Games

I too love emotional games. Here are my personal favourites. Some of these have been recommended by others but idc:

What Remains of Edith Finch - as Edith Finch, you go back to the house you grew up in and explore your family's history. The Finch family have had much misfortune, and many did not grow old. As you explore the house room by room, you see that person's last moments. I cannot recommend this game enough. It's only 2 hours long and best enjoyed in a single sitting.

Life is Strange - you (Max) have recently returned to the town you grew up in for a prestigious art programme at the Blackwell Academy. One day, you discover you have suddenly gained the ability to rewind time. In this game, you explore your powers and reunite with your old childhood friend, Chloe. Don't worry too much about the superpower thing, it's without any Marvel BS.

Detroit: Become Human - in this game, you explore a world where robots are servants to humans from the POV of three robots. There are three stories that you follow that do meet each-other at some points. Not all stories are equally exciting, but two of the three are pretty great imo. It really makes you think about what it means to be human.

Kentucky Route Zero - this is an odd duck that you may enjoy as well. You start as Conway, an old man driving for an antiques shop doing his last delivery, as the shop will close down soon. As you try to find your way, a gas station attendant gives you cryptic directions to Highway Zero. As Conway and several other characters, you explore the surrealist world beneath Kentucky. It's a game filled with mystery, grief, loss, and being lost. This game is more like a strange dream rather than a videogame, and is therefore best played in the later hours of the day.

I hope there are some interesting picks here for you. Enjoy!

I'm surprised no one mentioned it. Hellblade (full title: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice) had me in literal tears. Not only it's a decent game, it's also an essay on heavy topics like mental health and the story of viking invasions.

Kattawa Shoujo.

Drops mic

The last of us 1 and then 2. There are video games and then there's TLoU p1&2. If you can, play 1 on pc. The controls aren't great in 1 (IMHO) but kb&m made that so much better. P2 they made the controls much better. It's a more fun game to play in my experience with less frustrating sections, and whilst people prefer 1 or flat out don't like 2, I think the drivers for that aren't to do with the story or game not being good, in fact, I would say p2 is the best story driven game I've ever played (better than rdr2 which I loved and is another one you should consider, 1 and 2 actually). People will just not like 1 specific thing or another (there are lots of small things in the game that certain people will have issue with, you'll understand when you play it) and then because of that 1 thing say the whole thing is bad. People that complain are often louder than those who praise.

I'd recommend "in stars and time". It is a turn-based RPG with loveable characters. I think it is best played blind so I'm hesitant to tell you more, but if you like games like undertale then I think you would like it.

Stray!

Undertale and Deltarune are easy recs, emotional and fun to dig into the lore and details. Deltarune in particular is an ongoing series, so there's lots of speculation and theory crafting if that's your thing. Amazing soundtrack as well. Undertale should be played first, though. Deltarune isn't necessarily a sequel, but Undertale gives some context to certain things. Both are best played blind.

Inscryption is a really fun deck builder with a very intriguing story and some surprising twists and turns. Even if you're not much into deck builders, the game is structured such that it's pretty much impossible not to get a winning deck over repeated runs. The atmosphere is also top notch.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective isn't on steam, but it's definitely worth a buy on one of its supported systems if you have them. Great puzzle game with a lot of humor and mystery. Not quite as emotional, but very strong characters and an ongoing mystery that kept me invested.

Oxenfree is a really intriguing mystery game with some horror elements and a great soundtrack (I originally checked it out after hearing Beacon Beach and loving it). Overall the game really scratched the itch of that feeling of reading horror stories before bed.

There's also a free, short Silent Hill game on PS5 called The Short Message. It has mixed reviews, but my friends and I found it surprisingly engaging. At first it seems pretty on the nose with its message, but things get a little deeper as you go on. Aside from some cartoonishly evil characters and a somewhat frustrating final sequence, it's worth a look.

The LISA games.

I am into emotional storytelling as well, I think what gets you involved most are well drawn characters.

I would recommend planescape torment for an epic adventure full of stories, characters and heartbreak.

Really good stories/characters are few and far between in computer games but "The longest journey" comes to mind and even the first Witcher game.

Unavowed comes to mind as well as a rather affecting story.

And a couple of dozen books, but that's not what you asked for...

Baldurs Gate 3.

Borderlands 2, then the expansion Tiny Tina's assault on dragon keep.

Before Your Eyes

Dark Souls 1 can be emotional with a strong and deep atmosphere but the narration is kind of loose.

Shenmue 1. Really special game focused on the feeling of losing a relative with emphasis on the story. Tons of bittersweetness in that game.

Resident Evil HD remaster has some very sad moment, even if overall it is more scary than sad.

Immortal Defense.

If you hated Nier Automata then perhaps Drakengard 3 would be more up your alley?

It's still emotional by the end but that game has more humor and is more whimsical/strange - especially during route A. The initial humor can be a hit or miss but I think it's used nicely to contrast with later parts of the story.

Unfortunately it's a PS3 exclusive and considering how the game runs on that system the best way to play it is emulation.

I'll give a recommendation for something that hasn't been posted yet. Danganronpa: trigger happy havoc is a very emotional game and has a well written story that takes you on a journey.