Returnal is a third-person roguelike shooter released in 2021 for the PlayStation 5. It focuses on an astronaut on the planet Atropos on a mission to find the White Shadow. She soon finds herself stuck in a time loop, which is where the roguelike mechanics kick in. After she dies, she’s resurrected at the beginning of one of the game’s two halves, making for a truly unusual narrative that’s somewhat aligned with the time loop mechanics of Edge of Tomorrow. Returnal was a success upon release, earning numerous awards, though it wasn’t a huge commercial success. A spiritual sequel called Saros will drop in April 2026.
2) Control
Image courtesy of 505 Entertainment & Remedy Entertainment
Control is an action-adventure game released in 2019 on just about every compatible device on the planet. It centers on Jesse Faden, the director of the Federal Bureau of Control, the agency responsible for investigating phenomena that alter reality. Players control Jesse, using her shapeshifting gun to fight strange enemies while unlocking new abilities. Control is a nonlinear game that sold over 5 million copies and received numerous awards and nominations. The game’s sequel, Control Resonant, is expected to be released in 2026, though the format shifted from a 3rd-person shooter to an action RPG.
3) Outer Wilds
Image courtesy of Annapurna Interactive
Another game featuring a time-loop mechanic is 2019’s action-adventure title Outer Wilds. It centers around the player exploring a planetary system that resets every 22 minutes when the star goes supernova, destroying everything. The player’s role is to investigate alien ruins to learn the history of the long-lost people while trying to uncover the cause of the time loop. Outer Wilds was praised for its gameplay and mechanics upon release, as well as its unusual art style, which is somewhat unique. It received numerous awards and nominations in the years after its release.
4) No Man’s Sky
Image courtesy of Hello Games
When it was first released, No Man’s Sky quickly became one of the most despised video games ever made. This wasn’t because it was a bad game, but because it was rushed, as it failed to meet 99% of the developer’s promises. In the years since its release, No Man’s Sky has been updated repeatedly, becoming the promised game and so much more. It’s a sandbox title that lets the player explore 18 quintillion procedurally generated planets — literally. Nowadays, players are returning to the game to see what it’s become in the decade since its release, as No Man’s Sky has truly become the preeminent space sim title.
5) Stray
Image courtesy of Annapurna Interactive
Stray is a 2022 adventure game where the player takes control of a stray cat who falls through some ruins into a city populated entirely by robots and mutant monsters. The goal is to return to the surface, requiring extensive exploration to advance, overcome obstacles, and solve puzzles. Stray features a unique post-apocalyptic world that sucks you into its interesting narrative, and the game quickly became a massive hit, earning numerous awards and nominations. It’s been ported to every platform capable of running it and has received praise for almost every aspect of its design and execution.
What’s your favorite sci-fi game that’s not part of a massive franchise? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
