Okay campers, rise and shine because there are video games to be played. What better way to celebrate Groundhog Day than by sticking yourself in a virtual time loop and going full Phil Connors? Time loop video games have seen a huge surge in popularity over recent years. That means there’s more for you to play than ever before. Here at Overclockers UK, we’ve picked out our favourite time loop games for you to trap yourself in for Groundhog Day.
Deathloop
One of 2021’s most-hyped releases has managed to break free and follow us into this year. You’ll play as Colt in Deathloop, trying to break the time loop trapping the isle of Blackreef by killing the eight ‘Visionaries’ within one single loop. Like an assassin Bill Murray, you’ll use every day to improve yourself and learn more by unlocking useful abilities and mastering the island’s layout. Complicating matters is Juliana, one of the Visionaries and the only other person who retains her memories through the loops. Outwitting her, mastering the map, and assassinating your targets will quite literally all have to be in a day’s work for Colt.
| Component | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-8400 AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | Intel Core i7-9700K AMD Ryzen 7 2700X |
| Memory | 12GB RAM | 16GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX AMD Radeon RX 580 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 AMD Radeon RX 5700 |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 30GB available space | 30GB available space |
Braid
What better excuse than Groundhog Day to revisit 2008’s critically acclaimed temporal puzzle-platformer Braid? While not a time loop game in the narrative sense, it manipulates the fourth dimension for one-of-a-kind puzzle solving. As Tim, you have the ability to affect time, which manifests differently in each of the six worlds. This includes the ability to rewind time, creating a time ‘shadow’ of yourself, and more. Play with time as you solve puzzles, explore a beautiful world drawn in a painterly style, and save the princess.
| Component | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows XP/Vista/7 | Windows 7 or later |
| Processor | 1.4GHz or faster | Intel Pentium 4 AMD Athlon XP 2000+ |
| Memory | 768MB RAM | 1GB RAM |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon HD 2400 NVIDIA GeForce 6800 | AMD Radeon HD 2400 NVIDIA GeForce 6800 |
| DirectX | Version 9 | Version 9 |
| Storage | 200MB available space | 200MB available space |
Outer Wilds
What’s better than a time loop game? A time loop game…in space! Taking on the role of an extraterrestrial astronaut, Outer Wilds plunges you into a solar system that goes supernova every 22 minutes. You’ll restart each loop with all knowledge you previously acquired, such as your ship’s launch codes. Exploration is the focus as you seek to uncover what is causing both the time loop and the supernova. With knowledge the only equipment upgrade you’ll find, you need to rely on your big ol’ brain to save this little corner of the galaxy.
| Component | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2300 AMD FX-4350 | Intel Core i5-8400 AMD Ryzen 5 2600X |
| Memory | 6GB RAM | 8GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 AMD Radeon HD 7870 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 AMD Radeon RX 580 |
| Storage | 8GB available space | 8GB available space |
Twelve Minutes
Ah, a time loop game for the intellectual gamer! Certainly one for fans of Kubrick and Hitchcock. Twelve Minutes is the result of developers Annapurna Interactive finding a new angle for point-and-click adventure games. Played from a top-down perspective, the game is set entirely in the apartment of an unnamed husband and wife. Their evening is interrupted by a cop arresting the wife and strangling the husband to death, starting the time loop and the husband’s quest for answers. With James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe lending their vocal talents, this is a scintillating Hitchcockian mystery that employs the time loop mechanic to compel you deeper into its folds.
| Component | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 7 | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2300 AMD Phenom II X4 965 | Intel Core i5-6600 AMD FX-8350 |
| Memory | 2GB RAM | 4GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 AMD Radeon HD 5770 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT |
Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son
Drop the pretense of homage and have yourself the most Bill Murray of Groundhog Days! In this VR exclusive, you play as Phil Connors Jr and become trapped in a time loop in Punxsutawney like your father before you. Your goal is of course to break out, but not before exploring the setting of the classic movie itself. Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son features puzzles and a branching narrative, employing the same comedic tone of its cinematic predecessor. If you’re a die-hard fan of the film, there are few better games to play to pay tribute to it. And what other games will let you spend the 2nd of February interacting with actual Groundhog Day characters?
| Component | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 7 (SP1) 64-bit | Windows 7 (SP1) 64-bit or newer |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-4590 equivalent | Intel Core i5-4590 equivalent or greater |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1090/970 equivalent | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1090/970 equivalent or greater |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 10GB available space | 10GB available space |
Make Groundhog Day Gorgeous
What better use of Groundhog Day is there than self-improvement? So, we’ve picked out some hardware to help you get the best graphical performance. Whether your PC needs an upgraded GPU or your screen has seen better days, your Groundhog Day gaming deserves to look its best.
OCUK Gaming Firefly Enthusiast
With a powerful Intel Core i7 11700KF CPU, this PC can handle everything from high-performance gaming to content creation. Enjoy an immersive gaming experience with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, providing a whole new level of ray tracing performance and more. Plus, there’s ample storage space for all your favourite games with 500GB SSD and options for a second drive. It’s the perfect PC to power your VR gaming experience.
Available to order starting from £2,080.00*
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Graphics Card
Experience intense 4K gaming and impressive framerates, with up to 12GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory. Take on the latest games with the power of Ampere – NVIDIA’s 2nd generation RTX architecture. Using the incredible performance of enhanced Ray Tracing and Tensor Cores, streaming multiprocessors, and high-speed memory, make it a Groundhog Day you’d be happy to live on repeat.
Available to order for £899.99*
LG UltraGear 27GP850 27″ Gaming Monitor
Be the game changer with this 27-inch QHD monitor from LG UltraGear. Experience breathtaking gaming performance on Nano IPS 1ms technology. Featuring AMD FreeSync Premium technology for fluid, hi-res gameplay, it’s also compatible with NVIDIA G-SYNC. Enjoy fluid gaming motion with an ultra-fast speed of 165Hz alongside a virtually borderless and eye-catching design, and an adjustable base to make your gaming experience comfortable.
Available to pre-order for £378.95*
HTC VIVE COSMOS VR Headset
The perfect VR headset to dive into Groundhog Day and other AAA titles with SteamVR support. The blazing fast processor makes every move count and mean even more with the COSMOS’ 1440 x 1700 pixel resolution. Plus, with the headset, controllers, Link Box, and cables – all you need to jump right in! Immerse yourself in the experience thanks to the built-in speakers with active noise cancellation and the Inside Out tracking offers more advanced interaction with your VR games.
Available to pre-order for £699.00*
*All prices correct as of time of writing (23/01/23)
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Jacob Smith
Author
Jacob is a passionate gamer, plus a noted Pokemon and LEGO nutjob, who emerges only when doing the words here at Overclockers UK. Since starting at the tail end of 2021, Jacob has gone on to write dozens of blogs on everything from the latest games to whimsical Dickens-inspired poetry. Outside of creating content and being the one person in the office daring to champion Nintendo, he is often found fawning over his Pokemon card collection and his trio of lovely doggos.
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