If you’re into gripping, story-driven episodic games, check out this tight list of the best narrative adventures, spanning detective thrillers, supernatural mysteries, and branching-story masterpieces, all highly rated and perfect for 2026.
All prices, ratings, and discounts mentioned are based on Steam’s current listings at the time of writing and may change over time.
Here’s a curated list of highly rated Episodic games:
The Walking Dead – $1.49, Adventure, Overwhelmingly Positive, April 2012
A critically acclaimed episodic graphic adventure where your choices shape the story of a group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse. You play through emotional, decision-driven episodes focusing on character relationships and tough moral choices.
The Wolf Among Us – $5.99, Action/Adventure, Overwhelmingly Positive, October 2013
A noir, episodic adventure based on the Fables comic series, where you play as Bigby Wolf, sheriff of Fabletown, investigating a series of mysterious murders while navigating a dark, fairy-tale underworld.
Life is Strange Complete Season – $19.99, Action/Adventure, Overwhelmingly Positive, January 2015
An emotional episodic adventure where you follow Max Caulfield, a photography student who discovers she can rewind time, affecting story outcomes and relationships as she investigates a friend’s disappearance.
DELTARUNE – $19.99, Indie/RPG, Overwhelmingly Positive, June 2025
A narrative-driven RPG from the creator of Undertale featuring a unique world, turn-based combat, and quirky characters. The story unfolds across released chapters and blends humor, mystery, and heartfelt moments.
Dispatch – $26.99, Action/Adventure, Overwhelmingly Positive, October 2025
A superhero workplace comedy adventure where you manage a team of misfit heroes in an episodic story. Every choice affects your narrative as you decide who to send to handle emergencies, balancing office politics with bigger threats.
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season Bundle – $6.32, Adventure, Very Positive, September 2018
Follow brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz on an emotional journey as they flee their home after a tragedy, navigating moral choices that shape both their relationship and the story’s direction.
Alan Wake – $1.49, Action/Adventure, Very Positive, February 2012
A thriller-style action-adventure about bestselling author Alan Wake, searching for his missing wife while confronting a supernatural darkness in the eerie town of Bright Falls. The game plays like a TV series with cliffhangers and intense combat using light as a core mechanic.
Batman: The Telltale Series – $5.99, Adventure, Very Positive, August 2016
A narrative episodic adventure putting you in the shoes of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with story choices that shape Gotham’s fate and your relationships. The game emphasizes character decisions over combat.
Tales from the Borderlands – $14.99, Adventure, Very Positive, February 2021
A humorous, choice-driven graphic adventure set between Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3, following two very different protagonists on a narrative journey filled with humor, drama, and unexpected twists across five episodes.
The Descendant – $1.49, Adventure/Indie, Mostly Positive, March 2016
A story-focused indie adventure inspired by classic lore, where exploration and narrative drive your journey through mysterious worlds as you uncover ancient secrets and the legacy of forgotten civilizations.
Several of these games are available at major discounts on Steam until January 5, making now a great time to grab them.
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