Summary
Quest markers on open-world maps, cookie-cutter puzzles and challenges, and XP as a reward; these things get old fast. In many video games, they might even cause nausea or boredom as soon as the players start seeing a checklist of these progression metrics. But every once in a while, some brilliant developers go against the grain and think outside the box. The result is aprogression system in video gamesthat incentivizes players in more creative and rewarding ways than objective stomping.
Theseunique progression systemsnot only give playersmore special gameplaybut also make the game a lot more memorable compared to the usual template that’s all too common in numerous modern games that don’t really need to be named. The sheer amount of fun that players can have while getting stronger is an incredibly cathartic experience that is a blast to experience first-hand in every way. It’s a testament to how creative video game developers can be that something like a progression system that is usually so robotic ends up being one of the highlights of their respective games!
Updated on June 08, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:With games becoming more and more complex as they transform from simple gameplay loops to epic adventures spanning hours upon hours, it’s easy to see why more gamers want a palpable sense of progression from the titles they get their hands on. Making progress is fun and all, but players want to be rewarded for the efforts they put into developing their heroes from casual misfits to death-defying saviors who will move heaven and earth to save the day. Games enjoy a bonus if the progression loops they attach to the proceedings end up being so unique and engaging that they become a whole new talking point.
Inscryptionis one of the best video games ever made, using the guise of a roguelike deck-building game to become a truly magical experience that will keep fans engaged every step of the way. From battling against Leshy to uncovering a conspiracy that has dire consequences for the Lucky Carder, it’s easy to see why anyone who played Inscryption can’t stop raving about it.
The three acts in this game are wildly different from each other and do a great job of keeping things fresh and engaging. While some of the risks taken in this title may not pay off, there’s no denying that the guts Inscryption shows to keep players on their toes is something that more games need to try. The mind-bending story and amazing visuals enhance the progression of this game, which will throw players in for a loop time and time again.
It’s a shame thatTyrannywas never allowed to achieve its full potential, cutting its story short just when things got engaging. While this is a genuine complaint that may turn people off from enjoying the experience. However, if players don’t mind a bit of an anticlimax, then it’s only a given thatTyranny’s unique depiction of evil will enrapture players, who have probably never seen the dark side explored in any RPG like this.
Combat is pretty fun to engage with inTyranny, with the magic system being a clear-cut winner here. Players must find sigils in the game world and use them to craft spells with varying levels of strength and effectiveness. Along with this, the Fatebinder can unlock a wealth of solo and combo moves by forging a reputation with factions and allies alike, making for a fun time as players get in the good or bad graces of certain factions while also utilizing some fun abilities to boot.
After the release ofFinal Fantasy 7, the world was hotly anticipating the next game in the series, with Squaresoft’s reputation being lauded as one of the best companies that was developing games for the PlayStation. WhileFinal Fantasy 8wowed players with its immaculate presentation, awe-inspiring Guardian Forces, and fun gameplay, some people felt like this game’s focus on the Junction system ended up working against it. The universal acclaim forFinal Fantasy 9further cemented the growing notion in most people’s minds thatFinal Fantasy 8was pretty much the black sheep of the franchise.
However, a large section of theFinal Fantasy 8fanbase also swears by this title as a unique, engaging video game that accomplished quite a bit, despite its detractors stating otherwise. The Junction system may be broken, but that’s a part of what makes this game such a fun experience. After sitting through the grind of drawing 99 magic of each element, Junctioning the same to a stat and watching a character’s attributes expand is satisfying for obvious reasons.
Gothicis one of the hardest games to get into, with everything from the poorly-aged graphics to the clunky combat system leading to many players giving this game a wide berth. It’s a shame since players who decide to giveGothica shot will be absolutely blown away by its many immersive systems.
Combat feels awkward early on, which is by design. Players need to accumulate Skill Points and talk to a combat master, who will teach them how to wield weapons so that the Nameless Hero can actually string combos instead of flailing their weapons about in an awkward manner. It’s a unique progression loop that Piranha Bytes has tried to integrate into almost every video game they develop with varying degrees of success.
Final Fantasy 10’s Sphere Grid systemmay not seem like the most innovative progression system in the world. After all, a lot of games have skill trees, but it’s the manner in which this game presents the upgrade paths that make it so amazing. For starters, the idea of leveling up with the Sphere Grid was a fresh change of pace for the series as is.
On top of that, players could jump around the Sphere Grid to gain access to another character’s upgrade path. This essentially allowed players who understood how the Sphere Grid worked to create multi-class characters who enjoyed the best of both worlds and could enjoy the best and more perfect stats to augment their attacks. The enhanced version of this title understood how much fun it was to mess around with the Sphere Grid and added an alternate variant of this leveling system that changed how players interacted with the game, making for a contestable yet welcome addition for returning fans who didn’t mind playing throughFinal Fantasy 10again with a few tweaked mechanics to make things more interesting.
TheYakuzaseries is one of the most popular and beloved open-world franchises around, and many people considerYakuza 0to be the game that launched the popularity of this franchise to new heights. The game was set during Japan’s bubble era, reflecting just how ridiculous money had become during this era by using it as the sole metric that players used to obtain everything from items to skills.
This made for a great upgrade system as players strove to earn millions of yen and level up their abilities as quickly as possible. It was a unique spin on this iconic moment in Japanese history, with both Real Estate Royale and Cabaret Club Czar allowing players to rack up a ton of cash in no time at all. No matter what, it’s always cathartic to spend a lot of money on a character and watch their suite of abilities expand, with Kiryu and Majima becoming adept dealers of pain and destruction in no time.
Most strategy games have a unique progression mechanic of going through the ages as players explore new technologies, enter new eras, and develop units that can absolutely decimate their opposition. Titles likeAge of EmpiresandCivilizationdid this progression pretty well, but there are games that took this concept and injected it with a ton of steroids to make something truly magical.
Such is the case ofEmpire Earth, an excellent RTS title that not a lot of people talk about nowadays, which is a shame. This game allowed players to start out from the very dark ages and ultimately enter the future, which made for one of the coolest ways to progress through the ages. It helped that the campaign also leveraged this by letting players explore stories across the times, with these story-driven experiences showing the ages ofEmpire Earthand how well they were fleshed out as well!
There’s nothing standard aboutWarframe, which was part of the reason why it maintained its loyal player base over the years despite the notorious lack of proper tutorials. In this space ninja game, players progress partly by completing mercenary missions across the solar system.
There are standard quests, but players don’t level up by doing those. Instead, they must literally try out and master as many weapons and warframes as they can to increase their rank. In hindsight, it’s quite an organic way of leveling. Being proficient in many tools is one of the best ways for mercenary ninjas to become good at their job.
It had a rough release, butNo Man’s Skymanaged to turn its reputation around thanks to updates and free DLCs. It went from an empty, procedurally generated playground to a game that incentivizes exploration and strategizing about survival, especially in harsh environments.
Due to the procedural nature ofthe game worldor, rather, the game universe, there’s no ceiling toNo Man’s Sky’s exploration. And unlike other games that also feature this kind of game world, there’s more to do inNo Man’s Sky.Players can follow storylines, go in all directions, or just build bases all over the universe.
Death Strandingwas initially an acquired taste, but numerous updates and newfound player appreciation made it age well over time. Nearly four years later, the game is now one of the most thoughtful cooperation exercises in gaming, where players literally build bridges and roads for others in an online space. For that matter, offline play isn’t recommended.
Even before its numerous fixes,Death Strandingwas already a unique game due to its odd progression system. Players assume the role of Sam Bridges in the most dangerous delivery man job in history as he unitesa broken world.
