Path of Exile feels overwhelming the first time through its ten-act campaign. Just when you think you’ve finished, the endgame opens up, and you realize you were only scratching the surface of something massive. Each new character teaches you a little more about builds, timing, and strategy, and that steady improvement is what turns it from a tough grind into one of the most rewarding ARPG experiences out there. | © Grinding Gear Games
Spelunky can feel unfair at first, tossing you into random caves filled with traps that seem designed to ruin your day. The more you play, though, the clearer the rules become, and what once felt chaotic turns into a tense game of awareness, timing, and smart risk-taking. Every run teaches you something new, and that steady improvement is what transforms it from frustrating to completely addictive. | © Mossmouth
Darkest Dungeon raises your pulse in a way few games do. Not because of cheap scares, but because every decision carries weight and a single mistake can cost you a beloved hero. As you learn how stress, positioning, and party composition really work, the systems reveal their depth, and that brutal learning curve turns into one of the most intense and addictive strategy experiences out there. | © Red Hook Studios
The Binding of Isaac feels simple at first: just you, a few tears as weapons, and a dungeon full of monsters. Then the item combinations start stacking, builds get wild, and every run turns into something unpredictable and strangely brilliant. The more you play, the more secrets, synergies, and dark humor you uncover, and that constant sense of discovery is what makes it dangerously hard to quit. | © Edmund McMillen
Deus Ex grabs you with its conspiracies and never really lets go. What starts as a grounded mission slowly unfolds into a web of secret societies, plagues, and moral choices that feel far deeper than a typical shooter. The more you experiment with stealth, hacking, or brute force, the more the game reveals its flexibility, and that freedom is what makes it better the longer you play. | © Eidos Interactive
Resident Evil 4 pulls you in quickly, but it really shines once the systems start working together. Combat feels tighter and more responsive as you unlock new options, and the added mobility and parry mechanics make every encounter more intense without making it easier. As enemies grow more aggressive and the world opens up, it becomes clear why this remake doesn’t just revisit a classic; it elevates it. | © Capcom
FTL: Faster Than Light can feel brutal and unfair on your first few runs. Ships explode, crew members die, and you barely understand what went wrong. Then the systems start to make sense, you learn how to manage power and timing, and suddenly each run feels like a tense, strategic puzzle that only gets more addictive once you finally earn that first hard-fought victory. | © Subset Games
Darksiders: Wrath of War starts strong, but it only gets better once its systems fully open up. Early combat feels solid, then new abilities and weapons expand your options, while dungeons layer in smarter puzzles that break up the action in satisfying ways. It may not reinvent the genre, but the steady evolution of both fighting and exploration keeps things fresh and makes the second half far more rewarding than the first. | © Vigil Games
Hollow Knight feels restrained at the beginning, with simple combat and limited areas to explore. Keep pushing forward, and the world opens up, new abilities transform how you move and fight, and battles become faster and more strategic. By the time the story pieces start falling into place and you realize how much freedom you now have, it becomes the kind of game that’s just as satisfying to replay as it was the first time. | © Team Cherry
Outer Wilds barely explains itself, and that can be frustrating at first. You wander, experiment, and piece things together slowly, often without any clear objective guiding you. Then something clicks, the mysteries start connecting, and that growing sense of discovery turns it into one of the most unforgettable exploration experiences you can have in a game. | © Mobius Digital
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will humble you fast. Early on, even basic enemies can tear you apart, and every mistake feels personal. But as you learn timing, master parries, and unlock new tools, you slowly transform into the kind of shinobi who can dismantle bosses you once feared, and that growth is what makes the final victories feel almost unreal. | © FromSoftware
RimWorld looks simple at first glance, just a few colonists trying to survive on a hostile planet. Spend a few hours with it, and you realize there’s an absurd amount of depth under the surface, from personality quirks to unpredictable disasters that turn every run into its own saga. Add the thriving mod scene, and suddenly the possibilities feel endless, which is exactly why it only gets more compelling the longer you play. | © Ludeon Studios
Subnautica begins with you clinging to survival, diving into unknown waters with barely enough oxygen to stay calm. Slowly, scrap turns into tools, tools turn into habitats, and before you know it you’re commanding massive submarines and exploring the deep in a mechanised exosuit. What starts as fear of the ocean becomes curiosity, then mastery, and that steady climb from helpless castaway to deep-sea pioneer is what makes it so hard to put down. | © Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Celeste can feel brutal in the first hour. You fall constantly, your movement options are limited, and it tests your patience in ways few platformers dare to. Stick with it, though, and the controls start to feel perfect, the challenges turn addictive, and the emotional story gives every hard-earned jump a meaning that makes you want to conquer every chapter and then some. | © Maddy Makes Games
Factorio starts small, just you, a pickaxe, and a few noisy machines working in the dirt. Hours later, you are managing a massive, self-sustaining factory where conveyor belts stretch across the map, and drones construct entire sections in seconds. The deeper you go, the more everything connects, and that simple loop of mining and building turns into an incredibly satisfying machine you never want to stop improving. | © Wube Software
Some games hook you instantly. Others take their time. These are the ones that grow on you, layer by layer, until you realise you’re playing something far better than you first thought.
