Some games are slow burns, gently ushering you into their world before things start popping off. But others? They come out swinging, landing haymakers right out of the gate. These are the games that understand the power of a strong opening — the kind that tells you exactly what you’re in for, not just through story, but through design, mood, sound, and pacing.
An unforgettable opening mission doesn’t just introduce mechanics or lore. It sets the tone. It grabs you by the collar, pulls you into its world, and says, “Strap in.” And if the game’s really good, that first hour will stay with you long after the credits roll. These are the ones that did it best — the tone-setters, the attention-grabbers, the unforgettable openers, making for some of the greatest games ever.
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Execution day
In the winter of 2011, we all woke up in a snowy forest, groggy and bound in the back of an open cart. Across from us, Sean Bean of all people stared us down, and within minutes, we realized we were being carted off to our execution. The quiet dread of Skyrim’s opening — that slow, plodding ride to Helgen — was unlike anything else.
As the executioner prepares his ax and our name is mysteriously absent from the list, a roar in the distance breaks the tension. And then, chaos. A dragon — a real, fire-breathing, house-leveling beast — descends from the sky, scattering soldiers, townsfolk, and prisoners alike. What follows is a frantic sprint through crumbling ruins, fire, and falling debris. From the get-go, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim made its statement — the dragons were back, and nothing in this world would be the same. You weren’t just making a character — you were stepping into a legend.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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5
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Nathan Drake or Ethan Hunt?
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune laid the groundwork for Naughty Dog to become a pioneer in graphics and cinematic adventure storytelling. We marveled at Drake’s soaked pants, groaned at that god-awful jet ski segment, and saw potential. But when Uncharted 2 opened, the curtain was ripped wide open, with Nathan Drake hanging from a derailed train in the snowy Himalayas, bleeding and barely conscious.
What followed was a frantic scramble up a shattered train car, every grip and grunt echoing through your bones. Just as you think you’ve made it, the wreck gives way, falling into the icy abyss. This was pure, pulse-pounding action, like something straight out of Mission: Impossible. It was our first taste of how cinematic Uncharted could really be, and it instantly raised the bar. This wasn’t just another treasure hunt — this was a generation-defining blockbuster, and Drake was going to take us along for the ride. Sixteen years later, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves remains one of the best-aged games that is a thrill ride from start to finish, even today.
Uncharted™ The Nathan Drake Collection
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The Last of Us Part I
No happy endings
We begin with a tender, quiet moment between Joel and his daughter, Sarah, as they celebrate his birthday, and he puts his baby girl to sleep. What follows is the onset of the zombie outbreak — something we’ve seen far too often in the media. But this time, we play as Sarah, watching her father and uncle handle the chaos as the world falls apart in an instant.
The controller feels heavier when we switch to Joel, carrying his daughter in his arms, trying desperately to find safety. And then come the final moments — harrowing and unforgettable — as Naughty Dog lays down the ground rules; there will be no happy endings here. With a shocking opener, immaculate acting and delivery, and devastating emotional weight, the game tells us exactly what to expect from The Last of Us. A world that doesn’t care about your pain — and one that demands you carry it, anyway.
The Last of Us Part I
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Ghost of Tsushima
Eighty samurai go to a beach. How many return?
Ghost of Tsushima remains one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing, with a visual style that ensures its immortality. But before the beauty comes the brutality. The opening sequence sees 80 samurai storming the beaches of Komoda to repel a Mongol invasion. We play as Jin Sakai, heir of the Sakai clan, slashing and staggering enemies as his comrades fall one by one.
The beach is drenched in blood and rain as torrents pour down on the warriors. Thunder flashes across the sky, illuminating the carnage in slow motion. This moment alone sets the tone for what Ghost of Tsushima is going to be — a bloody, relentless, yet poetic journey. And then, just as we think it’s over, we meet Khotun Khan at the ramparts of his castle, in a hauntingly cinematic showdown. It’s defeat, despair, and devastation — but also the start of something incredible. You know, from the very beginning, that this is going to be special.
Ghost of Tsushima (Director’s Cut)
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God of War Ragnarök
A mother scorned
2018’s God of War reimagined Kratos, not just as a god, but as a father. But Ragnarök? It began with a bang. No slow burns here. We’re thrown right into a snowstorm with Kratos and Atreus, already tense, tired, and arguing, when a furious goddess, dead-set on revenge, ambushes them, her blood-curdling screams echoing through the icy mountains around them.
She throws everything — trees, boulders, rage — at Kratos, and the fight is both heart-pounding and heartbreaking. Atreus, trying desperately to protect both himself and his father, reminds us that the father-son duo is not going to have many friends this time around. It’s a story about the consequences of past choices, and how even gods aren’t immune. That moment, that chase, and that cry of a mother scorned — it sets the tone perfectly. This won’t be an easy journey. And the sins of the past? They never stay buried.
God of War Ragnarök
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Forza Horizon 5
Welcome to Mexico
I’ll be honest — I don’t love Forza Horizon 5 the way I’ve come to adore Horizon 3 and Forza Horizon 4. But even I can’t deny the brilliance of its opening minutes. Unlike previous games where we built up our legend, this time, we are the legend. Dropped from a cargo plane into the vibrant, volcanic wilds of Mexico behind the wheel of a Ford Bronco, we’re instantly thrown into action as we make our hill downhill through fantastic jumps that make our hearts stop. Moments later, we’re zipping across dirt tracks in a Corvette C8 Stingray, with the game giving us a taste of the fast cars we’ll drive.
Next, we splash through the Mexican jungle puddles in a Porsche Desert Flyer, the foliage greeting us and welcoming us into a new generation of visual fidelity for racing games. Finally, we take control of the Mercedes-AMG One in all its scarlet glory as we blast our way toward the Horizon Festival. It’s a controlled explosion of speed, spectacle, and sound. In just ten minutes, Forza Horizon 5 doesn’t just show you what’s in store — it launches you into the driver’s seat of a world that’s all yours to tear through.
Forza Horizon 5
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Great games start strong
The best games don’t wait to hook you — they grab you by the collar and pull you in. These opening missions weren’t just great gameplay sequences; they were powerful statements of intent. They told us what kind of world we were stepping into, what we’d be fighting for, and what tone would carry us through to the very end.
From heartbreak to heroism, bloodshed to beauty, these first moments are etched into memory. And if the start is this good … you just know the journey ahead will be worth it.
