Video games often struggle with storytelling aspect of interactive medium, which doesn't mean there aren't some incredible stories told in them. This list contains games which i consider to be most thoughtful, intelligent, elegantly told and narratively effective.

Which means that not every game with a cool story ends up on this list. Kojima's games, for example, are story-rich and full of clever ideas, but not particularly clever (or comprehensive) at telling them, often being blunt in their exposition and clunky about unpacking their own concepts. So I won't include them no matter how much I love them. Then there are RPGs, which are usually fragmented, bloated with side activities and too mechanically saturated to deliver a singular vision of a narrative. Although such games normally have a main quest (which, frankly, most of the time is the lamest storyline present) I consider games like these to be games with stories in them, rather than story games. That disqualifies my beloved KotOR games, Witcher 3 and whatever is your favorite RPG with a cool story. Non-story "lore-city" action games lacking in dedicated narrative direction, such as From Software games, are excluded as well. A story is something dynamically unfolding, not experienced through bits and pieces of flavour text.

Another thing to point out, is that a game can have wordless narrative, or ludo-narrative as they say. A minimalist approach to storytelling that depends more on the very instance of interaction and/or act of seeing. As long as the story is told in a relatively clear, focused, interesting (maybe even unique) and effective manner, it's good to go on this list. These are the BEST, not MOST TRADITIONAL narratives.

And finally, the basest and importantest qualifier. The games must have story as a main (or equal to gameplay) driving force. The actual mechanics of the game, however complex, polished and wonderful they may be, must exist in service of the story being told.