Adventure games are one of kind video games, which greatly manage to capture the imaginations of players of different ages. Creating a sense of adventure in video games is not an easy job as one must approach the subject with enough delicacy that ensures the game to not become monotonous and repetitive. Several games have tried to achieve this objective, but only a few managed to master it, ensuring that these titles are etched in the memories of every adventure-game enthusiast.
Without further ado, let us look closer at the top-10 adventure games that you need to play at least once in your lifetime.
| Top 10 Adventure Games | Metacritic Ratings |
| The Last of Us | 95 |
| Grim Fandango | 94 |
| The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series | 94 |
| Journey | 92 |
| The Longest Journey | 91 |
| L.A. Noire | 89 |
| The Curse of Monkey Island | 89 |
| The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition | 88 |
| Heavy Rain | 87 |
| The Witness | 87 |
#1 The Last of Us
The Last of Us is easily one of the best games of the seventh-generation consoles. Published by Naughty Dog, the game follows a smuggler’s journey through post-apocalyptic America as he transports as little girl. Upon its launch, the Last of Us quickly became a critical and commercial success and won multiple Game of the Year awards.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 95
User Rating: 9.2
#2 Grim Fandango
Published by LucasArts in 1998, Grim Fandango is the first adventure game that used 3D graphics over pre-rendered static backgrounds. Players need to collect and various objects to solve puzzles and progress further in the game.
Grim Fandango is seen by many as one of the greatest games of all time.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 94
User Rating: 9.1
#3 The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series
The Walking Dead is an episodic game series based on the comics of the same name. The series pushes the boundaries of a standard adventure game by subtly blending the exploration and puzzles with a crisp narrative that manages to keep the players completely engaged throughout the duration of the game. All the episodes released so far are highly polished and received critical acclaim from all sections of the society.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 94
User Rating: 8.8
#4 Journey
Developed by ThatGameCompany, Journey is an indie adventure game that was initially launched as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. The title is unique as it does not feature speech or text and the players need to collaborate with other players from around the world to complete the game. Moreover, Journey ticks all the right boxes when it comes to art and sound design.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 92
User Rating: 8.8
#5 The Longest Journey
The Longest Journey is a point-and-click adventure game that requires the players to interact and complete puzzles to progress further in the story. Right after its initial launch in 1999, the Longest Journey earned praise from both fans and critics with a few calling it as one of the best adventure games to hit the stores in the recent past.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 91
User Rating: 8.8
#6 L.A. Noire
Published by Rockstar games, L.A. Noire is a neo-noir action-adventure game that puts the players in the shoes of various LAPD officers to solve various cases. Furthermore, success or failure in a case affects the outcome of the story, offering great replay value.
The game received universal praise for its visual aspects, particularly the facial animations.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 89
User Rating: 7.8
#7 The Curse of Monkey Island
The Curse of Monkey Island is the third game in the hugely praised Monkey Island series, which hit the stores in 1997. The game follows the point-and-click adventure style seen in the previous games of the series and follows the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood, a wannabe pirate.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 89
User Rating: 9.0
#8 The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is a remastered version of the 1990 original from LucasArts, which predominantly features updated audio-visual effects for the newer consoles.
Primarily, it is a point-and-click adventure game that requires the players to solve puzzles to progress further in the game.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 88
User Rating: 8.4
#9 Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain is an interactive action-adventure game that requires the players to complete specific prompts in a time-bound manner to progress further in the game. Initially launched as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, Heavy Rain received critical acclaim for its game design and won numerous awards.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 87
User Rating: 7.7
#10 The Witness
“You don't remember who you are, and you don't remember how you got here, but there's one thing you can do: explore the island in hope of discovering clues, regaining your memory, and somehow finding your way home.”
This puzzle-based game focuses on the exploration of an open-world island by solving various puzzles. The title’s polished approach towards the art and gameplay design garnered praise from all sections of the society.
Metacritic
Critic Rating: 87
User Rating: 7.2
