Like the third episode of The last of us, video games and their adaptations are a privileged setting for a romance tinged with darkness. Characters like Mario and Pauline starred in early video games, but as the medium progressed, their romantic stories became darker and more interesting.
Like television and movies, video games have embraced the drama that accompanies unsettling relationships, often filling their games with tragic stories and plotlines dedicated to exploring those relationships. The darkness of these gaming romances can stem from tragic loss or the innate horror that some games like to dwell on.
10 Speed Dating for Ghosts: A Deeply Emotional Story From Beyond
Speed dating for ghosts, a dating sim that focuses on the afterlife, is an enjoyable dating experience filled with many of the same issues as real-life speed dating. Each of the ghosts in the game has a distinct personality: some are charming and full of stories, while others have just found out they’re dead, adding unforeseen trauma to many dates.
After speed dating, players can choose to go on a real ghost date, go to a football game, or help a ghost remember when it died while shouting “I can still feel the blade” and sobbing. Speed dating for ghosts is a perfect weekend game for singles or fans of emotional stories.
9 Yandere Simulator follows a girl willing to kill for love 
In fiction and in real life, some people would do anything for love. As the protagonist of Yandere Simulatorthe player searches for the love of their Senpai while eliminating their rivals in a variety of deadly and non-lethal, yet equally terrifying ways.
The game offers two modes, one set in 202X which is still in development with regular updates, and its fully playable mode, set in 1980. The “Dere” genre is full of games, but not all of them demonstrate the charm and the gameplay of Yandere Simulator. That being said, torture and summoning demons are on the table here, which is rare in any romance game.
8 Cyberpunk 2077 Romances Can End Violently 
Although romance isn’t the first thing people think of when they talk about Cyberpunk 2077, love stories are an essential part of the game, and even change the outcome of important moments in the story. With four royal romances and four additional romantic encounters, players must choose wisely.
Depending on your choices in Cyberpunk 2077In addition to player side quests, this tense game gives its players the chance to trick their partners. Additionally, Cyberpunk 2077 has options that end all relationships when V dies, and the player must listen to emotional voicemails left by his lovers.
7 Catherine: Full Body lets players choose between three *atherines 
Developed by Atlus Games, Katherine: Complete Body follows Vincent Brooks, an ordinary man, as he chooses between two women named Katherine and Catherine, and ends up meeting Katherine as well. During the day, Vincent must navigate the social world, making decisions that ultimately affect the plot of the game, while at night he navigates puzzle platforms.
The whole game is based on Vincent’s decisions about his relationships, even though he accepts that demons and aliens are real. Each character has four endings. There are also two additional endings if Vincent decides to remain celibate, with one ending where Vincent reigns as King of Hell.
6 messages lost. Treat self-harm and love 
lost messages is a short visual novel game that follows the love life of a young student who discovers the deteriorating mental health of her roommate, May. The game requires several matches to get all the information, but the first will be the hardest emotionally, as May kills herself.
In subsequent matches, the player can access more options and get to know May and her fights better. Based on real life events of its creator, missed messages it has a deep emotional charge that players can sense in every conversation, prompting them to do their best to find one of the game’s positive endings.
5 Persona 5 Offers A Lot Of Awkward Romance Options 
Personas 5 is a mix of a social simulator and a dungeon crawler in which the protagonist, Joker, lives through a school year while battling through the metaverse. The social simulator aspect affects how Joker spends his time outside of battle, including working part-time and fostering his romances with confidants.
These confidants consist of 10 individual romantic choices, ranging from your typical party members to your teacher, which is ethically dark in its own way. personas 5 attaches great importance to the traumas of confidants, making unhealthy relationships almost inevitable.
4 Shadow of the Colossus trades life for love 
The shadow of the colossus The 2018 remake of a 2005 title of the same name is a critically acclaimed action-adventure game that follows Wander as he attempts to resurrect a girl named Mono. Aided by the Dormin entity, Wander must confront the titular Colossi, slay them, and bring back their idols to return Mono to the world of the living.
As the player approaches the end of ShadowWander is possessed by Dormin and is eventually sucked into a whirlwind of light as Mono wakes up, essentially switching places. The shadow of the colossus It ends with Mono taking on a baby, presumably Wander, leaving her future up to interpretation, though many fans point out that the baby likely has serious issues with her mother.
3 Life Is Strange presents players with an emotional cart issue 
life is strange is an episodic game that follows Max Caulfield as he attends the exclusive Blackwell Academy and discovers his ability to travel back in time. Using this power, she tries to save everyone around her and find a missing girl.
As with any time travel story, every time Max fixes something in the past, the future changes with him. To the extent that life is strange advance, Max faces a heartbreaking final decision. He must choose between letting an entire town die or sacrificing the love of his life, Chloe. Many players choose Chloe in their first game, but this does not lessen the impact of the tram glitch the player encounters late in the game.
2 Hateful Boyfriend Makes Player Bird Date Or Die 
hateful boyfriend is a Japanese dating sim visual novel that follows a human girl who attends St. PigeoNation High School, which previously only allowed bird students. The human PC girl is then able to romance 10 different bird students, each with their own personalities and interests.
Although the chaotic game initially started out as a parody of similar games, hateful boyfriend added a second mode where the human girl is killed at the start of the game. In this version it becomes more of an investigation. However, somehow, the human girl and her childhood best friend, Ryouta, end up together, so it’s still kind of romantic.
1 The Doki Doki Literature Club Has A Self-Aware Love Interest 
Doki Doki Literature Club is the most discussed example of a dark romance game. In it, the player joins the literature club and attempts to date its attractive members. As the story progresses, the player gets deeper into the game and the story draws inspiration from their real-world computer interactions.
Doki Doki Literature Club became popular as a gag, shared by gamers who wanted to traumatize their unsuspecting friends. The ending is also darker than most, as the player must make a conscious decision to end the life of a “self-aware” video game character or let them suffer instead. Somehow it loses its connection to romance, but it’s an absurdly dark dating sim.