• Snatcher
• Policenauts
• King's Field (any of them, even Pilot Style)
• Halo 1-3 + ODST and Reach
• Yakuza 0
• Silent Hill 2 (the original, Enhanced Edition for PC is still the best way to experience SH2)
• Life is Strange (only the original game, completely ignore the fanbase, theyre all toxic)
• Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic (too bad BioWare doesnt have a single good or competent writer anymore)
• NieR, both Gestalt and Automata
• Rule of Rose
• Dark Souls 1-3
• Elden Ring
• Kuon
• Armored Core (all of them, but the controls are hard to deal with before Nexus)
• Steel Battalion (only if you can find and afford the controller, otherwise dont bother)

Not as good as the examples you listed but subnautica imo

Return to the Obra Dinn, you are a insurance auditor

BioShock. It really depends on playing it blind in order to have an impact.

Undertale

God of War 2018. I played all the original games but I was still just a casual fan. I heard about the new game coming out but didn't really pay much attention to it. I eventually play it and holy crap I didn't know it was going to be what it was. Before playing it, I had RDR2 as my game of the year but GOW really stole it in the end.

I feel like the obvious answer would be something like Fallout New Vegas, DLCs as well (especially the DLCs) or any visual novel games like Song of Data or the Danganronpa series.

Though for non-obvious answers, gonna say Brok the Investigator. Story driven with changing how you play affecting the ending you get. Non-obvious because I don't see a ton of hype around it, even though there's a cool looking DLC being developed.

Edit:

Forgot to add just about any puzzle game to the list. I watched someone play a puzzle game (Baba Is You) roughly 4-5 years ago and picked it up last spring. Just long enough for me to remember almost none of the solutions. Definitely much more fun that way. Same reason I loved Portal 2 back when I got it on xbox. Didn't have a clue what would happen or what the puzzle solutions were.

Bioshock.

The Zero Escape Series. I wish I could play it again without knowing anything.

Same with Professor Layton games (for the big plots).

Chants of Senaar - You interpret alien languages.

+1 for Outer Wilds

The Beginner's Guide

Most of the really good games have been posted already, so here are three that you should play regardless if you’ve never heard of them before:

1. Frog Fractions
2. Duty Calls: The Calm Before the Storm
3. GAME OF THE YEAR 420 BLAZE IT

Check them all out because they’re short and free

• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
• ~~Jade Empire~~
• Observation

EDIT: Jade Empire doesn't really fit, so I'll go with Observation instead. I'll still argue you're better off not knowing anything about KOTOR aside from being an RPG in the Star Wars universe.

Journey

Paradise Killer

Factorio and Dyson Sphere Program. At least don't watch people like Nilaus and Dosh Doshington play the game until you've tried to make your own solutions first.

Outside. Recent patches may affect your starting location.

There isn't a game that exists that isn't better going in knowing very little, if anything at all, about it. I don't even understand reading an entire guide or wiki about a game before you ever even load it up and play.

ANIMAL WELL

I don't think this one is even vaguely possible anymore, but "I Wanna Be The Guy" would be my suggestion for this question. That first encounter with the game is one of the most special moments in all of gaming.

Omori and Disco Elysium

Definitely fear and hunger (the first one)

Also, baldur's gate 3 has an uncountable number of "no fucking way the devs did this" that make a blind run of the game a memorable experience

Same goes with the metal gear solid saga

I had this kind of moment with Prey.

• Katana ZERO
• Undertale
• Kitsune Tails