I’m just giving you the facts – how each game actually *works*, who the creators are, and where you can find it. That way, you can figure out what weird and wonderful game you want to jump into next, or just appreciate it from afar if it looks a little too crazy for you!
20. ‘Goat Simulator’
‘Goat Simulator’ lets you play as a goat in a realistic, open world where you can cause chaos! You’ll explore a town, knocking things over and performing flips, earning points for the destruction you create. There are also hidden secrets to find and special power-ups that change how your goat moves and what it can do.
I first started playing this game back in 2014 on PC, and it’s awesome they eventually brought it to consoles and mobile too! They kept things fresh with expansions that added fun, themed maps and hilarious parody stuff. And honestly, all the sequels have kept that same goofy, slapstick humor going in totally new places, which I love.
19. ‘I Am Bread’
In ‘I Am Bread’, you play as a slice of bread on a mission to become toast! You control the bread by gripping edges and carefully crawling through environments. You’ll need to avoid getting dirty or wet to stay fresh, and ultimately reach a heat source to complete each level.
Bossa Studios officially released the game on computers and consoles after a testing phase with players. It includes fun additions like playing as different types of bread and causing chaos with a baguette, plus special content that links it to the studio’s other popular game about performing surgery.
18. ‘Untitled Goose Game’
In ‘Untitled Goose Game,’ you play as a mischievous goose causing trouble in a quaint English village. The game presents you with a series of playful tasks – like swiping keys, locking people in gardens, and honking at just the wrong time – guiding your silly antics.
House House launched the game in 2019, initially for Nintendo Switch and PC, before expanding to other systems. They later added a free update allowing two players to play together, and a special physical copy of the game was released for collectors, including extra content.
17. ‘Enviro Bear 2000’
In ‘Enviro Bear 2000’, you play as a bear driving a car and trying to collect enough food to prepare for winter. You control the car with one paw, steering, speeding up, and grabbing items from a messy interior while fish and pinecones fly around the screen.
Justin Smith originally made this game for a competition, and then released it on mobile. It features a deliberately basic art style and tricky controls, making even a quick play session a fast-paced and unpredictable experience where thinking on your feet is key.
16. ‘Bad Mojo’
In ‘Bad Mojo,’ you play as a cockroach crawling through a dirty apartment. The game uses real-life footage and presents challenges like avoiding gas leaks and water. You uncover the story by finding pictures and videos as you explore, moving from tile to tile.
Pulse Entertainment and Drew Pictures originally launched the game on PC in 1996, with Acclaim handling publishing. In 2004, a remastered edition called ‘Bad Mojo Redux’ was released, making it compatible with newer computers and featuring improved graphics.
15. ‘The Typing of the Dead’
In ‘The Typing of the Dead,’ you fight zombies not with a gun, but by typing! Zombies appear with words or phrases on them, and you have to type them correctly to defeat the undead. How fast and accurately you type determines your score and whether you survive.
Sega first released the game in arcades in 1999, and then made versions for Dreamcast and PC. The game features settings and happenings from ‘The House of the Dead 2’, and it was followed by sequels like ‘Typing of the Dead Overkill’ for PC.
14. ‘Killer7’
Killer7 is a unique game that mixes on-rails shooting with puzzle-solving. Players control seven different assassins, switching between them to navigate predetermined paths and engage in first-person combat. The game tells a complex and visually striking story about a shadowy conspiracy.
Grasshopper Manufacture created the game, with Suda51 as the director, and Capcom released it in 2005 for GameCube and PlayStation 2. A version for PC came out in 2018, featuring improved graphics and controls for current computers.
13. ‘Tokyo Jungle’
‘Tokyo Jungle’ is a game set in a future Tokyo where humans have disappeared, and animals now roam free, competing for survival and territory. Players can take control of a variety of animals – from Pomeranians to crocodiles – and must focus on basic needs like finding food, finding a mate to reproduce, and unlocking new species to play as.
Crispy’s and Japan Studio first launched the game in 2012 for the PlayStation 3. Later, a simpler version called ‘Tokyo Jungle Mobile’ came out for PlayStation Vita and mobile devices, offering a new way to play with adjusted controls.
12. ‘Deadly Premonition’
Deadly Premonition is an open-world detective game where you explore a town with a normal daily routine. You’ll need to manage things like hunger and sleep while also solving a murder mystery. Gameplay includes investigating crime scenes, talking to townspeople, and pursuing a serial killer through various locations.
The game was originally released by Access Games in 2010 for Xbox 360, and was later made available on PlayStation 3 and PC as an updated version called the Director’s Cut. A follow-up game, ‘Deadly Premonition 2,’ came out on Switch and continued the story with a larger world and extended timeline.
11. ‘Everything’
In ‘Everything,’ you can experience the world as virtually anything – a tiny beetle, a towering tree, or even massive galaxies and continents. The game allows you to seamlessly change size, gather groups of similar objects, and learn through thoughtful narration as you discover new things.
David OReilly made the game, with help from Double Fine Presents. It first came out in 2017 for PlayStation 4 and PC, and later became available on other platforms. One unique feature is a self-play mode where the game runs on its own, showing how everything inside it works together like a dynamic screensaver.
10. ‘Chulip’
In the game ‘Chulip,’ you play as a boy trying to become popular in town by kissing its residents. To succeed, you need to learn people’s routines, complete extra tasks, and find items that help you avoid awkward situations.
Punchline created the game, which first came out in Japan in 2003. It was then released in North America by Natsume in 2007. The game gained renewed popularity when it became available on PlayStation Network in certain areas, reaching a new audience.
9. ‘Mr. Mosquito’
In the game ‘Mr. Mosquito’, you control a mosquito buzzing around inside the Yamada family’s house. Each level challenges you to bite specific parts of people’s bodies while keeping your stress levels down and dodging getting swatted. When the family gets really annoyed, you’ll face challenging ‘boss’ battles.
Zoom first launched the game on PlayStation 2 in 2001, and then released a follow-up exclusively in Japan in 2003. Its unique story and familiar, everyday setting made it stand out from most action games at the time.
8. ‘Muscle March’
In ‘Muscle March’, you’ll chase a thief through a fitness-themed course by sprinting and breaking through walls that feature different bodybuilding poses. You’ll need to copy those poses using motion controls to keep up and ultimately catch the thief in a final dash.
Namco Bandai launched the game on WiiWare in 2009. It features several playable characters, a survival mode for extended gameplay, and a replay system that automatically creates short highlight videos of your best moments.
7. ‘Noby Noby Boy’
In ‘Noby Noby Boy,’ you control a stretchy character and navigate through tiny worlds by completing easy challenges. As you grow your character’s length, you contribute to a community goal that helps another character, GIRL, travel through the solar system, unlocking new areas for all players.
Keita Takahashi created this game for PlayStation Network in 2009, and it was later released on iOS. Regular updates introduced new features and improvements, and the game fostered a sense of community by allowing players to work towards shared objectives.
6. ‘Katamari Damacy’
In ‘Katamari Damacy’, you play by rolling a sticky ball that collects everything in sight, starting with tiny objects like thumbtacks and eventually growing large enough to pick up buildings. Each level challenges you to reach a certain size within a time limit, sometimes with special rules about what you can collect.
In 2004, Namco launched the original *Katamari Damacy* for PlayStation 2, with Keita Takahashi as the director. More recently, a remastered version called *Katamari Damacy Reroll* updated the game for newer consoles and PCs, featuring improved graphics and more precise controls.
5. ‘Seaman’
Okay, so ‘Seaman’ on the Dreamcast was seriously one of the weirdest and coolest games ever. You basically raise a fish… but it has a human face! And the craziest part? You talk to it through the microphone, and it *talks back*! It goes through different stages of life, and you have to actually pay attention to it regularly because the game uses the Dreamcast’s clock. It’s like a Tamagotchi, but way more… conversational and bizarre.
Vivarium, led by Yoot Saito, developed the game, which Sega first launched in Japan in 1999. It came with a microphone and was released in North America in 2000. A follow-up game for PlayStation 2 was released in Japan, building on the original with additional creatures and situations.
4. ‘Cho Aniki’
I’m a huge fan of ‘Cho Aniki’! It’s this crazy side-scrolling shooter where everything is about bodybuilders – seriously, your ship *is* a muscular guy! You fly around blasting enemies, and it plays like a classic shooter with power-ups. But the coolest part? You get different buff dudes who orbit you and help out, and they switch around as you play. It’s totally unique!
The series first launched on the PC Engine in 1992, created by Masaya, and later expanded to consoles like the Super Famicom and PlayStation, among others. While new games and related titles were released over time, they consistently maintained a similar look and feel, though gameplay and challenge levels often varied.
3. ‘Eastern Mind The Lost Souls of Tong Nou’
‘Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong Nou’ is a puzzle-solving adventure game where you explore an island and switch between different bodies. To move forward, you’ll need to possess creatures, understand the island’s unique logic, and find a missing soul.
Artist Osamu Sato created this game in 1994 for Windows and Mac, with publishing by Asmik Ace. Because it was released in a small quantity and featured a unique, experimental design, original copies became rare. Over time, the game gained recognition thanks to preservation projects and displays in exhibitions.
2. ‘LSD Dream Emulator’
LSD Dream Emulator creates surreal, ever-changing environments that feel like dreams. As you wander, bumping into things triggers new scenes, and the game keeps a dream journal to show how your experience changes in terms of mood and intensity.
Asmik Ace first published the game for PlayStation in 1998, with Osamu Sato leading the design and direction. It wasn’t officially released outside of Japan, but it gained popularity through imported copies, gameplay videos, and information shared by fans.
1. ‘Boong Ga Boong Ga’
‘Boong Ga Boong Ga’ is an arcade game where players earn points by virtually playing pranks – like ‘kancho’ (a traditional Japanese prank) and spanking – using a special seat and a finger-shaped controller. The game prints out fun cards showing players’ titles and rankings, and features targets based on different characters, such as a bully or someone interested in wealth.
Taff System developed this game in South Korea in 2001 and initially released it in Japan with limited availability. Its unique hardware and content made it a standout among unusual arcade games, and news about where it was installed often appeared at industry events and in news articles.
Tell us which entry you would add to this list and share your pick in the comments.
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2025-09-28 02:17