If you want to find love in video games, then look no further. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for video games that offer unforgettable love stories through compelling romance options.
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00:00I wish I had a longer road ahead of me.
00:03I want to walk it with you.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 20 video games with
00:09the best romance options.
00:11We're not including dating simulators because those belong on a separate list of their own.
00:16Growing kinda cold out here.
00:27Not true.
00:28But this is nice.
00:31Number 20.
00:32Starfield.
00:33So, if you're willing to take that leap of faith with someone like me, then I'm ready
00:41to do the same.
00:42Skyrim's romance options were solid for the time, especially in a western game, but
00:47Bethesda has improved on its formula over the years.
00:50In Fallout 4, you're able to romance most of your companions, though they do feel shallow
00:54when the game lets you romance all of them at once with no consequences.
00:58Starfield is different, though.
01:00Like Skyrim, it has marriage options for four of your companions once you build up your
01:04affinity high enough, which involves doing things they like and taking them on quests.
01:08You can also choose to divorce them and marry someone else, or they can end things with
01:13you if you anger them too much.
01:21Number 19.
01:23Potionomics.
01:31This sim game uses deck mechanics to help Sylvia build a life for herself brewing and
01:35selling potions to the locals to pay off her uncle's debt.
01:39Along with all the life sim and business sim elements, which are great and it develops
01:43into having very complex and strategic gameplay for those who like that, it's also got romance
01:48options.
01:49There's a huge variety of romanceable characters, and choosing to date one and building up your
01:53relationship has material benefits because you'll unlock new cards and strategies.
01:58It's also one of the rare games that has a free love mode to enable polyamory if you
02:03want.
02:04Though if that's not your taste, you can keep it to the classic one love mode.
02:13Number 18.
02:14Saints Row IV.
02:21Much of Saints Row IV is a direct parody of Mass Effect, though it also sets other big
02:26franchises like Call of Duty and GTA in its sights.
02:29While lounging around on the nameless ship, the boss can romance all of their companions,
02:33with the exception of Keith David, who rejects your advances.
02:37As in other games, none of the characters care that the boss can get it on with any
02:40and all of them.
02:41Though some of the cutscenes are a little more nuanced than others, Shandy and Pierce
02:45for instance.
02:46They're not romance options that lead to marriage or relationships, but there are plenty
02:50of games out there with even shallower options that take themselves seriously.
03:11Number 17.
03:12Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
03:24Ubisoft added romances, or some version of them, in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
03:28Though there are non-optional romantic storylines in older games.
03:32While every romance was seemingly small in Odyssey, Valhalla lets you pursue actual relationships
03:38with its characters.
03:39All romances are available no matter what gender Eivor is, with Petra the Hunter and
03:44Tarbin the Baker being standouts.
03:46But of course, one romance option is a cut above the rest.
03:49Ranvi.
03:50Beginning the game as your adoptive brother's abandoned wife and Eivor's closest confidant,
03:54a romance can blossom long before she leaves Sigurd for good.
03:58You may get the worst ending of the game if you do this, but she's worth it.
04:10Number 16.
04:14Unicorn Overlord.
04:30After finally completing all the quests in Elheim, Elaine will be given the Ring of the
04:34Maiden, which is the unique item you need to present to one of the love interests to
04:38get them to permanently commit.
04:40You've built rapport with the characters you want to romance up to three levels by
04:44sharing meals and giving gifts.
04:46And when you've done that and have the ring, you can finally propose.
04:49You also need to choose the correct dialogue options to make them see that marriage is
04:54a good option.
04:55Though the actual romance interactions are short, they're all superbly written, and
04:59You'll still spend lots of time with the characters on your adventure.
05:03Number 15.
05:11Story of Seasons Series.
05:21The franchise formerly known as Harvest Moon has been around for decades, but only recently
05:26changed its name to match the Japanese title.
05:29As the original farming and life sim, Story of Seasons has been hugely influential, and
05:34has featured a marriage mechanic in most of its entries.
05:37With the game spanning decades of in-game time, you can build deep relationships with
05:41the people you meet, including marrying them and having children.
05:45And in Tree of Tranquility, you can continue playing as the child after the end, adding
05:49an inheritance mechanic.
05:51It's this that adds depth to the romance, which mechanically revolves around giving
05:55gifts.
06:05Number 14.
06:06Fallout 2.
06:07If you assumed that the Fallout series didn't have romance until Fallout 4, excluding certain
06:12paid encounters you can indulge in, you'd be wrong.
06:15The romance options aren't particularly nuanced in Fallout 2, with the chosen one
06:19provided with two options, Myria or Davin.
06:22With enough charisma and reputation in M.O.D.O.K., you'll get caught in the act of seducing
06:26one of them and forced into a shotgun wedding to make it right.
06:30Circumstances aside, this gives Fallout 2 the landmark distinction of being the first
06:34ever video game to have same-sex marriage, yes, including The Sims.
06:38It's a shame that the romance options don't get their own talking heads, though.
06:42Number 13.
06:44Life is Strange series.
06:56The first game in the series gave players a lot of complex choices, primarily between
07:00the two love interests, Max's male high school crush Warren and her female childhood
07:05best friend Chloe.
07:06You'll then also need to choose between saving Chloe at the end of the game and sacrificing
07:11the entire town to a tornado, or letting her die at the beginning for the greater good.
07:16Subsequent games have followed this formula, with protagonists getting two developed love
07:20interests to choose from, leading to plenty of debate among fans about which is better.
07:24Even other don't-nod adventure games, like Tell Me Why, follow the Life is Strange formula
07:28for story and romance.
07:36Number 12.
07:37Divinity Dragon Commander.
07:47Arguably the best romance studio in the business, Larian has always had exceptional love stories
07:52in its games.
07:532013's Divinity RTS was no exception.
07:56The most interesting choices in Dragon Commander relate to the world's political situation
08:01and how you treat the members of each race, since you're going to need their support
08:04to seize control of Rivellon.
08:06But part of this involves picking one of four wives, one from each of the four races, to
08:10help you achieve your political goals.
08:13The marriages aren't particularly romantic, but they are tied heavily to the plot and
08:17the decisions you need to make as a leader.
08:31Number 11.
08:32Dragon's Dogma series.
08:45Rather than pressing the heart-shaped dialogue options at every opportunity, romance works
08:49differently in Dragon's Dogma.
08:52Almost every NPC in the entire game can become your romance option, which the first game
08:56calls your beloved, as long as you have a high enough affinity, which you get by spending
09:01time with them and giving them gifts.
09:03This will culminate in your favorite NPC being kidnapped by a dragon at a pivotal moment
09:07and you being sent in to rescue them.
09:10It's a great way to build stakes and a slightly more organic way to develop a relationship,
09:15more akin to how romance works in real life.
09:25Number 10.
09:26Catherine.
09:35Unlike other games on this list, Catherine is all about romance from the get-go while
09:39still not being a dating simulator.
09:42The brunt of its gameplay are those notoriously difficult block-sliding, platforming puzzles
09:46as Vincent gets lost in his nightmares and tries to escape his own subconscious.
09:51He's torn between committing fully to his long-term girlfriend, Catherine with a K,
09:55or indulging in his most base desires with the younger and more exciting Catherine with
09:59a C, whose true nature is one of the game's core mysteries.
10:032019's full-body remake added a third character, Rin, who's an even more interesting option,
10:09and we won't spoil anything here.
10:22Number 9.
10:23Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
10:34It's an age-old question.
10:36Do you choose Aerith or Tifa?
10:38Or maybe even Barret?
10:40All of those options and more are yours to explore in Final Fantasy VII, both the PS1
10:45original and the big-budget remakes.
10:47Both girls are major party members, and given the extreme length of the remakes so far,
10:52with a third on the way, you'll be spending a lot of time with them, making these relationships
10:57more personal than most virtual ones.
10:59You can, of course, avoid romance entirely if you prefer Cloud as a loner, but that love
11:04triangle is hard to resist.
11:06Be warned, though.
11:07Depending on who Cloud opens up to, he may end up with his heart irreparably broken.
11:22Number 8.
11:23Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.
11:35Geralt's got a few witches to choose from in the third Witcher game, and though he can
11:39have a brief tryst with Kirametz, you'll mostly spend your time choosing between Triss
11:43and Yennefer.
11:44Triss is a fascinating character, and you'll be helping her out regardless of Geralt's
11:48feelings if you want to complete all the side quests and help the mages in Novigrad.
11:52But Yennefer remains the canon choice.
11:55The quests with Yennefer are some of the game's highlights, with the banter between them making
11:59the bond feel real.
12:00There are reasons CDPR is always praised for its writing, and Geralt's weakness for powerful
12:05sorceresses may just be one of them.
12:19Number 7.
12:20Mass Effect Series.
12:33Certain romance options carry over across the entire Mass Effect trilogy, with characters
12:38like Garrus and Tali being party members in every single game, though you can't romance
12:43either of them in the first one.
12:44The three characters you can romance initially will also return in the third game, namely
12:49Liara, Kayden, and Ashley, though either Kayden or Ashley will have died as a result
12:54of a choice in the first game.
12:55This adds huge depth to the options, with Shepard able to discuss the events of the
13:00previous games during later romance scenes, reminiscing about taking down Saren or Harbinger,
13:04for instance.
13:05The Citadel DLC was a perfect way to say goodbye to these years-long relationships.
13:25Number 6.
13:26Stardew Valley.
13:36We already talked about Harvest Moon, but Stardew Valley has forever raised the expectations
13:41for a farming RPG and life sim.
13:43As one of the most beloved games ever made, Stardew Valley sends you to the countryside
13:47to rebuild your family's old farm in Pelican Town.
13:51While there, you'll find love and friendship among the townsfolk, with 12 potential partners
13:55to choose from.
13:56Two of the most popular on the Bachelor side are Sebastian and Shane, with Shane being
14:01intriguing because of how much time and effort it takes to win him over.
14:04On the Bachelorette side, however, the most popular are Abigail and Leia, due to their
14:09hobbies and some pretty interesting interactions between the two.
14:12Once you progress the relationships by giving gifts, you can eventually get married and
14:16have kids on the farm.
14:29Number 5.
14:30Dragon Age Inquisition.
14:40While characters regularly return in Dragon Age, just like Mass Effect, the romance options
14:44are all different.
14:46Inquisition undoubtedly has the deepest and most intriguing romance system, with Origins
14:50and 2 being more limited.
14:52But Inquisition has a wealth of options, including fan-favorite characters like Iron Bull, Solas,
14:57and Cassandra.
14:59Characters also have defined sexualities, thus ruling them out as love interests depending
15:03on how you made your Inquisitor, which adds to the realism.
15:06Not only is it the best Dragon Age game for romance, but it's also the best Bioware
15:10romance game in general.
15:31Number 4.
15:32Cyberpunk 2077.
15:49If anyone thought the romances in The Witcher 3 were only so well-written because they were
15:54based on a series of books, they were definitely proven wrong with the release of this game.
15:59While it's also got existing source material, the romantical characters are unique with
16:034 to choose from.
16:04That's including Johnny's tumultuous relationships with Rogue and Alt Cunningham.
16:09For V, your options are Judy Alvarez, Pan Am Palmer, River Ward, and Carrie Uridine.
16:14It's hard to put into words how beautifully written these stories are, particularly Judy
16:19and Pan Am, the most popular options.
16:22They also call you on the phone and send you text messages throughout the game.
16:37Number 3.
16:38Persona 5.
16:47Despite another Atlus game, Persona 5 improved on the romances of Persona 4 by miles.
16:53Infamously, Persona 5 is one of the few games that lets you romance every single girl at
16:57once, only to get royally called out for it when they all find out.
17:01But if you decide not to behave like a dirtbag, there's roughly a dozen girls to choose
17:06from.
17:07You'll still want to spend time with all of them to level up your social links, but
17:10you should definitely stick to just one if you don't want all the other ones to hate
17:14you.
17:15Though they'll eventually forgive Joker anyhow.
17:17The two most popular options are Anne and Makoto, but there are plenty more as well.
17:28Number 2.
17:29Fire Emblem Three Houses.
17:43Dozens of characters to get to know across each of the game's three houses, you're
17:46pretty spoiled for choice of who to romance here.
17:49The most popular options are the house leaders, Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude.
17:53But you're not limited by how important a character is.
17:56Dorothea is also a popular option, but Three Houses has the unique trait of being one of
18:01the few games where other characters can couple up.
18:04Depending on who you choose to have in your party and how much time they spend together,
18:08you can encourage the relationships of the NPCs.
18:11You can also eventually get married in Fire Emblem, with a relationship spanning many
18:15in-game years.
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18:45Number 1.
18:46Baldur's Gate 3
19:01Could it have really been anything else?
19:03In 2023, the world was taken by storm with the release of Baldur's Gate 3 and its outrageously
19:09sexy characters.
19:10The infamous bear romance scene emerged ahead of release, and while that one is particularly
19:15scandalous, the other romances will leave you just as flustered.
19:19Undoubtedly, the most popular options are Astarion and Karlak, the vampire boyfriend
19:23and demon girlfriend respectively.
19:25There's something for everyone here, and it's no surprise that Larian has not only
19:29set a new precedent for what video game romances should be like, but also a guide for how future
19:34games can do it better.
19:35Hopefully all RPGs follow in Baldur's Gate's footsteps.
19:46I can picture it.
19:48You, me, two little us's.
19:51That's a pretty picture, isn't it?
19:53Let us know in the comments which video games you think are the most romantic.