Summary
Much like films and literature, video games have tackled the subject of a “Groundhog Day” style time loop.Deathloopis one such recent example. The game takes place in a time loop and has elements from famous games such asDishonoredandPrey.
RELATED:Zelda: Ocarina Of Time vs. Majora’s Mask – Which Game Is Better?
However, this upcoming game is far from the first to explore gameplay with time loop phenomena. There are plenty of games out there that have thoroughly investigated how to tell a fascinating story and make a compelling game where time keeps resetting. They range in genre, from horror to adventure-comedy, and vastly differentiate in mechanics. Some are famous, while others are a little more obscure.
Updated on July 03, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:Time loops are an interesting way to keep players engaged in a unique story, with the Groundhog Day style of repeating the same day over and over again while taking different actions to see what the possibilities can be. It can be a pretty challenging thing to pull off, but there have been many games that experimented with this form of a time loop to create an engaging gameplay loop. This list has been updated to include a few more of the besttime loop games.
1Bravely Default
A simple yet enjoyable JRPG thatfans can sink a lot of hours into,Bravely Defaultis a must-play title for fans of the genre that harkens back to the good old days of the genre while polishing most of its gameplay systems to a T.
The second half of this game focuses on a time loop where minor details for quests and the like change with each loop. While some people found this to be a bit too tedious for their own liking, there’s no denying that taking such a risk with the game’s narrative was a bold move that paid off for many.
2Loop Hero
Roguelikes and time loops are a match made in heaven, andLoop Herois one of the best candidates in this regard that fans of unique games should definitely check out. In this game, a lich has wiped out the entire world and trapped it in a time loop, forcing the player to use engaging deck-building mechanics topretty up the landscapes while fighting enemies along the way.
The art style is retro in all the best ways, and players will be pleasantly surprised by how incredible the soundtrack really is! Players who love a successful mishmash of genres will love whatLoop Herobrings to the table.
3The Zero Escape Series
The Zero Escapeseries is a trilogy of games that puts nine characters in incredibly stressful escape-room, death-game situations. Death is common but not permanent because the character’s consciousness time loops back to the beginning each time they die.
RELATED:The Best Horror Visual Novels According To VNDB
In terms of genre, the games are science fiction and horror. The gameplay is in choice and puzzles. Typical of a time-loop narrative, the story is far from linear and branches out based on different choices. The character learns from those choices and eventually can get the true ending. The games are alsodecently long for the horror genre.
4Raging Loop
Raging Loopis avisual novel, a game that is mostly read but tasks the player with choices to make. The story is about a man who ends up in a run-down village that is forced into a horrific ritual called the Feast of Yomi. The ritual is basically the party game, Werewolf, and the villagers try to hang a wolf among them every day while the wolves kill a villager at night.
The protagonist is trapped in a time loop of this ritual and has to find out why and how to break out of the loop.
5Elsinore
Elsinoreis Shakespeare’sHamletwithin a time loop story. The player takes the role of Ophelia, who has a vision of everyone in the castle dying. She relives the same four days over and over and uses this loop to find out how to prevent the tragedy ofHamletfrom occurring.
The indie game was released on Steam in 2019 and is a point-and-click adventure. The player has to use what they learn from each loop to try to change fate.
6Returnal
Returnalholds similarities withDeathloopin being a new game in the world of time-loop narratives. The story focuses on the protagonist, Selene, crash landing on an alien planet. Every time she dies on the planet, she loops back to the crash. Once she dies and is set on a new time loop, she loses most of her items but permanently gets to keep other things like keys, ether, and gadgets.
RELATED:Returnal: Tips For Surviving The Echoing Ruins Biome
Returnalfalls into thethird-person shootergenre. Being one of the more recent time-loop games, it garnered many fans and high-quality reviews from various publications such asGame InformerandGameSpot.
7The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Majora’s Maskis among one of the most famous games to use a time-loop narrative. Link has a time limit of three days before the loop resets. Part of what makes this time-loop story unique is that it plays out in real-time.
Three days of in-game time are about 54 minutes of real-time for the player. This mechanic does add a certain amount of stress on the player, as that means they sometimes need to rush to get certain quests done.
8Minit
Released on Steam in 2018,Minitis a time loop game with one of the shortest loops of all, each loop only being 60 seconds long. The adventure indie game is charming and short enough to beat in one sitting. The plot is about the protagonist finding a sword that turns out to be cursed. The curse makes it so they die and respawn in a loop of a single minute.
In terms of style, the game is pretty retro and light-hearted. In terms of reviews on Steam, they are very positive.
9GrimGrimoire
GrimGrimoireis on the older side, having been released back in 2007 for the PS2. The game is a real-time strategy sidescroller. The plot is basicallyHarry Pottermeets time-loop shenanigans. Players take the role of a trainee witch, Lillet, who is in a time-loop of five days. On the fifth day, teachers and students of her magic school are killed by an evil wizard seeking a philosopher’s stone.
RELATED:Forgotten Adventure Games You Need To Play
Throughout the loops, Lillet learns all she can about the secrets of the magic academy, her teachers, and her classmates so that she can find a way to stop the fifth-day tragedy.
10Randal’s Monday
Randal’s Mondayis a dark-comedypoint-and-click gameabout a man trapped in a loop of a single day. The protagonist is cursed by committing selfish actions and must set himself right to undo the curse that put him in the loop.
The game is littered with pop culture references, and fans love it for its adult humor. However, it also contains cons, such as difficult puzzles that require walkthroughs and possessing no auto-save feature.
