Best Story Rich Games on Steam
Steam currently has 14,658 Story Rich games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Story Rich game rankings were last updated on 5/16/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Free story rich games on Steam
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- Free Steam games
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1. Portal 2
The "Perpetual Testing Initiative" has been expanded to allow you to design co-op puzzles for you and your friends!
Portal 2 holds the #1 spot for "best Story Rich game on Steam" with a Player Score of 98. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 391,913 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 386,909 positive reviews and 5,004 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
2. Hades
Defy the god of the dead as you hack and slash out of the Underworld in this rogue-like dungeon crawler from the creators of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre.
Hades has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 256,259 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 252,122 positive reviews and 4,137 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $24.99 |
| Release Date | 9/17/2020 |
| Franchise | Supergiant Games |
| Developer | Supergiant Games |
| Publisher | Supergiant Games |
| Steam App Id | 1145360 |
3. Portal
Portal™ is a new single player game from Valve. Set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories, Portal has been called one of the most innovative new games on the horizon and will offer gamers hours of unique gameplay.
Portal has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 156,432 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 154,077 positive reviews and 2,355 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
4. Half-Life: Alyx
Half-Life: Alyx is Valve’s VR return to the Half-Life series. It’s the story of an impossible fight against a vicious alien race known as the Combine, set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Playing as Alyx Vance, you are humanity’s only chance for survival.
Half-Life: Alyx has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 88,568 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 87,115 positive reviews and 1,453 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $59.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Half-Life: Alyx on the Steam Deck.
5. Senren＊Banka
Senren＊Banka is a Japanese-style visual novel produced by Yuzusoft, a Japanese developer of romance VNs. This game commemorated Yuzusoft's 10th anniversary. It won numerous awards on the year of its release in Japan for its art, music, and characters.
Senren＊Banka has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 21,921 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 21,716 positive reviews and 205 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.94 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Senren＊Banka on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $19.94 |
| Release Date | 2/14/2020 |
| Franchise | 株式会社HIKARI FIELD |
| Developer | Yuzusoft |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 1144400 |
6. Half-Life 2
1998. HALF-LIFE sends a shock through the game industry with its combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling. Valve's debut title wins more than 50 game-of-the-year awards on its way to being named "Best PC Game Ever" by PC Gamer, and launches a franchise with more than eight million retail units sold worldwide.
Half-Life 2 has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 191,699 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 187,134 positive reviews and 4,565 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
7. OneShot
OneShot is a surreal top down Puzzle/Adventure game with unique gameplay capabilities. You are to guide a child through a mysterious world on a mission to restore its long-dead sun. The world knows you exist.
OneShot has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 44,265 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 43,507 positive reviews and 758 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run OneShot on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 12/9/2016 |
| Developer | Future Cat LLC |
| Publisher | KOMODO |
| Steam App Id | 420530 |
8. Katana ZERO
Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.
Katana ZERO has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 64,728 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 63,477 positive reviews and 1,251 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $14.99 |
| Release Date | 4/18/2019 |
| Developer | Askiisoft |
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
| Steam App Id | 460950 |
9. Touhou Mystia's Izakaya
A brand new pixel art restaurant simulator based on the Touhou Project! Play as Mystia, the owner of a small izakaya. Collect ingredients by day, cater to the customers by night, learn recipes from familiar characters, and become the best izakaya owner in all of Gensokyo!
Touhou Mystia's Izakaya has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 20,559 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20,287 positive reviews and 272 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $5.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
10. Resident Evil 4
Survival is just the beginning. Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City. Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors, tracks the president's kidnapped daughter to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals.
Resident Evil 4 has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Story Rich games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 136,397 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 133,053 positive reviews and 3,344 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $39.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $39.99 |
| Release Date | 3/23/2023 |
| Franchise | Capcom |
| Developer | CAPCOM Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher | CAPCOM Co., Ltd. |
| Steam App Id | 2050650 |
More Story Rich Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best Story Rich games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1,282 | 4/18/2011 | 98 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 19,545 | 9/17/2020 | 97 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 305 | 10/10/2007 | 97 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 248 | 3/23/2020 | 97 | $59.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 244 | 2/14/2020 | 97 | $19.94 | Steam Charts | |
 | 462 | 11/16/2004 | 96 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 59 | 12/9/2016 | 96 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 154 | 4/18/2019 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 144 | 10/1/2021 | 96 | $5.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 3,010 | 3/23/2023 | 96 | $39.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 28 | 6/18/2020 | 96 | $20.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 3,530 | 2/24/2017 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 827 | 1/25/2018 | 96 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 5,272 | 5/18/2015 | 96 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 264 | 10/11/2012 | 96 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 48 | 2/26/2021 | 96 | $15.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 81 | 8/20/2022 | 96 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 51,641 | 8/3/2023 | 96 | $59.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 31 | 2/11/2021 | 96 | $8.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 198 | 3/5/2014 | 96 | $29.99 | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). Portal 2 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). Hades on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 22). Portal on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). Half-Life: Alyx on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 13). Senren＊Banka on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 22). Half-Life 2 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 6). OneShot on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 25). Katana ZERO on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). Touhou Mystia's Izakaya on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, April 30). Resident Evil 4 on Steam. Steam Store.