Games Like Firewatch

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 28.8%, Story Rich 18.1%, Atmospheric 11.6%, Mystery 11.5%, Great Soundtrack 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: It delivers the same kind of emotionally charged first-person storytelling where exploring a striking place gradually reveals a deeply personal mystery.

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 29.6%, Mystery 16.8%, Atmospheric 11.7%, First-Person 7.4%, Story Rich 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its solitary first-person wandering through beautiful wilderness and supernatural-tinged mystery makes it one of the closest tonal matches to Firewatch.

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 59.9%, Atmospheric 7.8%, Story Rich 7.4%, Exploration 6.7%, First-Person 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: Like Firewatch, it uses quiet first-person exploration, strong atmosphere, and environmental clues to build a human-scale story without combat.

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 44.3%, Great Soundtrack 13.7%, Atmospheric 10.2%, Story Rich 7.4%, First-Person 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: This is another slow, atmospheric mystery about piecing together what happened in an empty world through exploration and overheard stories.

Rethink human’s dominion in The Invincible: a story-driven adventure set in a hard sci-fi world by Stanisław Lem. Discover planet Regis III as scientist Yasna, use atompunk tools looking for a missing crew and face unforeseen threats. Make choices in a philosophical story that’s driven by science.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 38.7%, Mystery 15.5%, Story Rich 11.7%, Adventure 8.6%, First-Person 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: It closely echoes Firewatch's lonely first-person exploration and radio-based companionship, just transplanted into a retro-sci-fi setting.

Dear Esther immerses you in a stunningly realised world, a remote and desolate island somewhere in the outer Hebrides. As you step forwards, a voice begins to read fragments of a letter: 'Dear Esther...' - and so begins a journey through one of the most original first-person games of recent years.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.3%, Exploration 9%, Mystery 8.9%, First-Person 8.4%, Story Rich 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: If you loved Firewatch for mood and wandering through a haunting landscape while a narrative unfolds, this is a foundational walking sim.

Coming back to the family hotel after years, a young woman finds herself trapped with the ghosts from her past and an old cellular telephone as the only way to unveil a terrible truth.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.7%, Mystery 13.2%, Story Rich 9.4%, Atmospheric 9%, Open World 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: This is a very close structural match, centering on isolated first-person exploration and an uneasy emotional lifeline through phone conversations.

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: Mystery 17.7%, Great Soundtrack 16.4%, Story Rich 13.4%, Exploration 12%, Atmospheric 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: It is more systemic and puzzle-heavy, but the sense of solitary exploration and slowly unraveling a big mystery is incredibly Firewatch-adjacent.

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 38.2%, Story Rich 14.3%, Mystery 10.4%, First-Person 8.2%, Atmospheric 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: It offers the same intimate, story-first first-person exploration, with a strong emphasis on uncovering relationships and events in a deserted place.

Join Norah, a woman plagued by a mysterious illness, in her search for her missing husband in this adventure puzzle game set on a lush island paradise. Immerse yourself in stunning visuals and unlock forbidden secrets in a moving tale of mystery and love.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 21.5%, Story Rich 15.2%, Mystery 15.1%, First-Person 12.1%, Atmospheric 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: It shares Firewatch's sense of isolation and discovery, pairing first-person exploration with a story-driven mystery in a vivid remote setting.

Draugen is a single-player, first-person Fjord Noir mystery set in 1920s Norway. Explore a forgotten coastal village in your search for your missing sister, accompanied by your independent and enigmatic young ward. Norwegian Game of the Year 2019.

Why similar: Mystery 22.7%, Story Rich 17.9%, Atmospheric 15.6%, First-Person 13.6%, Exploration 8%

Why You'll Like It: Its fjord-side setting, first-person mystery, and constant companion dialogue capture a lot of Firewatch's lonely-but-connected feel.

Oxenfree is a supernatural thriller about a group of friends who unwittingly open a ghostly rift. You are Alex, and you’ve just brought your new stepbrother Jonas to an overnight island party gone horribly wrong.

Why similar: Story Rich 21.4%, Mystery 16.9%, Atmospheric 14.1%, Great Soundtrack 13.4%, Walking Simulator 12.6%

Why You'll Like It: Though side-on rather than first-person, it nails Firewatch's naturalistic dialogue, moody atmosphere, and escalating mystery.

INFRA puts you into the boots of a structural analyst on a routine mission. Quickly though, your task turns into a fight for survival, all caused by deep-rooted schemes of the past. Your tools are simple: your camera and the wits to navigate a labyrinth of debris.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.3%, Mystery 11.8%, Atmospheric 11.6%, Exploration 9.2%, First-Person 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: It scratches the same exploratory first-person itch, turning environmental observation and quiet discovery into the core of the experience.

Northern Canada, 1970. A strange blizzard ravages Atamipek Lake. Step into the shoes of a detective to explore the eerie village, investigate surreal events, and battle the elements to survive. Kona is a chilly interactive tale you won't soon forget.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.2%, Atmospheric 11.7%, Open World 11.4%, First-Person 10.1%, Story Rich 9.9%

Why You'll Like It: This blends first-person exploration and mystery in a lonely wilderness, adding light survival elements without losing the atmospheric focus.

You wake up, alone, on a strange island full of puzzles that will challenge and surprise you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 23.3%, Open World 14.5%, First-Person 13.6%, Exploration 12.9%, Atmospheric 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: Its gorgeous isolated island and first-person exploration evoke Firewatch's meditative side, even if it leans much harder into puzzles.

Virginia is a single-player first-person thriller set in a small town with a secret. Experience a missing person investigation through the eyes of graduate FBI agent Anne Tarver.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 29.8%, Mystery 15%, Story Rich 10.3%, Atmospheric 9.6%, First-Person 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: It channels a similar story-rich mystery vibe, emphasizing mood, place, and investigation over traditional action.

You are a traveling painter, exploring the island of Eastshade. Capture the world on canvas using your artist’s easel. Talk to the inhabitants to learn about their lives. Make friends and help those in need. Visit cities, scale summits, unearth mysteries, and discover forgotten places!

Why similar: Open World 15.8%, Story Rich 15.4%, Great Soundtrack 14.6%, Atmospheric 13.4%, First-Person 12.7%

Why You'll Like It: It trades mystery for warmth, but its first-person wandering through beautiful natural spaces captures Firewatch's contemplative outdoor appeal.

1975. Disaster strikes the Beira D oil rig off the coast of Scotland. Navigate the collapsing rig to save your crew from an otherworldly horror on the edge of all logic and reality in this 3x BAFTA Games Award-winning narrative horror experience.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.3%, Story Rich 13.3%, Atmospheric 12.3%, First-Person 11.4%, Horror 8%

Why You'll Like It: Its first-person narrative, isolated location, and desperate radio exchanges make it a strong fit if you want Firewatch with more danger.

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 34.4%, Story Rich 17.4%, Atmospheric 13.6%, Adventure 11.5%, Mystery 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: This is another compact first-person narrative mystery where uncovering what happened in an abandoned place drives the whole experience.

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 39%, First-Person 13.5%, Adventure 12.2%, Exploration 10.9%, Story Rich 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: It mixes first-person environmental storytelling, melancholy atmosphere, and mystery in a way that will appeal to Firewatch fans.

The Fidelio Incident is a single-player, first-person thriller set off the coast of Iceland. Inspired by Beethoven's only opera Fidelio. After a violent plane crash, Stanley must search a desolate frozen island in search of his wife Leonore while covering up any traces of their bloody Irish past.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 40.2%, Great Soundtrack 13.1%, Mystery 9.7%, Story Rich 7.9%, Adventure 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: It is a focused first-person narrative experience built around isolation, movement through harsh terrain, and story revelations.

Investigate an infamous cold case in the eerie, abandoned town of Painscreek. Search for evidence, connect the dots and uncover who killed Vivian Roberts. Can you expose the truth behind this town’s dark secrets?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.7%, Mystery 17.9%, Story Rich 11.3%, Atmospheric 9.3%, Open World 8.4%

Why You'll Like It: If the investigative side of Firewatch appealed to you, this offers a deeper first-person mystery built around careful exploration and deduction.

Marie's Room is a short story exploration game about an unconventional friendship between two classmates. You play as Kelsey, remembering Marie's room as it was twenty years ago. But something’s off. What happened to Marie?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.6%, Story Rich 16.8%, Atmospheric 11.3%, Great Soundtrack 11.2%, Mystery 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: Though much smaller in scale, it offers the same satisfying kind of intimate storytelling through first-person exploration of a meaningful space.

Mundaun is a lovingly hand-penciled horror tale set in a dark, secluded valley of The Alps. Explore various areas full of secrets to discover, survive hostile encounters, drive vehicles, fill your inventory, and solve a variety of handcrafted puzzles.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.4%, Mystery 12.8%, Story Rich 10.4%, Atmospheric 8.6%, First-Person 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its rural isolation, unsettling mystery, and first-person exploration make it a good pick if you want a darker, stranger version of Firewatch.

A first-person narrative adventure game about exploring a cult compound in the remote New Mexico desert. Discover the lives of the former inhabitants -- what brought them together, what they believed, and why they ended it all.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 36.7%, Adventure 16%, Story Rich 15.4%, First-Person 13.8%, Exploration 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: This short first-person narrative adventure relies on solitude, place, and environmental storytelling in a way that feels very compatible with Firewatch.

It's 1986 - Meredith Weiss takes a break from her career in the big city to deliver mail in her hometown. How will she experience two weeks in beautiful Providence Oaks, with its iconic lake and quirky community? And what will she do next? It's up to you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 37.5%, Story Rich 17%, Open World 14.3%, Atmospheric 12.3%, Adventure 6.4%

Why You'll Like It: If your favorite part of Firewatch was simply existing in a quiet scenic place and building relationships through conversations, Lake is an easy fit.

Scanner Sombre is a 3d horror cave exploration game where darkness is your greatest foe. Illuminate the unseen with your LIDAR scanner, revealing the eerie beauty and peril of the abyss. From the creators of Prison Architect, this immersive adventure uses light and shadow for a haunting experience.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 40.9%, Atmospheric 14.5%, Exploration 12.4%, First-Person 8.8%, Horror 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the lonely exploratory mood of Firewatch, replacing forests with caves and mystery with a more eerie form of discovery.

Stan, a professional diver in the North Sea, is struggling to overcome a life-changing loss during an extended mission underwater. Stuck in his self-imposed solitude, he starts to experience strange events and will have to make the most significant choice of his life...

Why similar: Story Rich 25%, Atmospheric 21.5%, Adventure 19.9%, Exploration 19.7%, Singleplayer 5.2%

Why You'll Like It: Its lonely setting, reflective tone, and emphasis on isolation and personal story make it a strong thematic cousin to Firewatch.

Hitchhike your way to freedom in this crazy procedurally generated road trip. No one's road is the same!

Why similar: Story Rich 23.9%, First-Person 22.1%, Atmospheric 18.8%, Adventure 12.3%, Exploration 12.2%

Why You'll Like It: It captures Firewatch's emphasis on conversation, atmosphere, and being alone in transitional spaces, even with a more dynamic road-trip structure.

Leave home for the first time to collect memories before a mysterious cataclysm washes everything away. Ride, record, meet people, and unravel the strange world around you in this third-person meditative exploration game.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 21.3%, Mystery 17.5%, Story Rich 14.5%, Open World 14.1%, Atmospheric 12.6%

Why You'll Like It: It shares Firewatch's reflective, place-driven storytelling and love of wandering through beautiful environments, even though it is less mystery-focused.

Explore the ancient, mysterious world of Journey as you soar above ruins and glide across sands to discover its secrets.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 25.6%, Great Soundtrack 18.9%, Atmospheric 17.3%, Exploration 10.6%, Adventure 9.4%

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 42.3%, Story Rich 17.8%, Atmospheric 12%, First-Person 9.5%, Great Soundtrack 8.8%

NIGHT IN THE WOODS is an adventure game focused on exploration, story, and character, featuring dozens of characters to meet and lots to do across a lush, vibrant world.

Why similar: Story Rich 23.3%, Mystery 22.7%, Atmospheric 17.3%, Exploration 12.6%, Adventure 10.9%

A beautiful, 3rd-person exploration game centered around two parallel stories: a fox trying to find her missing family, and a son reconnecting with his estranged father in Alaska. Uncover artifacts from the son's life as he becomes intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 29.1%, Atmospheric 14.2%, Great Soundtrack 10.2%, Story Rich 9.4%, Exploration 7.8%

Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park as you make your way to the summit.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 20.7%, Great Soundtrack 19.8%, Exploration 19.1%, Open World 15.4%, Adventure 12.7%

A land of discovery stretches out before you. Explore the beautiful, rugged world of RiME. Armed with your wits and a will to overcome—and the guidance of a helpful fox—you must explore the enigmatic island, reach the tower's peak, and unlock its closely guarded secrets.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 23.1%, Atmospheric 17.7%, Exploration 14.2%, Adventure 11.9%, Walking Simulator 10.6%

Explore the vast and beautiful world of Valley using the power of the L.E.A.F. suit: a fierce exoskeleton that grants exceptional speed and agility along with the phenomenal ability to manipulate the life and death of all living things.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 17.8%, Great Soundtrack 14.1%, First-Person 13.8%, Open World 11%, Adventure 10%

THE LONG DARK is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies -- only you, the cold, and all the threats Mother Nature can muster.

Why similar: Open World 24.6%, Atmospheric 17.3%, Walking Simulator 17%, Exploration 14.1%, First-Person 13.8%

Explore an abandoned building, encountering puzzles and clues to discover what happened, as you try to escape in both your nightmares and the waking world. Be immersed in the hauntingly beautiful 3D atmosphere in this puzzle exploration mystery game.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 25.4%, Atmospheric 14.6%, Mystery 12.8%, Great Soundtrack 12%, First-Person 9.4%

The Stanley Parable is a first person exploration game. You will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will follow a story, you will not follow a story. You will have a choice, you will have no choice. The game will end, the game will never end.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 39.8%, First-Person 13.2%, Comedy 12.7%, Exploration 6.7%, Story Rich 6.5%

From the art director of Journey®, ABZÛ is a beautiful underwater adventure that evokes the dream of diving. Immerse yourself in a vibrant hidden world bursting with color and life as you descend into the heart of the ocean. But beware as you swim deeper as dangers lurk in the depths.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 24.6%, Atmospheric 22.2%, Exploration 13.9%, Walking Simulator 11.8%, Adventure 8%

In Drizzlepath you are set on a journey to the top of the Mountain of Fire. It aims to be an atmospheric, relaxed and enigmatic experience. Downloadable soundtrack included.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27.6%, Great Soundtrack 13.9%, Atmospheric 10.1%, First-Person 8.4%, Mystery 7.5%

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: Walking Simulator 31.3%, Story Rich 26.4%, First-Person 14.2%, Mystery 12%, Adventure 6.4%

KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway running through the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folks who travel it.

Why similar: Atmospheric 26.4%, Story Rich 17%, Adventure 16.4%, Great Soundtrack 15.4%, Mystery 11.9%

It's Clara's last day on the island where she grew up. She needs to complete preparations, visit her favorite places, and say her goodbyes before leaving on a journey she may not return from.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 45.9%, Great Soundtrack 13.5%, Atmospheric 13%, First-Person 11.3%, Adventure 10.9%

Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

Why similar: Mystery 30.1%, Story Rich 16.3%, Atmospheric 14%, Great Soundtrack 13.7%, Walking Simulator 8.3%

my brother lives in a canyon is a short adventure game about two brothers reminiscing over short-wave radios.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 35.5%, Adventure 12.6%, Mystery 12.1%, First-Person 10.4%, Exploration 9.2%

Empathy: Path of Whispers is an atmospheric and story-driven adventure game where you explore a seemingly abandoned world through the emotions and memories of the people who once inhabited it, trying to restore the world’s lost balance by journeying through its past.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 30.6%, Great Soundtrack 17.3%, Story Rich 15.1%, Adventure 12.9%, Atmospheric 12.4%

Caligo is the darkness everyone descends into one way or another, and to each of us it's something different. For some it's a short but exciting adventure, some will see it as a place to relax. Yet others will be reminded of their worst nightmare, while for a few, it might come as a revelation.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 36.6%, Great Soundtrack 14.4%, Atmospheric 10.6%, Adventure 9.8%, Story Rich 9.7%

The Old City: Leviathan is an experiment in first person exploration that focuses entirely on story. All that exists is you and the world. Set in a decaying city from a civilization long past, The Old City: Leviathan puts the player in the shoes of a sewer dwelling isolationist.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 41%, Atmospheric 14%, Exploration 10%, First-Person 8.6%, Adventure 8.3%

Cradle is a sci-fi first-person-view quest designed for the player to explore the surrounding world. The story is built around the relations of the protagonist and a mechanical girl who by quirk of fate found themselves amidst the desert.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 20.9%, Atmospheric 14.5%, Adventure 12.9%, First-Person 12.4%, Story Rich 10.6%

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is an expanded re-imagining of 2013's The Stanley Parable. You will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will make a choice, and you will become powerless. You are not here to win. The Stanley Parable is a game that plays you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 36.7%, First-Person 10.7%, Story Rich 8.8%, Comedy 8.5%, Mystery 8.3%

Get lost beneath the fog in The Wild Eternal, a reflective first-person exploration game. Embark on a meditative journey to heal the scars of your past. Can you escape the cycle of reincarnation?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 25.3%, Great Soundtrack 11.4%, Mystery 10.9%, Atmospheric 9.6%, Story Rich 9.4%

A surreal first person walking sim about the end of humanity. Explore magnificent sky-bound ruins, and learn why they were built.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 47.5%, Atmospheric 12.5%, First-Person 9.8%, Adventure 8.3%, Story Rich 6.4%

The Last Campfire is an adventure, a story of a lost ember trapped in a puzzling place, searching for meaning and a way home.

Why similar: Story Rich 32.9%, Atmospheric 31.4%, Adventure 20.8%, Singleplayer 8.3%, Indie 6.6%

A Dark Presence stalks the small town of Bright Falls, pushing Alan Wake to the brink of sanity in his fight to unravel the mystery and save his love.

Why similar: Story Rich 20.2%, Atmospheric 15.7%, Great Soundtrack 13.3%, Thriller 12.5%, Mystery 11.1%

Lost, alone and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten cybercity and find their way home.

Why similar: Atmospheric 23.2%, Exploration 15.6%, Mystery 15.6%, Adventure 14.9%, Open World 12.4%

You are on a bleak, cold, windy island. And you seem to be alone... but fires and candles still burn. As you explore, a story of guilt, loneliness, and faith begins to take shape. And it becomes obvious that something is hunting you...

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.3%, Great Soundtrack 12.9%, Story Rich 10.5%, First-Person 9.9%, Atmospheric 9.1%

Dream is an exploration game that takes place within the subconscious mind of Howard Phillips, a young man whose waking hours are tedious and dull, but whose dreams are lucid and powerful.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 35.7%, Exploration 11.6%, Atmospheric 10.7%, Adventure 10.2%, First-Person 8.8%