Games Like Gone Home

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 55%, Story Rich 10.1%, Atmospheric 7.5%, Exploration 6.3%, First-Person 5.5%

Why You'll Like It: It is the gold standard for environmental storytelling, using unique gameplay mechanics to explore the history of a family home.

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

Why You'll Like It: This game excels at building a compelling, character-driven mystery through atmospheric exploration and dialogue.

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 54.6%, LGBTQ+ 6.1%, Female Protagonist 6%, Story Rich 6%, Narrative 5.8% ★

Why You'll Like It: Created by the same developers as Gone Home, it uses similar 'ghost' recording mechanics to uncover the lives of people in a secluded setting.

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 62.5%, Atmospheric 8.4%, Exploration 7.5%, First-Person 6.2%, Story Rich 4.5%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a beautiful, atmospheric world where you must piece together a dark mystery through environmental clues.

Tell Me Why is the multi-award winning episodic adventure game from Dontnod Entertainment in which twins use their supernatural bond to discover the truth of their troubled past.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 47.3%, LGBTQ+ 22%, Story Rich 10.2%, Exploration 6.8%, Atmospheric 5.4%

Why You'll Like It: This narrative-driven adventure features strong LGBTQ themes and a deep, emotional mystery centered on family secrets.

Unpacking is a zen puzzle game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration, you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life you’re unpacking.

Why similar: LGBTQ+ 37.7%, Story Rich 18%, Female Protagonist 15.7%, Atmospheric 14.3%, Indie 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: Like Gone Home, it tells a poignant life story entirely through the act of examining and arranging personal belongings.

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: Walking Simulator 33.5%, Story Rich 16.7%, Female Protagonist 13.5%, Atmospheric 12.8%, Great Soundtrack 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: This game blends supernatural mystery with a grounded, character-focused narrative about young people dealing with their past.

A woman is interviewed seven times by the police. Search the video database and explore hundreds of authentic clips to discover her story in this groundbreaking and award winning narrative game.

Why similar: Exploration 29.8%, Female Protagonist 26%, Story Rich 19.9%, Interactive Fiction 14.3%, Point & Click 5.6%

Why You'll Like It: It challenges you to piece together a fragmented narrative by searching through a database of video clips, much like uncovering clues in a house.

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 53.1%, Exploration 7.6%, Female Protagonist 6.7%, Atmospheric 6.6%, Story Rich 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: Set in a secluded hotel, this game focuses on uncovering a dark family history through exploration and dialogue.

If Found... is a game about going home, coming out and erasing everything.

Why similar: LGBTQ+ 44.4%, Female Protagonist 10.9%, Great Soundtrack 9.1%, Story Rich 8.8%, Indie 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: An intimate, hand-drawn narrative experience that explores themes of identity and belonging with a deeply personal touch.

A woman alone in a house. A mystery and a love story. Explore the present to uncover the past, in a short story of love and loss and a life well-lived. A narrative exploration game that examines a world where memories are constantly fading and jumbled.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 63.3%, Exploration 9.8%, Atmospheric 7.3%, First-Person 6.1%, Indie 4.1%

Why You'll Like It: A short, emotional exploration of memory and identity within a domestic space that mirrors the intimacy of Gone Home.

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 68%, Story Rich 8.4%, Atmospheric 6.6%, First-Person 6.1%, Great Soundtrack 3.7%

Why You'll Like It: A meta-narrative experience that explores the relationship between a creator and their work, offering a deeply personal perspective.

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 53.2%, Story Rich 9.1%, Atmospheric 7.1%, Exploration 6.6%, Female Protagonist 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: A short, free-to-play narrative game that perfectly captures the feeling of exploring a room to piece together a past relationship.

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 54.2%, Female Protagonist 8.3%, Atmospheric 6%, First-Person 5.9%, Story Rich 5.5%

Why You'll Like It: A stylized, cinematic mystery that relies on visual storytelling and atmosphere rather than traditional dialogue.

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 56.3%, LGBTQ+ 13.4%, Female Protagonist 8.4%, Story Rich 7.5%, Atmospheric 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: A cozy, narrative-focused game that captures the quiet, domestic feeling of returning to a small town and reconnecting with the past.

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 72.8%, Great Soundtrack 5.8%, Atmospheric 5.7%, Exploration 3.8%, Story Rich 3.5%

Why You'll Like It: This game invites you to explore a deserted village to reconstruct the final moments of its inhabitants through environmental echoes.

A story-driven experience about two doctors traversing backwards through a dying man's memories to artificially fulfill his last wish.

Why similar: Story Rich 29.4%, Great Soundtrack 28.8%, Indie 10.8%, Walking Simulator 8.5%, Emotional 7.5%

Why You'll Like It: A deeply emotional story-driven experience that focuses on exploring memories to fulfill a dying man's wish.

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: Narrative 29% ★, Atmospheric 18.7%, Story Rich 10.3%, Walking Simulator 8.7%, Great Soundtrack 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, highly atmospheric adventure that prioritizes poetic storytelling and character depth over traditional puzzles.

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

Why similar: Atmospheric 33.6%, Story Rich 17.2%, Indie 15.7%, Great Soundtrack 11.2%, Adventure 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: A collection of experimental, text-based, and atmospheric stories that masterfully build tension through environmental interaction.

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 71%, First-Person 9.4%, Exploration 6.6%, Indie 4.3%, Story Rich 3.4%

Why You'll Like It: While more comedic, it is a masterclass in using first-person exploration to tell a meta-narrative about player agency.

Home is Where One Starts... is a short, first-person exploration game in the same vein as Dear Esther or Gone Home. It’s a story about childhood, hope, and the miracle of memory. You play as a little girl from a broken home somewhere in the American South.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 60.8%, First-Person 6.7%, Female Protagonist 6.4%, Atmospheric 5.7%, Indie 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: A short, atmospheric exploration game that focuses on the nostalgia and mystery of a childhood home.

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 42.7%, Female Protagonist 10.5%, First-Person 9.5%, Story Rich 8.8%, Exploration 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric, narrative-driven mystery that rewards players for carefully investigating their surroundings.

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 67.4%, Female Protagonist 6.6%, First-Person 6.6%, Atmospheric 6.5%, Great Soundtrack 5.2%

Why You'll Like It: A brief, narrative-focused experience that emphasizes the emotional weight of leaving home and starting a new chapter.

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 54.7%, Exploration 11%, Story Rich 8%, Atmospheric 7.6%, First-Person 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: A pure investigation game that requires you to read documents and piece together a mystery in a deserted town.

A Camping Story starring: Uncle Brad, Aunt Cloanne, Mord (and Ben)

Why similar: Indie 59.8%, Great Soundtrack 14.1%, Atmospheric 13.8%, Story Rich 12.2%

Why You'll Like It: A charming, character-driven story that captures the small, intimate moments of a family camping trip.

This surprising first-person story tells the tale of a heist gone wrong. Encounter high-flying schemers, lovelorn criminals, and more stray kittens than you can shake a stick at.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 44.4%, Narrative 24.7% ★, Exploration 6.5%, First-Person 6.3%, Story Rich 4.6%

Why You'll Like It: A short, experimental narrative that uses environmental cues to tell a complex story without a single word of dialogue.

As a young soldier returning to an eerily deserted home, you'll explore enigmatic rooms and uncover a haunting, tragic story. Experience an atmospheric journey filled with suspense, mysterious encounters, and a deep narrative.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 56.2%, Exploration 8.4%, First-Person 7.4%, Atmospheric 7.4%, Story Rich 7.4%

In this narrative card game about relationships and communication, navigate conversations in a colorful world reminiscent of our own. Learn and grow through the cards you choose to play. Who will you become? What will you leave behind?

Why similar: Narrative 51.7% ★, Exploration 13.2%, Story Rich 10.7%, Interactive Fiction 9.1%, Indie 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative game that uses a unique card-based conversation mechanic to explore the emotional complexities of returning home.

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 62.2%, Exploration 9.5%, First-Person 6.4%, Atmospheric 4.6%, Story Rich 4.4%

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 53.8%, Atmospheric 10.5%, Exploration 10.4%, First-Person 7.9%, Great Soundtrack 6.6%

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

Why similar: Walking Simulator 52.1%, Exploration 15.9%, First-Person 12.2%, Atmospheric 7.7%, Indie 3.7%

A family friendly, hand-animated, puzzle-filled adventure game with an all-star cast, including Elijah Wood, Jack Black and Masasa Moyo. Funded by a record breaking crowdfunding campaign and designed by industry legend Tim Schafer, Broken Age is a timeless coming-of-age story.

Why similar: Story Rich 24.9%, Great Soundtrack 19.2%, Adventure 16.2%, Point & Click 14.3%, Female Protagonist 11.9%

Set out on a cross-country journey to win back the love of your life and endure the hardship of making story-defining choices that affect your life and the lives of those around you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 43.2%, LGBTQ+ 21.6%, Story Rich 12.1%, Indie 10.6%, Great Soundtrack 6.1%

Guide two brothers on an epic fairy tale journey from visionary Swedish film director, Josef Fares and top-tier developer Starbreeze Studios. Control both brothers at once as you experience co-op play in single player mode, like never before.

Why similar: Atmospheric 25%, Story Rich 20.3%, Walking Simulator 16.6%, Adventure 10.3%, Great Soundtrack 9.4%

What if someone knew your mind better than you did? The Swapper is an award-winning, narrative driven puzzle game set in the furthest reaches of space.

Why similar: Atmospheric 38.6%, Great Soundtrack 17.2%, Indie 15.8%, Exploration 9.4%, Story Rich 6.9%

Step into a quiet, abandoned Ukrainian village, left empty after the Calamity. In this short, meditative, and melancholic journey, you’ll rekindle the hearths of deserted homes, restoring warmth and hope to the families who once lived here.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 62%, Exploration 11.1%, Atmospheric 9.7%, First-Person 8%, Female Protagonist 4.5%

On their last night together, three friends embark on one final adventure. Play through a mixtape of memories, set to the soundtrack of a generation.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 56.9%, Narrative 21.4% ★, LGBTQ+ 10%, Female Protagonist 4.1%, 1990's 2.3%

No Longer Home is a game about letting go of the life you've built due to circumstances beyond your control. Immerse yourself in the lives of Bo and Ao and learn about their dreams, frustrations and fears. Welcome the magic of the everyday and somewhat extraordinary.

Why similar: LGBTQ+ 34.4%, Exploration 14.3%, Story Rich 12.3%, Atmospheric 11%, Interactive Fiction 7.7%

There is one rule in the game. And it needs to be broken. There is one goal. And when you attain it, you die.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 71.4%, Exploration 7.8%, Female Protagonist 7.7%, Atmospheric 3.9%, Indie 3.3%

Jazzpunk is a comedy adventure set in an alternate reality Cold War World, plagued with corporate espionage, CyberCrime, and sentient martinis. Gameplay is inspired by spoof comedy films and cartoons of yesteryear, with a focus on weird gadgets, exotic locales, and open-world style exploration.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 42.8%, Exploration 21.6%, First-Person 12.2%, Indie 10.9%, Adventure 6.7%

An exploration game about emotional ties that transcend even death. Riley is faced with a headstrong ghost, urging her on an adventure across atmospheric shores, uncovering the island's tragic secret. Choices in dialogue shape the bond between the two, ultimately deciding Riley's fate.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 51.6%, Exploration 9.2%, Atmospheric 7.7%, Story Rich 6.9%, Female Protagonist 6%

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: Narrative 26.2% ★, First-Person 13.3%, Atmospheric 13%, Story Rich 12.8%, Exploration 10.8%

What if you lost all your memories? An emotional family drama seen through the eyes of a woman with Alzheimer's disease. As Annie’s life slowly unravels, uncover memories of her deceased brother as her past bleeds into the present.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 40.8%, Narrative 19.9% ★, Story Rich 6.7%, Female Protagonist 6.6%, First-Person 6.6%

Among the Sleep: Enhanced Edition is a new and improved version of the award winning first person horror adventure. In the game you play as a small child trapped in a weird nightmare where you go looking for your mom.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 51.7%, Atmospheric 13.6%, First-Person 13%, Indie 7.1%, Exploration 5%

The Bridge is a logic puzzle game that forces you to reevaluate your preconceptions of physics and perspective. It is Isaac Newton meets M. C. Escher. Manipulate gravity to redefine the ceiling as the floor while venturing through impossible architectures.

Why similar: Atmospheric 35.6%, Indie 24.9%, Emotional 24.6%, Singleplayer 7.6%, Adventure 7.3%

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 61.8%, Exploration 11.1%, Atmospheric 6.3%, First-Person 6%, Indie 5.3%

Embark on a new narrative journey by the creators of Life is Strange. Film your summer of 1995 and create memories of a lifetime with your new friends. 27 years later, confront the dark secrets that made you all promise to never speak again after that fateful summer.

Why similar: LGBTQ+ 36%, Female Protagonist 15.6%, Story Rich 12.6%, Atmospheric 10%, 1990's 7.7%

Gunpoint is a stealth puzzle game that lets you rewire its levels to trick people. You play a freelance spy who takes jobs from his clients to break into high security buildings and steal sensitive data.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 41.3%, Indie 36.4%, Story Rich 11.9%, Singleplayer 6.7%, Adventure 3.7%

Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.9%, Story Rich 15.7%, Atmospheric 15.7%, Great Soundtrack 11.7%, Mystery 11.3%

Embark on an adventure to rescue Charlie’s family from the nefarious industrialist known only as the 'Baron.'

Why similar: Adventure 32.8%, Indie 29.9%, Exploration 23.3%, Atmospheric 8.2%, Singleplayer 5.9%

CONTRAST is a puzzle/platform game where you can move between a fantastic 3D world and a mysterious shadowy universe in 2D in the blink of an eye. Delve into a dreamlike and surreal 1920s world, inspired by the performance art world of vaudeville and film noir, and cradled by a smooth and sultry jazz ambiance.

Why similar: Female Protagonist 31.7%, Great Soundtrack 17.9%, Atmospheric 17.5%, Indie 12.5%, Adventure 7.7%

A deep, interactive adventure about love and loss, beautifully depicted and offering an intense cinematic experience. What would you do to save the one you love?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 43.9%, Atmospheric 14.6%, Story Rich 13.4%, Great Soundtrack 11%, Indie 7.1%

Proteus is a game about exploration and immersion in a dream-like island world where the soundtrack to your play is created by your surroundings. Played in first-person, the primary means of interaction is simply your presence in the world and how you observe it.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 71.1%, Exploration 13.2%, First-Person 4.9%, Indie 4.2%, Atmospheric 2.8%

One of the most acclaimed adventure games of all time is now back, better than ever. Grim Fandango Remastered has the all the beautiful art and engaging story fans remember, but has also been remastered to look, sound, and control even better than the award-winning original release.

Why similar: Story Rich 27.7%, Great Soundtrack 27.3%, Adventure 12.9%, Atmospheric 12.5%, Point & Click 9.2%

Antichamber is a mind-bending psychological exploration game where nothing can be taken for granted. Discover an Escher-like world where hallways wrap around upon each other, spaces reconfigure themselves, and accomplishing the impossible may just be the only way forward.

Why similar: First-Person 35.4%, Exploration 31.7%, Indie 14.5%, Atmospheric 7.3%, Great Soundtrack 4.3%

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 58.3%, Great Soundtrack 8.6%, Story Rich 8.4%, Atmospheric 8%, Adventure 4.5%

After months of chatting online, she invites you over. A quiet house in the middle of the woods seems like the perfect place for a romantic encounter. But the longer you stay inside, the more you realize something is wrong with this place.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 73.3%, Exploration 10.1%, Story Rich 5.1%, Female Protagonist 4.7%, Adventure 3.3%

Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.

Why similar: Indie 29.3%, Story Rich 20.1%, Atmospheric 17.4%, Great Soundtrack 16.2%, Point & Click 8.9%