Time Loop

A character repeats the same day, battle, or death over and over until they figure out how to break the cycle. Loops can be comedic, romantic — infinite chances to perfect a confession — or quietly horrifying as the repetitions grind a character down.

30,000 works

What is Time Loop in fanfiction?

A character repeats the same day, battle, or death over and over until they figure out how to break the cycle. Loops can be comedic, romantic — infinite chances to perfect a confession — or quietly horrifying as the repetitions grind a character down. With over 30,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Time Loop is one of the most beloved tropes in fanfiction.

Why readers love Time Loop

The loop is a pressure cooker for character study: infinite retries strip away pretense, and readers love tracking what changes and what the looper finally understands.

Examples of Time Loop

A hero reliving the day their friend dies until they find the version where everyone lives, or two characters stuck in the same loop discovering it only on iteration forty.

Best Time Loop Fanfics

The highest-rated Time Loop stories across all fandoms on AO3.

1

Tea and No Sympathy

Complete

by who_la_hoop

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter step

57,587 kudos 70,045 words ~281 min read Explicit
Slow Build Draco-centric Tea Drinking
2

Love was the Law

Complete

by ruinthatboy

“This is wrong,” Jayce rasped, his voice strained with torment, so unlike the Jayce that had left mere hours ago to dance and drink and make merry and maybe even make love to the beautiful Mel Medarda. “This is too far back, I shouldn’t be here—” This Jayce was like a wild animal, bearded and shag

45,011 kudos 6,957 words ~28 min read Explicit
Season/Series 02 Spoilers I guess? Time Loop
3

Looping Back to the Beginning

Complete

by Feneris

Where Class 1-A finds itself in a time loop centered around their first year at UA. After getting over the usual angst, they decide that the best way to grow as heroes is by antagonizing dangerous villains for fun and amusement.

38,730 kudos 10,532 words ~43 min read General Audiences
Time Travel Time Loop messing with people
4

The One in Which a Time Loop is Fucking Exhausting.

Complete

by badpancake

It’s the first time in a while that he doesn’t know what comes next. He’s dove into the water hundreds of times. Screamed as his flesh was torn apart, heard Master of Puppets in the distance and held back tears. Felt Max’s cold, small hand in his as she laid in the hospital bed. There are things tha

26,625 kudos 41,496 words ~166 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Time Loop Time Travel Time Travel Fix-It
5

better luck next time

by nauticalwarrior

As he falls, he lets himself think about it. He lets himself think that if he wakes up, if things go back again, it means that he does have a quirk. It means he really can take a swan dive off a roof and hope for better luck in his next life. It means that all along, he’s been useless and worthless

23,653 kudos 638,928 words ~2556 min read Explicit
Suicidal Thoughts Suicide Suicide Attempt
6

Do it Again

Complete

by thisgirlsays22

By the twentieth time Geralt has gone through the loop, he decides to just throw himself off the cliff’s edge after Borch. He wakes up to his twenty-first attempt. “Fuck.”

22,492 kudos 6,771 words ~28 min read Explicit
Time Loop Curses Angst
7

to memory now I can't recall

Complete

by Etharei

While on a mission storming a HYDRA facility, James Buchanan Barnes touches one of the many strange alien devices collected by the Red Skull. He does this, in fact, twice— in the past, and in the future. Next thing he knows, Bucky Barnes is opening his eyes in the 21st century, which is full of grea

18,364 kudos 102,610 words ~411 min read Explicit
Time Travel World War II Memory Loss
8

Game On, Your Move

Complete

by Ailora

Be on guard, my Lord, writes Abraxas Malfoy, the new transfer student intends to kill you.Except Abraxas has terrible penmanship, and kill and kiss look awfully similar in shoddy cursive.Naturally, things escalate. A lot.

17,275 kudos 74,853 words ~300 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Time Travel Alternate Universe - 1940s Crack Treated Seriously
9

on temporizing

by LuckyMagicBelle

Tommy and Dream are trapped in a time loop.What do they do? Mess with everyone else, of course.  русский translation by kuwwizz here!

16,972 kudos 247,848 words ~992 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Time Loop Time Travel Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
10

the lathe

Complete

by palmviolet

"This time, do it right. This time Eddie won’t bleed out in his arms, in anyone’s arms. This time, Steve will do it right."— or, steve relives the day they try to kill vecna over and over, and eddie just can't seem to stop dying. steve finds this totally unacceptable.

15,511 kudos 82,547 words ~331 min read Mature
Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Time Loop Fix-It
11

a lesson you should heed (try, try again)

Complete

by aloneintherain

Izuku doesn't know why the day keeps resetting. He doesn't know why he's trapped on campus, or why there's no phone reception, or why Aizawa and Shinsou keep losing their memories of the Saturdays they've already lived, while Izuku remains constantly, painfully aware. But he does know this: Aizawa a

14,033 kudos 13,483 words ~54 min read Mature
Time Loop Angst Temporary Character Death
12

(honey) there is no right way

Complete

by sincere_lies

‘Have you tried everything?’ Hermione asked insistently.‘Yes! Every time I get to the cup and Cedric doesn’t take it with me I go immediately back to my bed in the morning. But all the times he is with me, he dies and after I fall asleep I return too.’‘I guess it is obvious then, isn’t it?’ Both Har

13,998 kudos 24,511 words ~99 min read General Audiences
Groundhog Day Temporary Character Death Time Loop
13

next time, next time

Complete

by aworus

Over and over again, Aizawa Shouta is woken by the same alarm, at the same time, on the same day. The roof access door alarm is triggered. It is 7:56am. It is Saturday. And over and over again, Aizawa Shouta is just barely too late to stop Midoriya Izuku from stepping off of the ledge and splatterin

13,907 kudos 9,793 words ~40 min read Mature
Time Loop Angst Hurt/Comfort
14

Shadow Plays

Complete

by dreamlittleyo

In which Thor lives a single day more times than he can count, and Loki doesn't know how to fix it.

12,951 kudos 24,420 words ~98 min read Explicit
First Time First Kiss Post-Movie(s)
15

Oh Alice, There's no Reflection in the Looking Glass.

Complete

by intothefrisson

What do you mean?” Ryuji tilted his head.“It’s called Just Die. It reduces the SP needed for Insta kill skills like Mudoon or 'Please Die for Me' to zero.”Ryuji and Ann blinked and blinked again trying to figure out what Morgana is trying to say. He watched as the gears churn in their head and they

12,335 kudos 496,095 words ~1985 min read Mature
New Game Plus Time Loop Angst
16

fruit loops in time (circle around me)

by justprompts

"This is Crabbe, and Goyle," the blonde boy says, pointing at the two boys next to him. "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Ma - "Ron laughs, and Malfoy immediately bristles."Think my name's funny, do you?" Malfoy says, angrily. "No need to ask yours - ""You're honestly so cute," Ron interrupts, yet again, shaki

11,813 kudos 15,101 words ~61 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Time Travel Crack Fluff
17

All Mimsy Were the Borogroves

by MoonWitch96

Melara Hetherspoon, or well, Melara Lannister, is Mad. But well, you would be too if you had the power of time-loops and memories of another life kicking it in your head.

11,098 kudos 173,607 words ~695 min read Explicit
oc-insert Drabbles Time Travel
18

turn back the clock (and I'll try again in the morning)

Complete

by madasthesea

Peter gets stuck in a time loop. In it, he lives through some of his worst nightmares, only to wake up that morning and have no one remember. He needs Tony to help him get through. And if that isn't bad enough, his identity is revealed over and over, every day.

10,849 kudos 35,026 words ~141 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Hurt/Comfort Emotional Hurt/Comfort Angst
19

Maelstrom

Complete

by feelslikefire

Victor Nikiforov is poised to win gold in his fifth consecutive Grand Prix Final. He has the world at his feet, is unparalleled in the sport--right up until a snowstorm blows into Sochi, and he finds himself repeating the same day over and over and over. He stumbles over Yuuri Katsuki, and everythin

10,827 kudos 43,682 words ~175 min read Explicit
Time Loop
20

hit me baby one more time

Complete

by theappleppielifestyle

Richie reaches up a shaking hand and puts it on Eddie’s stomach.“Uhhh,” Eddie says. “Is this a bit? Is this a really inopportune bit? ‘Cause I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Richie, but this is kind of an important moment-”“What the fuck,” Richie says, not for the first or last time, and lurches forw

10,822 kudos 11,183 words ~45 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Angst with a Happy Ending Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Time Loop

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Time Loop fics are on AO3?

There are over 30,000 works tagged with Time Loop on Archive of Our Own.

What fandoms have the most Time Loop stories?

Popular fandoms for Time Loop include Supernatural, Doctor Who, Undertale.

How can I read Time Loop fanfiction on my phone?

Download Fanfict Reader for iOS to browse and read Time Loop fanfiction with a beautiful mobile interface, offline reading, and custom themes.

Read Time Loop fanfiction on the go

Fanfict Reader is the best way to browse, search, and read AO3 fanfiction on your iPhone. Download for free and start reading your favorite stories today.

Free to download
Offline reading
Custom themes