Time travel involves moving from different points in time. In video games, time travel can be as simple as rewinding gameplay or as complex as hopping across spacetime dimensions. Time travel is not limited to a single genre, and it is often manipulated in several ways.
Undoubtedly, people are fascinated with time travel. It has long been theorized that time travel is possible. Video games can transport players anywhere within the game’s universe, including the past and future. While some games use it as a simple mechanic for retrying a world, other time travel games travel deep down the theoretical wormhole.
The following games do a great job of doing justice by their time travel shenanigans, making for a great time as players either bend the flow of time to their needs or try and understand how the flow of time is affecting the story.
20 Outer Wilds
- Playable on:
- PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch
Outer Wilds is a pretty unique game that has been criminally overlooked by many fans. The game deals with a time loop where the Sun turns into a supernova in 22 minutes, prompting players to explore the world and figure out its secrets piece by piece.
The time loop mechanic of Outer Wilds makes each and every batch of exploration a joy to go through. Fans of great sci-fi narratives will have a great time piecing together the mystery of this game.
19 The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
- Playable on:
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, and Wii U
Majora’s Mask builds upon the amazing engine of Ocarina of Time which was just a legendary title in its own right. It placed Link in a darker world where the moon would crash into the Earth and end all life in three days.
This set up a perpetual cycle where players had to slowly get through the game while keeping this three-day limit in mind. It made for a great time, with Majora’s Mask being a fan favorite of many despite the game being in the shadow of its predecessor.
18 Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones
- Playable on:
- PlayStation 2, GameCube, PC, Xbox, Mobile, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, and Wii
The Sands of Time trilogy is where many fans think the Prince of Persia series peaked. The first game was a masterclass, with Warrior Within improving upon the combat system extensively despite the tone becoming a bit too mature and edgy for its own good.
The Two Thrones serves as a perfect middle ground between the approach Ubisoft took for the past two games in the series. The great combat innovations were kept intact while the overall vibe of the game was more in line with The Sands of Time. Of course, as is the case with most games in the series, The Two Thrones also let players mess around with time for their own benefit over the course of this journey.
17 Day Of The Tentacle
- Playable on:
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Mobile, and Xbox One
Day of the Tentacle is a beloved point-and-click adventure game that many fans still hold in high regard to this day. The remaster of this game ensures that players can enjoy what made this game special without being deterred by its old visuals.
Day of the Tentacle prioritizes time travel quite a bit, interacting with environments across different time periods. It makes for an innovative premise with the puzzle-solving using this mechanic heavily as well.
16 Deathloop
- Playable on:
- Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC
Deathloop is another gem from Arkane Studios, combining their expertise in developing immersive sims with the concept of a time loop. Players need to kill eight targets in a row in one time loop to essentially finish the game.
This is easier said than done, and players need to come to grips with the mechanics of the game over multiple loops before attempting this herculean feat. It’s a great gameplay loop, with the addition of Julianna making each journey through the loop a blast in its own right.
15 Back To The Future: The Game
Back to the Future is one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time that focuses on time travel. However, most people aren’t aware of the Back to the Future game released by Telltale that allows for a new chapter in this celebrated franchise.
Taking on the episodic format that was present in their adventure games, Back to the Future: The Game is a worthy addition to this celebrated franchise. The shenanigans that Morty and Doc Brown get up to over the course of this title are quite entertaining and make for a fun adventure title.
14 Braid
- Playable on:
- PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Braid is one of the most innovative and entertaining indie titles of all time. The game’s haunting story and excellent puzzle-solving mechanics make for an unforgettable experience that most people won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Rewinding time to figure out solutions to puzzles serves as the initial draw of the game, but it’s the story that hooks players over time. Players who want to believe that they’re the good guy in any video game will definitely be in for a rude awakening when they check out Braid.
13 Dishonored 2
- Playable on:
- PS4, Xbox One, PC
Arkane Studios has constantly been at the forefront of delivering spectacular immersive sim experiences. Dishonored 2 is no exception to this golden rule, with some people considering it to be superior to the critically-acclaimed first game.
The level where players need to roam around Stilton Manor is easily one of the best parts of the entire game. This is mainly due to the innovative time travel mechanics present in this level that allow players to shift from the past to the present at a moment’s notice.
12 EarthBound
- Playable on:
- SNES, Game Boy Advance
The SNES was home to some of the most iconic games of all time. One such game was EarthBound, which has carved its way into the hearts of several gamers due to its amazing charm and imaginative gameplay.
The game starts off with a time traveler from the future who warns Ness about an impending apocalypse. Finally, near the end of the game, the party travels back in time so that they can fight the antagonist — Giygas — where he’s at his most vulnerable.
11 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
- Playable on:
- Nintendo DS, Mobile
Ghost Trick is easily one of the most underrated games ever made. The brainchild of the Ace Attorney series — Shu Takumi — was at the helm of this innovative mystery title that went under most people’s radar upon release.
It’s a shame, since Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is one of the most imaginative titles that uses the concept of time travel to great effect. Players need to prevent untimely murders by manipulating events as ghosts a few seconds prior to the time of death. Succeeding in doing so allows the player to alter the flow of time and help the story move smoothly.
10 Blinx: The Time Sweeper
- Playable on:
- Xbox
Released as an exclusive for the original Xbox, Blinx: The Time Sweeper is based on an anthropomorphic cat that can influence time in many ways. With the ability to speed up time, slow time down, stop time, and reverse events, time travel is an integral part of the game.
It was once suggested that Blinx would be Xbox’s mascot. Due to not receiving as much popularity as other figures like Master Chief, Blinx was ultimately sidelined. That doesn’t mean that Blinx: The Time Sweeper isn’t a fantastic game with immense replay value.
9 Quantum Break
- Playable on:
- Xbox One, PC
From Remedy Entertainment comes an explosive action-adventure game out of science fiction. Quantum Break was released on PC and Xbox One in 2016. Initially, it would be a sequel to Alan Wake until the focus shifted to time travel.
The game uses a unique Remedy engine to render graphics. Quantum Break was the best-selling game published by Microsoft for a period of the last generation. Powers like “Time Vision” and “Time Echoes” make this an all-around excellent time travel game.
8 TimeSplitters 2
- Playable on:
- PS2, Xbox, GameCube
First-person shooters of the late ’90s and early 2000s had a unique style that resonated with players. Some of the developers from GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64 were on the TimeSplitters 2 team. Like GoldenEye 007, TimeSplitters 2 contains numerous playable characters, a story mode, and multiplayer modes.
Nowadays, first-person shooters are vibrantly detailed, but few have tackled time travel as well as TimeSplitters 2. Undoubtedly, fans would be thrown for a loop if a TimeSplitters 2 remake happens.
7 Life Is Strange
- Playable on:
- PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, PC
The graphic adventure genre has never been more popular. With the release of Telltale’s The Walking Dead and Batman: Enemy Within, the genre still shows much promise.
Life Is Strange’s episodic adventure was created by Square Enix, a relative newcomer for episodic adventure games. However, time travel is a recurring theme in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy games, explaining why it worked so seamlessly in Life is Strange.
6 BioShock Infinite
- Playable on:
- PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Time travel in BioShock Infinite takes you to parallel universes. “There is always a lighthouse, there’s always a man, there’s always a city.” The understanding that different universes are connected and that actions matter is omnipresent throughout BioShock Infinite.
Characters can travel through time using Tears, rips in time. Only the Lutece twins and Elizabeth can create Tears, but these time-alternating portals influence all of the game’s characters.
5 Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
- Playable on:
- Nintendo 3DS
The Radiant Historia game series is filled will time-traveling adventures that never cease to surprise. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology improves on the original, even if some consider it a lackluster re-release. It was originally a Nintendo DS game before making its way to the Nintendo 3DS.
This story has many time travel elements that are nostalgically appealing, as well as fun for newcomers. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is a rinse and repeat type of game that lets you time travel to find the right outcome.
4 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
- Playable on:
- PS2, GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, PC
Before Ubisoft was involved in the highly acclaimed Assassin’s Creed series, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time was the developer’s go-to time travel game. The Prince can get through the game by rewinding and slowing time. You don’t travel to different eras, but the dagger does have time-traveling properties.
Ubisoft is developing a Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake. Scheduled to release soon, a remake could re-introduce the franchise. The gameplay has hardly aged, which is why a remake is long overdue.
3 Assassin’s Creed Series
The Assassin’s Creed series is about revisiting memories of ancestors that are stored in DNA. For the player, this equates to traveling in time to different periods. We see places like The Holy Land in the 1100s, New York in the 1700s, and Ancient Egypt BC.
Each game is a different time-traveling adventure, yet the Animus is by no means a time-traveling machine. It is merely used to read the DNA code that was stored previously.
2 Chrono Trigger
- Playable on:
- SNES, PS, Nintendo DS, Mobile, PC
Chrono Trigger gets down to the complexities of hyperdimensional time distortion. In other words, time travel is not easy to understand in Chrono Trigger. Using Gates, players can travel to the past and any other time, including the Middle Ages, present, Apocalypse, and the Future.
Initially released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System,Chrono Trigger isn’t easy to follow; however, the story is possibly more profound than any other time travel game.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
- Playable on:
- Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii
Time travel is a common theme throughout The Legend of Zelda series, but The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the earliest game to incorporate time travel. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Time appears on lists as the greatest game because of its masterful storytelling.
After finding the three Spiritual Stones and playing the “Song of Time,” Link can grab the Master Sword. Of course, Link is too young to wield such a robust weapon, which is why he has to wait seven years in the Sacred Realm. After becoming an adult, Link can become a child again by putting the Master Sword back in the Pedestal of Time.
More: Mistakes Everyone Makes On Their First Playthrough Of Ocarina Of Time
