7 great games to play if you enjoyed Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey

July 20, 2026 - 10:10

If Christopher Nolan's take on The Odyssey has left you craving more epic journeys, time-bending narratives, and mythic scale, the video game world has plenty to offer. Nolan's signature style--non-linear storytelling, grand visuals, and a focus on memory and identity--translates surprisingly well into interactive experiences. Here are seven games that capture that same spirit.

First, "God of War" (2018) and its sequel "God of War Ragnarok" are obvious choices. They reimagine Greek and Norse mythology through a deeply personal father-son story, much like Odysseus and Telemachus. The combat is brutal, the world is vast, and the narrative deals with legacy and past sins.

For a more direct mythological journey, "Hades" is a must-play. You play as Zagreus, son of Hades, trying to escape the underworld. The game's roguelike structure means every attempt is a new voyage, filled with gods offering boons and conversations that reveal a sprawling family drama. It's witty, fast, and endlessly replayable.

If you want the time-warping, memory-based puzzles that Nolan loves, "The Forgotten City" is a gem. It starts as a mystery in a Roman-era city where everyone turns to gold if one sin is committed. You loop through time to solve the puzzle, making choices that echo across timelines. It's smart and philosophical.

"Return of the Obra Dinn" is another puzzle game about piecing together a story from fragments. You are an insurance investigator on a ghost ship, using a magical pocket watch to see the moment of each crew member's death. The non-linear detective work feels like assembling a complex, tragic epic.

For sheer scale and cinematic ambition, "Red Dead Redemption 2" is hard to beat. It's a long, deliberate journey across a dying frontier, focused on a man trying to find his place in a changing world. The pacing, the quiet moments, and the grand set pieces echo the structure of an epic poem.

"Shadow of the Colossus" strips the journey down to its core: a lone hero on a horse, traveling to a forbidden land to defeat massive, ancient beings. The sense of scale, the melancholy atmosphere, and the moral ambiguity of the quest feel like a modern myth.

Finally, "Outer Wilds" is about exploring a tiny solar system trapped in a 22-minute time loop. You uncover the story of an ancient alien race through scattered text and environmental clues. The sense of discovery, the cosmic dread, and the emotional payoff are pure Nolan. Each of these games offers a different piece of what makes The Odyssey so compelling: the journey, the mystery, and the weight of the past.