The 20 Best Adventure Video Games of All Time

From wisecracking pirate comedies and moody noir mysteries to modern narrative gems, this lineup spans three decades of point-and-click classics and story-driven indie darlings. Which one gets your vote?

1. 1
   Grim Fandango

   A 1998 LucasArts noir adventure set in a stylish Aztec-inspired land of the dead.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Day of the Tentacle

   LucasArts' 1993 time-traveling cartoon comedy adventure and sequel to Maniac Mansion.
   789pts
3. 3
   The Secret of Monkey Island

   LucasArts' 1990 pirate-comedy classic that defined the golden age of point-and-click adventure games.
   663pts
4. 4
   Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars

   Revolution Software's 1996 conspiracy-thriller adventure following an American tourist in Paris.
   609pts
5. 5
   Kentucky Route Zero

   Cardboard Computer's magical-realist adventure following a truck driver's surreal journey along a mysterious highway.
   546pts
6. 6
   King's Quest V

   Sierra's 1990 fairy-tale graphic adventure following King Graham on a quest to rescue his family.
   473pts
7. 7
   The Longest Journey

   Funcom's 1999 sprawling fantasy-and-sci-fi adventure about an art student who can travel between two worlds.
   473pts
8. 8
   What Remains of Edith Finch

   Giant Sparrow's 2017 narrative adventure exploring the strange deaths of a cursed family through their old house.
   387pts
9. 9
   Disco Elysium

   ZA/UM's 2019 detective adventure-RPG hybrid celebrated for its dialogue-driven investigation and prose.
   387pts
10. 10
    The Walking Dead

    Telltale Games' 2012 choice-driven adventure following survivors of a zombie apocalypse.
    387pts
11. 11
    Full Throttle

    LucasArts' 1995 biker-gang noir adventure starring the leader of the Polecats motorcycle club.
    387pts
12. 12
    Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

    Sierra's 1993 supernatural mystery adventure following a bookstore owner investigating voodoo murders.
    387pts
13. 13
    Firewatch

    Campo Santo's 2016 narrative adventure about a Wyoming fire lookout drawn into a wilderness mystery.
    387pts
14. 14
    Myst

    Cyan's 1993 puzzle-exploration adventure on a mysterious island that became a best-selling PC phenomenon.
    387pts
15. 15
    Sam & Max Hit the Road

    LucasArts' 1993 comedy adventure starring a freelance dog-and-rabbit police duo.
    284pts
16. 16
    Syberia

    Microids' 2002 adventure following a lawyer's journey across Europe to track down a reclusive inventor.
    284pts
17. 17
    Life is Strange

    Dontnod's 2015 episodic adventure about a teenager who discovers she can rewind time.
    284pts
18. 18
    Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

    LucasArts' 1992 pulp-adventure tie-in widely regarded as one of the best Indiana Jones games ever made.
    284pts
19. 19
    Return of the Obra Dinn

    Lucas Pope's 2018 monochrome deduction adventure about reconstructing the fate of a ghost ship's crew.
    158pts
20. 20
    Machinarium

    Amanita Design's 2009 hand-drawn puzzle adventure starring a small robot exploring a rusty industrial city.
    158pts