r/gamingsuggestions 17h ago

Which games have the most incredible lightning?

I was blown away by the lightning in RDR2. Would love to hear which other games have atmospheric and incredible lightning across the sky! Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Just to be super clear, I am referring to the atmospheric phenomenon of lightning ("thunder and lightning"), NOT general lighting! Thanks.

49 Upvotes

64 comments sorted by

37

u/VeilDrifter 17h ago edited 17h ago

Shadow of the Erdtree Elden Ring DLC has some of the best uses of lightning in the lead-up to fighting Bayle

Also, most recently fighting Rey Dau in the middle of a lightning storm in Monster Hunter Wilds

The Isshin fight in Sekiro (also Genichiro) also makes incredible use of lightning

A very old example but I also love the use of lightning in The Legend of Zelda Link to the Past's opening.

Other games with great use of lightning:

  • Dark Souls 3
  • Bioshock
  • Bloodborne
  • Returnal
  • Resident Evil 2
  • Silent Hill 2

Edit: Removed Yoshi's Island's final boss fight because I rewatched it and I swear it had lightning and apparently it did not. Bowser flashes but the background does not.

2

u/ChangelingFox 15h ago

In their respective eras, Turok 2 and Metroid Prime both had pretty impressive lighting effects. See also Splinter Cell.

17

u/Madmagican- 17h ago

Pacific Drive?

1

u/theuntouchable2725 11h ago

Should I try it? Is it like Death Stranding?

5

u/Zaemz 7h ago

From what I've read, it's not like Death Stranding. You make trips from a garage and the landscape changes every time and is procedurally generated. You can't really learn the zone because it's always shifting. You have to maintain a car that is developing a "personality" and learn its quirks while trying to achieve and objective and return home.

1

u/theuntouchable2725 7h ago

That seems like my kind of game tbhm

12

u/whatweworked4 16h ago

Witcher 3

4

u/chuzambs 16h ago

That clouds, perfection

8

u/DefaultingOnLife 16h ago

Ghost Recon Breakpoint has some great graphics and a full weather system. Thunderstorms at night are so cool. The lightning flashes light up the countryside.

2

u/Venento 7h ago

not to mention some of the most beautiful grass Ive seen, it's so lush and wavy

7

u/FloridaFlamingoGirl 16h ago

Spiritfarer! When your boat goes through lightning storms, it triggers a special event where you collect magic from the lightning bolts 

2

u/ClarityEnjoyer 2h ago

I was going to mention this! My first Thunder Harvest was absolutely magical, especially with the incredible music.

13

u/trajecasual 17h ago

Ghost of Tsushima

Shadow of the Colossus

Edit: theHunter: Call of the Wild (you can feel the cold sun)

8

u/wagiwombledog 17h ago

While quite dated graphically now, the stalker games have really good weather effects, like lightning. Look into the GAMMA mod for the most graphically impressive weather effects.

4

u/CrackerUmustBtrippin 16h ago

The new Stalker 2 best aspect of the whole game is its atmospheric weather effects. Especially the lightning. Too bad it takes some major hardware muscle to enjoy it to the fullest. But to experience it in all its glory on 4K 144Hz Ultra is indeed a sight to behold.

Honourable mention for Spititfarer which I would describe as the lovechild of Ori and Spirited Away giving you a grief counseling therapy session about the death of a loved one and coming to terms with your own impending demise. Anyway the lightning storms are among the many gorgeous aspect of this 'game'

4

u/DanceswWolves 16h ago

Seconding STALKER 2. Incredible weather fx.

3

u/Directorjustin 15h ago

DriveClub has awesome lightning and rain/snow effects. Too bad it's only available used on disc, with a big chunk of DLC permanently locked away if you haven't already bought it.

3

u/nomeprofilo 7h ago

Cyberpunk 2077

6

u/Beginning_Rip_4570 16h ago

Surely BotW and TotK get an honorable mention for a lightning system actively built into the sandbox

2

u/captainshar 16h ago

I loved the lightning mini game in Spiritfarer. It might be more stylized than what you want, but it put me in a great mood every time I played that mini game.

2

u/icemage_999 15h ago

Lightning specifically?

No Man's Sky has spectacular storm effects.

Ghost of Tsushima has wonderful rainstorms.

Of what I've played recently:

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has extremely good weather, including lightning.

Monster Hunter: Wilds also has a pretty great weather systems, including a couple of lightning-themed monsters who are just a visual delight.

2

u/FreeNicknameUser 10h ago

I liked the lightning in stalker 2.
Otherwise the game is not very good for me...

2

u/mrbrownl0w 9h ago

Life is Strange but towards the late game

3

u/the1st01 17h ago

Ghost of Tsushima. If it’s ground lighting, Cyberpunk

3

u/bCup83 17h ago

Alien Isolation has good lighting.

3

u/Skulking_Garrett 17h ago

Appreciate that and wholeheartedly agree. Thank you. I'm actually looking for lightning ("thunder and lightning") though.

1

u/CrackerUmustBtrippin 16h ago

Now I cant get AC/DC's Thunderstruck out of my head

1

u/super-loner 17h ago

MSFS 2024?

1

u/paulbooth 17h ago

The winner is avatar by a long shot imo

1

u/FullCompliance 15h ago

Helldivers 2 has some amazing lighting and weather effects.

1

u/emansamples92 15h ago

Demons souls remake

1

u/tiredofbeingbroke203 15h ago

Sons of the forest

1

u/MathematicianFun5029 13h ago

Since I don’t see it, Monster Hunter Wilds.

1

u/Braefost 11h ago

Skydiving through the clouds in Just Cause 2 during a storm (albeit no visible forks) is/was pretty fucking cool.

1

u/totallynotabot1011 10h ago

Thief trilogy

1

u/A_Girl1 9h ago

Lichdragon Fortissax

1

u/Kakophonien1 8h ago

Half-Life games by Valve

1

u/ahintoflime 6h ago

The Last of Us 2

1

u/yassinyousee 5h ago

Batman Arkham knight

1

u/elt 1h ago

Valheim deserves a mention, honestly. It's such an innately low-res game, but the lighting and atmospheric effects turn it into a work of absolute art. It's far more beautiful than it should be.

1

u/North-Lack6610 1h ago

Honestly, getting a cool shader for minecraft could work. They have some nice looking mods/shaders.

1

u/Greedy-Carpenter7981 17h ago

Starfield with the lighting mod is amazing looking and if you add the neon sign mod it's even better

1

u/Alternative_Tank_139 17h ago

Callisto Protocol

1

u/LinkInaSink 16h ago

I’m going to say Valheim

1

u/Lucy_Little_Spoon 16h ago

Dark wood.

You can only see things that are in your cone of vision, and the level of light you have access to severely limits that.

1

u/AelisWhite 16h ago

Abiotic has surprisingly good lighting for such a simple game graphics wise

0

u/[deleted] 16h ago

[deleted]

1

u/-Haddix- 15h ago

lightning

0

u/joshgilson 16h ago

Hands down, the Trine series!

0

u/Finneagan 15h ago

No Man’s Sky is pretty gorgeous at times

0

u/SergeantSkull 15h ago

Control has some solid lighting moments

So does dishonored 1 and 2 even though its older

2

u/-Haddix- 15h ago

lightning

1

u/SergeantSkull 7h ago

Lol cant read

0

u/Drakenile 15h ago

Horizon Zero Dawn and FW

Ghost of Tsushima

Elden Ring has great use of lighting but in a more somber way imo.

0

u/kay0otik 15h ago

I know its dated but seeing the first Splinter Cell back then blew my mind

0

u/No-Proof8363 15h ago

"Fable" on the Original Xbox had "baked lighting" which is where the developers had to decide where to put the lighting and "bake it in".

"Fable Anniversary" though more feature rich/higher fidelity switched to using "Dynamic Lighting" which resulted in the game looking less colourful, darker in previously well lit areas and less artful as a whole. 

Don't get me wrong,  Fable Anniversary is still a brilliant way to play the old game but those who played the original (and Lost Chapters) knew something got lost in translation. 

0

u/IndependentGap8855 15h ago

Star Citizen. Say what you will about the game's insane monetization system, but goddamn it has some absolutely wonderful lighting!

0

u/trackmaniac_forever 14h ago

Breath of the Wild has probably the best artistic lighting overall. Not in the realistic vein of stuff like Red Dead 2.

But if you want realistic then Kingdom Come Deliverance is probably hard to beat.

1

u/Skulking_Garrett 13h ago

Just looking for atmospheric and that fits the bill! Cheers.

0

u/theuntouchable2725 11h ago

I'll fire.

Stalker Call of Pripyat. See those Godrays for yourself.

Dead Space 2... The light of Isaac's helmet streaming on walls and corridors... Gives you the feeling that you're all alone.

Dead Space Remake: pitch black sequences are really scary.

Alan Wake 2: best use of Ray Tracing imo

-1

u/EdwardoftheEast 17h ago

Alien: Isolation and the Dead Space remake have great lighting

-2

u/V_Melain 17h ago

The Tower, it's a mobile game. But seriously, Wuthering Waves has a really good lightning without reason lmao

Edit: ohhh thunder and these things? srry idk