IDK if I can pick just three so I’m not going to; all of these are games that I would consider must-plays for different reasons:

Silent Hill 1, 2, and 3 are all fantastic for their own reasons (I’d recommend starting with 2, then 1, then 3). 1 for it’s fear factor and atmosphere, 2 for it’s thick atmosphere and deep story, and 3 for its disturbing undertones and incredible atmosphere. There are no other games quite like these. You’re also going to hear the word “atmosphere” a lot more in this comment.

OMORI is fantastic for kind of similar reasons, but some of the best storytelling in any game I’ve ever played, tied with Silent Hill 2 and the next game

Saya no Uta is fucked beyond belief, and so worth playing/reading. It will make you feel disgust, empathy, intrigue, and sadness at the exact same time

Chrono Trigger is one of the best games all-around that I’ve played, from the story, to the gameplay, to the art, to the music.

Yoshi’s Island and Wario Land 4, just for the gameplay, level design, controls, and a t m o s p h e r e (happy atmospheres this time). The gameplay with both of these games is just sublime.

Super Mario World: Call of Cthulhu ROM hack by yashum is one of the most unique ROM hacks that I’ve ever played. Has an amazing dark atmosphere, which is weird to say about a Mario game, other than maybe Super Paper Mario. The journey is better than the end for this one.

myhouse.wad (gzdoom-exclusive DOOM II mod) is a mind-bending game with amazing atmosphere and gameplay. A very unique game with equally unique story-telling. Don’t read anything about it, and make sure to play the .pk3 version and not the .wad. Don’t read anything on the Google Drive until after playing through at least once.

Zelda: Majora’s Mask is one of the best games that Nintendo has ever produced. Dark, brooding atmosphere, sadness, probably the best soundtrack that Koji Kondo ever made

Diminish isn’t even a game that anyone can play, but instead, it’s a Let’s Play series on YouTube. It’s a really deep and emotional journey, though, and I would highly recommend giving it a watch.