20 Essential Video Games You Must Play Before You Die

Because life's too short to play bad games.

final fantasy VII aeris church
Square Enix

Now, I'm not saying that you *are* going to die. I am not saying that. Chances are that if you're reading this then you've probably got a rich and full life ahead of you; one that's filled with wild summers, cosy winters, and the sort of sexy bikini parties that will be the unrivalled envy of every single one of your instagram followers. But, be that as it may, you can't hold back the ravages of age and, one day, you're going to cross paths with old father time himself. Sorry about that.

Which means that the window for you to do everything is getting smaller by the day. Those holidays you wanted to take, those bands you wanted to see, and most importantly, all those video games you wanted to play. As the old saying goes, "never put off until tomorrow what you can possibly 100% this weekend".

But with the icy cold hand of your own mortality weighing heavier on your shoulder by the day, you're going to have to be selective about the games you scrawl hurriedly onto your bucket list. After all, life's far too short to play Leisure Suit Larry or anything that was released as a tie-in to a movie, especially when there are so many titles out there that don't just make gaming a pleasure, but more or less make it an art form.

Some changed how people thought about their console, some changed how people thought about their genre, and some straight up changed how people thought about their own lives.

So here, for your reading pleasure, are the 20 video game titles you simply have to play with what little time you have left on this earth.

 
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Managing Editor
Managing Editor

WhatCulture's Managing Editor and Chief Reporter | Previously seen in Vice, Esquire, FourFourTwo, Sabotage Times, Loaded, The Set Pieces, and Mundial Magazine