It’s okay to cry. And it’s more than okay to cry at video games. Maybe don’t shed a tear when you going from Mushroom Mario to “Standard” Mario, but there are some pieces of video games that are truly and specifically designed to send your tear ducts into overdrive.

Today, we’re going to take at those times, and why they are just so darn good at making us weep. Some of these games, like Red Dead Redemption have a big player base where you can trade your in game goods, a website such as Eldorado offer players a platform where people can trade popular game items like OSRS Gold and much more.

Joel’s Daughter – The Last of Us

One of the finest games ever made (especially in modern times), The Last of Us is also one of the most emotional, with Joel having his broken and shattered feelings put through the ringer with the gargantuan responsibility of being the ward of the virus curing Ellie.

You’re thrown into the deep end almost immediately with the opening gameplay section, where society is shown to fall into chaos and bedlam as the virus outbreak starts affecting the population in the area.

As the magnitude of the situation gradually dawns on Joel and Sarah from news reports and Joel’s brother’s messages, the father and daughter get attacked by their infected neighbour as he bursts through their back door.

As they make their escape with Joel’s brother Tommy, Naughty Dog does an amazing job of incrementally ramping up the tension and fear with each tiny set piece that’s delicately placed in the opening chunk of the game.

After their vehicle is destroyed, Joel, Sarah, and Tommy continue on foot with Tommy sacrificing himself to allow his brother and niece to get away. The pair are technically saved by a soldier who then reluctantly follows his orders to eliminate the pair. Joel dives out of the way with Sarah in arms, with both falling down a hill.

Words cannot describe the emotion portrayed by Troy Baker when attempting to comfort and keep his daughter alive. The digital acting on display here is some of the finest and heart-wrenching that you’ll see in a video game.

The Horse and the Man – Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is quite the emotional rollercoaster. There’s love, loss, betrayal, jubilation, and redemption (of course). While the story let’s you weave your own twist onto proceedings by playing the legendary cowboy Arthur Morgan as either a charitable pillar of the Old West or a downright scoundrel, the ending has same physical outcome, just with the “Good” or “morally positive” ending having a much more emotional layer to it.

As you slowly encroach towards the final chapter as Arthur, there is a real sense of foreshadowing, a feeling that something terrible is lurking in the shadows (or in Arthur’s case lurking right in front of him).

As the inevitable split of gang leader and mentor Dutch and his prodigy Arthur takes place and fractures what’s left of the Van Der Linde posse, Arthur can choose to help John or go back for Dutch’s money. Obviously he should help John as that’s what any real man would do, and aids him in shooting his way up a mountain away from the pursuing lawmen.

As the ascension to the apex grows more and more tense, eventually an explosion knocks Arthur off his horse and mortally wounds his steed. With the animal writhing in pain, Arthur comforts him and simply tells him, “it’s okay”.

After Arthur very quickly mourns his animal companion, he continues up the peak and is cut off by the treacherous snake Micah. The pair exchange words and blows before Dutch steps in halts the bout, Arthur though is gravely beaten thanks to his terminal illness worsening his condition, and he breathes his final breath as he looks towards the setting sun.

Dom’s Sacrifice – Gears of War 3

Gears of War as a series isn’t necessarily known for its gripping story or the nuanced performance of its characters. That’s not to say any of the vocal performances are bad in any way, it’s just when you think of video game’s known for their strong narrative structure, Gears of War probably won’t be one of the first that springs to mind.

It’s mostly a series about men with arms the size of legs beating the crap out of a mutant race with insane weapons as brutally as possible. There isn’t much room for a compelling story in or around that (nor is there that much need for one).

Yet one of the most personal journeys of the franchise is that of main protagonist Marcus Fenix’s friend and often frequented co-operative partner, Dominic Santiago, and his tireless efforts to find his missing wife Maria.

The first game sees Dom following an anemic breadcrumb trail of half clues and hollow leads to his wife’s whereabouts, sadly to no avail. In the sequel to the original, Dom is reunited with his beloved, but she has been so traumatised from torture and abuse that Dom makes the gut-wrenching decision to end her suffering.

In the final game in the main series for the Xbox 360, Dom makes the ultimate sacrifice himself to allow Delta Squad to escape from almost certain doom when they become surrounded by a gigantic horde of imulsion-infected creatures.

In a scene that does an amazing job of pushing you towards the inevitable sadness of Dom’s demise, Epic crafted a beautifully cinematic scene with everything from the music, to the slow-motion shots to John DiMaggio’s cry of “DOM! NO!”, all pieces that mix to create one of the most impactful death scenes in video games.

You Must Be Better – God of War

In a game with much more soul to it than the other God of War games where bashing your victims’ skulls in is the primary objective (not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course) thanks to the presence of Atreus, this story of Father and Son and their adventure across ancient and hostile lands has one truly standout emotive peak.

Around halfway into their quest, Kratos takes a brief moment in the rare quiet of their travels to bestow his son a gift, and to impart words of wisdom unto him.

In a passionate speech to his only child, Kratos gives him a knife created from metals from different lands to which Atreus asks if he is a man now. Kratos responds with “We are more than that. The responsibility is far greater”.

The shaking in Kratos’/Christopher Judge’s voice as he pleads with his son to be better than him, making him physically say the words to hold him to this promise is a subtly soul-panging moment in a game oozing with fury and unabashed violence.

I don’t have children myself, but I imagine the importance of this moment is only amplified if you are a parent.

I’m So Proud of You – Spider-Man

Spider-Man is one of the most fun open-world games available, and one of the many reasons that showcases why PlayStation/Sony have some of the best exclusives around (prove me wrong in the next couple of years Microsoft).

Peter Parker and Spider-Man as roles are portrayed exactly as they should be; Peter Parker as an awkward high-schooler/student who is trying to navigate life in a quiet manner, and his web-slinging alter ego as a cocky superhero who cannot get enough of saving the day and using his arachnid powers.

Insomniac uses the emotional manipulation of “Comic/Tragic”, where in they draw you in to care about a character who is funny, light-hearted and all-round likable, only for a terrible event to befall them in the second or third act of a piece, and that’s exactly what happens to the Spidey.

After an exhausting battle with Doc Ock, Peter returns with the antidote to the Devil’s Breath virus, but is told that the amount must be synthesized so it can be given to everyone affected, meaning that the currently afflicted Aunt May will not have the cure in time.

In a touching farewell, Aunt May asks Spider-Man to remove his mask so she can see her nephew. The wall-crawling removes his mask, asking how long his aunt has known about his secret identity.

She proclaims she has known for a while. That she worried about him. That she is proud of him, and his uncle would be too.