The 15 best Xbox games of the moment

While Remedy may be better known for Alan Wake and Control, the April 2016 release was a very different experiment in pushing the boundaries of video game storytelling. Players take on the role of Jack Joyce, a man with time manipulation powers who tries to stop the coming of the End Times. But the catch is that his ex-best friend Paul Serene stands in his way, with his own superpowers and an entire private army at his disposal.

Quantum Break combines standard third-person cover shooter gameplay with time manipulation abilities, allowing the player to close the distance to enemies, stop bullets and more. Outside of combat, these powers are used to solve puzzles and find extra bits of story, which remains an important system for anyone looking for all the extra lore.

But what sets Quantum Break apart from all other video games is the television tie-in: at the end of each act, an interactive TV episode played before you went back to running and gunning in Joyce’s shoes, and this changed depending on what choices you made made in the game. A completely new concept (even predating Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch), the Quantum Break show featured electric performances from the likes of Shawn Ashmore, Aidan Gillen and the late, great Lance Reddick.

The Mix of Media was released to mixed critical results, but no other game has attempted to do what this game has done in the years since its release.

Release date: April 5, 2016

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Super powerful third-person shooter

Developer: Remedy entertainment