Games with no bad chapters and every moment counts

Sometimes it's easy to overlook, but many video games (even some of the best in the business) are divided into chapters or episodes. Needless to say, this particular style of structuring can be a double-edged sword, as it can either ruin or enhance the pacing of the game depending on how the story is designed and how much content each chapter contains.

While hundreds of good games follow this design philosophy, only the absolute best titles are considered perfect from start to finish, and as a result they do not contain a single bad chapter in which something unimportant happens. This is true of some of the most famous and popular video games ever made, with the following eight being the most famous examples of the practice.

Resident Evil 4/Resident Evil 4 Remake

The perfect blend of survival horror and third-person action

Although survival horror is sometimes considered one of the most unpleasant genres, Resident Evil 4 is still often cited as one of the best video games of all time. Its huge success and popularity can be explained by the fact that Capcom brilliantly designed a third-person over-the-shoulder combat system that not only looks incredible, but also influenced many action and horror games that came after it.

Leon Kennedy's adventure through the European countryside never includes a dull moment. Every single chapter contains either an intense survival horror segment or an over-the-top action set piece (and sometimes both). Granted, some players aren't too fond of “Chapters 3-4” where they have to play as a defenseless Ashley Graham, but it was actually a great way to elevate the survival horror game. Also, this chapter was even more enjoyable Resident Evil 4 remakewhich also deserves a special mention for being a near perfect game.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

One of the best hack-and-slash video games ever made

Since all items in Devil May Cry series follow this structure, most of them inevitably have that one chapter that everyone hates to replay. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening is the only exception. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering it's the game that single-handedly saved and revived the franchise.

Every single chapter of this prequel is filled to the brim with fast-paced action, tough enemies, and powerful bosses. Yes, unlike some of his followers, Dante is the only playable character DMC3but it has such a vast and varied range of weapons and abilities that you will never get tired of controlling it. The only mildly controversial chapter in this game is “Mission 18: Invading Hell” which features an onslaught of bosses, but not only are these fights so well done that replaying them is actually quite fun, but the player technically only needs to defeat three of the bosses to continue, and all the others are optional.

Half-Life 2

An FPS so perfect that fans are still begging for a sequel (or a third episode)

Back in 1998, the original Half-life revolutionized the gaming industry and redefined what FPS should be (especially on PC). Just six years later, Valve knocked it out of the park again when Half-Life 2 came out and quickly became an overnight success. The sequel's campaign starts off pretty slow, which is a smart way to slowly build up how much the world has changed since the last game, but it quickly builds into an incredible adventure full of action, drama and horror.

Most players are aware of this Half-Life 2 received two more episodes (which is why many are still begging Valve to release either a third episode or a brand new sequel), but some may have forgotten that both the base game and its two subsequent episodes are divided into chapters, which is ultimately a testament to how flawless the pacing is. However, the majority Half-Life 2 fans can agree that “We Don't Go To Ravenholm…” is the absolute best chapter in the entire game.

The Walking Dead

A Point-and-Click title that popularized the release of episodic stories

In early 2010, the idea of ​​a point-and-click/graphical adventure game based on The Walking Dead IP sounded like a recipe for disaster. Yet Telltale proved everyone wrong. as a result The Walking Dead not only did it receive great reviews, but it also helped popularize its genre and its episodic format.

Lee and Clementine's story is incredibly heart-wrenching, gripping and emotional, not to mention full of diverse dialogue options to choose from and tough decisions to make. in addition The Walking DeadThe episodic release complemented its story perfectly and allowed players to connect and speculate about what would happen in the next episode, which was an overwhelming experience in 2012.

The last of us

A perfectly paced emotional survival horror adventure

Yes, this list includes not one, but two different video games that were released between 2012 and 2013 and are about a grown man and a young girl traveling through a post-apocalyptic version of America. Undoubtedly, they deserve their flowers, because both The Walking Dead and The last of us are amazing video games that don't have any bland chapters.

Each chapter in The last of us it's broken up by which area Joel and Ellie visit, which is not only a clever method of pacing the story, but makes each location even more memorable. Additionally, the game brilliantly uses the four seasons (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring) as if they were the seasons of the show to further elevate each chapter within them. Many people claim that The last of us boasts one of the best stories ever told in a video game, and it wouldn't have won that prestigious title if there was a single bad moment in it.

Bayonetta 2

A beautiful and stylish hack-and-slash game with non-stop action

PlatinumGames' Bayonetta the series deliberately borrows many elements from Devil May Cry series, including its chapter-based format. However, while the first Bayonetta game was notorious for having some less-than-stellar chapters (such as ones that rely on ridiculous fast-time events or one where the title character drives a motorcycle), its incredible 2014 sequel fixed and/or removed most of those issues.

The moment the player raises Bayonetta 2 and experiences its over-the-top opening chapter, it immediately becomes clear that this is a hack-and-slash game like no other. Every single one of Bayonetta 2The chapters are packed with excellent backdrops, satisfying combat, beautiful environments, and of course some of the best boss battles in gaming history. It's safe to say that any dedicated fan of the hack-and-slash genre needs to check out this masterpiece.

Deltarune

Toby Fox's ambitious RPG may not be finished yet, but it's already a masterpiece

When Toby Fox (creator Undertale) began releasing his next game – simply known as Deltarune — episodic, fans were initially concerned that the format would destroy the story's pacing. Fortunately, they quickly discovered that they were mistaken. This structure not only allowed him to devote more time to developing each segment of this ambitious RPG, but he and his team also put a lot of effort and content into each chapter.

As a result, all chapters in Deltarune feel like full games with their own identity instead of feeling like small parts of a larger product. To make it even better, the story it tells is deep, charming and fascinating, and its episodic release schedule has encouraged gamers to fill the internet with rampant speculation and thousands of fan theories. Only four Deltarune chapters have been released so far (with more to come in 2026), and yet it's already considered one of the best indie RPGs ever made.

Send

An episodic superhero game that took the world by storm

The original Telltale Games sadly ended in 2018, but its spirit lives on in various modern games that have adapted the studio's episodic releases and point-and-click gameplay styles. One of the most prominent examples is AdHoc Studio Sendwhich was made by a bunch of former Telltale developers.

Send is a surprisingly refreshing superhero story full of lovable characters and brilliantly written dialogue. As always, its episodic release helped fuel the speculation of thousands of players eager to see what would happen next week. It's easy to see why Send became one of the most popular games of 2025 because every episode was compelling and important, and none of them felt like unnecessary filler.