Games Like Free Will

All you wanted was a nice game. But now you find yourself opening Windows apps like Paint & Notepad to solve puzzles, and searching for files on your computers that you didn't put there... Who is she? Why did she appear on your desktop? Let's dive into her memories and find out.

Why similar: Story Rich 21.7%, Puzzle 16.5%, Choices Matter 13.6%, RPG 12.2%, Exploration 10.8%

Why You'll Like It: Like Free Will, this game actively manipulates your desktop and system files to create a meta-narrative experience.

OneShot is a surreal top down Puzzle/Adventure game with unique gameplay capabilities. You are to guide a child through a mysterious world on a mission to restore its long-dead sun. The world knows you exist.

Why similar: Story Rich 25.1%, Puzzle 17.1%, Choices Matter 13.6%, Multiple Endings 9.2%, RPG 9%

Why You'll Like It: It features a profound meta-narrative that requires you to interact with your computer's files to solve puzzles and progress.

Inscryption is an inky black card-based odyssey that blends the deckbuilding roguelike, escape-room style puzzles, and psychological horror into a blood-laced smoothie. Darker still are the secrets inscrybed upon the cards...

Why similar: Psychological 37.7%, Story Rich 18.6%, Puzzle 15.3%, Horror 12.9%, Dark 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: This game blends psychological horror with meta-puzzles that extend far beyond the game window itself.

The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.

Why similar: Story Rich 33.2%, Horror 32.5%, Dark 25.6%, Indie 6.3%, Singleplayer 2.4%

Why You'll Like It: A quintessential psychological horror game that uses meta-elements to subvert player expectations and manipulate game files.

Paper Lily is an RPG horror game in which you can solve puzzles in different ways. Explore a hidden world, meet strange characters, and guide Lacie as she attempts to find answers about her unusual condition.

Why similar: RPG 15.8%, Story Rich 15%, Puzzle 13.3%, Choices Matter 10.1%, Multiple Endings 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: A top-down psychological horror game with a heavy emphasis on exploration and unsettling narrative choices.

A reverse-detective adventure, where you control your character's face

Why similar: Puzzle 22.5%, Story Rich 18%, Horror 17.3%, Choices Matter 16.9%, Multiple Endings 13.9%

Why You'll Like It: It features a unique facial expression mechanic and meta-narrative layers that mirror the psychological depth of Free Will.

Project Kat is a short, unconventional RPG horror game in which there is always another way. Solve puzzles, make friends (or not), and guide Kat as she attempts to uncover the mystery behind a strange golden letter.

Why similar: RPG 14.5%, Story Rich 14.1%, Puzzle 13.2%, Choices Matter 10.7%, Multiple Endings 8.4%

Why You'll Like It: This prologue sets a perfect tone for psychological exploration and puzzle-solving within a dark, top-down environment.

KinitoPET is a psychological horror experience that takes place through Kinito, an early 2000s virtual assistant. Kinito is able to walk, talk, browse, adapt, and play games as Kinito is like no other with its adaptive technology!

Why similar: Psychological 36.1%, Horror 17.7%, Story Rich 15.3%, Multiple Endings 11.1%, Indie 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: This desktop simulation horror game uses meta-elements to create a deeply personal and unsettling experience.

Thanks to next generation AI technology, BUDDY SIMULATOR 1984 simulates the experience of hanging out with a best buddy! Your buddy learns from you, constantly adapting to your interests and personality. But most importantly, your buddy can play games with you!

Why similar: Story Rich 26.1%, RPG 22.4%, Horror 19.5%, Indie 9.9%, Pixel Graphics 9.9%

Why You'll Like It: It simulates an AI that learns from you, eventually breaking the fourth wall to deliver a psychological horror experience.

Memories swirl all around you...Or are these memories? Familiar faces and places you think you remember but somehow now seem so different. Why are you here? Where is here?

Why similar: Psychological 29%, Puzzle 11.5%, Story Rich 11.2%, RPG 10.1%, Choices Matter 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: A dark, story-rich RPGMaker game that explores psychological horror through a top-down perspective.

Pony Island is a suspense puzzle game in disguise. You are in limbo, trapped in a malevolent and malfunctioning arcade machine devised by the devil himself. It is not a game about ponies.

Why similar: Puzzle 35.4%, Horror 13.9%, Dark 12.2%, Indie 11.2%, Story Rich 11.2%

Why You'll Like It: A clever meta-puzzle game that forces you to 'hack' the game's code to escape a demonic entity.

There is no game. So don't go messing things up by clicking everywhere. You don’t want to be kicked out of your video game world, do you? Of course not!

Why similar: Puzzle 33%, Story Rich 26.3%, Pixel Graphics 12.4%, Indie 11.8%, RPG 9%

Why You'll Like It: A highly creative meta-puzzle game that constantly breaks the fourth wall and plays with the concept of a game interface.

Derealized is a choice based game inspired by games such as The Stanley Parable and Undertale. This experience offers 10 different endings for you to explore! How many will you find?

Why similar: Psychological 34.4%, Top-Down 11.2%, Dark 9.4%, Horror 9.4%, Exploration 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: A text-based exploration game that captures the feeling of psychological instability and surreal environments.

In a creaky old tavern, in a forgotten corner of the video-game universe, a storm is raging. An anonymous caller suggests that there is a murder plot. Six video game protagonists are the only plausible suspects...

Why similar: Story Rich 21.8%, Indie 12.9%, RPG 10.2%, Mystery 10%, Puzzle 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: A meta-narrative mystery game that shifts through different genres and challenges the player's role in the story.

"I need a Heart in order to open it"

Why similar: Horror 24.9%, Puzzle 19.3%, Dark 13.5%, Pixel Graphics 12%, Story Rich 11.1%

Why You'll Like It: A pioneer in meta-horror that creates a terrifying atmosphere by interacting with your actual file system.

Explore the mysterious room by traversing time, while you watch a man succumb to the room syndrome.

Why similar: Puzzle 29.2%, Choices Matter 18.1%, Indie 16.3%, Multiple Endings 15.2%, Dark 12.4%

Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror puzzle game that traps the player in a confined space, mirroring the claustrophobic feel of Free Will.

Your end is my beginning. A short psychological visual novel with exploration and puzzle elements... it already lays shattered.

Why similar: Psychological 34%, RPG 25.5%, Story Rich 14%, Exploration 9.7%, Dark 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror RPG that focuses on exploration and narrative-driven choices.

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

Why similar: Horror 35.7%, Story Rich 24.7%, Puzzle 17%, Indie 16.5%, Mystery 3.6%

Why You'll Like It: An experimental anthology of psychological horror stories that utilizes retro computer interfaces to build tension.

The Test: Reality Check is one of multiple installments in an ongoing social experiment that can be classified as an atmospheric, psychological-simulation with horror elements. Dive deep into your own psyche to find answers to questions you've kept locked away, hidden from yourself for far too long.

Why similar: RPG 25.4%, Choices Matter 20.1%, Story Rich 17.8%, Multiple Endings 15.5%, Horror 15.1%

Why You'll Like It: A simulation-heavy game that forces the player to make difficult choices within a psychological horror framework.

Step into a world where dreams and reality mix. You find yourself in a dream-like world, and explore a different traumatic experience each day. Your choice determines if the boy accepts these moments and moves on, or stays in the past.

Why similar: Psychological 24.1%, Story Rich 10.8%, Choices Matter 10.8%, Puzzle 8.7%, Dark 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal RPGMaker experience that emphasizes choices and dark, psychological themes.

A short story about what sort of challenges everyday little things can be. Help the girl buy milk, be the first not to disappoint her.

Why similar: Psychological 59.2%, Horror 16.6%, Story Rich 8.7%, Emotional 7.9%, Pixel Graphics 4%

Why You'll Like It: A short, intense psychological experience that focuses on the internal struggle of the protagonist through surreal dialogue.

It Moves is a horror game that will try to scare you without too many of the typical "screamers", instead relying on atmosphere and suspense. You'll be solving puzzles along the way, and encountering all manner of not-so-friendly creatures.

Why similar: Horror 51.6%, Indie 24.6%, Pixel Graphics 14.7%, 2D 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: A free-to-play psychological horror game that effectively uses pixel graphics to create a sense of dread.

"DEAD DREAMS" is a 2D psychological horror game focused on puzzle-solving and atmosphere with a complex non-linear story in which every element has a meaning...

Why similar: Puzzle 17.5%, Story Rich 16.4%, Choices Matter 13.3%, Horror 12.4%, Dark 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: A 2D psychological horror game that uses puzzle-solving to uncover a dark, hidden narrative.

A sequel to Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk. Dive into demented and bizarre world once again and help the girl become a little happier.

Why similar: Psychological 41.7%, Story Rich 17.1%, Multiple Endings 9.8%, Pixel Graphics 8.1%, Horror 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: The direct sequel that expands on the surreal, psychological themes of the first game with even more depth.

A top-down action-adventure game as you collect & solve puzzles in order for you to explore & unravel this mysterious world.

Why similar: Psychological 45.1%, RPG 15.7%, Puzzle 8.9%, Mystery 7.5%, Pixel Graphics 6.5%

Why You'll Like It: A mystery-focused game that blends psychological elements with exploration and lore-rich storytelling.

Your Personality plays the game! Help strange spirits solve their Unfinished Business... or leave them to Despair. In this highly-branching narrative adventure you'll only see about 1/3 of the full story in each playthrough, but the end is whenever you want it to be.

Why similar: RPG 20.7%, Story Rich 18.2%, Choices Matter 16.2%, Emotional 13%, Multiple Endings 12.2%

Why You'll Like It: A story-rich RPG that offers significant replay value through its complex choices and dark narrative.

The Flayed Man is a short narrative-driven point and click horror game. Awaking without memories (or skin), you must uncover the sins of the past, pass judgement, and decide your fate in this macabre adventure.

Why similar: Story Rich 19.5%, Dark 16.7%, Multiple Endings 15.9%, Choices Matter 13.3%, Horror 13.2%

Why You'll Like It: A point-and-click psychological horror game with multiple endings and a heavy focus on dark storytelling.

Phil Alone is a horror/puzzle game based on old Escape The Room games. Try solve this huge puzzle with a lot of different endings.

Why similar: Psychological 21.9%, RPG 16.9%, Puzzle 16.4%, Story Rich 13.4%, Horror 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: A 2D action-adventure RPG that focuses on personal psychological struggle and exploration.

A strange game of hangman with a strange man. Traverse through the darkness, letters, & watchful eyes to save your friend. Decode notes left behind to uncover the message that you never got, but should have had.

Why similar: Psychological 31.3%, Puzzle 24.5%, Dark 20.1%, Horror 12.5%, 2D 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: A minimalist puzzle game that uses dark themes and psychological horror to challenge the player.

This is Interesting is a psychological horror mystery based game with roguelite elements. You are being watched, and you aren't really sure why. Delve through the depths of memory to uncover the mystery behind the gray purgatory you find yourself in.

Why similar: Psychological 20.9%, RPG 14.5%, Puzzle 13.4%, Story Rich 8.1%, Choices Matter 7.5%

This is a pixel style puzzle game, including a certain micro-horror elements. Truth is blind love. Retrieve your memory and escape from this horrible hospital.

Why similar: Psychological 29.5%, Story Rich 11.9%, Puzzle 11.8%, RPG 9.9%, Emotional 9.8%

A story about dreams. Explore a weird house and find the truth. A short game with mild puzzles and some psychological horror elements.

Why similar: RPG 38.4%, Puzzle 26.2%, Emotional 14.7%, Pixel Graphics 11.4%, Indie 4.8%

A long-form, choice-driven psychological horror and depression game in which the protagonist’s ending changes based on the choices made by “you,” the voice he hears in his head.

Why similar: Story Rich 30.2%, Horror 24.7%, Dark 22.2%, Pixel Graphics 15%, 2D 6.6%

Your next job awaits in Karisvale, detective. Will you fulfill your duty? Or become lost in the mystery... Explore a retro top-down world, question its citizens, and collect hidden items to uncover Karisvale's dark secret.

Why similar: RPG 22.3%, Top-Down 15.3%, Story Rich 14%, Horror 12.1%, Exploration 11.4%

Two souls are drawn into a mysterious otherworld—and torn apart. In a realm filled with danger and restless spirits, each searches for the other while uncovering hidden truths. A suspenseful multi-ending adventure where every choice shapes their fate.

Why similar: RPG 20.4%, Puzzle 15.2%, Story Rich 13.8%, Horror 12.1%, Multiple Endings 8.3%

✣ Dread Chess is an original and strange narrative story-puzzle game with sandbox elements. Uncover mysteries by speaking with gods in Latin. Immerse yourself in an atmosphere of madness, and reach one of many endings in an unfair game against Death that can be played ONLY ONCE...

Why similar: Psychological 26%, Puzzle 13.4%, Story Rich 11.5%, Dark 8.7%, Horror 8.7%

A story-driven psychological experience where memory fades, silence deepens, and something waits in the dark.

Why similar: Story Rich 34.6%, Dark 30%, 2D 14.5%, Indie 9.4%, Pixel Graphics 9.3%

A short-form psychological thriller. Confront the mysterious Finn through a monitor. No strategy or puzzles—and you are given almost no freedom of choice. Simply face the absurd situation and witness the end.

Why similar: Psychological 33.7%, Story Rich 20.4%, Dark 15%, Mystery 8.6%, Horror 7.6%

MAKE FRIENDS WITH GHOSTS

Why similar: RPG 30%, Top-Down 16.2%, Story Rich 15.4%, Exploration 11%, Pixel Graphics 8.2%

A psychological 2D puzzle platformer. You must switch between two versions of the past: dark & light, positive & negative, hope & despair. Every action is innately tied to this dualistic battle. Traverse a surreal landscape of memory to try and mend a fragile mind.

Why similar: Psychological 52.4%, Story Rich 14.2%, Indie 14.1%, Dark 10.6%, Pixel Graphics 7.5%

Horror/thriller visual novel with RPG elements about two friends that explores guilt, co-dependency, and personal limits being pushed.

Why similar: RPG 36.3%, Horror 16.9%, Multiple Endings 13.7%, Story Rich 12%, Choices Matter 11.7%

Pleh! is a short psychological horror walking simulator that tells the story of a depressed game developer, his intrusive thoughts and his dark mysterious secrets.

Why similar: Psychological 37.6%, Story Rich 14.8%, Puzzle 11.4%, Emotional 10.1%, Dark 9.6%

A psychological interactive novel about a floppy disk with a mysterious program. Help Elliot cope with his mental issues and uncover the secret of the floppy disk.

Why similar: Psychological 45.2%, Choices Matter 12.5%, Story Rich 11.5%, Emotional 7.4%, Multiple Endings 7.3%

THANATOS is a first-person psychological horror mystery game that involves finding clues, solving puzzles, and uncovering secrets to prevent a friend from taking their own life.

Why similar: Puzzle 39.6%, Story Rich 20.7%, Horror 20.4%, Exploration 17.8%, Singleplayer 1.5%

A surrealist text-based RPG. You will explore an island, solve puzzles, and fight enemies, all in your attempt to get the Dark Egg.

Why similar: RPG 19.7%, Puzzle 19.5%, Story Rich 15%, Choices Matter 13.4%, Exploration 10.3%

A bite-sized psychological horror game about a wayward soul who seeks transformation through a sinister ritual.

Why similar: Psychological 36.7%, Horror 22.5%, Story Rich 13.8%, Choices Matter 13.4%, Dark 6.8%

Immanence is a 2D psychological Lovecraftian blend of religion and technology with surreal puzzles and dark atmosphere.

Why similar: Indie 100%

In a concrete slab beneath the earth, a lone technician is sent for routine maintenance on a network of supercomputers. Each terminal operates on its own hidden rules, and the only way to escape is to learn how to speak their language. Crack the code, unlock the truth.

Why similar: Psychological 46.6%, Puzzle 23.9%, Horror 17.4%, Exploration 7%, Mystery 5.2%

A horror exploration game that takes place in an underground labyrinth. Avoid malicious creations that are hungry for your soul. Depart from the nightmares that constantly haunt you.

Why similar: Psychological 27.5%, RPG 14.3%, Puzzle 13.4%, Story Rich 11.2%, Dark 10.1%

A dark comedy RPG set in streets and psyches.

Why similar: Psychological 27.6%, RPG 25.7%, Story Rich 17.3%, Exploration 10.8%, Pixel Graphics 9%

MINDS BENEATH US is an emotional sci-fi narrative game. Through the eyes of a humble individual, experience a mad world where humans are exploited as computing devices for AI. Listen to the concerns of those you meet and offer guidance. Together, face challenges and confront an uncertain destiny.

Why similar: Psychological 34.3%, RPG 14.7%, Story Rich 13.9%, Choices Matter 12.4%, Puzzle 11.1%

You will answer questions that will reveal things deep within. Some will be uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and are you SURE you want the answers you seek? For it is time to once again unlock "Secrets of the Soul..."

Why similar: RPG 27.6%, Choices Matter 23%, Multiple Endings 18%, Story Rich 17.2%, Horror 14.2%

Serene Asylum is a first-person psychological horror puzzle game. Solve puzzles as you uncover the dark history of the insane asylum and try to escape before you are stuck in game forever. But don't be scared, it's just a game after all, right? Now... if you can read this, you need to wake up!

Why similar: Puzzle 37.9%, Story Rich 32.5%, Exploration 21.3%, Indie 6.8%, Singleplayer 1.5%

Causality is a survival horror game. You must rescue 3 students trapped in a school full of mysterious psychic phenomena, and uncover the secrets behind therein. The real story behind the school, and the causal relationship of the events, is all in your hands.

Why similar: Puzzle 19.2%, Horror 17.1%, Story Rich 17%, Top-Down 13.1%, Multiple Endings 11%

Discover 'Departed Away,' a captivating visual novel where friendship intertwines with mystery. Uncover secrets, engage in verbal duels, and make choices that shape your story. Delve into emotional depth and intricate connections in this unique story.

Why similar: Psychological 34.6%, Story Rich 15%, Choices Matter 10.5%, RPG 10.3%, Multiple Endings 8%

You will answer a series of questions that will reveal things from deep within. Some will be uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and are you SURE you want the answers you seek? For it is time to unlock "Secrets of the Soul..."

Why similar: Psychological 35.9%, Choices Matter 12%, RPG 11.7%, Multiple Endings 9.3%, Story Rich 8.9%

You will answer a series of questions that will reveal truths from deep within. These questions may make you uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and if you do, are you sure you want the answers you seek?

Why similar: Psychological 34.9%, Story Rich 13.2%, RPG 12%, Choices Matter 10.2%, Multiple Endings 9.9%

Complete physics-based platformer puzzles as you venture deeper into an abandoned research facility responsible for developing ominously powerful quantum entanglement technology.

Why similar: Puzzle 40.6%, Story Rich 33.5%, Pixel Graphics 8.9%, 2D 8%, Mystery 6.2%

Mystical puzzle quest game in a gloomy minimalism style will tell you a story of a person who's got himself into a camera, and from which there is no way out it seems. Experimental gameplay diluted with a pinch of a philosophy, that's what SORE is.

Why similar: Puzzle 43.9%, Pixel Graphics 16.8%, Indie 15.3%, Exploration 14%, 2D 7.3%

An escape-room styled series of puzzles await in the car that seems to contain neither rhyme nor reason. See if you can solve the mysteries of the photographs, and figure out what it means to be the ONE IN THE BACK.

Why similar: Puzzle 36.9%, Story Rich 30%, Horror 15.4%, 2D 8.4%, Indie 4.7%