The 10 BEST Time Loop Video Games

The 10 Best Time Loop Video Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at the best games that place players in time loops and challenge them to escape.

“GrimGrimoire” (2007)

Inspired by the RTS mechanics of “StarCraft” and the world of “Harry Potter,” Vanillaware’s “GrimGrimoire” is a pretty unique game. It follows Lillet, a young witch and new student at the Tower of Silver Star. Unfortunately, her fifth day of school is ruined after an evil wizard attacks, killing many in the process. After getting sent back to her first day, Lillet must train and learn as much as she can over the course of several five day loops to save her new home away from home. With different schools of magic to perfect, and different troops, or familiars, that come with them, there’s a nice variety in how you pick your battles. Plus, its visuals are the utmost whimsical.

“Minit” (2018)

On paper, a time loop of only a single minute might be a hard sell. How much can you really get done in sixty seconds? Well, if you’ve played this indie adventure, you know the answer is plenty. “Minit” has you take control of a weird little duck man who finds a magical sword that traps him in a short loop. The game is designed in a way where your progress can be just as quick as your time restriction. The short limit actually forces you to be creative with how you spend your time. With only one minute on the clock before you revert back to a save spot, and with naturally simplistic mechanics and visuals, you’ll find your brain able to focus on each task at hand.

“Returnal” (2021)

With their random nature and focus on restarting after a death, roguelikes are a great fit for a time loop narrative. “Returnal” follows astronaut Selene Vassos as she explores a mysterious planet. However, when something on the planet kills her, time restarts and she’s sent back to the moment she arrived. Sadly for her, that happens quite a lot for the average player because “Returnal” is a pretty hard game. The inhabitants of the planet Atropos are highly aggressive and fairly mighty. Combat is extremely fun, but also incredibly tense, as most enemies and bosses have varied attacks and patterns. Each one instills a desire in you to vanquish them so that Selene can finally make it out of the loop.

“Elsinore” (2019)

This one’s for all the Shakespeare fans in our audience. Golden Glitch’s point-and-click adventure game adapts the famous bard’s “Hamlet” and places players in the shoes of one of its main characters, Ophelia. Trapped in a four-day loop, Ophelia must find a way to prevent the ending of the play in which most of the characters die. While “Elsinore” can certainly be a bit slow, it has strong characterization and it’s a great way to retell this classic story. Plus, there’s a surprising variety in how its events can play out. Don’t think being familiar with the play will spoil things, as there are 13 different endings to reach.

“The Forgotten City” (2021)

Whisked away to the times of the Roman Empire, your time in “The Forgotten City” is a dangerous trip down history lane. Upon your character’s arrival, you learn the city is under careful watch by the Gods, who impose a strict ‘No Sinning’ policy. Whenever someone breaks it, the entire community is turned to gold forever. Luckily for you, you can restart your time there whenever this happens. Fantastical in nature, “The Forgotten City” is a captivating mystery at its core, having you piece together evidence to uncover the city’s doom. The loop structure is used to tremendous effect and only adds to the central mystery driving its plot.

“The Sexy Brutale” (2017)

Speaking of wonderful mysteries set inside a loop, “The Sexy Brutale” has plenty of intrigue and time-based shenanigans. It follows one guest of a masked party held inside a casino mansion, the remaining attendants of which are all murdered. Over the course of however many 12-hour loops it takes, you save each of them by following the enticing trails of breadcrumbs. Each saved life leads to new mechanics, items, or other forms of progression so that you can figure out who’s responsible for so much death. The alluring narrative grabs you, while the time loop helps it play out in interesting ways. That’s not to mention solid puzzles and a dark sense of humor.

“Deathloop” (2021)

2021 was the year of time loop games. In addition to “Returnal” and “The Forgotten City,” Bethesda and Arkane released the FPS, “Deathloop.” With eight high profile targets in need of assassinating, an island full of goons, and an unhinged assassin hunting you as well, players have their work cut out for them. If the eight targets are still alive at midnight, or if player character Colt dies, the loop restarts. Figuring out how to best spend your time and the proper order in which to accomplish your goals were great hurdles to overcome. Plus, we never tired of the FPS gameplay, nor its vibrant art style.

“In Stars and Time” (2023)

In this fantasy RPG, we play as Siffrin, a member of a classic adventuring party. But after the team enters the tower of an evil King in an attempt to thwart him, Siffrin is immediately killed and trapped inside a time loop. From there, it’s up to you to figure out how to make the best use of Siffrin’s one day. “In Stars and Time” utilizes a GameBoy aesthetic and a boatload of quirky characters, both of which are extremely charming. Though its simple mechanics and gameplay might not impress some, its characters, world, and writing, all of which make great use of Siffrin’s predicament, never fail to delight.

“Outer Wilds” (2019)

In Mobius Digital’s “Outer Wilds,” players begin as an adventurer in a small solar system that’s destroyed every twenty-two minutes when the Sun goes supernova. Only by continuously exploring the other planets and talking with its kooky NPCs can you uncover what’s happening so that you can try to make it out alive. The set up is enough to grab just about anybody. But with every collected piece of the puzzle, you only want to keep digging further. There are some great puzzles to wrap your brain around, and the strong art direction brings each planet to life. However, it’s the use of the twenty-two minute loop that’s most remarkable and leads to a surprisingly powerful ending.

“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)

Time loop stories are becoming common in modern games. But Nintendo showed how fantastic the format could be used back on the N64. The sequel to “Ocarina of Time” follows Link in Termina, a strange land that will be destroyed by the Skull Kid in three days’ time. In order to save it, Link must travel back to the beginning of the loop as many times as it takes. “Majora’s Mask” is usually praised for its deep emotional themes and unique, transformative mask system. However, the time loop is also used beautifully in tandem with its score of interesting NPCs, who all have stories and events that play out depending on the day and your actions. This introduced a level of freedom when interacting with its world that simply wasn’t commonplace at the time.

What game do you think made the best use of its time loop? Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos every day!