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 54.3%, Story Rich 10%, Atmospheric 7.5%, Exploration 6.2%, First-Person 5.4%

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 7.9%, 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 54.7%, Female Protagonist 6%, Story Rich 6%, LGBTQ+ 6%, Narrative 5.7% ★

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.

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+ 36.9%, Story Rich 18.1%, Female Protagonist 15.8%, Atmospheric 14.6%, Indie 8.3%

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 33.6%, Story Rich 16.7%, Female Protagonist 13.5%, Atmospheric 12.9%, Great Soundtrack 9%

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

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 47.6%, LGBTQ+ 21.2%, Story Rich 10.2%, Exploration 6.8%, Atmospheric 5.6%

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

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 30.4%, Female Protagonist 26.3%, Story Rich 20.3%, Interactive Fiction 14.6%, Point & Click 5.8%

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 55%, Exploration 7.9%, Female Protagonist 6.9%, Atmospheric 6.8%, Story Rich 6.1%

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+ 44.1%, Female Protagonist 10.9%, Great Soundtrack 8.9%, Story Rich 8.9%, Indie 8.7%

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 63.2%, Exploration 9.8%, Atmospheric 7.4%, First-Person 6.1%, Indie 4.2%

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 66.1%, Story Rich 8.1%, Atmospheric 6.4%, First-Person 5.9%, Indie 3.5%

Why You'll Like It: A meta-narrative experience that explores the relationship between a creator and their work, offering a deeply personal 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 72.9%, Atmospheric 5.7%, Great Soundtrack 5.6%, Exploration 3.8%, Story Rich 3.6%

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.

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 7.2%, 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.

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 58.9%, LGBTQ+ 13.9%, Female Protagonist 8.8%, Story Rich 7.8%, Atmospheric 6.6%

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.

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 54.1%, 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.

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 32.5%, Great Soundtrack 30.6%, Indie 12%, Emotional 8.4%, Interactive Fiction 6%

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 29.8% ★, Atmospheric 18.9%, Story Rich 10.4%, Great Soundtrack 8.1%, Walking Simulator 8%

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 33.9%, Story Rich 17.2%, Indie 15.8%, Great Soundtrack 10.8%, Adventure 10.5%

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 68%, First-Person 9%, Exploration 6.3%, Narration 4.2%, Indie 4.2%

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.

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 41.7%, Female Protagonist 10.3%, First-Person 9.3%, Story Rich 8.6%, Exploration 7.9%

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

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%, First-Person 6.6%, Female Protagonist 6.3%, 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.

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%, Exploration 11%, Story Rich 7.9%, Atmospheric 7.6%, First-Person 6.2%

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 60.3%, Atmospheric 13.9%, Great Soundtrack 13.6%, 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.

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 67.1%, First-Person 6.8%, Female Protagonist 6.7%, Atmospheric 6.7%, Great Soundtrack 4.8%

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

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 54.9%, Exploration 8.3%, Atmospheric 7.3%, First-Person 7.3%, Story Rich 7.2%

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 52.1% ★, Exploration 13.1%, Story Rich 10.6%, Interactive Fiction 9%, 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.

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 44.2%, Narrative 25.1% ★, Exploration 6.5%, First-Person 6.2%, 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.

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 62.7%, Exploration 9.6%, First-Person 6.5%, Atmospheric 4.6%, Story Rich 4.5%

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

Why similar: Walking Simulator 52.3%, Exploration 15.8%, First-Person 12.2%, Atmospheric 7.7%, Indie 3.8%

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 53.9%, Atmospheric 10.6%, Exploration 10.4%, First-Person 7.9%, Great Soundtrack 6.4%

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 25.2%, Story Rich 20.2%, Walking Simulator 16.7%, Adventure 10.2%, Great Soundtrack 9.1%

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: First-Person 18.1%, Atmospheric 17.9%, Story Rich 17.5%, Exploration 14.8%, Mystery 8.6%

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 61.9%, Exploration 11.1%, Atmospheric 9.8%, First-Person 8%, Female Protagonist 4.5%

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 25.2%, Great Soundtrack 18.7%, Adventure 16.1%, Point & Click 14.4%, Female Protagonist 12%

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 38.9%, Great Soundtrack 16.7%, Indie 16%, Exploration 9.4%, Story Rich 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 44%, Atmospheric 14.9%, Story Rich 13.4%, Great Soundtrack 10.6%, Indie 7.2%

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 50.6%, Exploration 9%, Atmospheric 7.6%, Story Rich 6.8%, Female Protagonist 5.9%

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 43.4%, LGBTQ+ 21.5%, Story Rich 12.2%, Indie 10.8%, Great Soundtrack 5.9%

Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27.5%, Atmospheric 15.8%, Story Rich 15.6%, Mystery 11.2%, Great Soundtrack 11.2%

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+ 34.7%, Exploration 14.6%, Story Rich 12.6%, Atmospheric 11.3%, Interactive Fiction 7.9%

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 42.3%, Exploration 21.9%, First-Person 12.2%, Indie 11.1%, Adventure 6.7%

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 71.3%, Exploration 7.9%, Female Protagonist 7.7%, Atmospheric 3.9%, Indie 3.4%

The skies are aflame and the seas will overflow with wreckage in Vlambeer’s stylish arcade shooter LUFTRAUSERS! Take to the skies in customized fighter planes to battle battleships, submarines, and rival aces for glory, honor, and high scores.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 61%, Indie 33.7%, Singleplayer 5.2%

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 63.9%, Exploration 9.9%, First-Person 8.8%, Indie 4.7%, Story Rich 4.7%

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 40.3%, Indie 37.3%, Story Rich 12%, Singleplayer 6.8%, Adventure 3.7%

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 41%, Narrative 20.1% ★, Story Rich 6.7%, First-Person 6.6%, Female Protagonist 6.6%

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 58.5%, Story Rich 8.5%, Great Soundtrack 8.3%, Atmospheric 8.1%, Indie 4.6%

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 65.8%, Exploration 9.1%, Atmospheric 7.1%, First-Person 6.9%, Story Rich 2.5%

This Bed We Made is a third-person mystery game in which you play as a maid in a 1950s hotel and snoop around strangers' rooms to uncover their deadly secrets. Discover what links guests together in this tale of love, heartbreak and murder!

Why similar: Walking Simulator 44.3%, LGBTQ+ 18.6%, Female Protagonist 8.9%, Story Rich 7.5%, Exploration 5.1%

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+ 35.9%, Female Protagonist 15.7%, Story Rich 12.5%, Atmospheric 10.1%, 1990's 7.7%

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 51.3%, Exploration 9.7%, First-Person 9.3%, Atmospheric 9.3%, Story Rich 6.7%

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 65.8%, First-Person 12.4%, Indie 10%, Interactive Fiction 5.1%, Narration 4%

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

Why similar: Adventure 32.5%, Indie 30.6%, Exploration 22.8%, Atmospheric 8.3%, Singleplayer 5.8%

Forgotten Hope is a short, single-player narrative-driven video game presented through the eyes of a teenage girl who is trying to reconnect with her past to find answers.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 48.3%, Exploration 10.2%, Female Protagonist 8.5%, First-Person 8.5%, Story Rich 8.3%

Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.4%, Story Rich 19.6%, Great Soundtrack 16.1%, Female Protagonist 15.1%, Atmospheric 11.7%

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: Narrative 39.7% ★, Walking Simulator 33%, Story Rich 8%, First-Person 6%, Emotional 4.3%

Home is a unique horror adventure set in a beautifully-realized pixel world. It’s a murder mystery with a twist—because you decide what ultimately happens.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 56.7%, Indie 8.8%, Atmospheric 8.6%, Exploration 5%, Adventure 4.9%