Games Like Control, I'm Not Coming Back

Glitchhikers is a surreal journey through the spaces between places. A late night drive, a deserted airport lounge, a moonlit walk through an empty park, a quiet carriage on an overnight train. Who will you meet? What will you talk about? Where will the journey take you? Find yourself along the way.

Why similar: Philosophical 35.2%, Abstract 16.6%, Walking Simulator 14%, Interactive Fiction 9.9%, Nonlinear 7.5%

Why You'll Like It: It shares the abstract, philosophical, and atmospheric qualities that make the seed game feel like a surreal journey through the mind.

Tacoma is a sci-fi narrative adventure from the creators of Gone Home. Set aboard a high-tech space station in the year 2088, explore every detail of how the station’s crew lived and worked, finding the clues that add up to a gripping story of trust, fear, and resolve in the face of disaster.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 37.3%, Space 24.3%, Story Rich 15.9%, Sci-fi 9.8%, First-Person 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: This narrative-driven walking simulator set on a space station excels at telling intimate stories through environmental storytelling.

Named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer, and The Guardian, Outer Wilds is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning open world mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop.

Why similar: Space 48.6%, Story Rich 23.1%, Sci-fi 9.3%, First-Person 8.9%, Adventure 4.5%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the profound philosophical wonder of space exploration and the search for meaning in a vast, mysterious universe.

Observation is a sci-fi thriller uncovering what happened to Dr. Emma Fisher, and the crew of her mission, through the lens of the station’s artificial intelligence S.A.M.

Why similar: Space 41.8%, Sci-fi 13.8%, Story Rich 13.1%, Adventure 11.4%, Walking Simulator 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: You play as an artificial intelligence on a space station, mirroring the game's focus on isolation and human-machine connection.

The Beginner's Guide is a narrative video game from Davey Wreden, the creator of The Stanley Parable. It lasts about an hour and a half and has no traditional mechanics, no goals or objectives. Instead, it tells the story of a person struggling to deal with something they do not understand.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 30.6%, Philosophical 15.4%, Story Rich 14.6%, Abstract 11.9%, Psychological 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: A deeply personal and meta-narrative walking simulator that explores the relationship between the creator and the player.

From the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent comes SOMA, a sci-fi horror game set below the waves of the Atlantic ocean. Struggle to survive a hostile world that will make you question your very existence.

Why similar: Philosophical 32.6%, Walking Simulator 28.4%, Story Rich 15.4%, Sci-fi 9.5%, First-Person 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in psychological sci-fi that forces players to confront heavy existential questions while navigating a desolate environment.

Event[0] is a sci-fi narrative exploration game where you build a relationship with a lonely spaceship computer to get home to Earth.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27.2%, Space 24.4%, Psychological 17.7%, First-Person 8.1%, Story Rich 8%

Why You'll Like It: The focus on communicating with an AI while stranded in space creates a similar sense of emotional dependency and isolation.

Deliver Us The Moon is a Sci-Fi thriller set in an apocalyptic near future where Earth's natural resources are depleted. In an effort to solve the energy crisis, global powers created the World Space Agency and secured a promising new source of energy on the moon.

Why similar: Space 46.2%, Story Rich 14%, Walking Simulator 12.8%, Sci-fi 12%, Adventure 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: This cinematic sci-fi adventure focuses on a lone astronaut's mission to save humanity, perfectly matching the game's space-faring narrative tone.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington state. As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she's the last one in her family left alive.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 49.1%, Story Rich 34.7%, First-Person 11.1%, Adventure 3.2%, Indie 1.8%

Why You'll Like It: An essential walking simulator that excels at emotional, short-form storytelling through surreal and highly interactive environments.

De-Void is a first-person adventure game, where the player unravels the mysterious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a remote space colony crew.

Why similar: Philosophical 30.6%, Walking Simulator 24.3%, Space 16.8%, Story Rich 10.5%, Sci-fi 7%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the quiet, sci-fi mystery vibe of exploring an abandoned location to piece together a narrative.

Hitchhiker is a mystery game set along lost highways, where your goal is to solve the puzzle of your own backstory.

Why similar: Philosophical 30.8%, Story Rich 13.6%, Psychological 11.3%, Walking Simulator 10.3%, Surreal 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: Its surreal, conversational approach to storytelling mirrors the interactive fiction elements found in the seed game.

Experience the surreal story of Elea. In this first-person Sci-Fi adventure you play as a space scientist recovering your lost husband. Venture out on a curious interstellar journey, full of devastating memories and startling secrets.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 23.2%, Space 22.6%, Story Rich 16.6%, Sci-fi 10.5%, First-Person 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative-heavy space adventure that deals with memory, loss, and the search for a loved one.

The Station is a first-person sci-fi mystery set on a space station sent to study a sentient alien civilization. Assuming the role of a recon specialist, players must unravel a mystery which will decide the fate of two civilizations.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 30.1%, Space 26.6%, Story Rich 17.3%, Sci-fi 10.2%, First-Person 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person sci-fi mystery that emphasizes exploration and uncovering the narrative of a missing crew in space.

Firewatch is a single-player first-person mystery set in the Wyoming wilderness, where your only emotional lifeline is the person on the other end of a handheld radio.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 52.3%, Story Rich 25.1%, First-Person 12.2%, Adventure 5.6%, Colorful 2.9%

Why You'll Like It: Though set on Earth, it perfectly captures the feeling of being alone in a vast landscape while building a deep, emotional connection with a distant voice.

Classic Zork meets Existential Crisis. A modern text adventure that explores themes of control, isolation and mental health while levelling up the genre with beautiful pixel art.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 31.2%, Psychological 30%, Story Rich 23.3%, Pixel Graphics 4.9%, Adventure 4.6%

Why You'll Like It: This title pushes the boundaries of interactive fiction with a psychological, atmospheric, and meta-narrative focus.

A strange signal... an alien craft... an interplanetary, gravity-defying journey through space and time.

Why similar: Philosophical 28.7%, Space 25%, Walking Simulator 24%, Story Rich 9.4%, Sci-fi 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: The focus on atmospheric, surreal planetary exploration creates a meditative experience similar to the seed game.

An uncanny liminal space themed walking-simulator.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 37.8%, Abstract 21.4%, Psychological 21%, Surreal 6.6%, 3D 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: An emotional, atmospheric walking simulator that focuses on the human experience within a contained, narrative-driven space.

PREMIER EDITION - While seeking life on a distant planet, an astronaut discovers an abandoned Russian town. He suspects his mission is a hoax until a mysterious young woman saves him from a strange and deadly phenomenon...

Why similar: Walking Simulator 35.8%, Space 32.5%, Story Rich 16.4%, Sci-fi 11.7%, Adventure 3.7%

Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on the loneliness of space exploration and the psychological toll of searching for answers on a desolate planet.

“Thing-in-Itself” is a short interactive story about the struggles of understanding another human being. Using Immanuel Kant’s concept as a framework, it leads the player through stages of a relationship, exploring how perceptions may clash and surroundings can alter.

Why similar: Philosophical 31.9%, Walking Simulator 19.3%, Psychological 14.9%, Interactive Fiction 12%, Story Rich 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: A short, philosophical experience that prioritizes emotional resonance and abstract storytelling.

A short 10 minute visual novel about being a fragment in the universe and trying to find a way out of the ****.

Why similar: Philosophical 46.4%, Surreal 20.3%, Psychological 20.1%, Story Rich 7%, Stylized 5.2%

Why You'll Like It: Its dark, surreal, and psychological tone aligns well with the more abstract narrative moments of the seed game.

A short narrative and exploration game about Zach, June, and a strange phenomenon. You're Zach and, stuck in your home, you will do everything to keep hearing June's voice messages. What is happening out there?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 34.9%, Interactive Fiction 25.2%, Surreal 18.8%, First-Person 15.1%, Indie 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: A short, first-person narration-focused experience that feels very similar to the interactive fiction style of the seed game.

ADR1FT is the story of an astronaut who wakes up floating silently in space amongst the debris of destroyed space station…the only survivor of a catastrophic event, left with no memory, a critically damaged EVA suit leaking oxygen and no way home.

Why similar: Space 46.7%, Walking Simulator 30.3%, First-Person 10.3%, Adventure 5.1%, Sci-fi 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: It provides a visceral, first-person experience of floating through space, emphasizing the fragility of life and the beauty of the void.

Free demo for Cognition Method - a story-driven, first-person puzzle game inspired by Space Odyssey 2001 and Solaris. Discover an innovative mechanics of altering gravity and dive into the surreal setting. Find your way within a mysterious artifact and unveal a non-ordinary story.

Why similar: Philosophical 35.2%, Space 17.1%, Walking Simulator 11.3%, Abstract 10.1%, Sci-fi 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a sci-fi, physics-based puzzle experience that leans into the abstract and philosophical side of space exploration.

Stories Untold is a compilation tape of four experimental adventures, including a remaster of the original hit episode “The House Abandon”.

Why similar: Story Rich 43%, Sci-fi 26.7%, Adventure 18.5%, Indie 11.9%

Why You'll Like It: A collection of experimental, text-heavy narratives that masterfully blend atmosphere with psychological tension.

Ether One is a first person adventure that deals with the fragility of the human mind. There are two paths in the world you can choose from. At its core is a story exploration path free from puzzles where you can unfold the story at your own pace.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 54.3%, First-Person 17.2%, Story Rich 15.5%, Adventure 8.4%, Indie 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: This game explores the fragile nature of human memory and psychological trauma through a non-linear, first-person perspective.

Featuring a beautiful, detailed open-world and a haunting soundtrack, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is non-linear storytelling at its best.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 71%, Story Rich 13.4%, First-Person 6.9%, Adventure 3.2%, Sci-fi 2.8%

Why You'll Like It: A quintessential walking simulator that uses its environment to tell a hauntingly beautiful and emotional story.

The Space Between is a surreal short narrative experience in three acts about the walls we build for us.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 38.2%, Surreal 22.9%, Psychological 15.9%, First-Person 7.4%, Story Rich 5%

Why You'll Like It: This experimental walking simulator blends surreal imagery with a mysterious narrative, fitting the game's abstract aesthetic.

An emotional point-and-click hard sci-fi adventure game about exploring an abandoned space station. Follow messages left by the long-gone staff to learn the outcome of the research team and the secrets they left behind.

Why similar: Space 46.7%, Story Rich 23%, Sci-fi 14.8%, 3D 9.2%, Adventure 4%

June 7th, 1995. 1:15 AM. You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here? Unravel the mystery for yourself in Gone Home, a story exploration game from The Fullbright Company.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 74.8%, Story Rich 10.5%, First-Person 7%, Interactive Fiction 4.1%, Indie 2.1%

Why You'll Like It: A foundational walking simulator that proves how powerful a simple, intimate, and emotional story can be.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person story-driven mystery. Purchase this game to get both the original and the Unreal Engine 4 remaster called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 62.2%, Story Rich 17.5%, First-Person 14.3%, Adventure 4.3%, Indie 1.7%

Why You'll Like It: A beautiful, atmospheric walking simulator that excels at environmental storytelling and psychological mystery.

A story-based exploration game about the very far future. With the help of two Artificial Intelligences, explore a universe conquered by humanity, uncover your purpose in it, and try to stop it from falling apart.

Why similar: Philosophical 34.7%, Walking Simulator 24.2%, Interactive Fiction 12.8%, Sci-fi 7.8%, First-Person 4.3%

Endless subway rides, void probes, cosmic gardens and the fate of a planet, fiction.colors is a series of short atmospheric experiences to explore at leisure.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 31.3%, Abstract 22%, Surreal 8.6%, First-Person 7.9%, 3D 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: A casual, exploration-based narrative game that focuses on choice and the emotional journey of the protagonist.

Don't Let Me Fade is an interactive adventure about memory, identity, and loss. Piece together fragments of a life - even if a simple teddy bear is the last symbol of connection to oneself in a world without time.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 45.6%, Story Rich 15.5%, Space 13.7%, Adventure 11%, Pixel Graphics 6%

A game for the ones we lost on the way. Memento Mori is a surreal walking simulator that combines a minimalistic art style and a show don't tell story, focused on dealing with loss.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 41%, Surreal 23.5%, Abstract 19.7%, First-Person 5.8%, Minimalist 5.7%

You wake up in a spaceship, you realize that strange things are going on there, you try to get back to civilization. However, this is harder than you think, the encounters will drive you crazy and you will doubt yourself.

Why similar: Space 55.9%, Sci-fi 17.6%, First-Person 9.9%, Adventure 8%, 3D 7.9%

You have found yourself in a space that reminds you of nothing, and everything. A space of rooms, that are both comfortingly familiar, yet strangely unknown. A space of quiet and loneliness. You have found the BACK*SPACE. You aren't sure if you are alone. You aren't sure if you want to leave.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 43.9%, Psychological 15.9%, Surreal 12.6%, First-Person 8.8%, 3D 6.2%

7th Chance is a short (20-30 minute) story-based exploration adventure game. Waking up from a night of heavy drinking ... something isn't right.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.6%, Interactive Fiction 19.5%, Philosophical 17.3%, Surreal 13.6%, Psychological 7.8%

Tasked with finding humanity a new home, a lonely astronaut braves a desolate planet while making a fluffy friend along the way. homebound is a short 2D puzzle platformer that explores the feeling of home.

Why similar: Space 45.2%, Sci-fi 26.6%, Pixel Graphics 18.1%, Indie 10.1%

A short point & click narrative adventure inspired by the real life experience of a struggling solo indie game developer. A story about everything and hence nothing at all. Discover what truly matters to you.

Why similar: Philosophical 28%, Psychological 18.2%, Interactive Fiction 17%, Abstract 15.5%, Surreal 13.7%

3D first-person walking simulator with a side of exploration/interaction with the environment. The game tells the story of the Space Lemmings from Space who, after running many experiments with breakfast alphabet and the space-time continuum, got blocked between dimensions (or something).

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27.8%, Interactive Fiction 18.8%, Abstract 15.5%, Surreal 13.9%, First-Person 7.9%

Live the perfect day, break the cycle, and discover the truth about yourself in this short, quirky sci-fi mystery about freedom, choice, and loneliness.

Why similar: Philosophical 46.8%, Walking Simulator 29.4%, First-Person 8.5%, Sci-fi 7.6%, 3D 3.5%

Unable to sleep, you navigate a quiet condo complex. There's no rush - just you, the building, its inhabitants, and the stories they hold.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 41.9%, Interactive Fiction 21.3%, First-Person 11.4%, Story Rich 9.4%, 3D 6.8%

"Robot Hospice" is a 2D pixel art adventure game where beloved robots spend their final days in a hospice. As a new staff member, you will gently yet painfully bid farewell to these cherished machines that once lived alongside humans.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 35.2%, Story Rich 25.4%, Sci-fi 13.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 9.3%, Pixel Graphics 7.5%

Space Expedition is a 2D sci-fi platformer where you play as an astronaut who is sent to a space station to collect samples of mysterious dark matter. Space Expedition combines puzzle platforming, pixel art, and atmospheric adventures set in the style of 1980s sci-fi horror films.

Why similar: Space 34.8%, Walking Simulator 23.6%, Story Rich 15.7%, Colorful 8.5%, Pixel Graphics 8.1%

A strange signal... an alien craft... an interplanetary, gravity-defying journey through space and time. This is the prologue for Exo One.

Why similar: Philosophical 23.4%, Walking Simulator 23.2%, Space 19.3%, Abstract 14.5%, Sci-fi 8.4%

Embark on an emotional first-person narrative adventure where you control the story—and affect its outcomes—with your real-life blinks. With this innovative technique you will fully immerse yourself in a world of memories, both joyous and heartbreaking, as your whole life flashes before your eyes.

Why similar: Philosophical 20.6%, Walking Simulator 16.6%, Story Rich 16.1%, Interactive Fiction 13.1%, Psychological 10.1%

Hostil is a short emotional interactive tale about a young astronaut who has crashed on a extremely dangerous planet. No one will come to rescue him and his only hope is to move forward.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 38.8%, Story Rich 27%, Adventure 11.3%, Sci-fi 9.9%, Indie 7.5%

Summerland is a first-person narrative game about morality and the afterlife. You take control of Matthew, a detective reliving the events of his past, being questioned on his morals along the way. In every door lies another memory, and every memory unlocks another door.

Why similar: Philosophical 32%, Walking Simulator 25.6%, Interactive Fiction 14.2%, Story Rich 12.5%, First-Person 7.6%

Every day is the same on the faraway Bento space-lighthouse - until a mysterious radio message breaks through. Evade the past, welcome oblivion, make the perfect Italian coffee. Still There is a psychological adventure game about grief, technical puzzles, wacky AIs and dark humour. How far is far enough?

Why similar: Space 27.5%, Psychological 22.4%, Story Rich 15.4%, Surreal 14.8%, Sci-fi 8.9%

wandering into the uncanny concept of liminality, captured in DV tape format you explore what seems to be another dimension, lost in an endless space that looks human-made but isn't.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 50.7%, Psychological 30.6%, First-Person 14.7%, Indie 2.3%, Adventure 1.6%

A story rich narrative puzzle game in which an artist comes to terms with their grief. Explore an infinitely recursive world of strange fractal beauty and solve mind-bending puzzles. Confront the ineffable and chat with your cat in a search for meaning and hope.

Why similar: Philosophical 32.8%, Abstract 18.7%, Surreal 16.1%, Story Rich 10.7%, First-Person 8%

A small game about letting go. Stay up late. Smoke cigarettes. Talk to strangers. Think about what you've lost. Someone you used to love? Or someone you used to be?

Why similar: Philosophical 28.7%, Walking Simulator 28.5%, Psychological 13.5%, Surreal 8.8%, First-Person 8.7%

The Longest Walk is a deeply personal biographical walking-simulator game about my father's experience of living with depression.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 60.9%, First-Person 14.1%, 3D 9.9%, Story Rich 6.8%, Adventure 5.4%

The Flux is not keen on giving away its secrets, and you’re one of them. Sail a vast planet under a blanket of stars and use your tools and wits to remind yourself of what was lost and what could come next. An open world mystery about understanding the end of the world.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.1%, Philosophical 23.3%, Space 16.1%, Story Rich 11.7%, Nonlinear 7.7%

Uncover secrets, experience history, solve puzzles and understand one another. Immerse yourself and explore a surreal and colorful world in this short, first-person adventure.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27.3%, Surreal 21.3%, Abstract 19.4%, First-Person 6.6%, 3D 5.3%

Come with us now on a journey through music and space... To the world of VOYAGER ◯∘ A minimalist, relaxing & atmospheric experience to chill out to for a while…

Why similar: Philosophical 32.3%, Space 29.2%, Abstract 18.9%, Minimalist 6.3%, Sci-fi 5.8%

There are things that often fail on nothing but themselves. Is there even a way out? Playing Kafka is a narrative adventure full of impenetrable schemes, insidious plot twists and conversations that slip out of hand. Based on Kafka’s life and his work, developed with Kafka experts.

Why similar: Philosophical 25.3%, Surreal 17%, Interactive Fiction 16.7%, Psychological 14.2%, Story Rich 11.9%

Harold Halibut is a handmade narrative game about friendship and life on a city-sized spaceship submerged in an alien ocean. Join Harold as he explores a vibrant retro-future world in his quest to find the true meaning of ‘home’.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 39.1%, Interactive Fiction 23.9%, Story Rich 20%, Sci-fi 7.1%, Colorful 4%

Step into a radiant dimension where souls reboot as data. Recover your reincarnation machine from alien terrorists and explore glowing temples of memory, logic, and light. A surreal odyssey through death, rebirth, and the beauty of being lost.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.1%, Interactive Fiction 19.7%, Surreal 15.7%, Abstract 13.2%, Story Rich 11.1%