Immersive Experience: The Best AI in Games - 2024

With the advancement of AI tools, passionate and casual gamers alike have been able to enjoy amazing graphics, join forces with lifelike companions, and wrestle with "sentient" enemies. If you are looking for games with great AI for a new try, you've come to the right place. The gamers and gaming enthusiasts among us have prepared a treat for you. Welcome to our top list of the best AI games ever.

The Growth of Games Using AI

AI is everywhere, but does it really make everything better, faster, and more fun? When it comes to gaming, the answer is a giant yes. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision help game developers build super-realistic worlds without compromising fantasy.

AI was there during the golden age of video arcade games in the 1970s, too. That's when the concept of the AI opponent was first popularized in games like Space Invaders and Galaxian.

Today, games with companions and opponents without even a trace of AI DNA are unthinkable. Its involvement makes the gaming experience more dynamic and takes player engagement to another level. Thanks to AI, today's gamers have complete control over the game.

Top AI Games You Should Try

These are the top examples of the best AI in a video game:

The Last of Us: Part 1

After the enormous success of the first The Last of Us game (released in 2013 as a PS3 exclusive), in 2022, The Last of US: Part 1 was released for the PS5 and PC. Naughty Dogg released a game that featured the same story as the 2013 release, but they built it from the ground up. They used the excellent enemy and companion AI from The Last of US: Part 2 (2020) but improved it even further.

This release is the definitive version where players can experience Joel and Ellie's adventure through the zombie-infested post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Extraordinary AI Features

Naughty Dog knocked it out of the park when talking about enemy and companion AI. They spent an entire decade fine-tuning, and the results are excellent.

• Enemy AI: Depending on the player's approach to combat, enemies will react accordingly. If the player is aggressive, enemies will hide, try to distract the player, and even express fear, especially if they are the last enemy in a particular encounter.

  If the player goes with a stealth approach, enemies will split up to search for them, flank the player, and employ various tactics to get them out of hiding. There are also different enemy fractions, each with a unique approach to combat encounters.

• Companion AI: Companions in this game are intelligent. They stay hidden if the player opts for a stealth approach. If you go in guns blazing, they will take care of some enemies and even provide the player with additional ammo and supplies (on easier difficulties).

Price

The price of The Last of Us: Part 1 varies depending on the version you choose (Standard or Digital Deluxe Edition).

The standard version costs $69.99 on Steam and the PS Store. The Digital Deluxe edition is $79.99.

Supported Device

You can play this game on PS5 and PC.

Deep Rock Galactic

Deep Rock Galactic is a four-player co-op first-person experience where you take the role of four dwarf miners who must explore a dangerous alien planet called Hoxxes IV. Your primary task is to collect minerals and resources, but that can get pretty tough, with hordes of allies attacking you from every corner.

You can experience this game in single-player mode, but the developers recommend a co-op experience – and for good reason. It's simply more fun that way.

Extraordinary AI Features

The developer, Ghost Ship Games, paid much attention to the enemy and companion AI, providing a challenging but fun experience for the players.

• Enemy AI: There are many enemy variations, all of which have unique attacks and tactics. They are primarily giant alien bugs and will charge directly at you from all sides, but there are hordes of them.

  That's why the developers programmed the AI to organize their troops and chain attacks to increase the challenge and make the player consider their approach. Some enemies will have melee attacks, while others have ranged attacks.

• Companion AI: If your friends are busy and you cannot gather a four-player party, you can get an AI companion to fill the missing slot. They will do their job valiantly, depending on their role in the team, but – as mentioned – this game is designed as a four-player co-op experience.

Price

Deep Rock Galactic has three versions: Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Ultimate Edition. The Standard Edition is $29.99, the Deluxe Edition is $39.99, and the Ultimate Edition is $49.99.

Supported Device

You can play this game on most systems. There is a PS5 and PS4 version, as well as an Xbox One Xbox Series X&S version. And, of course, you can play it on PC.

F.E.A.R. Collection

F.E.A.R. stands for First Encounter Assault Recon, and this game was released back in 2005. Even though it was released almost two decades ago, it stands the test of time as one of the most bone-chilling first-person psychological horror shooters ever released.

You play as a US soldier from a secret commando unit who investigates paranormal activities and has to eliminate the threat. This game collection has six installments, providing a long, exciting horror experience.

Extraordinary AI Features

The enemy AI in this game is so phenomenal that this game is still quoted as having one of the best enemy AI systems, even compared to modern games.

The team at Monolith Productions, the studio behind the game, had only one AI programmer, who developed a simple system that works wonders. Enemy combatants react to the player's actions and make decisions to fall back or attack more intensively based on what the player is doing.

Instead of programming what each enemy will do at a given point, this system allows enemy AI to make decisions for themselves.

Price

The F.E.A.R. Collection costs $54.99 on Steam. The Xbox store offers separate installments priced at $19.99. As for the PS3 version, you must purchase physical disks for each installment, each priced at about $30.

Supported Device

You can play this game on your PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox Series X&S (backward compatibility), and PC.

Humankind

Humankind is the first strategy game on this list. At its core, it is a turn-based strategy 4X game, reminiscent of the legendary Civilization game series. In this game, your task is to evolve humankind from simple hunter-gatherers to advanced civilizations.

As you advance your civilization, up to nine players can join you and control their own civilizations. You can choose to work together or battle to take control. Of course, gathering nine friends to play a long strategy game can be challenging, and that's where AI kicks in.

Extraordinary AI Features

The team at Amplitude Studios did a marvelous job creating a balanced AI system that controls enemy civilizations in this game. They are programmed to have superb resource management features and present quite a challenge for players who are new to this genre.

Some players even complain that the AI is too powerful, claiming they have unbeatable troops. Of course, if you play your cards right, you can beat the AI and take over the world.

Price

There are two editions of this game. The Standard Edition is $49.99, while the Heritage Edition is a bit more expensive – $59.99.

Supported Device

You can play this game on several devices. If you own a PS5 or PS4, an Xbox One, the Xbox Series X or S, a PC, a MacOS, or even if you have Google Stadia, you can enjoy this game.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

If you are one of the many people who had a blast playing the marvelous new game Baldur's Gate 3, then XCOM: Enemy Unknown is an excellent way to pay homage to one of the best tactical turn-based games from the previous decade.

Released in 2012, this game lets you take control of a secret paramilitary unit called XCOM, whose task is to investigate and eliminate a global alien threat using your wits. Positioning your squad and eliminating targets is a challenging but rewarding experience.

Extraordinary AI Features

Each turn-based game is like a game of chess, but instead of having pieces that have only one function per turn, here, each character has several functions, be it a ranged, melee, or an AOE (Area of effect) attack.

The team at Firaxis Games made sure that enemy AI presented a challenge, adjusting to the player's actions and always making the best decisions. Even if you load a past save and start the same encounter multiple times, the enemies will make different decisions based on your unique approach.

Price

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is $29.99 on Steam and $39.99 on Xbox. The PS3 and PS Vita versions will have to be purchased in physical form, and the price is about $15.

Supported Device

You can play this game on Linux, PC, PS3, Xbox 360, macOS, and PS Vita.

No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky was all the rage when it was announced. Exploring an entire universe with friends and visiting thousands of planets sounded like a dream come true for many gamers. However, on release in 2016, players were disappointed to find that the game just didn't work. Also, most of the features promised to gamers weren't there, including the co-op feature.

Luckily, the developers at Hello Games continued working on this game, and now, in 2023, this is actually a good game that many players can enjoy together (yes, they implemented the co-op feature after a while).

Extraordinary AI Features

The planets you can visit in No Man's Sky are procedurally generated, meaning that no two planets are alike. A robust AI tool is used to this end, and when you approach a particular uncharted planet, this tool will create the terrain, the wildlife, enemy outposts, and everything else you can expect to find.

Some planets will have luscious forests and diverse flora and fauna, while others will be total wastelands. Also, the AI enemies in this game present a good challenge to players, being able to adjust to the player's movement and the terrain.

Price

No Man's Sky has only the standard version, and it costs $59.99.

Supported Device

You can play this game on almost all major platforms. It supports the PS5 & PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, macOS, and PC.

Bonus Advice – What to Do if Your Game Crashes and You Lose Data

As experienced gamers now, sometimes a game will crash during AI turn or when you enable AI. In some situations, this issue can linger on and destroy the experience. Even worse, bugs like these can lead to more serious problems and even result in data loss.

If this happens, Wondershare Recoverit can help you recover lost data. It's one of the fastest, simplest, and most effective data recovery tools available to gamers.

Wondershare Recoverit

• Manages over 500 data loss situations, such as game data deletion and disk corruption.
• The user-friendly interface allows you to recover data in just a few clicks.

Free DownloadFree DownloadLearn More

Here's how to use Wondershare Recoverit to bring back data after an AI game crashes:

1. Download Wondershare Recoverit from the official website.
2. Follow the wizard to Install and launch it on your computer.
3. Select a location for recovery, and the scan will start automatically.

   

4. While you wait, you can watch as Wondershare Recoverit digs up recoverable files.

   

5. When the scan is done, find and select the files you want to recover.

   

6. Wondershare Recoverit lets you preview every file before you save it to your PC.

   

7. Finally, click Recover. Choose a safe destination and click Save.

   

Conclusion

AI is not a new frontier in gaming, but it's an exciting one. In addition to these games, we also recommend some other titles: Alien: Isolation, Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, Grand Theft Auto V, and Red Dead Redemption 2. There is no mistake in choosing either one. And when you encounter data loss due to game crashes, we recommend Wondershare Recoverit as an effective and efficient tool for you.