- #1 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
97% matchVery Positive88% of 8,977 reviews2014
Dev: The Astronauts
Windows
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 4.0 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 23.5%, Mystery 15.5%, Atmospheric 13.6%, Exploration 8.8%, First-Person 8.4%
Why You'll Like It: It shares the same focus on atmospheric, first-person exploration of a mysterious, abandoned setting.
- #2 What Remains of Edith Finch
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 53,006 reviews2017
Dev: Giant SparrowPub: Annapurna Interactive
Windows
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 6.2 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 24.7%, Atmospheric 14.4%, Great Soundtrack 12.8%, Mystery 11.4%, Exploration 8.8%
Why You'll Like It: This game masterfully uses environmental storytelling to uncover the history of a location, much like the discovery process in Homesick.
- #3 INFRA
96% matchVery Positive88% of 3,751 reviews2016
Dev: Loiste Interactive
Windows
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 11.2 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 18.4%, Puzzle 12.6%, Atmospheric 12%, Great Soundtrack 11.3%, Exploration 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: The game emphasizes exploring decaying industrial architecture and solving environmental puzzles to progress.
- #4 Ether One
95% matchMostly Positive73% of 451 reviews2014
Dev: White Paper Games
Windows
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 5.1 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 28%, Puzzle 15.6%, First-Person 13.8%, Exploration 13.5%, Adventure 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: It features a similar blend of first-person exploration and puzzle-solving centered around piecing together fragmented memories.
- #5 Quern - Undying Thoughts
94% matchVery Positive91% of 4,096 reviews2016
Dev: Zadbox EntertainmentPub: Blue Brain Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 7.8 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Discover the truth about Quern’s past, unfold the mysteries of its present, and be the explorer who shapes its future. Quern introduces reusable puzzle mechanics to the classic genre, making the player think about the game as a whole, and not just as a series of individual challenges.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.7%, Mystery 16.2%, Puzzle 15.8%, Atmospheric 13.2%, Exploration 11.4%
Why You'll Like It: It provides a deep, atmospheric puzzle-solving experience in an isolated, mysterious environment.
- #6 Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
94% matchMixed68% of 2,162 reviews2016
Dev: The Chinese RoomPub: PlayStation Publishing LLC
Windows
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 71%
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 39.2%, Great Soundtrack 22%, Atmospheric 13.2%, Exploration 6.3%, First-Person 6.1%
Why You'll Like It: This title offers a slow-paced, deeply atmospheric exploration of a deserted, beautiful location.
- #7 Gone Home
93% matchMostly Positive77% of 18,462 reviews2013
Dev: Fullbright
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.3 hrsMean: 4.4 hrs≥1hr: 81%
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 53.9%, Exploration 10.4%, Atmospheric 10.3%, First-Person 7.8%, Great Soundtrack 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: It is a quintessential environmental narrative game that rewards players for exploring every corner of an abandoned space.
- #8 Firewatch
91% matchVery Positive91% of 99,559 reviews2016
Dev: Campo SantoPub: Panic
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 13.6 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 25.4%, Atmospheric 14.4%, Mystery 12.6%, Great Soundtrack 12.6%, First-Person 9.2%
Why You'll Like It: It captures a similar sense of isolation and mystery through first-person exploration of a distinct, atmospheric environment.
- #9 Empathy: Path of Whispers
92% matchMixed60% of 220 reviews2017
Dev: Pixel NightPub: Iceberg Interactive
Windows
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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: Great Soundtrack 25.4%, Walking Simulator 24.5%, Atmospheric 14.6%, Adventure 9.8%, Puzzle 7.3%
Why You'll Like It: It mirrors the surreal, dream-like exploration of memories and abandoned environments found in Homesick.
- #10 The Guest
91% matchMostly Positive74% of 976 reviews2016
Dev: Team GothamPub: 505 Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 4.3 hrs≥1hr: 89%
'The Guest' is a gloomy adventure full of enigmas where the exploration of your surroundings comes to prominence; puzzles, secrets and riddles will help you discover who has locked you in this somber hotel room and most importantly, why.
Why similar: Puzzle 20%, Mystery 15.4%, Horror 13.9%, Walking Simulator 12.9%, Atmospheric 11.3%
Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on puzzle-solving within a single, atmospheric, and mysterious location.
- #11 The Painscreek Killings
90% matchVery Positive91% of 6,420 reviews2017
Dev: EQ Studios
Windows
Median: 5.0 hrsMean: 6.4 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 19%, Mystery 17.4%, Puzzle 12.4%, Exploration 11.9%, Atmospheric 11.5%
Why You'll Like It: This game focuses heavily on exploring an abandoned town to solve a mystery, requiring careful observation and puzzle-solving.
- #12 Dream
89% matchMixed56% of 996 reviews2015
Dev: HyperSloth
Windows
Median: 2.2 hrsMean: 4.1 hrs≥1hr: 76%
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 26%, Exploration 14.4%, Atmospheric 11.3%, Great Soundtrack 10.1%, First-Person 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: It features surreal, dream-like exploration with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and environmental discovery.
- #13 Call of the Sea
87% matchVery Positive88% of 6,422 reviews2020
Dev: Out of the Blue GamesPub: Raw Fury
Windows
Median: 4.8 hrsMean: 5.8 hrs≥1hr: 75%
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: Puzzle 18.4%, Walking Simulator 16.9%, Mystery 13.8%, First-Person 13.6%, Atmospheric 12.5%
Why You'll Like It: It combines beautiful, atmospheric environments with puzzle-solving mechanics in a mysterious, isolated setting.
- #14 Obduction
88% matchMostly Positive80% of 3,996 reviews2016
Dev: Cyan, Inc.
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 6.4 hrs≥1hr: 84%
A new sci-fi adventure from Cyan, the creators of Myst. Abducted far across the universe, you find yourself on a broken alien landscape with odd pieces of Earth. Explore, uncover, solve, and find a way to make it home.
Why similar: Puzzle 19%, Walking Simulator 17.9%, Exploration 14.8%, Mystery 14.5%, First-Person 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: This game offers immersive, first-person exploration and complex puzzles within a surreal and isolated world.
- #15 The Old City: Leviathan
89% matchMostly Positive72% of 746 reviews2014
Dev: PostMod Softworks
Windows
Median: 1.5 hrsMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 61%
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 33.9%, Atmospheric 17%, Exploration 14.2%, First-Person 10.1%, Great Soundtrack 8.7%
Why You'll Like It: This game offers a philosophical, slow-paced exploration of a decaying world that prioritizes mood over action.
- #16 Tacoma
86% matchVery Positive86% of 4,823 reviews2017
Dev: Fullbright
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 92%
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 35.6%, Mystery 11.4%, Exploration 11.3%, First-Person 10.9%, Atmospheric 10.5%
Why You'll Like It: It features an environmental narrative set in a deserted facility, focusing on piecing together events through observation.
- #17 The Norwood Suite
86% matchVery Positive87% of 1,294 reviews2017
Dev: Cosmo DPub: Alliance
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 3.3 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Explore the mysterious Hotel Norwood in this surreal first-person adventure. Curious characters, forgotten secrets, and head-nodding music await your arrival.
Why similar: Great Soundtrack 20.2%, Walking Simulator 16.6%, First-Person 10.4%, Exploration 10.4%, Mystery 9.7%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a surreal, first-person exploration experience with a strong focus on environmental detail and atmosphere.
- #18 The Fidelio Incident
85% matchMostly Positive78% of 851 reviews2017
Dev: Act 3 Games, LLC
Windows
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 3.2 hrs≥1hr: 86%
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 33.1%, Great Soundtrack 19.8%, Mystery 9.3%, Puzzle 8.7%, Exploration 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: It focuses on atmospheric exploration and narrative discovery in a remote, isolated setting.
- #19 Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
84% matchMostly Positive75% of 7,580 reviews2017
Dev: The Chinese RoomPub: Secret Mode
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.0 hrsMean: 6.8 hrs≥1hr: 51%
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 24.3%, Puzzle 11.6%, Exploration 11.5%, Great Soundtrack 9.3%, First-Person 8.9%
Why You'll Like It: It is a pure atmospheric walking simulator that focuses on narrative discovery in a hauntingly beautiful, isolated landscape.
- #20 SOMA
82% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 53,096 reviews2015
Dev: Frictional Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.6 hrsMean: 10.2 hrs≥1hr: 89%
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: Walking Simulator 18.8%, Horror 14.4%, Atmospheric 12.5%, Puzzle 10.7%, Exploration 10%
Why You'll Like It: It provides a deeply atmospheric, first-person exploration of a decaying, isolated facility filled with mystery.
- #21 Kona
84% matchVery Positive83% of 3,706 reviews2017
Dev: Parabole
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.0 hrsMean: 4.9 hrs≥1hr: 64%
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 18.6%, Atmospheric 14.4%, First-Person 12%, Great Soundtrack 11.8%, Horror 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: It blends exploration and mystery-solving in a cold, desolate environment that feels both lonely and intriguing.
- #22 Layers of Fear
81% matchMostly Positive79% of 1,749 reviews2023
Dev: Anshar StudiosPub: Bloober Team SA
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 7.2 hrs≥1hr: 77%
The era-defining first-person psychological horror in all its terrifying glory. All of the game’s chapters collected into one convenient package that allows you to plumb the depths of madness in pursuit of artistic revelation.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 15%, Horror 14.3%, Mystery 12.1%, Atmospheric 12.1%, First-Person 11.7%
Why You'll Like It: This game uses shifting, first-person environments to create a psychological, atmospheric exploration experience.
- #23 Inmates
83% matchMixed60% of 333 reviews2017
Dev: Davit AndreasyanPub: Iceberg Interactive
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 18.3 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Inmates is a story-driven, atmospheric psychological horror game. Featuring interactive exploration in a suffocating location, mind-bending puzzles and disturbing imagery. You wake up in a run-down prison cell and have no clue how you got there. You’ve convinced yourself this is all just a nightmare...
Why similar: Walking Simulator 38.9%, Horror 20.9%, Adventure 10.8%, First-Person 10.5%, Atmospheric 9.5%
Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on puzzle-solving and psychological exploration within a claustrophobic, mysterious setting.
- #24 God's Basement
82% matchMostly Positive74% of 1,318 reviews2018
Dev: Erebus
Windows
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 69%
God's Basement is a first-person, narrative-driven, single player horror game. Uncover the secrets of an afterlife shrouded in mystery, as an entity known as "The Operator" leads you deeper into the fringes of a seemingly eternal purgatory.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.6%, Horror 13.8%, Atmospheric 12%, Mystery 10.9%, First-Person 10%
Why You'll Like It: It provides a psychological, first-person exploration experience set in eerie, abandoned environments.
- #25 Rise of Insanity
81% matchMostly Positive79% of 1,285 reviews2018
Dev: Red Limb Studio
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 5.1 hrs≥1hr: 94%
In Rise of Insanity, as a doctor of psychology you will explore the darkest recesses of the human mind. Overcome your fear to find the truth behind the tragedy that has befallen your family.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 20.1%, Great Soundtrack 15.2%, Horror 14.3%, Puzzle 10%, Atmospheric 9.9%
Why You'll Like It: It combines psychological mystery with first-person exploration in an atmospheric, unsettling environment.
- #26 Myst
78% matchVery Positive89% of 2,211 reviews2021
Dev: Cyan Worlds, Inc.
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 4.9 hrs≥1hr: 67%
Welcome to Myst: a starkly beautiful island, eerily tinged with mystery and shrouded in intrigue. Built from the ground up to play in 2D & VR, explore Myst in a whole new dimension! Journey to the Ages, unravel puzzles, and be a part of the surrealistic adventure that will become your own.
Why similar: Puzzle 27.3%, Exploration 22%, First-Person 13.4%, Adventure 10.6%, Mystery 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: As a classic of the genre, it defines the isolated, puzzle-heavy exploration experience that Homesick builds upon.
- #27 Silver Chains
80% matchMixed69% of 1,360 reviews2019
Dev: Cracked Heads GamesPub: Headup
Windows
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 4.1 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Silver Chains is a first-person horror game with a strong emphasis on story and exploration. Search for clues within an old abandoned manor to unravel the truth about the terrible events which have happened.
Why similar: Horror 27.1%, First-Person 10.3%, Adventure 7.9%, Walking Simulator 7.8%, Puzzle 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: It offers atmospheric exploration and puzzle-solving within a dark, mysterious, and abandoned location.
- #28 Caligo
79% matchMostly Positive75% of 1,077 reviews2017
Dev: Krealit
Windows
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 5.8 hrs≥1hr: 89%
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 29%, Great Soundtrack 20.8%, Atmospheric 12.4%, Horror 9.4%, First-Person 8.9%
Why You'll Like It: This is a short, highly atmospheric walking simulator that prioritizes visual storytelling and mood.
- #29 Close To The Sun
78% matchMostly Positive74% of 1,352 reviews2020
Dev: Storm in a TeacupPub: Wired Productions
Windows
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 5.7 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Deep in international waters, Tesla’s Helios stands still. An unbound utopia for scientific research, Rose Archer steps aboard in search of her sister, quickly to discover not all is as it seems. A single word covers the entrance… QUARANTINE!
Why similar: Walking Simulator 39.2%, Horror 18.6%, First-Person 14.5%, Adventure 12.1%, Indie 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: It provides a tense, atmospheric exploration of a mysterious, isolated location with a focus on environmental storytelling.
- #30 Cylne
79% matchMixed48% of 73 reviews2015
Dev: Cylne
Windows
Cylne is a first person surreal exploration game having a poetic and philosophical side. Explore and feel unreal worlds filled with environmental enigmas to try to achieve the chapter called "The Choice"...
Why similar: Great Soundtrack 20.9%, Puzzle 14.6%, Exploration 13.6%, Atmospheric 13.1%, First-Person 12.7%
Why You'll Like It: It features first-person puzzle-solving and exploration in an isolated, surreal environment that echoes the tone of Homesick.
- #31 The Moon Sliver
77% matchMostly Positive76% of 1,173 reviews2014
Dev: David Szymanski
Windows
Median: 1.7 hrsMean: 2.7 hrs≥1hr: 61%
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 22.6%, Great Soundtrack 16.5%, First-Person 9.9%, Exploration 9.6%, Horror 9.4%
- #32 Red Matter
75% matchVery Positive90% of 1,185 reviews2018
Dev: Vertical Robot
Windows
Median: 2.0 hrsMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 62%
Enter an abandoned Cold War base on a moon of Saturn in this atmospheric VR puzzle adventure. Scan evidence, translate Volgravian messages, manipulate strange machinery, and uncover a sci-fi mystery that grows more surreal with every discovery.
Why similar: Great Soundtrack 18.7%, Walking Simulator 15.1%, Mystery 11.7%, Puzzle 11.2%, Atmospheric 10.2%
- #33 Left Alone
76% matchMostly Positive75% of 646 reviews2016
Dev: SpeedTutor
Windows
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Left Alone plunges you into a first-person psychological horror journey, where darkness and memories intertwine. As secrets emerge from shadows, use your wits to solve puzzles and explore haunting, forgotten locations. Every step echoes with the past; can you face the truths that await?
Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.9%, Puzzle 13.1%, Exploration 11.9%, Horror 11.1%, First-Person 10.8%
- #34 Effugium
76% matchMixed60% of 67 reviews2023
Dev: Souporno GhoshPub: Team Glasses
Windows
Explore a cold, abandoned, and dreary facility to piece together its mysteries and find a means for escape from the horror that lurks within.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.9%, Atmospheric 19.5%, Horror 16.4%, Exploration 12.6%, First-Person 11.3%
- #35 HOMESICKNESS
73% matchVery Positive93% of 85 reviews2025
Dev: jnity
Windows
HOMESICKNESS is a point-&-click psychological horror indie game exploring the nuances of nostalgia. Play as Theo, trapped in CHILDREEF’s daycare, descending floor by floor; surviving the remnants of time. Use the Kids' multi-tool, listen to obscure tapes, and make your way to the lot. She's waiting.
Why similar: Exploration 27.5%, Horror 21.7%, First-Person 20.6%, Psychological Horror 12.8%, Story Rich 6.1%
- #36 DREAM LOGIC
73% matchVery Positive89% of 409 reviews2022
Dev: Teleopsia Games
Windows
Median: 48 minMean: 2.1 hrs≥1hr: 36%
DREAM LOGIC is a story driven first-person atmospheric horror game which takes place in liminal spaces. Explore various nostalgic, dreamlike, uncanny environments. But don't feel too safe, there's a sneaky creature watching your every move.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 17.7%, Atmospheric 12.8%, Mystery 12.6%, Horror 11.7%, Exploration 10.8%
- #37 The Sojourn
75% matchMostly Positive71% of 229 reviews2020
Dev: Shifting TidesPub: Iceberg Interactive
Windows
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 82%
The Sojourn is a first-person puzzle game set in an immersive colour-drenched world of light and darkness. Think your way through dozens of puzzles as you traverse parallel worlds, awaken mysterious artifacts and overcome challenging obstacles on an unforgettable journey.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 16.2%, Great Soundtrack 16%, Puzzle 13.4%, Atmospheric 12.7%, Mystery 12.2%
- #38 Infliction
74% matchVery Positive80% of 968 reviews2018
Dev: Caustic Reality
Windows
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 8.9 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Wander through an interactive nightmare set within the confines of a once-happy household. Piece together the mystery behind a harrowing series of events while struggling to survive encounters with an entity that relentlessly stands in the way of finding absolution.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 23.6%, Horror 21%, Atmospheric 14.1%, First-Person 11.2%, Psychological Horror 7.7%
- #39 Marie's Room
72% matchVery Positive93% of 6,711 reviews2018
Dev: Kenny Guillaume
Windows
Median: 54 minMean: 14.6 hrs≥1hr: 43%
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 23.9%, Great Soundtrack 17.1%, Atmospheric 13.8%, Exploration 9.2%, Mystery 8.4%
- #40 Chasing Static
72% matchVery Positive87% of 514 reviews2021
Dev: Headware Games
Windows
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 3.8 hrs≥1hr: 87%
A psychological horror short story. Explore the untouched wilderness of rural Wales as you uncover the forgotten remains of a mysterious facility and find the truth behind the missing villagers of Hearth.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.8%, Horror 13.9%, Atmospheric 13.5%, Mystery 12.5%, First-Person 11.2%
- #41 Unanswered
70% matchVery Positive95% of 101 reviews2026
Dev: WhiteRoot Studio
Windows
You wake up in a strange place, not knowing who you are, where you are, or how you got here. Trapped in an environment that twists to break your sanity, your only way out is to delve into the unknown and face the horrors of a past your mind is trying to hide.
Why similar: Horror 17%, Walking Simulator 15.5%, First-Person 14.4%, Exploration 13.6%, Puzzle 9.3%
- #42 UnderDread
74% matchMixed57% of 138 reviews2016
Dev: Bigzur Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 4.2 hrs≥1hr: 96%
A first-person horror adventure game that will take you on a journey through an ancient castle and that lies beneath. Dangers and forgotten horrors await in the dark...
Why similar: Walking Simulator 18%, Great Soundtrack 14.8%, Horror 13.1%, Mystery 10.7%, Atmospheric 9.4%
- #43 Home is Where One Starts...
73% matchMostly Positive77% of 721 reviews2015
Dev: David Wehle
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 85%
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 31.6%, Atmospheric 12.8%, First-Person 12.5%, Great Soundtrack 12.4%, Adventure 8.4%
- #44 Never Again
71% matchMostly Positive80% of 958 reviews2019
Dev: Primary Games
Windows
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Never Again - Horror/first-person Quest. The main essence of the game is research locations and puzzles, plunging in the dramatic story of a little girl suffering from asthma.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 20%, Horror 12.5%, Puzzle 12.1%, Mystery 11.6%, Exploration 9.9%
- #45 REVEIL
69% matchVery Positive87% of 980 reviews2024
Dev: PixelsplitPub: Daedalic Entertainment
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 6.3 hrs≥1hr: 90%
REVEIL is a narrative first-person psycho-thriller game that focuses on story, puzzles and exploration. Find out what’s going on inside Walter Thompson and what his dark past at the Nelson Bros Circus has to do with it.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 21.3%, Mystery 11.7%, Horror 11.5%, Puzzle 10.5%, Atmospheric 10.1%
- #46 Fingerbones
71% matchMostly Positive79% of 3,607 reviews2015
Dev: David Szymanski
Windows
Median: 24 minMean: 4.7 hrs≥1hr: 10%
Explore a mysterious abandoned bunker and find notes that paint a disturbing picture.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 23.6%, Horror 14.7%, First-Person 12.3%, Atmospheric 11.8%, Puzzle 10.6%
- #47 Trapped
71% matchVery Positive82% of 169 reviews2019
Dev: N4bA
Windows
You come to your senses in this place, you do not understand what is happening, but you know that it is better to get out of here as soon as possible
Why similar: Walking Simulator 18.5%, Horror 13.8%, Atmospheric 11.9%, Mystery 11.7%, Puzzle 11.1%
- #48 The Inheritance of Crimson Manor
69% matchVery Positive87% of 958 reviews2022
Dev: MediaCity Games
Windows
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 4.8 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Explore a beautiful and Enigmatic Victorian Manor with a dark secret, In this gothic horror story first person exploration puzzle game filled with fine art, secret passages and mysterious mechanical puzzles playing as the executor of the last will from the enigmatic Railroad Magnate Hadley Strange.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 23.2%, Puzzle 14.1%, Mystery 14%, Exploration 12.7%, Horror 11.8%
- #49 Kach
69% matchVery Positive81% of 295 reviews2022
Dev: Bhargav ModhaPub: BYGames
Windows · Mac
On a task to find your sister, you find yourself exploring an old abandoned house. But you soon find out that things are not as they seem.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 25.1%, Horror 17.1%, Puzzle 10%, Exploration 9.6%, Mystery 8.1%
- #50 Aporia: Beyond The Valley
70% matchVery Positive82% of 781 reviews2017
Dev: Invisible Walls
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 5.9 hrs≥1hr: 93%
CRYNEGINE Indie Game of 2017. Featuring an incredibly detailed ancient world and a breathtaking soundtrack, Aporia: Beyond the Valley takes open world storytelling to new heights of adventure.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 16.6%, Puzzle 13.7%, Atmospheric 11.6%, Adventure 10.1%, Great Soundtrack 9.9%
- #51 The Witness
68% matchVery Positive84% of 21,430 reviews2016
Dev: Thekla, Inc.
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 12.4 hrs≥1hr: 77%
You wake up, alone, on a strange island full of puzzles that will challenge and surprise you.
Why similar: Puzzle 28.8%, Walking Simulator 15.6%, Exploration 14.9%, First-Person 13%, Atmospheric 10%
- #52 The Initiate
70% matchMostly Positive78% of 205 reviews2017
Dev: Deceptive Games Ltd.
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 67%
The Initiate is a mystery puzzle game. You awake in a house full of traps and puzzles - This is your trial; complete it, or die!
Why similar: Great Soundtrack 22.9%, Puzzle 16.8%, Atmospheric 15.7%, Horror 14.3%, Adventure 12%
- #53 Cloudrooms
68% matchNo user reviews64% of 74 reviews2026
Dev: LIGHTWORKER GAMES
Windows
You are trapped in a corridor suspended above the clouds. Each time you open the door at the end of the corridor, explore the environment that awaits you, find anomalies, use the alarm, and break the loop.
Why similar: Walking Simulator 24%, Puzzle 12.7%, Atmospheric 12.3%, Mystery 11.8%, Exploration 11.5%
- #54 Leaving Lyndow
68% matchVery Positive82% of 1,185 reviews2017
Dev: Eastshade Studios
Windows
Median: 2.3 hrsMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 84%
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 36.7%, Great Soundtrack 19.8%, Atmospheric 15.3%, First-Person 12.9%, Adventure 8.2%
- #55 Portrait of a Torn
66% matchVery Positive86% of 69 reviews2024
Dev: Indigo Studios - Interactive StoriesPub: Firenut Games
Windows
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 26.5%, Mystery 15.1%, Atmospheric 15%, First-Person 12.5%, Exploration 12.4%
- #56 Cloud Climber
65% matchVery Positive92% of 4,157 reviews2021
Dev: Two Star Games
Windows
Median: 12 minMean: 2.9 hrs≥1hr: 11%
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 40%, Atmospheric 15.5%, First-Person 11.9%, Great Soundtrack 8.6%, Exploration 8.2%
- #57 Disoriented
67% matchVery Positive81% of 403 reviews2016
Dev: BrickCream
Windows
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 7.0 hrs≥1hr: 79%
A first-person puzzle game. Simply walk to the door.
Why similar: Puzzle 44.4%, First-Person 27.1%, Atmospheric 14.2%, Indie 11.1%, Singleplayer 3.2%
- #58 The Room Two
64% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 21,825 reviews2016
Dev: Fireproof Games
Windows
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 4.4 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Unique events transport you to the halls of a long-forgotten crypt. The only means of escape lies locked within a stone pedestal, along with a note from your mysterious ally. His words promise assistance, but only serve to entice you into a compelling world of mystery and exploration.
Why similar: Puzzle 33.9%, Mystery 21.7%, Atmospheric 14.2%, Horror 11.3%, Great Soundtrack 4.3%
- #59 Shifting To The Backrooms
64% matchVery Positive87% of 76 reviews2026
Dev: Oopsome Games
Windows
Experience Will's complicated story, find a way out of the nightmare of liminal spaces by solving challenging puzzles and avoiding dangerous entities — all this awaits you in "Shifting To The Backrooms".
Why similar: Walking Simulator 19.9%, Horror 14.2%, Puzzle 13.7%, First-Person 11.5%, Exploration 11%