5 best games where you can control time

There are many theories about what would happen if people could control time. Some state that a change in the past is responsible for anomalies in the future, while others predict the creation of alternate realities. To experiment with those ideas, there are games where you can control time. In many of these titles, the characters can advance to the future, manipulate the present, or go to the past.

If you are fascinated by the power of time, here is a list of five video games in which controlling it is fundamental to the plot and mechanics.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Prince of Persia, Dishonored, and other games where you can control time

1) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The magic daggers allow the prince to control time (Image via Ubisoft)

This is an action-adventure game that tells the story of a prince who mistakenly releases the sands of time. This power allows an evil vizier to turn most of the kingdom into terrible monsters under his control. The prince must use his abilities to end him.

In Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the protagonist gets magic daggers that give him the power to rewind time for a few seconds. Beyond their role in the plot, the daggers offer a mechanic that allows players to undo mistakes such as failed jumps.

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2) Dishonored

Dishonored uses the time rewind to get an advantage in some dangerous situations (Image via Arkane Studios)

In the action-adventure series Dishonored, we follow the story of Corvo, a bodyguard framed for the murder of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin. To prove his innocence and carry out his revenge, the character tries to find a traitor while fighting soldiers, deadly machines, and rats infected with a mortal plague.

In his journey, Corvo gets the Bend Time skill, which is versatile, depending on the runes that the player uses to improve it. In the first level, he is able to rewind time up to 12 seconds. After upgrading it, he can freeze time for eight seconds.

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3) Singularity

Singularity is not only one of the games where you can control time but also a thrilling first-person shooter (Image via Raven Software)

Singularity is one of the best games where you can control time. In this first-person shooter, a marine must reveal the secrets of a conspiracy related to nuclear weapons. While trying to unravel the mystery, he stays on an island where time travel is essential to defeat his enemies.

An essential part of Singularity is traveling through different epochs. For this purpose, the main character uses the Time Manipulation Device (TMD), an object with several functions that you can activate as the game progresses. The TMD is able to accelerate aging in enemies, renew objects to their original state, and bring objects to our dimension.

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4) Life is Strange

The plot of Life is Strange is about time travel and its effects (Image via Square Enix)

If we are talking about games where you can control time, Life is Strange is a great pick. The graphic adventure tells the story of a student named Max, who discovers her ability to rewind time. Upon realizing her power, she decides to use it to save a friend and solve a series of tragic incidents in her town.

Max's power to manipulate time is the trigger for all the events in the plot. It also allows her to teleport herself by erasing her physical form from the present.

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5) The Legend of Zelda saga

Some artifacts allow Link to travel between the past and present (Image via Nintendo)

When talking about most titles of The Legend of Zelda saga, one thinks about games where you can control time. In fact, the manipulation of time is fundamental to its stories.

In Ocarina of Time, playing a song allows you to travel to specific moments in Link's life. This is important because Link has to complete some tasks as a child, while others are intended for his adult version.

A similar situation happens in Majora's Mask. The Song of Time allows Link to prevent the moon from crashing on Termina. Besides, in the games Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Tears of the Kingdom, manipulating time is critical to the plot and is part of the in-game mechanics.