Ranking by genre

The best adventure games.

66 games compete in this selection. Journey tops it with 1,869 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Journey 2012 · Adventure 1,869
  2. 2 The Stanley Parable 2013 · Adventure 1,855
  3. 3 Detroit: Become Human 2018 · Adventure 1,810
  4. 4 Firewatch 2016 · Adventure 1,768
  5. 5 A Short Hike 2019 · Adventure 1,735
  6. 6 Life Is Strange 2015 · Adventure 1,718
  7. 7 Heavy Rain 2010 · Adventure 1,714
  8. 8 Shenmue 1999 · Adventure 1,697
  9. 9 Life Is Strange 2 2018 · Adventure 1,649
  10. 10 Oxenfree 2016 · Adventure 1,638
  11. 11 Tell Me Why 2020 · Adventure 1,603
  12. 12 Life is Strange: Before the Storm 2017 · Adventure 1,600
  13. 13 The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit 2018 · Adventure 1,592
  14. 14 Dear Esther: Landmark Edition 2016 · Adventure 1,580
  15. 15 Indigo Prophecy 2005 · Adventure 1,577
  16. 16 Beyond: Two Souls 2013 · Adventure 1,547
  17. 17 Sludge Life 2020 · Adventure 1,536
  18. 18 Life is Strange: True Colors 2021 · Adventure 1,533
  19. 19 Before Your Eyes 2021 · Adventure 1,525
  20. 20 Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered 2015 · Adventure 1,520
  21. 21 Shadow of the Colossus 2012 · Adventure 1,519
  22. 22 Gone Home 2013 · Adventure 1,513
  23. 23 Dear Esther 2012 · Adventure 1,503
  24. 24 Adios 2021 · Adventure 1,503
  25. 25 As Dusk Falls 2022 · Adventure 1,500
  26. 26 Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island 2018 · Adventure 1,489
  27. 27 The Beginner's Guide 2015 · Adventure 1,484
  28. 28 Open Roads 2024 · Adventure 1,484
  29. 29 Pineapple on Pizza 2023 · Adventure 1,482
  30. 30 Twin Mirror 2020 · Adventure 1,481
  31. 31 The Hex 2018 · Adventure 1,470
  32. 32 Late Shift 2016 · Adventure 1,469
  33. 33 Sword of the Sea 2025 · Adventure 1,466
  34. 34 Tacoma 2017 · Adventure 1,464
  35. 35 Hidden Agenda 2017 · Adventure 1,460
  36. 36 Keeper 2025 · Adventure 1,457
  37. 37 Life is Strange Remastered 2022 · Adventure 1,455
  38. 38 A Bird Story 2014 · Adventure 1,452
  39. 39 Sky: Children of the Light 2019 · Adventure 1,451
  40. 40 11-11: Memories Retold 2018 · Adventure 1,448
  41. 41 Alba: A Wildlife Adventure 2020 · Adventure 1,447
  42. 42 Lost Records: Bloom & Rage 2025 · Adventure 1,432
  43. 43 Everybody's Gone to the Rapture 2015 · Adventure 1,425
  44. 44 Proteus 2013 · Adventure 1,425
  45. 45 Afterparty 2019 · Adventure 1,423
  46. 46 Life is Strange: Double Exposure 2024 · Adventure 1,421
  47. 47 Last Stop 2021 · Adventure 1,419
  48. 48 Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist 2015 · Adventure 1,416
  49. 49 The First Tree 2017 · Adventure 1,404
  50. 50 The Plan 2013 · Adventure 1,400
  51. 51 Little Kitty, Big City 2024 · Adventure 1,398
  52. 52 Sable 2021 · Adventure 1,396
  53. 53 Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened 2023 · Adventure 1,394
  54. 54 King's Quest: Quest for the Crown 1984 · Adventure 1,392
  55. 55 Eastshade 2019 · Adventure 1,390
  56. 56 Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened 2007 · Adventure 1,389
  57. 57 Adventure 1980 · Adventure 1,387
  58. 58 Marie's Room 2018 · Adventure 1,373
  59. 59 Blackwood Crossing 2017 · Adventure 1,372
  60. 60 Endling: Extinction is Forever 2022 · Adventure 1,368
  61. 61 Impostor Factory 2021 · Adventure 1,368
  62. 62 Burly Men at Sea 2016 · Adventure 1,347
  63. 63 The Council 2018 · Adventure 1,343
  64. 64 Adr1ft 2016 · Adventure 1,340
  65. 65 Omikron: The Nomad Soul 1999 · Adventure 1,334
  66. 66 Mutazione 2019 · Adventure 1,293

Filter, combine and travel back in time in the full ranking

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In detail

The best adventure games, what this ranking says

Journey leads this selection with 1,869 ELO points, ahead of The Stanley Parable and Detroit: Become Human. The 66 games competing in it have played 9,087 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 66
Duels played by those games 9,087
Game in the lead Journey (2012)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,869
Point gap between 1st and 10th 231
Best represented decade 2010s
Last reading September 18, 2026

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 66 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition +75 1,580
Pineapple on Pizza +67 1,482
Sky: Children of the Light +48 1,451

The most contested match-ups

These pairs of games have faced each other more than any others in this selection.

The most contested match-ups
Wins Against Duels played Win rate
Firewatch Journey 5 80%
The Stanley Parable Journey 3 67%
Detroit: Become Human Heavy Rain 3 67%
The Stanley Parable Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island 3 67%
The Stanley Parable Firewatch 3 100%

How this ranking is established

No jury, no press score, no sales figures: two games face off, players vote, and every vote updates an ELO score. This page is a view of the world ranking, never a standing kept apart.

Understand the method in detail →

FAQ

What players ask

What is the best adventure game?

According to community votes, the best adventure game is Journey, with 1,869 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of The Stanley Parable and Detroit: Become Human, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many adventure games are ranked?

66 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 9,087 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which adventure game is climbing right now?

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 75 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 66 games in the selection moved.

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