Growing up playing a lot of video games, especially on the PlayStation, is a feeling that non-gamers can never understand.

Imagine playing games that change your perspective on life and how they drive you to become a better version of yourself. Many people believe that games are just a hobby or just there for you to kill time, but some games make you drop your controller in awe towards the end, and maybe even change the way you look at things.

Here are some games that I feel leave a great impact on you and change your perspective on life as a whole.

Red Dead Redemption II

Honestly, this list would have been incomplete without mentioning Red Dead Redemption II at the start of this list.

Though it is a prequel to the first game, it has the kind of storyline and immersive gameplay that has you hooked throughout. Plus, the game also features the “honor” system where you can either do good things and become honorable, or you can commit crimes and become an outlaw.

However, there are a series of events in the game that feel too close to reality, and if you play your cards right, you’ll be bawling towards the end of the game. The missions are interesting, the gameplay and graphics are stylized, but realistic, and you’ll have the time of your life playing this game.

The best part is that the game recently dropped on PlayStation Plus for subscribers, which means you can download it for free if you are a part of the gang. Even if you don’t have a subscription, you can still buy the game from the PlayStation Store.

Keep in mind that the game has a hefty file size, so make sure you have a superfast internet connection to ensure that your game downloads as quickly as possible. I recommend using Spectrum, since it is already popular among the gaming community for its reliability and superfast internet speeds.

Kingdom Hearts Series

I know, you must have seen the cover once and thought to yourself, “Donald? Goofy? This definitely has to be a kid’s game,” but trust me, it is too far from that.

I’ve grown up playing the entire series, and it has a special place in my heart because it helped me become the most friend-centric version of myself, all thanks to the protagonist’s personality.

In the series, three friends, Sora, Riku, and Kairi, live on an island and dream of escaping it to see what’s beyond. The night before they are set to travel, the island becomes engulfed in darkness, and thus begins Sora’s journey to look for his friends.

The story is extremely captivating, and there are moments in the game that will give you tears of joy. You’ll definitely have to play all of the parts to see what you are missing out on.

Plus, the soundtrack of the game is so BEAUTIFUL that it is definitely the standout from the series, and it goes to show you what a musical genius Yoko Shimomura is.

IGN did a pretty good job in explaining It’ll help put things into perspective for you.

Until Dawn

In 2024, the remake of the 2015 popular game Until Dawn was released on the PS5 with superior graphics and an additional storyline. Though the game is meant to be a horror game, it beautifully utilizes the butterfly effect concept, which states that every decision you take in life can lead to branching realities and every decision has a different consequence.

In the game, you get to play as multiple characters throughout one night as they traverse through a mountain in Vancouver, struggling to survive.

You have to try your absolute best to make every character survive until dawn (pun intended), or you can completely mess up your decisions and have some of them, or all of them, killed. Therefore, you need to be smart about the choices that you make, something that you can apply to real life as well, so that you can improve your analytical skills.

This game is also available on the PlayStation Store and PlayStation Plus’s game catalog, so make sure you put your internet to good use and download the game as soon as you can. You can reach out to Spectrum customer service to learn more about the internet plans, speeds, and prices to make the most out of your gaming experience, for both downloading games and playing online.

Life is Strange

Other than Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy, Life is Strange has to be one of my favorite Square Enix games.

Again, this is the kind of game in which all your actions have consequences, and this game also explicitly uses the butterfly effect. In the first entry, you play as Max Caulfield, who is a high-school student and can rewind time on command.

Things start getting serious when many girls from the high school start disappearing, and Max’s childhood best friend Chloe is in grave danger. It is then up to Max to protect her friend and, at one point, save all of Arcadia Bay.

If you wish to improve your decision-making skills in real life, then you definitely have to give this game a shot.

The Last of Us

What lengths will you go to save the person that you love? If you want a perspective on that, then you should definitely play The Last of Us, which is considered to be one of the best games of all time.

Originally released on the PS3 in 2013, then a remaster and then a remake for the PS5, this is the kind of game that you shouldn’t miss. The narrative revolves around a smuggler named Joel who lives in a post-apocalyptic USA, which has been consumed by the cordyceps fungus, which turns people into human-eating zombie-like creatures.

He is tasked with smuggling a thirteen-year-old girl across the country as she apparently holds the cure to the virus. On their journey, they develop a father-daughter-like bond, and I’ll leave the rest for you to play and figure out.

Ghost of Yotei

If you want to play a good revenge story, then you definitely need to play Ghost of Yotei, which has a very badass female protagonist in it, Atsu.

In the game, Atsu’s family is killed by the Yotei Six, and she is the only one to survive. That night, she vows to seek revenge for the sake of her family, taking on the title of the Ghost and striking fear in every enemy’s heart.

The game teaches you that you should never give up, no matter what, and you need to keep going on in life, no matter how many times life knocks you down. Even if death comes knocking at your door, you just have to keep moving.

So, these were some of my all-time favorite titles that helped me change my life for the better. I urge you to give these games a shot as well, and I’m sure you’ll thank me later. Happy gaming!