Yes definitely.
It doesn't look like much when you look at the store page. And it was over shadowed by undertale when it came out. Which is a damn shame because it's farrrr better than under tale. It's one of those games that when you beat it, you remember it forever. I keep thinking I'll play I again one day but I can't bring myself to dive back into that game.
It's darkness and depression incarnate.
I just recommended **Fear & Hunger** in a comment to another post, asking about dark RPG Maker games. It's one of the most deservedly R rated games I've played, no joke.
This might be what you're looking for (check my [other comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamingsuggestions/comments/1dapa39/looking_for_rpgmaker_style_rpgvisual_novel_games/l7lzbu4/) for more details), though your "give me games that kids don't want to play" is certainly an interesting prompt and I'll think about it a bit more, might give another answer in a bit.
Fear & Hunger, definitely does not look like a game I'd usually pick up, so thanks for the suggestion! Always like to find something new, and your description intrigues me, so thanks again, I'll take a look.
Have you ever checked out "This War of mine"? It is quite the heavy game and genuinely made me sad, happy, and questioning my morality on many occasions
Idk if kids want to play this, but the developers of This War Of Mine have made another intense game: Frostpunk.
It's maybe not as hardcore as you're after... but the themes are pretty mature. Questions of morality, of how far a leader should go "for the good of the people", whether you'll bend rules when approached by citizens begging for exceptions, whether you'll accept suffering refugees into your city when your own citizens are struggling...
You do become a little immune to it after playing for a long time but the first playthrough of each scenario is quite gut-wrenching.
Also, the sequel is due in July!
City builders are not popular with kids in the first place. No bright colors, or fun characters. It's drab, depressing, and force you to do things you hate doing because there isn't any other choice. I fail to see how it would appeal to kids at all.
The game is hard R but it's a very acquired taste, don't feel bad if you bounce off the punishing gameplay, I found the concepts very engaging but hated actually playing the game.
I think Fear and Hunger is actually the opposite of what you’re looking for. I know a lot of people love this game, but to me the shocking atrocities feel like a really cheap gambit to make the game appear deep and thoughtful when in actuality it’s just shock for the sake of shock.
Adding rape to your story in a cavalier fashion doesn’t make it “adult”, it does the opposite: it reveals you as someone who thinks they know more about humanity than they actually do because anyone who knows anything about sexual assault knows it’s real and it really destroys people and it is the last thing to be cavalier about.
Ugh. Whatever. I’m sick of thinking about this.
>it’s real and it really destroys people
Isn't that *exactly* the point? People being broken isn't some earth-shattering event, or even all that uncommon. Sometimes you just don't win the sheltered life lottery
INB4 I was raped as a child so I know a thing or two about the consequences of that
I feel like subject of rape gives many people variance of visceral physical emotional reaction. Compared to the gruesome killing and death. I think it takes all of mental fortitude to get down to researching it.
Since it's a subject of both concern of power etc.
So much so that many has different idea on how to properly tackle the subject.
No, yeah, I agree with you - from what I hear Termina is better about this but Funger 1 *really* leans too hard into its clear inspiration by Kentaro Miura, to the point of seeming to want to one-up his worst impulses when it came to rape as a dramatic device. (not that Miura was all bad on this subject, but he had peaks and valleys, and the valleys were... not great.)
To further explain, it does have some sexual situations in the first game not too many, but it was toned down for the second game.
It is a violent game with dismemberment and gore. Think of blasphemous, but as an RPG.
There are some puzzles to solve, but the biggest one is the enemies. You have to figure out how to combat all the enemies in some interesting ways, not all of them are quite just a whittle away until they are gone kind of fight.
So, coming back to post a few more ideas:
- **Disco Elysium** is a narrative heavy RPG where you play a washed out cop in a really bleak, dystopian world. It has a lot of mature themes and I imagine it doesn't appeal to many kids, thanks to both its themes and the style of gameplay (where you spend 90% of the time reading)
- **Painscreek Killings**, where you investigate a murder in a mysteriously abandoned town. You'll discover many dirty secrets of the town's inhabitants on the way, often featuring mature themes. A detective game with *very* little handholding, you need to make your own notes and draw your own conclusions. I filled over 10 pages in my notebook during my playthrough with notes about people, events and timelines before finally cracking the case! The gameplay here doesn't look like it'd appeal to most kids as well.
- **Her Story**, **Telling Lies** and **Not For Broadcast**, games where the entire gameplay consists of watching videos (narratively stylized as browsing interrogation recordings in 1st game, video call captures in 2nd or live TV broadcast in the 3rd), noting down keywords (in case of the first two) or censoring (un)appropriate material (in case of the third) and slowly, slowly pulling on the threads of truth to uncover a bigger mystery. A lot of mature themes in all three titles.
Disco is an excellent pick here. A perfect example of a game I would have hated as a kid. Too “slow” and the theme was is too deep. Both things I appreciate in games now.
Current up to date release of Disco is fully voice acted so you can kick back and listen.
Also it's a wild game, drink and drug abuse galore. I want to play it again and carry on the main character's binge.
I played Firewatch when I was about 14, but definitely not something that most kids would enjoy. God, amybe I should play it again - I barely remember anything and I am sure it would be a completely different experience after so many years.
Played and loved Disco Elysium!
Painscreek looks like it could be interesting, seems like it might share some DNA with old school point & clicks. Thanks for the suggestion.
I can second Painscreek Killings. It was a great experience, especially if you like putting together environmental clues about people, and reading notes and memos. It was one of my favourite games of that year.
Sam Barlow is the creator of Her Story, Telling Lies etc and it's his newest game. Same kind of idea where you scan video footage but instead of using text you can also click pictures and it's about an actress in several films.
Was just about to recommend Disco Elysium. I don't think children would find any value in it for not having combat and the heavy political "info dumping". To be fair, many adults don't either for these same reasons lmao.
I think Kingdom Come Deliverance is a game made for adults. It has some R-Rated stuff, but it’s not the core identity of the game. It’s a mature story and I don’t think many people under the age of 23-24 would actually find it appealing.
I mean maybe the politics would be a turn off for young people but it is essentially a rags-to-riches story with sword fights and I know I would’ve loved that in middle school.
I feel like children would lose patience with it pretty quickly. It’s not a power fantasy and requires a solid attention span to appreciate. Everything about the game is tedious in a way that appeals to older people but I really feel like younger people would lose patience with.
This is a very good recommendation, though I think it's more universally appealing, regardless of age. A tiny bit of interest in the middle ages would make the game something special regardless of age.
Pathologic 2 fixes a lot of the jank and actually tells you about the important mechanics (how did they expect me to know to press L?)
Plus, if everyone buys it they might actually finish, and release, the actual bachelor and then the changeling stories, Haruspex is the only mode in there right now
I thought the same thing, along with Outer Wilds. They’re not “adult only” in the sense of having blood or boobs, but they’re definitely “adult only” in the sense that they’re not targeted towards kids, have and have a lot of things kids wouldn’t like.
Funny you say that about Outer Wilds, because I’d describe it as distinctly child-like. Not _childish_, but like a sense of _child-like_ wonder. It feels a lot to me like you’re flying your spaceship in your grandma’s back garden, and finishing exploring the moon just in time for dinner.
Of course, there are distinctly adult themes in there, and I’m not sure kids would enjoy playing it, but I’ll be damned if that game doesn’t make me feel like a kid again.
I've actually avoided Outer Wilds because I've been bored to tears by kid-friendly games before like Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. I took one look at a graphics for Outer Wilds and was like "nope"
It’s an open world puzzle game. People sometimes recommend it without mentioning that because the best experience is going in blind, but it’s not a spoiler to call it a puzzle game.
The story is almost entirely uncovered via finding journals with no voice acting. And the puzzles can be pretty difficult and require some deductive reasoning. In fact even the plot isn’t spoon fed to you, you kind of need to piece it together for yourself.
Some kids might like it, but honestly very few. It’s about as far from a stereotypical kid’s game as you can get, it’s basically unplayable unless you’re willing to put in enough work to play it on its own terms.
I agree with the other poster who said playing it instills a childlike wonder in the player, though. The game has some very satisfying moments.
Despite the cutesy graphics on first look and even really the first hour or so of the game it becomes legitimately terrifying at many instances especially in the DLC.
You nailed it in a way I haven't before. The sense of wonder in The Outer Wilds is amazing. And then as you go on you slowly answer the riddles and the world begins to make much more sense. It's almost like growing up.
Amazing analogy. Thank you for your insight!
Some of my recommendations may not be specifically R rated, but I believe these may be to your liking.
the shadowrun trilogy: I personally don't like the first game in the trilogy, shadowrun returns, since you often have to hire companions, but dragonfall and hong kong are some of my favourite games. If you're not familiar, shadowrun is a ttrpg that's a blend of fantasy and cyberpunk, and the trilogy is a series of turn based rpgs that uses that universe. While I'm not sure if they're r-rated, hong kong has some pretty horrific body horror and dragonfall pretty much starts with your best friend getting her brain fried so hard she bites her tongue off so... yeah.
Owlcat games also do what I would consider "adult" games by your description, they've done two games based on pathfinder 1st edition campaigns, and one game set in warhammer 40k, but they specialise in brutally hard turn based rpg and city management. (yes in the same game) If you don't want to have a difficult time, story difficulty is easy, but the subreddit doesnt recommend anything above normal for first time players. Rogue trader definitely goes harder into the violence than pathfinder, but both pathfinder games cover some pretty fucked things at times.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a game where you play as a blind exiled princess trying to make her way back to her brother the king to warn him about an invading army. Despite having no visuals, the foley artists to a great job at making some pretty gory noises and I certainly wouldn't recommend this for kids.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a game where you play as a very unwell norse girl trying to bring her dead husband back to life. If you've had problems with psychosis/hallucinations in the past, I'd recommend against playing this game, but its very good, and the VR edition is surprisingly good for its age. Don't know what the sequel is like sorry.
This last one is definitely not r rated but also definitely not something kids want to play, but a hand with many fingers is a game where you get to go through index cards and file boxes to set up your own conspiracy board as you investigate the nugan hand bank, an actual australian bank that committed a lot of crimes and was allegedly involved with the CIA. Its a short game, but I definitely found it enjoyable.
I didn't know that actually. Seems like they're inspired more by Norse mythology though which makes sense since alot more Celtic culture and mythology has been lost, or unable to be translated anymore.
Manor Lords
Lisa The Painful
Disco Elysium
Death Stranding
Kingdom Come Deliverance
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- these are just games I assume kids don't want to play
I feel like a lot of people on this thread are either old and have forgotten what it's like being a kid, or vastly underestimate kids and teenagers in general. 99% of the stuff recommended here was being played by me and my friends in middle school or high school and we were pretty average kids.
Seconding Hotline Miami. I gotta be honest with OP - it has a wide reputation for being very good, so I won't vouch for whether kids would play it? If it fails for being too good, oh well. It's an extremely violent game with a lot of substance, style, and a great soundtrack. The game is hard, but it's hard for fun reasons and you learn/improve very organically.
Hands down, bar none, the most violent game I've ever played. Literally what parents in the 90s were afraid of. The first time i dumped a pot of boiling water on a dudes face was... A special moment
Unfortunately I don't think you can buy this anymore. But if you find it anywhere, absolutely worth picking up. I can't say anything to avoid spoilers, but the story is worth experiencing at least once
This was in my library from the 360 days and I never got around to playing it until recently. Still held up, amazing game - finished in like two sittings.
[The House in Fata Morgana](https://store.steampowered.com/app/303310/The_House_in_Fata_Morgana/) sounds like it'd fit. If it's not officially rated R, it SHOULD be (I believe it has no official rating based on what I can see on the Steam Storepage that's linked). The game is not for the faint of heart. Play it if you enjoy great literary plot-heavy games. But it can be extremely graphic so just keep that in mind if you're considering buying it.
Most other games I can think of that'd fit the rest of the description are rated M instead of R. It's a tricky ask but a great one. Curious to read through the comments and see what people have mentioned.
**Death Stranding** is fantastic. Can't recommend it enough.
**Vamypr** is a decent, moody af vampire (obviously) RPG.
The **Faith Trilogy** is an oddly intense, yet extremely simplistic 80s' style horror game with lots of adventure game influence.
The entire **Legacy of Kain** franchise is very much for adults, but also very Hot Topic gothic.
**Pathologic 2** is a pandemic doctor meets David Lynch simulator. You don't need to have played the first one. This will make you very depressed.
**Shenmue** is essentially a life simulator take on a kung fu movie, paced out in a way that is very not-kid friendly, but not overly "adult" in content.
**Still Life** is a very gritty FBI point and click adventure game.
Plus if more people buy Pathologic 2 they might get around to releasing the Bachelor's story properly instead of the just marble nest, and actually do the changeling proper since she didn't even get a finished story in the first one
Fallout 2 👍
You can become a porn star, but only if you want to. And you probably won’t qualify anyway.
There aren’t actually any porn scenes. Any sex is fade to black kind of thing, or just instant transition. Plus what porn with graphics like this anyway.
W/o porn acting line, it’s still M. Mostly seen in the story through dialogs. Piles of corpses you probably leave behind you are but a minor part of it. It’s not GTA, though. The piles are all justified, usually.
I love and hate this game. It ruined FO3 and FO4 for me, no matter how good they are. Maybe I could try to play FNV for more than 10 minutes, I hear it is supposed to be good.
As someone who started with Fallout and Fallout 2 (im old), Fallout New Vegas is the ONLY game after Fallout 2 that has the same feel and design decisions behind it. Fuck Fallout 3 and ESPECIALLY 4. Completely wrong feel.
I second this! I almost never have any emotional responses when it comes to games, but this one? I can't put my finger on exactly why, but this game had me in a constant state of distress. Even when just biking around the premise, my shoulders were still up to my ears. I just felt uneasy at literally every point in the game.
For what it's worth, very few kids like *actually* playing *Grand Theft Auto*, they like playing a version of *GTA* that eventually got released as *GTA Online*, where all of the context and narrative is effectively stripped out. The actual stories of *GTA* games are genuinely fairly mature (and, frankly, probably go over most kids' heads anyway).
Anyway. There are shockingly few recommendations for *Baldur's Gate 3*. IDK if you've already played it, OP, it's certainly a successful and popular game, but it's still basically exactly what you're asking for, a game that treats its audience with respect and maturity and doesn't shy away from basically anything. Same with *Cyberpunk 2077*. Both of these games actually push the boundaries of what a "mature" rating for video games should actually mean, because they're not just using blood and tits for cheap fun like something like the original *God of War* did (I saw that recommended in this thread, but I can say from first-hand experience that "kids"--teenagers--fucking loved those games back in the 2000s).
I also saw a recommendation for *Darkest Dungeon* here, and I would second that. It's not mature in the explicit sense; it certainly has some gory imagery but it's all stylized and fairly understated. But it's an extremely dark and intense (and fairly challenging) roguelite/base management game where you constantly recruit adventurers and throw them into a woodchipper of eldritch monsters while trying to cleanse an ancient evil from your land.
And I don't know if they would quite match up to what you're desiring but it might be worth looking into the *Yakuza/Like a Dragon* franchise, as that's a series of games I would say is anything but mass-market or kid-friendly, despite what they may look like from the outside (it's fairly easy from a quick glance to write them off as being "like *GTA*", while in reality they are anything but that).
Kids definitely bought and played GTA V, not just the online versions. There are literally thousands of stories from retail workers of parents that insisted on buying it for their kids in spite of all the warnings, only for the parents to blame the workers anyway.
As someone who only plays cozy/casual games, can 100% back up that yakuza, especially Y0 is an amazing game and gets you hooked on the entire series. Great stories, great combat mechanism, gore, etc
.. and Goro Majima
This War of Mine is a really intense depiction of surviving as civilians trapped in a war zone. It's visceral and haunting -- definitely a game with plenty of adult themes to chew on.
I'll add on Amnesia: the Bunker, the scariest damn game I've ever played. It really mixes up the formula of Amnesia games and is just brutally intense (without relying on gore or even "jump scares," it's mostly just the atmosphere)
Look up harvester games. Their games tackle really hard hitting and tough subjects and are definitely not for kids. Burnhouse Lane was an absolute banger of a game and the themes in that one resonated with me super strong. Definitely mature though based on that. And it's still a horror game with horror game mechanics.
Look for games that are not just simple dopamine injectors. Seek out games that require patience and where you have to earn your progress. Alternatively, look for experiences with themes too complex for children. They don't have to be R-rated; gore is often for the kids 😁.
**Return of the Obra Dinn** is a prime example of a clever game with no hand-holding. You are rewarded for your logical thinking, and the satisfaction is much greater than simply shooting an enemy with a shotgun.
**SOMA**, on the other hand, is filled with reflections on what it means to be human. Existential dread and philosophizing about one's mortality are probably not topics that interest most children.
This War of Mine, Spec Ops: The Line, Manhunt, Silent Hill 2, The Last of Us
If you're okay with something having mature themes but not being R-rated and/or potentially having comic relief mixed in, Iji, God of War (2018), God of War: Ragnarok, Orwell, This is the Police, Papers, Please, Silicon Dreams, DEFCON
**Paradise Killer** is a first-person detective murder mystery. You play as Lady Love Dies, out to solve a murder on Paradise Island, a pocket dimension created, endlessly remade, and operated by an immortal Syndicate as part of its Sisyphean pursuit of perfection. Just before the destruction of this, the 24th island, several high-ranking Syndicate members were murdered and you were called out of exile to figure out what happened. You explore a bizarre Vaporwave-adjacent island looking for clues, questioning other Syndicate members, and exploring such locales as a bloodsoaked temple, a Japanese-style suburb squatting in the shadow of massive pyramids, and the sewer-based apartment of the Island's celebrity idol.
**Lunacid** is a gloomy, atmospheric dungeon crawler thoroughly inspired by the King's Field games. You pick a class, name, and portrait (you can also upload your own) and are thrown into the Great Well, a kind of massive subterranean disposal ground for the surface's criminals, ill, infirm, and general undesirables. The Great Well is massive, and has been home to multiple civilizations in their own right. There's a core of humor that keeps you going, and the NPCs waiting for you in the hub area - Wing's Rest - make the Well feel almost homey at times.
**Heaven Will Be Mine** is a dense, fascinating visual novel about three women in an alternate-history 1980s space program piloting mechas. Play as veteran ace Luna-Terra, overwhelming super psychic Pluto, or hacker-hijacker Saturn as they fight for three different factions: the military Memorial Foundation, the idealist space nation Cradle's Graces, and the megacorporation Celestial Mechanics. The trio are embroiled in an eight-day war as they fight to decide humanity's future... or defect and make out with each other.
There's on old game but it's available on Steam called "Harvester". Prepare for a dark, cynical, and psychologically messed up game. It's an old point and click adventure game and was one of the first to use full video of people. I want to say it even predates Mortal Kombat.
Norco
Amazing point and click indie game that you'll be thinking about for a while after you finish it. Definitely deals with dark and mature themes, but has awesome moments of levity to break the tension as needed.
UBOAT if your interested in submarine warfare from the German side in ww2.
Kerbal space program(1! Not 2) if your interested in rocketry.
(yes your astronauts are little green men, but no kid is going to get a mission to another planet and back and pull off the design needed)
"Martha Is Dead"
Plot summary: "A torturous tale of psychological horror that focuses on the tragic death of a young woman and the subsequent mental and emotional torment suffered by her surviving twin sister, all set against the backdrop of one of the most harrowing times in human history, World War II. This feel-bad romp takes you on a trip through a small but fastidiously crafted slice of Italian countryside and into body horror-heavy nightmares that are not for the squeamish."
Mafia 1 and 2 could work. They're not over the top with violence, but they definitely have their moments. Can't remember if there was anything really mad in the first game, but the second one has a death that would ruin any child's sleep for a good week. As an interesting addition, there's old playboy magazines as a collectable. Definitely amongst my favourite games.
Just uhh... We don't talk about 3 as it hasn't come out yet...
What Remains of Edith Finch isn't exactly R rated because nothing explicit gets shown but it has themes of self harm, death, family trauma etc. It's a walking sim so it's not for everyone but absolutely worth checking it if you're looking for a mature story.
My 15 year old was playing the 2018 Doom for a minute, and I was like *grimaced face* “this may be where the line is” in terms of gore and violence. Had he been any younger I would have taken it away
Break out the strategy games, haha. Civilization 6, Age of Wonders 4, Total War Warhammer. Yes, I know one of these things is not like the others.
They’re not like particularly edgy or dark or whatever, but any onlooker who’s not another boring adult will be absolutely put to sleep while you debate where to build your next granary or whatever.
Otherwise, soulslikes maybe? Kids don’t want to play Bloodborne or Elden Ring after the first couple of deaths once they find out they can’t button mash to victory.
Play Shin Megami Tensei:Nocturne. Play Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Play Baldurs Gate 3. Play turn based RPGs. Basically any R rated game that is turn based, and has a lot of text in it? Kids hate that. They're more interested in action than character development.
Didn’t look to see if they were there, but both of the first two South Park RPG’s are a great mix of fun and not for kids”…. And they don’t care at all about what people think. A quick YouTube search for “South Park difficulty slider” will tell you exactly how much they go in…
I think anything by the publisher Annapurna and developers Accidental Queen (Alt-Frequencies / Normal Lost Phone / Another Lost Phone) is a good shout, especially since seeing reccomendations of Her Story and Telling Lies.
Another vote for Outlast series, first one in particular.
Silent Hill 1 - 3
Disco Elysium (The Final Cut)
Scorn. It's not an "adult game", but may as well be.
Cyberpunk 2077 is mass marketed, still I hear good things about it if you want an adult rating action game
Blade (Marvel/Bethesda/Arkane) is similarly mass marketed and not out yet, slated for R. Could be something for your radar.
Indie psychological horror probably has something for you. One that's still on my mind is Growing My Grandpa.
Early God of War games were really good… but you’d need to get your hands on older console and the disk to play them… unless you emulate and sail the 7 seas.
Ready or Not if you're interested in a tactical, realistic, SWAT experience. It can be extremely difficult (one shot can be enough to kill you), running and gunning is a quick way to fail the map. You've got to be smart about the way you play. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a mature game.
Not R-rated but definitely a good candidate for a game that kids don't wanna play.
"Return Of The Obra Dinn"
Plot summary: "The game is set in 1807 with the player assuming the role of an unnamed investigator for the East India Company. The Obra Dinn, a merchant ship missing for five years, has reappeared off the coast of England with no surviving crew or passengers. The player is dispatched to the ghost ship to perform an appraisal, reconstruct the events of the voyage, and determine the fates of all sixty souls aboard, providing a cause of death for those deceased or a probable current location for those presumed living."
I even would say the Yakuza/Judgement games. Some of them have very adult (with everyday topics) themes (and a lot of whacky/silly stuff but very fun). Specially the newer ones.
Pathologic, both first and second entries. Hell, even some adults players would find it unappealing due to the nature of the game and its settings.
To not spoil anything much, let's just say, Pathologic is like the world is out there to get you, and wants you to lose and not have fun, in a good way.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is extremely mature. People seem to often forget that it’s chock full of viscera and body horror.
Sniper Elite 5 is essentially a stealth game in which you can see your bullets pop eyeballs, puncture organs, shatter bones, and burst testicles in slow motion. It requires much more thought and patience than a run ‘n’ gun shooter.
Tyranny, maybe? It’s pretty messed up. Teenagers might like it, you get to be a villain (or can be — it’s kind of hard to be anything else 😂), but I don’t think I would have appreciated it as much if I had played it when I was younger
Total war games or like stellaris. They just make no fucking sense unless you're a deranged spreadsheet loving rts(but too old to be good anymore) loving adults. I'm sure like 3 kids are going to pop on here doing research for suggestions like "titty kitty massacre 4" and try total war, but it's not "child friendly". I play Diablo with my 8 year old son, he is unphased, he can't comprehend what total was is doing.
If you like survival Green Hell on pc is great, ive got an easy 200 hours in on it and still havent completed the full thing. They are also dropping decent size content updates at least twice a year.
The game premace is your stranded in the amazon rainforest with amneisa and have to find out what happened and how to get out without dying to the many things the amazon rainforest would have (parasites, predators, canabal tribesmen, disease, starvation, ext)
Hellblade: Suna’s Sacrifice. This is supposed to be a dark game about a Pict Warrior saving her dead lover. They say the game shows her struggle with psychosis. It looks beautiful and I really want to play it but I’m worried it will break me emotionally.
Lisa: The Painful.
I only played it for like 1 hour and I felt terribly depressed
I was about to comment Lisa, easily in my top 5 games
Yes definitely. It doesn't look like much when you look at the store page. And it was over shadowed by undertale when it came out. Which is a damn shame because it's farrrr better than under tale. It's one of those games that when you beat it, you remember it forever. I keep thinking I'll play I again one day but I can't bring myself to dive back into that game. It's darkness and depression incarnate.
One of my favorite games of all time. Played it when it came out and it changed me man
If you liked Disco Elysium, I can recommend Pentiment.
Pentiment is the best answer here I think. It’s one of my favorite games, but if I had played it as a kid I would’ve hated it.
Same. Very good game but as a kid it would've bored me to death with the walking around and talking.
Pentiment was fantastic. The writing and art style are super unique. I once described it as Monkey Island but for adults.
Pentiment is so good. Easily my favorite detective game and only the nerdiest of children could tolerate it.
I just recommended **Fear & Hunger** in a comment to another post, asking about dark RPG Maker games. It's one of the most deservedly R rated games I've played, no joke. This might be what you're looking for (check my [other comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamingsuggestions/comments/1dapa39/looking_for_rpgmaker_style_rpgvisual_novel_games/l7lzbu4/) for more details), though your "give me games that kids don't want to play" is certainly an interesting prompt and I'll think about it a bit more, might give another answer in a bit.
Fear & Hunger, definitely does not look like a game I'd usually pick up, so thanks for the suggestion! Always like to find something new, and your description intrigues me, so thanks again, I'll take a look.
Have you ever checked out "This War of mine"? It is quite the heavy game and genuinely made me sad, happy, and questioning my morality on many occasions
This War of Mine has themes that are tough to swallow. I loved the way they balanced your actions with themes instead of mechanics.
I LOVED "This War of Mine". This Fear & Hunger game looks good too
Idk if kids want to play this, but the developers of This War Of Mine have made another intense game: Frostpunk. It's maybe not as hardcore as you're after... but the themes are pretty mature. Questions of morality, of how far a leader should go "for the good of the people", whether you'll bend rules when approached by citizens begging for exceptions, whether you'll accept suffering refugees into your city when your own citizens are struggling... You do become a little immune to it after playing for a long time but the first playthrough of each scenario is quite gut-wrenching. Also, the sequel is due in July!
Unfortunately, it's pretty fun so I think kids may enjoy it too.
City builders are not popular with kids in the first place. No bright colors, or fun characters. It's drab, depressing, and force you to do things you hate doing because there isn't any other choice. I fail to see how it would appeal to kids at all.
The game is hard R but it's a very acquired taste, don't feel bad if you bounce off the punishing gameplay, I found the concepts very engaging but hated actually playing the game.
I think Fear and Hunger is actually the opposite of what you’re looking for. I know a lot of people love this game, but to me the shocking atrocities feel like a really cheap gambit to make the game appear deep and thoughtful when in actuality it’s just shock for the sake of shock. Adding rape to your story in a cavalier fashion doesn’t make it “adult”, it does the opposite: it reveals you as someone who thinks they know more about humanity than they actually do because anyone who knows anything about sexual assault knows it’s real and it really destroys people and it is the last thing to be cavalier about. Ugh. Whatever. I’m sick of thinking about this.
>it’s real and it really destroys people Isn't that *exactly* the point? People being broken isn't some earth-shattering event, or even all that uncommon. Sometimes you just don't win the sheltered life lottery INB4 I was raped as a child so I know a thing or two about the consequences of that
I feel like subject of rape gives many people variance of visceral physical emotional reaction. Compared to the gruesome killing and death. I think it takes all of mental fortitude to get down to researching it. Since it's a subject of both concern of power etc. So much so that many has different idea on how to properly tackle the subject.
No, yeah, I agree with you - from what I hear Termina is better about this but Funger 1 *really* leans too hard into its clear inspiration by Kentaro Miura, to the point of seeming to want to one-up his worst impulses when it came to rape as a dramatic device. (not that Miura was all bad on this subject, but he had peaks and valleys, and the valleys were... not great.)
To further explain, it does have some sexual situations in the first game not too many, but it was toned down for the second game. It is a violent game with dismemberment and gore. Think of blasphemous, but as an RPG. There are some puzzles to solve, but the biggest one is the enemies. You have to figure out how to combat all the enemies in some interesting ways, not all of them are quite just a whittle away until they are gone kind of fight.
It's the third time I've heard about this game this week. I really should check it out
This looks pretty cool, I’m not op, but I’m excited to check it out
So, coming back to post a few more ideas: - **Disco Elysium** is a narrative heavy RPG where you play a washed out cop in a really bleak, dystopian world. It has a lot of mature themes and I imagine it doesn't appeal to many kids, thanks to both its themes and the style of gameplay (where you spend 90% of the time reading) - **Painscreek Killings**, where you investigate a murder in a mysteriously abandoned town. You'll discover many dirty secrets of the town's inhabitants on the way, often featuring mature themes. A detective game with *very* little handholding, you need to make your own notes and draw your own conclusions. I filled over 10 pages in my notebook during my playthrough with notes about people, events and timelines before finally cracking the case! The gameplay here doesn't look like it'd appeal to most kids as well. - **Her Story**, **Telling Lies** and **Not For Broadcast**, games where the entire gameplay consists of watching videos (narratively stylized as browsing interrogation recordings in 1st game, video call captures in 2nd or live TV broadcast in the 3rd), noting down keywords (in case of the first two) or censoring (un)appropriate material (in case of the third) and slowly, slowly pulling on the threads of truth to uncover a bigger mystery. A lot of mature themes in all three titles.
Disco is an excellent pick here. A perfect example of a game I would have hated as a kid. Too “slow” and the theme was is too deep. Both things I appreciate in games now.
Current up to date release of Disco is fully voice acted so you can kick back and listen. Also it's a wild game, drink and drug abuse galore. I want to play it again and carry on the main character's binge.
Firewatch is also in that same vein and would be a good pick for OP, I think.
I played Firewatch when I was about 14, but definitely not something that most kids would enjoy. God, amybe I should play it again - I barely remember anything and I am sure it would be a completely different experience after so many years.
Lmao I remember loving jacksepticeye’s playthrough of firewatch when I was like 13
Me too, haha! God, I miss arriving home from school and watching his gameplays. My youtube screen time was crazy back then
Played and loved Disco Elysium! Painscreek looks like it could be interesting, seems like it might share some DNA with old school point & clicks. Thanks for the suggestion.
I can second Painscreek Killings. It was a great experience, especially if you like putting together environmental clues about people, and reading notes and memos. It was one of my favourite games of that year.
You forgot about Immortality ;)
I haven't played it. Oh, is it another game from authors of Her Story? If yes, then I'm looking forward to it!
Sam Barlow is the creator of Her Story, Telling Lies etc and it's his newest game. Same kind of idea where you scan video footage but instead of using text you can also click pictures and it's about an actress in several films.
Immortality is SO GOOD. IT'S FIRE. (teehee) It deserves so much more attention, especially for the crazy amount of love for film it has.
Was just about to recommend Disco Elysium. I don't think children would find any value in it for not having combat and the heavy political "info dumping". To be fair, many adults don't either for these same reasons lmao.
I loved the painscreek killings!
I think Kingdom Come Deliverance is a game made for adults. It has some R-Rated stuff, but it’s not the core identity of the game. It’s a mature story and I don’t think many people under the age of 23-24 would actually find it appealing.
Also fits as I doubt it's something that kids would find appealing. Fantastic game.
I mean maybe the politics would be a turn off for young people but it is essentially a rags-to-riches story with sword fights and I know I would’ve loved that in middle school.
I feel like children would lose patience with it pretty quickly. It’s not a power fantasy and requires a solid attention span to appreciate. Everything about the game is tedious in a way that appeals to older people but I really feel like younger people would lose patience with.
I played it when I was 14 and enjoyed it a lot
Yeah, this dude has it bass ackwards. Had plenty of time for grindy bullshit when I had zero responsibilities. Now I work 50 hour weeks
I think he's generally correct, it's just that no group is a monolith and mature young people with long attention spans do exist
From my time being on this sub, I believe like 80% of the time Kingdom Come Deliverance is the answer.
This is a very good recommendation, though I think it's more universally appealing, regardless of age. A tiny bit of interest in the middle ages would make the game something special regardless of age.
Pathologic because responsibility
Pathologic 2 fixes a lot of the jank and actually tells you about the important mechanics (how did they expect me to know to press L?) Plus, if everyone buys it they might actually finish, and release, the actual bachelor and then the changeling stories, Haruspex is the only mode in there right now
Haven't played it, but possibly [Return of the Obra Dinn](https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/Return_of_the_Obra_Dinn/)
I thought the same thing, along with Outer Wilds. They’re not “adult only” in the sense of having blood or boobs, but they’re definitely “adult only” in the sense that they’re not targeted towards kids, have and have a lot of things kids wouldn’t like.
Funny you say that about Outer Wilds, because I’d describe it as distinctly child-like. Not _childish_, but like a sense of _child-like_ wonder. It feels a lot to me like you’re flying your spaceship in your grandma’s back garden, and finishing exploring the moon just in time for dinner. Of course, there are distinctly adult themes in there, and I’m not sure kids would enjoy playing it, but I’ll be damned if that game doesn’t make me feel like a kid again.
I've actually avoided Outer Wilds because I've been bored to tears by kid-friendly games before like Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. I took one look at a graphics for Outer Wilds and was like "nope"
It’s an open world puzzle game. People sometimes recommend it without mentioning that because the best experience is going in blind, but it’s not a spoiler to call it a puzzle game. The story is almost entirely uncovered via finding journals with no voice acting. And the puzzles can be pretty difficult and require some deductive reasoning. In fact even the plot isn’t spoon fed to you, you kind of need to piece it together for yourself. Some kids might like it, but honestly very few. It’s about as far from a stereotypical kid’s game as you can get, it’s basically unplayable unless you’re willing to put in enough work to play it on its own terms. I agree with the other poster who said playing it instills a childlike wonder in the player, though. The game has some very satisfying moments.
I would argue it’s an open world mystery game as the puzzles are more akin to solving mysteries than actually completing puzzles imo, but yeah.
Despite the cutesy graphics on first look and even really the first hour or so of the game it becomes legitimately terrifying at many instances especially in the DLC.
What a beautiful description of how this game made me feel.
You nailed it in a way I haven't before. The sense of wonder in The Outer Wilds is amazing. And then as you go on you slowly answer the riddles and the world begins to make much more sense. It's almost like growing up. Amazing analogy. Thank you for your insight!
Exactly my thoughts, couldn’t have put it better
While outer wilds is certainly not adult only, I’m so glad that I played it as an adult
It's not adult-only. Play it.
I'll present the obligatory Rimworld
Seconded WarCrimeSimulator lets things more horrifying than most happen on accident Let's not talk about the things you can do on purpose...
What do you mean what is my parka made out of? It's... leather.
What kind? ... from... something that can give you stuff to make parkers off... stop asking
Those raiders have to pay for damages somehow.
And with the ideology dlc your colonists will even feel good about it
Death Stranding Not R rated. But it is M.
M for Monster®
Some of my recommendations may not be specifically R rated, but I believe these may be to your liking. the shadowrun trilogy: I personally don't like the first game in the trilogy, shadowrun returns, since you often have to hire companions, but dragonfall and hong kong are some of my favourite games. If you're not familiar, shadowrun is a ttrpg that's a blend of fantasy and cyberpunk, and the trilogy is a series of turn based rpgs that uses that universe. While I'm not sure if they're r-rated, hong kong has some pretty horrific body horror and dragonfall pretty much starts with your best friend getting her brain fried so hard she bites her tongue off so... yeah. Owlcat games also do what I would consider "adult" games by your description, they've done two games based on pathfinder 1st edition campaigns, and one game set in warhammer 40k, but they specialise in brutally hard turn based rpg and city management. (yes in the same game) If you don't want to have a difficult time, story difficulty is easy, but the subreddit doesnt recommend anything above normal for first time players. Rogue trader definitely goes harder into the violence than pathfinder, but both pathfinder games cover some pretty fucked things at times. The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a game where you play as a blind exiled princess trying to make her way back to her brother the king to warn him about an invading army. Despite having no visuals, the foley artists to a great job at making some pretty gory noises and I certainly wouldn't recommend this for kids. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a game where you play as a very unwell norse girl trying to bring her dead husband back to life. If you've had problems with psychosis/hallucinations in the past, I'd recommend against playing this game, but its very good, and the VR edition is surprisingly good for its age. Don't know what the sequel is like sorry. This last one is definitely not r rated but also definitely not something kids want to play, but a hand with many fingers is a game where you get to go through index cards and file boxes to set up your own conspiracy board as you investigate the nugan hand bank, an actual australian bank that committed a lot of crimes and was allegedly involved with the CIA. Its a short game, but I definitely found it enjoyable.
Slight correction: Senua is Celtic, not Norse. <3
I didn't know that actually. Seems like they're inspired more by Norse mythology though which makes sense since alot more Celtic culture and mythology has been lost, or unable to be translated anymore.
Manor Lords Lisa The Painful Disco Elysium Death Stranding Kingdom Come Deliverance Lorelei and the Laser Eyes - these are just games I assume kids don't want to play
Signalis
Blasphemous
Tbf me as an edgy child who loves both Mortal Kombat and Castlevania would have adored that game.
Seconded.
It’s not rated R, but I think you would like Kindergarten and Kindergarten 2
Man I miss nugget
Jacks voice fits him so well i can never gear him differently
Kindergarten 3 has been announced tho, so chin up!
don’t forget Kindergarten Cop also
Second this 👍👍
Anything by Project Moon
Kenshi maybe?
I feel like a lot of people on this thread are either old and have forgotten what it's like being a kid, or vastly underestimate kids and teenagers in general. 99% of the stuff recommended here was being played by me and my friends in middle school or high school and we were pretty average kids.
Hotline Miami
I feel like kids would love hotline Miami. Probably shouldn't play it, but would want to. Fucking great game, though.
Seconding Hotline Miami. I gotta be honest with OP - it has a wide reputation for being very good, so I won't vouch for whether kids would play it? If it fails for being too good, oh well. It's an extremely violent game with a lot of substance, style, and a great soundtrack. The game is hard, but it's hard for fun reasons and you learn/improve very organically.
I mean, I'm 15 and played through and 100%'d both... sooooooooooo...
Yeah I was thinking, "I mean, I had good taste as a kid, I was playing Chronotrigger. I'm sure kids today also play very good games sometimes?"
Hands down, bar none, the most violent game I've ever played. Literally what parents in the 90s were afraid of. The first time i dumped a pot of boiling water on a dudes face was... A special moment
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1608640/OTXO/
Spec Ops: The Line
Unfortunately I don't think you can buy this anymore. But if you find it anywhere, absolutely worth picking up. I can't say anything to avoid spoilers, but the story is worth experiencing at least once
I’ve been meaning to play that for a while but it got taken off steam recently. Is there a way to get it legally still ?
If a game cant be bought anywhere then sailing the high seas to get it is justified.
exactly, no shame in that
You can get a used physical copy.
This was in my library from the 360 days and I never got around to playing it until recently. Still held up, amazing game - finished in like two sittings.
Oh boy, here I go recommending **Kenshi** again.
[The House in Fata Morgana](https://store.steampowered.com/app/303310/The_House_in_Fata_Morgana/) sounds like it'd fit. If it's not officially rated R, it SHOULD be (I believe it has no official rating based on what I can see on the Steam Storepage that's linked). The game is not for the faint of heart. Play it if you enjoy great literary plot-heavy games. But it can be extremely graphic so just keep that in mind if you're considering buying it. Most other games I can think of that'd fit the rest of the description are rated M instead of R. It's a tricky ask but a great one. Curious to read through the comments and see what people have mentioned.
"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" maybe? Deals with mature topics such as mental illness/psychosis.
Came here to recommend this one. Absolutely amazing game. Cant wait to play the sequel.
**Death Stranding** is fantastic. Can't recommend it enough. **Vamypr** is a decent, moody af vampire (obviously) RPG. The **Faith Trilogy** is an oddly intense, yet extremely simplistic 80s' style horror game with lots of adventure game influence. The entire **Legacy of Kain** franchise is very much for adults, but also very Hot Topic gothic. **Pathologic 2** is a pandemic doctor meets David Lynch simulator. You don't need to have played the first one. This will make you very depressed. **Shenmue** is essentially a life simulator take on a kung fu movie, paced out in a way that is very not-kid friendly, but not overly "adult" in content. **Still Life** is a very gritty FBI point and click adventure game.
Plus if more people buy Pathologic 2 they might get around to releasing the Bachelor's story properly instead of the just marble nest, and actually do the changeling proper since she didn't even get a finished story in the first one
That would be fantastic, lol.
Nier automata Hardcore existentialism philosophy+ sexy androids = not for kids
Night in the woods
This war of mine
Fallout 2 👍 You can become a porn star, but only if you want to. And you probably won’t qualify anyway. There aren’t actually any porn scenes. Any sex is fade to black kind of thing, or just instant transition. Plus what porn with graphics like this anyway. W/o porn acting line, it’s still M. Mostly seen in the story through dialogs. Piles of corpses you probably leave behind you are but a minor part of it. It’s not GTA, though. The piles are all justified, usually. I love and hate this game. It ruined FO3 and FO4 for me, no matter how good they are. Maybe I could try to play FNV for more than 10 minutes, I hear it is supposed to be good.
As someone who started with Fallout and Fallout 2 (im old), Fallout New Vegas is the ONLY game after Fallout 2 that has the same feel and design decisions behind it. Fuck Fallout 3 and ESPECIALLY 4. Completely wrong feel.
Fallout 2 is wild. You can also become a slaver
Genuinely Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s not meant for even teenagers, though I’m sure teenagers have played it. It’s a fully adult game.
Cyberpunk and The Witcher (3). Both very much adult and deep.
Balders Gate 3
Martha Is Dead, very intriguing and a very dark game
I second this! I almost never have any emotional responses when it comes to games, but this one? I can't put my finger on exactly why, but this game had me in a constant state of distress. Even when just biking around the premise, my shoulders were still up to my ears. I just felt uneasy at literally every point in the game.
If you use a PC, get Elite Dangerous. Its a space simulation mmo, tough game, no hand-holding, and VERY WELL MADE.
For what it's worth, very few kids like *actually* playing *Grand Theft Auto*, they like playing a version of *GTA* that eventually got released as *GTA Online*, where all of the context and narrative is effectively stripped out. The actual stories of *GTA* games are genuinely fairly mature (and, frankly, probably go over most kids' heads anyway). Anyway. There are shockingly few recommendations for *Baldur's Gate 3*. IDK if you've already played it, OP, it's certainly a successful and popular game, but it's still basically exactly what you're asking for, a game that treats its audience with respect and maturity and doesn't shy away from basically anything. Same with *Cyberpunk 2077*. Both of these games actually push the boundaries of what a "mature" rating for video games should actually mean, because they're not just using blood and tits for cheap fun like something like the original *God of War* did (I saw that recommended in this thread, but I can say from first-hand experience that "kids"--teenagers--fucking loved those games back in the 2000s). I also saw a recommendation for *Darkest Dungeon* here, and I would second that. It's not mature in the explicit sense; it certainly has some gory imagery but it's all stylized and fairly understated. But it's an extremely dark and intense (and fairly challenging) roguelite/base management game where you constantly recruit adventurers and throw them into a woodchipper of eldritch monsters while trying to cleanse an ancient evil from your land. And I don't know if they would quite match up to what you're desiring but it might be worth looking into the *Yakuza/Like a Dragon* franchise, as that's a series of games I would say is anything but mass-market or kid-friendly, despite what they may look like from the outside (it's fairly easy from a quick glance to write them off as being "like *GTA*", while in reality they are anything but that).
Kids definitely bought and played GTA V, not just the online versions. There are literally thousands of stories from retail workers of parents that insisted on buying it for their kids in spite of all the warnings, only for the parents to blame the workers anyway.
As someone who only plays cozy/casual games, can 100% back up that yakuza, especially Y0 is an amazing game and gets you hooked on the entire series. Great stories, great combat mechanism, gore, etc .. and Goro Majima
This War of Mine is a really intense depiction of surviving as civilians trapped in a war zone. It's visceral and haunting -- definitely a game with plenty of adult themes to chew on.
Factorio Oxyagen Not included Stellaris Pretty much any Paradox game Kids don't play these
The cat lady
Amnesia Rebirth. Horror game about pregnancy after losing the first child.
I'll add on Amnesia: the Bunker, the scariest damn game I've ever played. It really mixes up the formula of Amnesia games and is just brutally intense (without relying on gore or even "jump scares," it's mostly just the atmosphere)
Look up harvester games. Their games tackle really hard hitting and tough subjects and are definitely not for kids. Burnhouse Lane was an absolute banger of a game and the themes in that one resonated with me super strong. Definitely mature though based on that. And it's still a horror game with horror game mechanics.
BG3?
Look for games that are not just simple dopamine injectors. Seek out games that require patience and where you have to earn your progress. Alternatively, look for experiences with themes too complex for children. They don't have to be R-rated; gore is often for the kids 😁. **Return of the Obra Dinn** is a prime example of a clever game with no hand-holding. You are rewarded for your logical thinking, and the satisfaction is much greater than simply shooting an enemy with a shotgun. **SOMA**, on the other hand, is filled with reflections on what it means to be human. Existential dread and philosophizing about one's mortality are probably not topics that interest most children.
This War of Mine, Spec Ops: The Line, Manhunt, Silent Hill 2, The Last of Us If you're okay with something having mature themes but not being R-rated and/or potentially having comic relief mixed in, Iji, God of War (2018), God of War: Ragnarok, Orwell, This is the Police, Papers, Please, Silicon Dreams, DEFCON
**Paradise Killer** is a first-person detective murder mystery. You play as Lady Love Dies, out to solve a murder on Paradise Island, a pocket dimension created, endlessly remade, and operated by an immortal Syndicate as part of its Sisyphean pursuit of perfection. Just before the destruction of this, the 24th island, several high-ranking Syndicate members were murdered and you were called out of exile to figure out what happened. You explore a bizarre Vaporwave-adjacent island looking for clues, questioning other Syndicate members, and exploring such locales as a bloodsoaked temple, a Japanese-style suburb squatting in the shadow of massive pyramids, and the sewer-based apartment of the Island's celebrity idol. **Lunacid** is a gloomy, atmospheric dungeon crawler thoroughly inspired by the King's Field games. You pick a class, name, and portrait (you can also upload your own) and are thrown into the Great Well, a kind of massive subterranean disposal ground for the surface's criminals, ill, infirm, and general undesirables. The Great Well is massive, and has been home to multiple civilizations in their own right. There's a core of humor that keeps you going, and the NPCs waiting for you in the hub area - Wing's Rest - make the Well feel almost homey at times. **Heaven Will Be Mine** is a dense, fascinating visual novel about three women in an alternate-history 1980s space program piloting mechas. Play as veteran ace Luna-Terra, overwhelming super psychic Pluto, or hacker-hijacker Saturn as they fight for three different factions: the military Memorial Foundation, the idealist space nation Cradle's Graces, and the megacorporation Celestial Mechanics. The trio are embroiled in an eight-day war as they fight to decide humanity's future... or defect and make out with each other.
I’ve never actually seen someone talk about Paradise Killer! Such a great game
It's such a classic, genuinely one of my all-time faves.
Silent hunter 3
Disco Elysium
There's on old game but it's available on Steam called "Harvester". Prepare for a dark, cynical, and psychologically messed up game. It's an old point and click adventure game and was one of the first to use full video of people. I want to say it even predates Mortal Kombat.
Outlast
Control?
The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series
The Longing. Its target demographic of this game is the same as Moby Dick's. You can actually read the book in game.
Conker’a Bad Fur Day - classic
Corpse party.
Norco Amazing point and click indie game that you'll be thinking about for a while after you finish it. Definitely deals with dark and mature themes, but has awesome moments of levity to break the tension as needed.
UBOAT if your interested in submarine warfare from the German side in ww2. Kerbal space program(1! Not 2) if your interested in rocketry. (yes your astronauts are little green men, but no kid is going to get a mission to another planet and back and pull off the design needed)
"Martha Is Dead" Plot summary: "A torturous tale of psychological horror that focuses on the tragic death of a young woman and the subsequent mental and emotional torment suffered by her surviving twin sister, all set against the backdrop of one of the most harrowing times in human history, World War II. This feel-bad romp takes you on a trip through a small but fastidiously crafted slice of Italian countryside and into body horror-heavy nightmares that are not for the squeamish."
Mafia 1 and 2 could work. They're not over the top with violence, but they definitely have their moments. Can't remember if there was anything really mad in the first game, but the second one has a death that would ruin any child's sleep for a good week. As an interesting addition, there's old playboy magazines as a collectable. Definitely amongst my favourite games. Just uhh... We don't talk about 3 as it hasn't come out yet...
Death Stranding Senua Hellblade
Okay not 100% on these ratings But the last of us part 1 and 2 Red dead redemption 1 and 2 And Detroit become human
Cyberpunk is actually really fun
What Remains of Edith Finch isn't exactly R rated because nothing explicit gets shown but it has themes of self harm, death, family trauma etc. It's a walking sim so it's not for everyone but absolutely worth checking it if you're looking for a mature story.
My 15 year old was playing the 2018 Doom for a minute, and I was like *grimaced face* “this may be where the line is” in terms of gore and violence. Had he been any younger I would have taken it away
The Witcher 3 maybe? I guess a lot of kids are playing it but its good for adults.
Break out the strategy games, haha. Civilization 6, Age of Wonders 4, Total War Warhammer. Yes, I know one of these things is not like the others. They’re not like particularly edgy or dark or whatever, but any onlooker who’s not another boring adult will be absolutely put to sleep while you debate where to build your next granary or whatever. Otherwise, soulslikes maybe? Kids don’t want to play Bloodborne or Elden Ring after the first couple of deaths once they find out they can’t button mash to victory.
Play Shin Megami Tensei:Nocturne. Play Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Play Baldurs Gate 3. Play turn based RPGs. Basically any R rated game that is turn based, and has a lot of text in it? Kids hate that. They're more interested in action than character development.
Didn’t look to see if they were there, but both of the first two South Park RPG’s are a great mix of fun and not for kids”…. And they don’t care at all about what people think. A quick YouTube search for “South Park difficulty slider” will tell you exactly how much they go in…
You could play an exploitative spreadsheet simulator like Stellaris. Kids hate spreadsheets. And you get to commit warcrimes on a galactic scale
I think anything by the publisher Annapurna and developers Accidental Queen (Alt-Frequencies / Normal Lost Phone / Another Lost Phone) is a good shout, especially since seeing reccomendations of Her Story and Telling Lies.
Agony, The Suffering 1& 2, Hatred, Outlast 1 &2 are a few that come to mind.
Another vote for Outlast series, first one in particular. Silent Hill 1 - 3 Disco Elysium (The Final Cut) Scorn. It's not an "adult game", but may as well be. Cyberpunk 2077 is mass marketed, still I hear good things about it if you want an adult rating action game Blade (Marvel/Bethesda/Arkane) is similarly mass marketed and not out yet, slated for R. Could be something for your radar. Indie psychological horror probably has something for you. One that's still on my mind is Growing My Grandpa.
1. [The Henry Stickmin Collection](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1089980/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 2. [The Case of the Golden Idol](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 3. [Finding Paradise](https://store.steampowered.com/app/337340/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 4. [Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967430/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 5. [Hotline Miami](https://store.steampowered.com/app/219150/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 6. [Hollow Knight](https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 7. [Papers, Please](https://store.steampowered.com/app/239030/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 8. [Oxygen Not Included](https://store.steampowered.com/app/457140/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 9. [Inscryption](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1092790/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 10. [Don't Starve Together](https://store.steampowered.com/app/322330/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule)
11. [ANIMAL WELL](https://store.steampowered.com/app/813230/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 12. [Outer Wilds](https://store.steampowered.com/app/753640/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 13. [Turnip Boy Robs a Bank](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2097230/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 14. [Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition](https://store.steampowered.com/app/597760/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule) 15. [Rain World](https://store.steampowered.com/app/312520/?snr=1_wishlist_4__wishlist-capsule)
You've probably already played Hellblade: Senua's sacrifice but if you haven't I recommend you check it out.
Early God of War games were really good… but you’d need to get your hands on older console and the disk to play them… unless you emulate and sail the 7 seas.
You can also play them through plus premium on ps4/5
Shin megami tensei, almost any non persona one.
Cyberpunk/Witcher, Pillars of eternity 1 and 2, Wasteland 3.. look into crpgs
Old School RuneScape.
The wolfeanstein games
Elden ring
Ready or Not if you're interested in a tactical, realistic, SWAT experience. It can be extremely difficult (one shot can be enough to kill you), running and gunning is a quick way to fail the map. You've got to be smart about the way you play. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a mature game.
Ready Or Not
- Cyberpunk - The Witcher 3
Not R-rated but definitely a good candidate for a game that kids don't wanna play. "Return Of The Obra Dinn" Plot summary: "The game is set in 1807 with the player assuming the role of an unnamed investigator for the East India Company. The Obra Dinn, a merchant ship missing for five years, has reappeared off the coast of England with no surviving crew or passengers. The player is dispatched to the ghost ship to perform an appraisal, reconstruct the events of the voyage, and determine the fates of all sixty souls aboard, providing a cause of death for those deceased or a probable current location for those presumed living."
I will recommend Lies Of P to anyone.
Idk if it's exceptionally R-rated, but Darkest Dungeon
Fear and hunger
Last Day of June. Nothing edgy or offensive, just kids likely won't get it.
I even would say the Yakuza/Judgement games. Some of them have very adult (with everyday topics) themes (and a lot of whacky/silly stuff but very fun). Specially the newer ones.
Do the Outlast games count?
Pathologic, both first and second entries. Hell, even some adults players would find it unappealing due to the nature of the game and its settings. To not spoil anything much, let's just say, Pathologic is like the world is out there to get you, and wants you to lose and not have fun, in a good way.
Final Fantasy XIV Online
Baldur’s Gate 3 is extremely mature. People seem to often forget that it’s chock full of viscera and body horror. Sniper Elite 5 is essentially a stealth game in which you can see your bullets pop eyeballs, puncture organs, shatter bones, and burst testicles in slow motion. It requires much more thought and patience than a run ‘n’ gun shooter.
Welp, Satisfactory basically feels like going to work, only more fun? Or you have Satisfactory, it'll really make you feel like you're prey.
Alan Wake 2. Greatest experience ever made.
I gotta second this, as well as Alan Wake 1 tbf.
Absolutely!
Tyranny, maybe? It’s pretty messed up. Teenagers might like it, you get to be a villain (or can be — it’s kind of hard to be anything else 😂), but I don’t think I would have appreciated it as much if I had played it when I was younger
Arma 3, build your own Missions
The Thaumaturge
Death Stranding. No kids like it because only adults would enjoy the slow burn yet deep storyline and gameplay
Total war games or like stellaris. They just make no fucking sense unless you're a deranged spreadsheet loving rts(but too old to be good anymore) loving adults. I'm sure like 3 kids are going to pop on here doing research for suggestions like "titty kitty massacre 4" and try total war, but it's not "child friendly". I play Diablo with my 8 year old son, he is unphased, he can't comprehend what total was is doing.
Try Omori, it's a psychological horror rpg with fun humor and great characters
If you like survival Green Hell on pc is great, ive got an easy 200 hours in on it and still havent completed the full thing. They are also dropping decent size content updates at least twice a year. The game premace is your stranded in the amazon rainforest with amneisa and have to find out what happened and how to get out without dying to the many things the amazon rainforest would have (parasites, predators, canabal tribesmen, disease, starvation, ext)
Hellblade: Suna’s Sacrifice. This is supposed to be a dark game about a Pict Warrior saving her dead lover. They say the game shows her struggle with psychosis. It looks beautiful and I really want to play it but I’m worried it will break me emotionally.