All Life is Strange games ranked

Life is Strange started its journey in 2015 with the first game in the series receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans and critics alike. These games have minimal gameplay as they are more story-focused where your choices can influence the way the story moves forward. All your actions have consequences that can heavily impact the story and can even change the ending, this increases the replay value and gives each player a different experience.

In the recent Xbox Showcase, we got the first official reveal of the next game in the franchise titled Life is Strange: Double Exposure, bringing back Max Claufield as the playable protagonist. Fans are excited about the game coming out on October 29, 2024, for the PS5, PC, and Xbox Series. As we wait for the title to arrive, we have decided to rank all the games in the franchise.

Note: This list is subjective, reflects the author's opinions, and is in a particular order.

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All games from the Life is Strange franchise ranked

4) Life is Strange: True Colors

Alex Chen can understand what others feel (Image via Deck Nine)

Life is Strange: True Colors was released in 2021 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. The game received positive reviews on Steam and was loved by the fans for its vibrant color palate and its protagonist for her unique back story. We play Alex Chen, a girl with a troubled past because of her anger issues and the unique power to absorb others' emotions.

The story revolves around Alex investigating her brother's supposed accidental death by using her power of reading emotions to help her out in the process. Even though the story was interesting, some players felt it was too predictable and short compared to the previous games in the franchise The characters in the game also felt forgettable as they didn't carry a memorable personality one could relate to.

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3) Life is Strange: Before the Storm

The powers were replaced with the talk-back mechanic for Chloe (Image via Deck Nine)

Life is Strange: Before the Storm was released in 2017 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. This game was a prequel set before the events of the first Life is Strange where we now play as Chloe instead of Max. This prequel also takes place in Arcadia Bay and we also get to see the return of characters like Chloe's parents, Nathan Prescot, and more to give a backstory of their relationship with Chloe.

Before the Storm explores the relationship between Chloe and Rachel Amber as we witness how these characters become friends. Since Chloe doesn't have powers, we are introduced to the Talk Back mechanic which allows her to influence conversations and outcomes. Even though the story here is great, the Talk Back feature lacks the punch from the first game making it an inferior experience.

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2) Life is Strange 2

The sequel ditched Max for a new protagonist (Image via Square Enix)

Life is Strange 2 was released in 2018 for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The story here revolves around Sean Diaz and his brother Daniel Diaz, two kids who are on the run because a police officer killed their dad and witnessed Daniel use his powers to injure him. In this game, we are constantly on the run with the brother who possesses the powers of telekinesis.

Even though we don't play as the character who has powers we still get to control them through our younger brother. These new protagonists are a welcome change but the absence of Max is still felt here as this new story explores the relationship and growth of two brothers. The story is well written but the players can sometimes not relate with the characters like they did in the first game.

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1) Life is Strange

The first game is the best in the series (Image via Deck Nine)

Life is Strange was released in 2015 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC to critical acclaim. The game is hailed as the best one in the series because of its memorable characters and well-structured storyline. The plot revolves around Max Claufield who discovers she has time-reversing powers, which she uses to help her childhood friend Chloe investigate the vanishing of her friend Rachel Amber.

The game is filled with memorable characters like Nathan Prescot and Frank Bowers who act as side characters in the story. Not only that but the time-reversing powers are the best in the series letting you reverse your decisions and choose something else. Max is easily the best protagonist in the series because of her shy yet cute personality with a story that will pull on your heartstrings.