Summary
For most games, finishing the story means it’s time to move on, and in some ways, you’d love to erase your memory to experience it all over again. But some games need to be played a second time - maybe even a third and more.
Whether through new perspectives, branching paths, hidden story elements that only reveal themselves after the first playthrough, or simply wondering what would have happened if you’d made different choices, these games don’t just offer replayability - theydemandit. From alternate endings to mind-blowing twists, here are some games where the end is just the beginning.
Shadows of Doubt is a unique detective game where every playthrough doesn’t just generate a new case, it creates an entirely new city - yes, an entire city, literally, filled with NPCs with their own routines and stories.
Every time you play, you’ll find a new mystery to solve with different victims and motives. And no one will hold your hand -you’ll have to do everything yourself. So, if you love detective games that truly test your deduction skills in different playthroughs, this is a game you’ll need to play over and over again.
Few survival horror games handle a second playthrough as well as Resident Evil 2. At the start, you’ll have to choose between Leon and Claire, each offering a different approach to survival.
Once you’ve made your choice, things get even more interesting with the2nd Run mode, where you’ll play as the character you didn’t pick first. Here, encounters change, puzzles get tougher, and even bosses are different. In short, double the terror, double the bosses. Only by surviving both campaigns will you unlock the real final ending - because apparently, one zombie outbreak just wasn’t enough.
In Road 96, your first run is just one of the many possible road trips through a procedurally generated, ever-changing world. The encounters you have are randomized, meaning your second playthrough could introduce you to a completely different set of characters and challenges.
One journey might see you crossing the border peacefully, another could throw you into a high-stakes escape, and in yet another, you might never even reach the border at all. Along the way, your political intentions will unfold - will you fight, or simply escape? The beauty of Road 96 is that no two journeys feel the same, and the destination is just the beginning.
Quantic Dream is known for its branching narrative, but Detroit: Become Human takes things to another level. Your choices don’t just tweak the dialogue - each decision reshapes the fate of the characters and even an entire city.
Will you lead a peaceful android uprising, incite chaos through anarchy, or play as a cold, calculating detective? Every decision carries weight, and once you see how differently things could have gone, you’ll be tempted to dive back in to see just how much the story can change.
With Baldur’s Gate 3, calling it a second playthrough barely scratches the surface. The game is designed to be played multiple times, with over17,000 possible variations(yes, you read that right), in dialogues, choices, and endings. Just picking different companions will change everything, leading to radically different narratives, and even seemingly small decisions can change entire storylines.
Maybe your first run was a heroic tale of redemption, but your second? Pure chaotic evil. You’ll never see everything this game has to offer in just one playthrough, and that’s exactly what makes it special.
Undertale isn’t just a game with multiple endings; it’s a game that remembers. Your choices in the first playthrough are permanent and will impact your next run. Did you take the peaceful route and befriend everyone, or did you leave a trail of destruction? Either way, the world reacts accordingly through different playthroughs.
Characters remember everything: dialogue, choices, and certain paths that can only be unlocked after your first run. Few games play with player expectations like Undertale, making every playthrough unforgettable.
If The Stanley Parable had a slogan, it would be ‘Play again. And again. And again.’ After all, that’s exactly what the game tells you: “The end is never”. The Stanley Parable seems like a simple game at first - follow or ignore the narrator’s instructions - but that’s where the brilliance lies. And with the Ultra Deluxe, it’s a whole new level.
The game constantly shifts and surprises, especially on repeat playthroughs. Will you listen to the narrator, or ignore him and make him mad? You think you have control, but that’s exactly when the game tricks you, refusing to let you continue as expected. Every time you restart, something unexpected happens, making The Stanley Parable a game that never seems to end.
1NieR: Automata
Not A Replay, But A Continue
To truly experience NieR: Automata, you don’t just replay the game - you continue it. The story unfolds across multiple playthroughs, each from a different character’s perspective, like puzzle pieces forming a larger mosaic.
After the first playthrough, which explores events from 2B’s point of view, the second perspective shift lets you experience the story through 9S’s eyes, giving you a new outlook on the events, with new abilities and gameplay mechanics. If that wasn’t enough, there are still 26 endings to uncover. Let’s just say you’ll be busy for a while with this one.
