This was really thought-provoking as my “choose 10 forever” list is much different than my top 10 games list. My goal here was choosing games that provided variety and depth, while typically also being great narrative experiences as well.

1. Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. A JRPG with deep mechanics that I could master over my lifetime. XIII-2 provides replay value with side content and catchable monsters, and Lightning Returns in nonlinear. XIII has the amazing story that would always remind me our fates aren’t written in stone.
2. Bloodborne. An action RPG with a great setting and atmosphere and endless replay value.
3. Stardew Valley. I’m not a big cozy game person because of my backlog, but if I could only play 10 games, I’d finally have time to sink into this game, making different characters and romancing everyone and transforming the game with mods.
4. Final Fantasy XIV. This would be my big damn fantasy RPG with a beautiful world I wouldn’t mind living in.
5. Dance Dance Revolution. Specifically Stepmania so I can play all the songs. I need at least one fitness game here. I’ve been playing for years and am still nowhere close to mastering the game. I probably should pick Ring Fit Adventure, Just Dance, or Wii Fit, which would be better as I age, but DDR is just too nostalgic, even if my list of 10 would eventually turn into nine as I age.
6. Pokemon Crystal. Black 2 has the most vanilla content and replayability, but Crystal is compatible with the Pokemon Pikachu 2 pedometer, which would get me moving. Since mods are allowed, I could also have access to Pokemon Prism and any other hack for additional replay value.
7. Flower. Flower has a way of always coming back to me when I need it most. It’s a great way to decompress and meditate.
8. Darkest Dungeon. Rolls roguelikes, dungeon crawlers and survival horror games into one demoralizing package. It’s a long game, and every playthrough is different due to the depth of randomization at play.
9. Shovel Knight. Really fun gameplay both as an action game and as a platformer with tons of DLC and side content without falling into the Metroidvania trap of having repetitive scenery.
10. Cyberpunk 2077. I need an FPS to round out the list, and since I’m not a PVP type of person, I need to get replay value by other means, so an open-world RPG shooter will be perfect.