The 22 Best Alternative Games You Can Download Today

Platform: MultiIn Octopath Traveller, the player chooses one of eight characters before embarking on an adventure full of unique, world-effecting choices. Each character has their own intersecting tale with deep narrative consequences and unique skill sets, adding huge replay value. The art style is a charming HD-2D, which looks fresh while maintaining its traditional roots, and the gameplay is a refinement on the classic JRPG-style, combining sprite world-exploring and polished, turn-based battles. Octopath Traveller is a celebration of early JRPGs that doesn't rely on nostalgia to pull you through its narrative. It stands tall on its own merits. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload on Steam

Platform: MultiIt's time to head to Stardew Valley and start your new pixelated life. Seasons come and go as the player builds up their farm, forages for materials in cave networks and builds meaningful relationships amongst fellow residence. It's relaxing, endearing and is certainly one of the best life sim games available. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiTeam up with friends locally or online and attempt to escort packages to their destination. It's time to unleash your inner delivery driver and bring mayhem to the peaceful city. With ragdoll physics, haphazard grappling and an array of vehicles at your disposal, this sandbox game quickly descends into hilarity and anarchy. Download for XboxDownload for PS4

Platform: MultiDead Cells is fun in the same way that Dark Souls is fun, in that is isn't. Or at least, not to outside observers. This brutal Metroidvania 2D side-scroller has the player battling hard and fast with fists, whips and dark magic, through swamps, ramparts and grand halls. Permadeath means that mistakes have weight, and the learning curve is unforgiving – if you can't keep up, you're getting left behind. With alternate routes, skill builds and tactics aplenty, Dead Cells will have you coming back time and time again. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiIt's time to put all that knowledge garnered from daytime property shows to the test. In House Flipper, the player has the chance to buy, repair and remodel dilapidated houses before selling them on, hoping to make a profit. Knocking down virtual walls, steaming digital carpets and wiping down simulated windows has never been so weirdly entertaining.Download for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiJoin Cloud and his motley crew as they battle their way across a post-industrial wasteland, racing the powerful Shinra Company to find the psychotic hybrid Sephiroth, a former SOLDIER whose plan promises to destroy the planet. The 2020 remake rightly has the gaming world buzzing with excitement, but it's hard to argue against the charm and perfection of the 1997 original. It's a crowning achievement of the Final Fantasy series that is always worth diving into. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiZidane and his theatre troupe kidnap Princess Garnet, much to her delight. Steiner, the princesses bodyguard, begrudgingly falls in with the troupe after a series of unfortunate events, while Vivi the cute, all-powerful and self-doubting mage tags along, apparently shocked that anyone even notices him. And thus begins Final Fantasy IX, a truly special RPG. The game is a homage to the series' medieval high-fantasy roots, loaded with heart and soul, beautiful music and a dramatic, enchanting story. A true classic. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiHouse House's Untitled Goose Game has the player take control of a goose. The goose's goal? To pester, steal, honk, annoy and honk some more. Who at? The unassuming residents of a small, quintessentially English village. You've doubtlessly seen the memes – the game is a pure, hilarious and unique joy. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4

Platform: MultiA banana would like you to kill a lot of people in a variety of places. Therefore, that's what you're going to do, on an extravagant bullet-flinging rampage that makes John Wick look like an inept pacifist. The gameplay combines gunplay, melee attacks, slow-motion bullet-dodges and copious amounts of window-smashing dives to deliver a video game that is pure adrenaline-pumping action. Ridiculous and delightful.Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiMae has returned to her hometown of Possum Springs after dropping out of college. She soon realises that things have changed in this small American town, and under the control of the player, she begins her hunt for the truth. The combination of visual style, poignant narrative and subtle characterisation come together here to create a truly wonderful gaming experience. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiPuzzles, puzzles everywhere, and not a story to bind them. Or so it seems. In The Witness, the amnesiac player wakes on a mysterious, lush island. It's deserted, but there are a lot of puzzles. The challenges, each as testing as they are rewarding, slowly build to suggest the reason behind the player being on the island, and what events led to the memory loss. It's difficult, intriguing, strangely calming and near-impossible to walk away from. Download for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiKentucky Route Zero is a magical realist game that takes the point-and-click adventure and elevates it to something very close to art, with the influence of David Lynch sitting, not unwelcomingly, close to the surface. The narrative follows Conway, a truck driver, as he takes an unexpected journey through a surreal community. The gameplay focuses heavily on storytelling, and rewards multiple playthroughs and exploration thanks to the plethora of hidden scenes and events. Oh, and take some time to listen to the soundtrack – it's something special. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiLost at sea, 1803: the good ship Obra Dinn. Four years later, the Obra Dinn drifts into Falmouth port with damaged rigging and all 51 of the crew missing. The player, an insurance investigator, boards the ship to assess damages and piece together what happened to the crew. On release, Lucas Pope's Return Of The Obra Dinn was met with universal acclaim thanks to the rich story, unique gameplay and stark, stripped-back visual style. This game will stay with you. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiLee Everett is a criminal given a second chance at life thanks to the zombie apocalypse. Crossing paths with Clementine, a young orphaned girl, Lee seeks redemption through becoming her protector. Telltale's signature gameplay flexes its muscles perfectly in this choose-your-own adventure, point-and-click adaptation based on Robert Kirkman's original comic series. The game is tailored to the player, reacting and developing based on every decision made. Often, there is no time to think, only to react, and there are somethings that cannot be undone. With a memorable cast of characters, thrilling set-pieces and an emotional core, The Walking Dead is a remarkable achievement.Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiSheriff Bigby Wolf, the Big Bad Wolf, is investigating a violent and bloody murder in Fabletown, a noir city populated by dark and twisted fairy tale incarnations, including the likes of Jack Horner, Snow White, Ichabod Crane and the Tweddles. Under the player's control, Bigby makes his way through the corrupt and destitute underworld of the city as he hunts for the brutal truth. In proper Telltale style, conversations and questions carry huge weight, quick-time events enact flawless actions sequences and the narrative intrigue keeps the player wanting more.Download for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiIt's time to take the family feuds up a gear. Monopoly Plus transports the high-tension board game to a digital 3D city that grows and changes as the game progresses. And yes, you can still set your own house rules. Download for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiIn this platform-puzzler the player controls Six, an anoraked child lost in the dark and whimsical world of The Maw, a vessel inhabited by spoiled, hungry and grotesque souls. Each area of The Maw is loaded with puzzles to overcome, atmospheres to absorb, and great philosophical questions to ponder. Little Nightmares is a peculiar and properly creepy outing worth exploring. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiOxenfree is a triumphant love song to the point-and-click adventure game and 1980's teen-flicks, dripping with atmosphere and lo-fi electronica. When Alex and his friends attend a party on an abandoned island, they unwittingly tear open a portal to a supernatural realm. As a result, the player is thrust into making decisions on which the narrative, the friends and the world depends on. Comparison with Stranger Things is inevitable, and in no means a disservice to either title. It's a brilliantly put together concept. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiPrepare to be frustrated (in that good way that only seasoned gamers can understand). Cuphead is a run-and-gun game like no other. The gameplay is unrelenting and unforgiving, but oh-so rewarding, mixing sweat-inducing boss battles with cascading battalions of cannon fodder baddies. Stylistically, the hand-drawn 1930s cel-animated homage is tirelessly cool, with the frantic gameplay and musical score only adds to this sense of Jazz-age delirium.Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload on Steam

Platform: MultiPlayers take up the role of Otus, a misfit owl, in this near-perfect platformer as they seek to save the owling community from the nefarious sky pirates. Owlboy is a charming title, with an art style and narrative that beautifully pay homage to side-scrollers of old while adding in a distinctly contemporary flavour. This will satisfy anyone looking to test their puzzle and combat skills.Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: MultiA young boy is alone. Hunted by an unknown and unremitting presence, he presses on, deeper into the narratives dark heart. Inside is a platformer from the makers of sleeper-hit Limbo, made up of chin-scratching puzzles interspersed with moments of intense, heart-stopping action. The game utilises stark visuals, sparse scoring and impressionistic storytelling to create a hypnotic and creeping atmosphere that ceaselessly builds into the awe-inspiring narrative climax. A true wonder of a title. Download for Nintendo SwitchDownload for XboxDownload for PS4Download on Steam

Platform: PCAre you looking for an exciting, tense and intellectually challenging border administration simulator? Because if you are, look no further. The player has just been employed as a border officer for Arstotzka, a Soviet-esque state with continuously shifting alliances. Their task is to ensure that everyone who passes through the gate has the correct paperwork, in line with the increasingly stringent guidelines laid out in the daily bulletin, and to keep an eye out for secret revolutionaries. The gameplay is addictive, ever-changing and littered with moral conundrums, the narrative is pertinent and perversely humours, and when you make a mistake it's truly gutting. Papers, Please shouldn't be fun, but in truth it's an incredibly engaging and original title. Glory to Arstotzka!

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