Video games for perfectionists might sound like an odd category, but one psychologist thinks the right games can genuinely help. In a new viral video, he rates six titles that push players to accept mistakes and live with tough choices. Surprisingly, one of gaming’s most famous series scores the lowest.
What are the best video games for perfectionists?
Here is the full list of video games for perfectionists, with the psychologist’s scores:
- Esoteric Ebb: 8/10
- Manual Samuel: 7/10
- Elden Ring and other FromSoftware games: 6/10
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 and 2: 7/10
- Pentiment: 9/10
- XCOM 2 on Ironman mode: 8/10
He rates each game on three things. First, how easy it is to pick up. Next, how much it helps with perfectionism. Finally, the overall gaming experience.
Why do perfectionists struggle with games?
The psychologist points to research on the topic. On screen, he shows a meta-analysis on perfectionism and mental health by Limburg and colleagues.
According to the video, two of the biggest struggles are “fear of making mistakes and doubting your decisions.” So he picked video games for perfectionists that target both problems. In other words, each one either makes failure part of the fun or forces you to commit.
Which games make failure fun?
The first category covers games that “make failure fun or help you embrace messing up as part of the process.”
Esoteric Ebb leads the way with an 8 out of 10. It is a dice-based RPG where failing a roll can send the story somewhere unexpected. “When you fail a dice roll, the story often takes a weird, hilarious turn you’d never see otherwise,” he explains. Early on, the game even gives you a check you cannot pass, “just to teach you that failing is going to be part of the game.” However, it is very text heavy, so it will not suit everyone.
Next comes Manual Samuel, which earns a 7. In this comedy game, you control your own breathing, blinking and walking. As a result, “you are going to mess up constantly.” He admits the controls are frustrating on purpose and the humour is “a bit crude.”
Why does Elden Ring only score a 6?
Elden Ring and the wider FromSoftware library get a 6 out of 10. “Dying in these games is not fun,” he says, “but it’s how you learn and get good.”
He is honest about his own history too. When he first played Dark Souls, he got frustrated and quit after just 20 minutes. Thankfully, he returned, and the series is now one of his favourites. Elden Ring fans have plenty more to look forward to, including A24’s big-budget movie adaptation.
Which video games for perfectionists stop you reloading?
The second category is games “where you can’t take it back.” Here, decisions are largely irreversible. These are aimed at players who reload a save “over and over every time something goes wrong.”
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 and 2 score a 7. He calls them “incredible immersive games.” Crucially, saving costs a rare in-game item, so you cannot reload every five minutes. Instead, “you have to learn to live with your choices.”
XCOM 2 on Ironman mode gets an 8. In this mode, you have just one save and cannot load older ones. So when a squad member dies, “they’re just gone.” He admits this is “terrifying for perfectionists,” which is exactly why it is good practice.
Why is Pentiment the top pick?
Pentiment takes the highest score of all, a 9 out of 10. Obsidian’s narrative adventure lets your choices shape the story. However, you never learn for sure whether you made the right call, unless you look it up online.
For perfectionists, that uncertainty is the point. You have to make a choice, move on and accept the result.
How should you play video games for perfectionists safely?
The psychologist ends with a sensible warning about video games for perfectionists. These games “can get stressful,” so he advises balancing them with good self-care.
If stress is the bigger issue, GameByte has also covered a psychologist’s picks for video games that help with burnout. Meanwhile, completionists might be glad to hear that Steam’s new Achievement Sets could ease the pain of chasing 100%. And if you need something calmer, the Skyrim guide is a great place to start an open-ended adventure.
Our take is that this list of video games for perfectionists works because it is honest. Not every pick is relaxing, and some are deliberately uncomfortable. Yet losing a character or living with a bad decision in a game is low-risk practice. Those habits can help in real life too.