Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl Songs as Video Games

What game to play based on your favorite song from Taylor's new album

By Willa Rowe | October 16, 2025 | 2:47pm

Video Games Features Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl Songs as Video Games

There have been a lot of big releases this fall. Since September both Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong (among a number of other titles) have made waves, yet they both pale in comparison to an even bigger bombshell. Of course, I’m talking about Taylor Swift’s latest album: The Life of a Showgirl.

Now what does Taylor Swift have to do with video games? Well, besides that cursory reference to Grand Theft Auto that one time. There are arguments to be made that the musician has many ties to gaming—arguments made by me, the pre-eminent Taylor Swift video game scholar (as decreed by me). Don’t believe me? Here are the receipts. And while The Life of a Showgirl doesn’t have any new game references it doesn’t mean it can’t be a helpful tool in cutting through the choice paralysis brought on by the sheer number of games you could be playing. So I’ve done the hard work of curating video game pairings for each track. No thanks needed (but tips are appreciated).

“The Fate of Ophelia” – Elsinore

The tragic lover of Shakespeare’s sad boy Hamlet takes up a lot of space in Taylor Swift’s mind in this opening track. What if, the songwriter posits, things had gone differently for poor Ophelia? If you find yourself asking the same question then Elsinore is the game for you. One part Groundhog Day, one part Sleep No More, this point-and-click adventure puts you in control of Ophelia as she relives the events of Hamlet over and over again in search of a way to avoid her fate.

“Elizabeth Taylor” – Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

Swift has often aligned herself in song with famous women of art (see “The Fate of Ophelia”) and history. This is true of “Elizabeth Taylor” in which the singer sees herself in the life of the titular Hollywood Icon. Taylor was a woman known for her star status in film but also for her many controversies. Elizabeth Taylor (the person and the song) have the allure of Hollywood glamour and mystery all wrapped in one. Developer Simogo’s mind-bending puzzle game Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, which features its own alluringly mysterious woman, has all the same qualities, though perhaps in a much more abstract form. While the star of this show are the expertly designed puzzles that fill a massive hotel, there is also an underlying story of cinematic grandeur and an investigation of the value of art going on that ends up packing a huge punch.

“Opalite” – Haven

A love song deserves a great game about love. While there are many grand love stories in games (I did consider a number of Final Fantasy titles for this spot) none of my options felt like they accurately captured the feeling of being in a loving relationship in the same way “Opalite” is trying to, until I remembered 2020’s Haven. The game follows lovers Yu and Kay as they live a secluded life together. While the story does eventually get into some more sci-fi nonsense, the meat of Haven focuses on depicting the mundane moments of a happy relationship in a way that feels down-to-earth yet starcrossed at the same time.

“Father Figure” – The Last of Us

Who else but Joel Miller epitomizes the father figure in video games? Sure he isn’t Ellie’s father but he is the father who steps up (even if he falters… a lot) over the course of The Last of Us and its sequel. Swift also turns an optimistic song (George Michael’s original) about the mentor-protege relationship into something more pessimistic and focused on revenge—sure sounds like Joel (and later Ellie) to me.

“Eldest Daughter” – Silent Hill 3

Poor Heather Mason, you did not deserve any of the bullshit you were put through. In Life of a Showgirl’s fifth track, Swift paints herself as the victim of “eldest daughter syndrome” in how she must bear the burden of so much judgment from the public. Eldest daughter syndrome also applies to the protagonist of Silent Hill 3, who gets trapped in a horror landscape in which people continuously judge her and heap lofty expectations of greatness upon her all because her dad did some stuff in the past (see Silent Hill).

“Ruin the Friendship” – Persona 3

At the start of Persona 3, the screen flashes the phrase “Memento Mori” to the player—remember you will die. There is a heartbreaking sadness to “Ruin the Friendship” in its story of Swift looking back on a high school crush that then dies. It’s almost a plea to listeners to remember death is far closer at all times than it may appear, and to truly live by cherishing the relationships we have in life. Those who have played Persona 3 can see how apt this song applies to the Atlus RPG, itself a story set in high school focused on building relationships as time gets closer and closer to running out. I suggest you have tissues ready for this one. Also I beg of you to play Persona 3 Portable rather than Reload.

“Actually Romantic” – Death Stranding

Death Stranding might not be an obvious choice for a song that is famously a mean-spirited diss-track on another singer, but hear me out. This isn’t about the content of Death Stranding, which is mostly walking across gorgeous landscapes, rather it’s about the story surrounding the game. Released in 2019, it was the first game from legendary developer Hideo Kojima following his very messy and high profile departure from Konami. Since that departure Kojima has mostly continued being his weird self, making unique games that players largely love, while Konami has been seeking to recapture some of Kojima’s talent. Just this year, while Kojima released Death Stranding 2, one of Konami’s biggest releases was a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 (which was originally directed by Kojima). “Actually Romantic” is all about a hater being unable to stop obsessing over someone who is on to bigger and better things without giving a second thought to said hater. That’s Kojima, baby.

“Wi$h Li$t” – Stardew Valley

In “Wi$h Li$t,” Swift waxes poetic about wanting a simple life with someone to love and maybe some kids. It eschews the pursuit of materialistic things, just as the farmer in Stardew Valley does at the game’s start when they move to the titular idyllic town to get away from the rat race of city life. What greater joy could there be than farming your own land and flirting with a bunch of cute eligible neighbors that you can eventually have a baby with? And sure, your farm might eventually become a well-oiled money-making machine but it’s not about that, it’s about bagging the local hottie of your choosing.

“Wood” – Date Everything!

In her write-up of this year’s Date Everything for Endless Mode, Grace Benfell labelled the game “peak millennial cringe.” That shoe also fits the much talked about track “Wood,” a song all about how Swift’s fiancee (Travis Kelce) has a really big dick (it’s a redwood tree, get it?) and their sex is—like—really good, thanks for asking. Much like Date Everything—a game that really wants you to know how horny it is thanks to a premise of “what if household items were fuckable”—”Wood” often fails to actually be sexy in any way, despite the very evident desire for it to be perceived as such. More than anything, playing Date Everything or listening to “Wood” will induce much eye-rolling.

“Cancelled!” – Drakengard 3

Taylor Swift apparently likes her friends cancelled, and I can’t think of a more cancellable collection of friends than those found in Drakengard 3. The cast of Yoko Taro’s 2013 RPG are all sex-obssessed losers who constantly demean each other while leering at protagonist Zero (who is herself absolutely cancellable). This is a game with awful humor, though there is an aching sincerity and heart to the story that shines through when you least expect it (which is more I can say for Swift’s song). While Swift seems to be earnest about her love of cancellation, Drakengard 3 is in on the joke that this idea is an absurdity in itself. If you are able to get past the harsh exterior of Drakengard 3 you’ll find something special in its oddball mixture of humor and grimdark fantasy.

“Honey” – Lollipop Chainsaw

“Honey” is a song about how even the things people say to you maliciously can sound sweet when the right person (preferably an athletic himbo) says it. In Lollipop Chainsaw, the bubbly zombie hunter Juliet Starling gets called a lot of names (i’m serious, the way this game treats her is shockingly bad) but it’s all made ok by the fact that her talking head of a jock boyfriend Nick is there to tell her how great she is (and he is right, real ones support Juliet for being a bimbo girlboss). Just as Taylor Swift would want it, Lollipop Chainsaw turns the gory zombie hell Juliet is traversing into a saccharine sweet wonderland thanks to the power of love.

“The Life of a Showgirl” – Immortality

The titular track of Swift’s twelfth album chronicles the life of a woman named Kitty (she’s the showgirl). She states that her haters wish she would die, “But I’m immortal now, baby dolls / I couldn’t if I tried.” It’s a story about the devil’s bargain that comes with fame, and it might as well be the unofficial anthem for Immortality’s mysterious star Marissa Marcel. The unique game from Half Mermaid Studios is all about sifting through hours of film footage in which the Hollywood starlet takes the spotlight, with the ultimate message that everything she went through solidified her in the cultural zeitgeist. She’s immortal (as is Kitty, as is Swift) and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Willa Rowe is a queer games critic based in New York City whose writing has been featured in Digital Trends, Kotaku, Inverse, and more. She also hosts the Girl Mode podcast. When she isn’t talking games she can be found on Bluesky rooting for the New York Mets.