Top 10 Video Games That Encourage Multiple Playthroughs

The war for the Lylat system gives you multiple ways to achieve your goal of reaching the Planet Venom. Most of the levels in the game has a certain requirement that if met; you’ll be able to unlock a harder route on your way to the end, these can be as simple as beating a boss within a certain time, to finding hidden warp gates. Furthermore, characters you meet in certain worlds will follow you to the next stage allowing you to find secrets you might not know of. And for pro’s out there, every stage has a score target, that if met rewards you with a medal, which can be used to unlock the insane expert mode.

From the get-go this game lets you know that for every choice you make, there’s always an alternative. As such, this triple-A title has a lot to offer even after the surprise twist has been revealed. Of course the main reason to replay stems from how many of the characters you managed to keep alive. A second playthough will have you questioning your every decision as you try to ensure none of the protagonists become Wendigo fodder. Or it could be you hate them and want to see all the horrible ways they can die. Telltale’s The Walking Dead follows the same formula, but due to its standalone nature this homage to classic horror tropes trumps it!

The best part of Bethesda’s vast open worlds is that it’s so easy to lose yourself in side-quests without even venturing towards the game’s main storyline. Skyrim is a testament to that, but aside from choosing the Stormcloaks or Imperial Legion, there’s not much differentiation a second time round. The same can’t be said for this journey thorough post-apocalyptic America, where your loyalty to one of four factions dictates who you come into conflict with and which missions you’ll end up taking on. Whatever your personal feeling on Synths are during your firstplaythrough, the temptation to join the other intuitions will be too much to resist to just settle for just one ending.

Undoubtedly the most expansive and investing instalment of this dark fantasy trilogy, there’s enough content still brimming in the Northern Kingdoms to ensure that we won’t be saying goodbye to the White Wolf just yet. Even disregarding the highly detailed DLCs that adds new layers to Geralt’s adventures, the multiple endings and branching paths that may or may not end in the death of your companions will have players eagerly returning to combat the Wild Hunt a second time. Also, let’s be honest, after making the impossible decision of choosing either Triss or Yennefer, you were dying to head back to the start to romance the other – or try your best not to screw it up if that’s what happened to you!

If assassination is an art, then this entry in the Hitman franchise is most definitely its canvas. Despite having an intriguing narrative, the most thrilling aspect by far was the variety in which you could dispatch you opponents. The non-linear approach and sheer number of ways you could take out your targets practically demands replay-ability. Even if you’re not one for finding new and inventive ways of killing off your contracts, the challenge of flawlessly executing the mission and earning the rank of Silent Assassin is too delicious a thrill to pass up.

This critically acclaimed sequel made everything bigger and bolder; the setting, the characters, the horror, and yes, even the replay value. Here players can assume the roles of both Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they battle their way through Racoon City in the middle of a zombie outbreak. Depending on your choice of character and end-of-level ranking; various items, miniganes, weapons and costumes could be unlocked. Needless to say that back in the late nighties this was more than enough of a reason to lock and load and take on the horrors of the T-Virus for a second run-through.

Do you want to have a bad time? Well there’s no chance of that while traversing through the underground in the indie hit that literally broke so many fourth walls it redefined the genre. Should you take the path of the pacifist, there’s little chance you’d be able to earn yourself the true ending on your first run, so you’ll find yourself compelled to play again to earn yours and every monsters’ happy ending. Should you take the genocide route, prepare yourself as the game will remember every visceral action you take, so don’t think you can suddenly escape without consequences. Whatever you did the first time around, the game will remember your actions the next time – so choose wisely.

Think you can cultivate, explore and expand the span of an entire nation in one play-through? Not a chance! The highly successful 4X turn-based strategy demands that players take control of their own civilisation and lead them through a thousand years of development. Victory conditions vary on a number of factors, ranging from diplomacy, research, economic growth and military conquest, not to mention your approach to other nations, which can either be handled peacefully or through violence. With various ethnicities to choose to build your empire from, as well as how your people conduct themselves in regards to rival groups, the amassing of a single civilisation barely scratches the surface of this game.

Roguelikes in more recent years have started to see a revival on the indie scene, and while we did consider FTL: Faster Than Light, the features of the Binding of Issac easily overshadowed it: Procedurally generated dungeons, permadeath, thousands of different stat modifiers to find, all of it is a winning format. Everytime you play through the game, you’ll unlock new areas, bosses and Dungeon themes to experience on your next encounter, and with multiple final bosses and endings to discover, There’s always a reason to go back into Issac’s basement.

Before we reveal our number one pick, here are few honourable mentions.
“Dark Souls III” (2016)
“Super Metroid” (1994)

“XCOM: Enemy Unknown” (2012)

What Bioware started with Knights of the Old Republic they perfected in their epic sci-fi trilogy. From the first game onwards your choices as Commander Shepard, whether they be Paragon or Renegade, hold the fate of all life in the galaxy, especially in regards as to who lives and who dies among your crew – and as you probably know by now, you can bring your data over from one game to the next. Aside from your moral compass, your choice of romance options and whether you go FemShep or Male offers a completely new experience should you reload the game and take up command of the Normandy a second time. Whether you’re the ultimate hero, ultimate badass or something inbetween, the universe this series creates definitely requires more than one playthrough.

Do you agree with our list? What video game do you think encourages multiple playthroughs? With new top tens published everyday, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com!