A game story is the sequence of events, characters and meaning that players experience while playing. Unlike a book or film, a game story can be shaped by the player’s actions. Designers usually describe seven primary types of stories in games: linear, branching, open-ended, instanced, emergent, thematic and algorithmic. Each gives a different balance between the writer’s control and the player’s freedom.
For story-building basics, see Story Development and Scriptwriting for Animation and Games and Story Arcs, Game Scripts and Storyboards for Interactive Games.
The seven types of stories in games
1. Linear stories
A linear story follows one fixed path from beginning to end, like a film. The player controls how they get through each part but not what happens. Linear stories are easier to write and produce, and they allow carefully crafted emotional moments. Many platformers and action-adventure games are linear.
2. Branching stories
A branching story offers choices that split the plot into different paths, often leading to different endings. Branching gives players agency but grows expensive quickly: three choices with three options each already create 27 routes. Writers often use a branch-and-bottleneck structure, where paths split and later rejoin at key events.
3. Open-ended stories
An open-ended story gives players a world to explore and lets them decide what to do and in which order. There may be a main quest, but players can ignore it and follow side quests or their own goals. Open-world adventure and sandbox games use this approach.
4. Instanced stories
An instanced story (also called an instance) is a self-contained story episode that is created fresh for a player or group each time they enter it. In online games, a dungeon or mission might be an instance: your team gets its own copy of the quest, with its own beginning, middle and end, separate from other players.
5. Emergent stories
An emergent story is not written by the designer at all. It emerges from the interaction of the game’s systems and players’ actions. When players describe “the time my farm flooded just before the harvest festival and my neighbour saved the day”, they are telling an emergent story. Simulation and sandbox games are rich in emergent stories.
6. Thematic stories
A thematic story is carried by a theme, mood or idea rather than a detailed plot. Puzzle and abstract games often use thematic stories: the art, music and setting suggest loneliness, hope or friendship without much dialogue. The player builds the meaning from the atmosphere.
7. Algorithmic stories
An algorithmic story is generated by the computer using rules and random elements, a technique called procedural generation. The game might assemble quests, characters and events from building blocks so every play-through is different. Roguelike games and some strategy games use algorithmic storytelling.
Differentiating the types
| Type | Who controls the story? | Replay value | Cost to make |
| Linear | Writer | Low to medium | Lowest |
| Branching | Writer, with player choices | High | High (many paths to write) |
| Open-ended | Player chooses order and focus | High | High (large world) |
| Instanced | Writer, repeated per group | Medium | Medium |
| Emergent | Game systems + player | Very high | Depends on systems, little writing |
| Thematic | Player interprets the mood | Medium | Low to medium |
| Algorithmic | Computer rules + randomness | Very high | High to design, cheap per story |
Choosing a story type for your game
Start from the experience you want and the resources you have. A small student team with a short deadline will usually get the best result from a linear or thematic story, perhaps with one small branch near the end. If your game is built around systems – farming, cities, ecosystems – plan for emergent stories and give players ways to share them, such as screenshots or a journal. Many successful games mix types: a linear main quest inside an open-ended world, with emergent moments created by the systems.
This video from Curious Gamedev compares narrative types with clear game examples:
Example
Here is one idea – a young fisher saving her village from a storm – told as four types of story:
- Linear: the player follows a set sequence: repair the boat, rescue the fisherman, light the lighthouse.
- Branching: the player decides whether to stay and protect the village or sail out for help, leading to two different endings.
- Emergent: the game simulates wind, waves and villagers’ needs; each storm plays out differently depending on what the player prepares.
- Thematic: almost no words; the rising storm, fading colours and hopeful music tell a story about courage.
Exercise
- List the seven types of stories in games and give one example game (or invented idea) for each.
- Explain the difference between an emergent story and an algorithmic story.
- Draw a branch-and-bottleneck diagram for a short story with two choices and two endings.
- Retell an emergent story from a game you played (or a playground game). Why did it feel memorable even though no one wrote it?
Next: Characters and Environments in Games: Archetypes, Scale, Time of Day and Camera
Syllabus link: This post is relevant to the CAPE® Animation and Game Design Syllabus, Unit 2: Interactive Design and Game Development, Module 2: Game Design and Development – Specific Objective 10 (“identify the primary types of stories in games”); Specific Objective 11 (“differentiate among the types of stories in games”).
Attributions to media used in this post:
Dialog tree example.svg – Dcoetzee – CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
The Banner Saga conversation screenshot.jpg – Stoic LLC – CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.
