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What are the best PC games that will make you cry?

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To The Moon vs Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition vs Mass Effect Trilogy

 vs Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons vs Detroit: Become Human vs NieR: Automata vs Life is Strange vs Transistor vs Spec Ops: The Line vs Rakuen vs Spiritfarer vs The Last of Us vs The Walking Dead: Season 1

Specs

Platforms

Windows, Linux, Mac

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Genre

-

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

-

Genre

-

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Steam Rating

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing, Third-Person Shooter

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Android, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows, iOS, PlayStation Portable, Windows Phone

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Genre

Adventure, Puzzle

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

PlayStation 4, PC

Steam Rating

-

Genre

Interactive Narrative, Action-Adventure

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Steam Rating

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

-

Genre

Adventure, Narrative

Release Date

Jan 29 2015

Multi-Player

No

Single Player

Yes

Available Platforms

PC / PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / XBox One

Co-Op

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

-

Genre

-

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre

-

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Genre

-

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre

Indie

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

Split Screen Co-Op

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

-

Genre

-

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

-

Genre

-

Release Date

-

Multi-Player

-

Single Player

-

Available Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Cute story told backwards with an unexpected happy ending

The main story is actually told backwards, ala the movie Memento. While not the most original concept, still a cool way to tell a story. In the end there is quite the happy ending that will result in many tears being shed.
Comment

Con
 Gameplay is lackluster

The actual gameplay of the game consists of tile flipping and a few other mini type games.
Comment

Pro
 Well written characters

As the story progresses the characters attitudes and emotions change in response to the ever evolving story. This makes fro what is a very well written game that makes the story and characters seem genuinely real.
Comment

Con
 Too short

Averaging play at around 4 hours to complete the game is quite short, good thing there are a bunch of free DLCs released that extend the gameplay.
Comment

Pro
 Choose your own adventure

The player is required to make many choices over the course of the three games, all of which have far-reaching consequences. Not just friends, but entire species can live or die based on player decisions. Morality is also not prescribed - the player is free to make Shepard be who they want them to be.
Comment

Pro
 Space opera aesthetic

The series is a beautiful love letter to space opera classics like Star Wars and Star Trek, while standing on its own merits.
Comment

Pro
 Good romance subplots (Mass Effect)

The romance subplots in Mass Effect are great. Playing as male Shepard, you can romance either Liara or Ashley, while female Shepard can romance Liara or Kaidan, your human male squadmate. There are certain consequences for being unfaithful where your partner will confront you or the person you're cheating with in a heated showdown. Sticking with one person for the whole game rewards you with a romantic scene near the end of the story. A lot of care and attention went into these subplots, giving you the chance to see each of the characters in a new light.
Comment

Pro
 Memorable cast of authentic characters (Mass Effect)

Mass Effect has an amazing cast of both human and alien characters who feel like real people. While just about any NPC you meet is fantastic, your squad members are the ones that stand out the most. They all have backstories and traits that are believable and natural. Ashley is a human soldier who joins your team early on. As you chat with her in between missions, you get to learn about her history with her family and religious faith back on Earth. But then as you explore the Citadel, the game's main hub area, she makes snide comments about all the aliens around, keying you in on her true feelings about non-humans. By contrast, your scientist team member Liara is an asari: Mass Effect's species of blue female-only aliens. Despite being reserved and shy, Liara often jumps at the chance to gush about her research. Talking to her gives you the chance to learn more about the asari and why exactly she's so devoted to her academic studies. Getting to know everyone through dialogue and squad banter is a lot of fun, making it easy to grow attached to your favorite characters.
Comment

Pro
 Calm and thoughtful atmosphere (Mass Effect)

There's something calming about Mass Effect's atmosphere that really gives you the space to think and reflect. Exploring places like the indoor trade port Noveria feels special because of the cool blue color scheme, the blizzard blowing outside the full pane windows, and the ambient, yet quietly emotional synth music looping in the background. Even the title screen has a thoughtful song playing over the beautiful sight of Earth from orbit. The atmosphere is wonderful in a way that's almost nostalgic, making you feel right at home each time you start up the game.
Comment

Pro
 You can customize your protagonist Commander Shepard

There are lots of ways to make Commander Shepard feel like your own character. The character creator at the start of a new game lets you change all sorts of options, from your hair, to your skin color, the shape of your nose, mouth, and ears, and so much more. Or, if you prefer, you can simply stick with the default male or female Shepard. You also get to pick which class you want to be for combat: soldier, infiltrator, vanguard, adept, or sentinel, each with their own unique abilities, like the adept's helpful "magic spells" and the infiltrator's specialty with sniper rifles. You can role-play as Shepard however you want, with plenty of options to customize your looks and your combat specialties for whichever role suits you the most.
Comment

Con
 Tedious inventory management (Mass Effect)

The game overloads your inventory with weapon upgrades, modifiers, equipment, and all sorts of duplicates of those items. Clearing out your inventory can take several minutes at a time since there's no quick way to select the things you don't want and get rid of them. If you're diligent enough to trek to a store to sell things off every single time you're low on inventory space, you can make quite a bit of money, but it's not always convenient to do this, like when you're out in the middle of a remote planet. It takes a lot of patience to not get annoyed with managing all of your items and components.
Comment

Con
 Levels are very linear (Mass Effect 2)

Mass Effect 2's levels are more like winding corridors with the occasional wide open space here and there. You always have a clear sense of where to go next, but there isn't much room for exploration. It's also obvious when enemies are about to show up, since you'll come to a place with a bunch of chest-high walls conveniently spread around the area for you to take cover behind. It's unimaginative, making missions feel like you're only going from point A to B.
Comment

Con
 Vehicle controls with the Mako are absolutely terrible (Mass Effect)

Driving around on planets to get from place to place in the Mako is awful. Controls aren't as responsive as they should be and the vehicle's physics are all over the place. Just trying to make basic turns is bad enough; roving up a rocky mountain, for example, makes the Mako bounce and spin around like it's in zero gravity. These driving parts are mandatory and unskippable, so there's no way around them. It's so bad that the developers got rid of the Mako in Mass Effect 2 and 3, but you unfortunately still have to deal with it here.
Comment

Pro
 Stellar voice acting

40 000 lines of dialogue in Mass Effect 3 alone. Top-tier cast includes Jennifer Hale, Mark Meer, Ali Hillis, Seth Green, and Martin Sheen.
Comment

Pro
 Great third-person shooting combat and gun variety (Mass Effect 3)

The combat in Mass Effect 3 feels great to play. Taking out groups of enemies is fun because of all the ways you can change up your gameplay. There are lots of different loadouts to choose from and ways to customize your build with components, such as having an assault rifle that tears through armor, or adding elemental effects like ice to your shotgun to freeze enemies in place. Customizing your sniper rifle just right, for example, to decapitate an enemy from as far away as possible is very satisfying. Combat here is the best it's ever been in the trilogy, improving a lot over the clunky and unresponsive mechanics from the first game.
Comment

Pro
 Your choices have true consequences on the story (Mass Effect)

Your choices have direct consequences on how the story plays out, not only in this game but also across the rest of the Mass Effect trilogy. You get to choose between options like sparing or killing off an entire race of potentially dangerous enemies, saving or sacrificing one of your own squad members to finish an operation, and dealing with an enraged teammate who feels betrayed by your actions. How you handle certain side objectives during story missions can also have an impact on how the galaxy at large reacts to you. Each of your decisions, big and small, carry over through your save files to Mass Effect 2 and 3, opening things up for many different playthroughs to see how things turn out with other choices.
Comment

Con
 Clunky third-person shooting combat (Mass Effect)

The third-person shooting part of Mass Effect isn't that fun because of how janky it is. Your character gets glued to cover whenever you're close to a wall instead of letting you press a button to enter cover whenever you want. The actual shooting mechanics are slow and heavy, and with guns that overheat if you keep firing them for too long. Suicidal squadmates run around getting killed unless you remember to keep directing them to hide behind cover everywhere you go. The combat is just unsatisfying, clearly taking a backseat to the game's story and characters.
Comment

Con
 The main enemies, the Collectors, feel misplaced in the trilogy (Mass Effect 2)

The Mass Effect trilogy's story is about stopping the Reapers -- ancient, unknowable beings who destroy all life -- but this gets interrupted in Mass Effect 2 by the Collectors who are more like minions of the Reapers. The Collectors are dangerous because they harvest humans, though this is not as important as the Reapers who seek to end all life in the galaxy in Mass Effect 3. It would have made sense for Mass Effect 2 to focus on the Reapers instead of the Collectors, since they're more of a secondary problem.
Comment

Con
 The ending is unsatisfying and lacks closure (Mass Effect 3)

Even with the free Extended Cut DLC that expands on the ending, Mass Effect 3's conclusion still falls short of expectations. Commander Shepard and his/her squad are denied a satisfying ending no matter which path you choose. For a series that features such incredible characters, it really stings that you don't get to see everyone have a proper farewell.
Comment

Con
 The human villains are poorly-written (Mass Effect 3)

Mass Effect 3's human villains are more of a joke than anything. Their motivations don't always make sense and they only seem to keep getting in your way for the sake of drama. This is most annoying during scripted story moments where they're suddenly able to overpower you and your team for no real reason. The game's story would have been better off without these certain villains altogether.
Comment

Con
 Story leans too heavily on an unimaginative plot device (Mass Effect 3)

It's disappointing that the big finale to defeat the all-powerful Reapers relies on a plot device. This MacGuffin-like device is boring and feels way too convenient, like the writers ran out of better ideas. It's not all that creative and feels anti-climactic, mostly because it comes out of nowhere in Mass Effect 3 with no mention of it whatsoever in the first two games.
Comment

Con
 Horde mode multiplayer can quickly get stale (Mass Effect 3)

The multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 is a lot of fun at first, but this doesn't last for long. You play with a team of up to three other players against AI of the different enemy factions from single player. Even though you get to unlock lots of unique characters and weapons, it's the same type of horde mode gameplay over and over. You may find yourself getting bored of the ten waves of enemies after a while.
Comment

Pro
 Fun multiplayer (Mass Effect 3)

ME3 has a cooperative multiplayer option that ties into the single-player storyline. Players can take command of various soldiers across all the sapient races, teaming together to fight off waves of enemies and secure objectives.
Comment

Pro
 Great voice acting

By purposefully adding in fantastic voice acting it causes the player to feel more engaged and elicit emotional responses out of them. This is a tool used on purpose in order to make the player feel more immersed in the world of the game.
Comment

Con
 Gameplay not consistent across games

ME1 is more of an RPG with some shooter elements; ME2 and ME3 are more cover-based shooters with RPG elements.
Comment

Con
 The controls takes some time getting used to

It might take some minutes of struggling before getting the hang of it.
Comment

Pro
 It's a short game worth your time

This game takes you through an amazing world and tells a unique story, without any dialogue or text.
Comment

Pro
 Meloncholy/beautiful artwork and atmosphere

Comment

Con
 Slow for the sake of being slow

That pulley lever at the start took almost 3 minutes to raise,.. definitely does not need to take so long,.
Comment

Pro
 Uniquely tells much of the story through gameplay mechanics

The story is told silently without text and it is through the games puzzles/gameplay that one learns the story of the game. This is quite a departure from many games where the story is told to the player, here is is learned through playing.
Comment

Pro
 Spoiler alert: This game deserves first place in the "games that will make you cry"

Since the category is "games that will make you cry", I'll spoil just a little and say this is the only game I've played that actually made me cry, and haunts me even now, having finished the game over a year ago.
Comment

Pro
 Innovative control scheme

The controls for the game work through the player controlling two different characters simultaneously with the two analog thumb sticks on ones controller. A unique feature that creates a fun way to interact with the game that makes for a memorable experience.
Comment

Con
 Puzzles are on the easy side

While the story and environment of the game are a pleasure the puzzles themselves are pretty easy and casual offering little challenge. While it can be a good game for those that like casual puzzles, those that enjoy a more difficult gameplay will be at a loss.
Comment

Pro
 An ambitious amount of branching paths via player choice

The sheer number of branching choices and outcomes is staggering. After every chapter, the game shows you a flowchart of the choices you made, the paths you unlocked, and which conclusion you arrived to. You get to see the blank spaces for paths you didn't unlock, which shows the surprising scope of how gigantic the script is. Getting to see the percentage of players in the world who unlocked your same outcomes also puts things into perspective. Each decision you make leads to a true a culmination of your choices by the end, encouraging near-infinite different playthroughs.
Comment

Con
 Not for players who want more involved gameplay

The gameplay in Detroit: Become Human boils down to exploring, making decisions, and following button prompts on the screen. This doesn't have any complicated, intricate systems that you might expect. It's more of an interactive movie that leans heavily on the experience rather than mechanics, which isn't for anyone. As long as you know what to expect before going in, the story might be enough to carry you through.
Comment

Pro
 Fast-paced and action packed combat

The combat in NieR: Automata is incredible. It has a very hack-and-slash feel to it, with an emphasis on agility and acrobatics. You will have to switch from using small, quick jabs with your weapon, to devastatingly strong attacks, and again to utilizing ranged attacks, as well as the companion that follows you around if you want to have any hope of surviving every encounter. It can be very difficult to win battles sometimes, but it also feels equally rewarding when you finally achieve victory.
Comment

Pro
 A unique take on storytelling leads to a very entertaining experience

NieR: Automata's outlook on storytelling is great: in order to get the full experience, you've got to do multiple playthroughs of the game. You unlock more chapters of the story as you complete the previous chapters more times: completing the first chapter twice will until the second chapter, then when you complete that you unlock the third. When you begin, you play as an android known as YoRHA. However, subsequent playthroughs will allow you to choose different characters and experience the story from a different perspective. It's really interesting and certainly serves to make the game more fun overall.
Comment

Pro
 An incredible amount of gameplay

You can easily spend 60 plus hours exploring the world NieR: Automata, and still have much more to do.
Comment

Pro
 It's got a hauntingly beautiful environment

NieR: Automata is set in an apocalyptic time where earth has been overrun by robots, and the artists really nailed what that would feel like. Abandoned and overgrown cities litter the landscape along with old refineries, graveyards, and eerie forests. When you add the beautiful soundtrack to the experience, it fills you with this: you are alone... but there is hope.
Comment

Con
 Random lag spikes

When walking into an abandoned city, or during cutscenes, you'll randomly experience lag from time to time.
Comment

Con
 Buggy

Some players have been complaining about the game crashing, freezing, save files missing, etc.
Comment

Pro
 Free chapter available

The first 20% (roughly) of the game is free to try to see if you like it or how well it runs on your machine. Steam will give refunds for games that you didn't like it or had trouble with anyway (as long as you played less than 2 hours of it), but this saves the hassle of refunding, as well as the annoying 2 hour mental timer in your head that you'd be weary of.
Comment

Pro
 Time rewind mechanic

Players can choose to undo a choice they made in game after already experiencing the outcome, which gives a great way to experience every choice in the game as well as gives a individualistic feel to the gameplay.
Comment

Pro
 Attention to detail

Life Is Strange has quite a bit of attention to detail compared to some other games. It has a lot of details that the player can interact with (interact meaning examine or talk to, not anything physics-based whatsoever), things which frequently trigger audible dialogue narrated by the protagonist. It adds to the atmosphere of the game.
Comment

Pro
 Choice based gameplay with a twist

Your character can rewind time, so you can undo any recent choice or action, allowing you to try out different ones. This feels really awesome since in most games you'd have to reload your save or replay through entire sections just to view the other choices.
Comment

Pro
 A well-polished experience

Excellent voice acting, great story, smooth lighting, detailed object/level design, extensive number of people and objects to interact with, and even amazing music. Everything about the game makes it very enjoyable to play.
Comment

Pro
 Great story

Life is Strange expertly portrays a teenagers life during high school, capturing all the good and bad emotions, while also adding a supernatural twist. The main character and her issues are relatable, side characters are interesting, and the plot twists are very unexpected. The story as a whole is very enjoyable, keeping you on the edge of your seat most of the time.
Comment

Con
 Some poor writing and unbelievable characters

Many of the characters use dialog and behave unlike how a teenager would making for poor believable characters and story.
Comment

Pro
 Great plot and great drama

The story is really engaging, along with the drama which is the most prominent aspect of the game (but don't let that turn you off if you think that drama isn't your thing, because this is so well done).
Comment

Pro
 Amazing overall atmosphere

Between the good voice acting, lighting and object/level design, extensive number of things and people that can be examined or talked to, and music, it really makes one feel as if they're there experiencing the story.
Comment

Pro
 Choice based gameplay

The choices the player makes in game effect the story of the game later on making for consequences one might now be aware of until later.This gives a realistic feel to the game being that choices have outcomes that effect the game world.
Comment

Pro
 Complex, but simple, customization gives much to imagination and strategy

Throughout the game, you get these abilities, called Functions(), that are modular in design. They can be used in one of three ways: Active(): The activated version, or the base version. You use the Slash function, you slash. You can have up to four of these. Upgrade(): Use the current Function on an Active one. You can stack two upgrades on a single Active. Stacking the Slash() function on a Laser() will cause the Laser to now cut people in half. If you stack the Heal() function on it too, you now also get health back. Passive(): These usually only effect the protagonist, Red, and are not activated manually (although some activate an effect upon receiving damage). Put Get() with Bounce(), you now have an attack that will shoot a bullet that bounces to nearby enemies and pulls (gets) all the enemies hit to you. Add a stun upgrade, like Crash(), and you now have a pile of sleeping enemies in front of you. You can now hit them all with a massive explosion. The game can be beat with simple combos that don't require much setup or strategy, but it definitely rewards you for good thinking.
Comment

Pro
 Deep storyline

Fantastic story line that is heavily cyberpunk themed. When beginning the game the player is dropped right into the action finding that their voice has been stolen to then slowly learn through gameplay and storytelling who exactly stole it.
Comment

Pro
 Awesome turn based + real time gameplay

Transistor is primarily a hack & slash style action RPG, but has an interesting twist in that you can pause time to plan out your next moves. This ability gives Transistor an element of strategy to the core battle mechanics as well as fluid gameplay.
Comment

Pro
 Engrossing atmosphere

The plot, art-style & the soundtrack come together to make a very atmospheric game that does a great job at drawing you into the world. From the design each stage an its beautiful cyberpunk sprawl to the intricate look of the enemies it is difficult to no be enveloped by the atmosphere of the game.
Comment

Pro
 Beautiful soundtrack that adds to the story

All of the singing done in the soundtrack is done with Red's own voice. Many of the lyrics are full of foreshadowing and can be very emotional to listen to. Transistor has an interesting concept of modifying the music based off of when you're taking your "Turn()" or not, causing the lyrics to be Red's humming, and distracting sounds to be calm bass lines. Considering your Turn() consists of much trial and error, the calming music helps to keep you focused while the time outside of your Turn() is mostly about avoiding danger. The contrast gives a sense of tension between the times when YOU'RE in control vs. when THEY are.
Comment

Con
 The message is not clear

The story in Transistor often seems unclear which results in the player feeling less engaged.
Comment

Pro
 The story direction

It follows a generic story pattern of a spec ops team which was given orders to find a person in a war struck zone. All the deeds you do throughout the game play will have you reflecting on what you did by the end of the game in a massive way.
Comment

Con
 Overused game mechanic

Though FPS is a necessity for a game with such a story, it unfortunately came out in a time when countless FPS games swarmed the markets.
Comment

Pro
 Friendly tear jerking story

Somewhat predictable near the end, but plenty to do.
Comment

Con
 Some achievements can't be obtained if you're already past them

So you need to get a guide and make sure you get certain items when they are availabale.
Comment

Con
 Some puzzles require "passcodes"

Which you can find, usually, but it's still an annoying mechanic.
Comment

Pro
 Critically acclaimed for it's story and emotional depth

The Walking Dead tells a genuinely gripping story which can be a testing and exhausting experience for the player. It is told through the interactions between people fighting to survive in a new world in which resources are scarce and threats can come from both the living and the undead. Perhaps the major strength of the game in creating a compelling story telling experience is that it causes the player to care about the characters involved. This is an all too uncommon experience in gaming, and in The Walking Dead adds much greater meaning to the decisions which must be made along the way.
Comment

Pro
 Difficult decisions have to be made

The Walking Dead requires that the player make decisions throughout, these typically will be in the form of action or conversation options. In many of these situations there is no obviously correct or best choice yet these decisions must be taken in stressful situations often giving a matter of seconds. They can be morally testing as you can attempt to do what is 'right', what is best for the group or what is best for yourself as well having differing repercussions on how your character is perceived by different people.
Comment

Con
 Superficial player impact

While the game may on the face of it appear to have far reaching consequences for the decisions taken by the player. At times it can appear that these consequences cause mainly only superficial differences as the story progresses.
Comment
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