Games Like Outer Wilds

The Forgotten City is a narrative-driven time loop adventure in ancient Rome. Discover the ruins of an ancient underground city, travel 2000 years into the past, and unravel the mystery of who destroyed it by cleverly exploiting the power to wind back time. The fate of the city is in your hands.

Why similar: Mystery 21.6%, Great Soundtrack 20%, Exploration 15.5%, Story Rich 11.4%, Open World 9%

Why You'll Like It: Another mystery built around repeating a doomed cycle, where each loop lets you learn, shortcut, and unravel a larger secret.

Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

Why similar: Mystery 31.4%, Great Soundtrack 20.1%, Story Rich 13%, Puzzle 11.8%, Atmospheric 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: Like Outer Wilds, it is driven by pure player deduction, rewarding careful observation and the satisfaction of connecting scattered clues into a complete truth.

Uncover a story of intrigue, betrayal, and a civilization teetering on the brink of collapse as you solve intricate puzzles to unlock the secrets of Riven. Built from the ground-up and expanded from the award-winning original game released in 1997.

Why similar: Mystery 21.4%, Exploration 20%, Puzzle 13.7%, Story Rich 13.3%, Atmospheric 10%

Why You'll Like It: A deeply atmospheric first-person mystery where understanding an intricately designed world is the real progression system.

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

Why similar: Puzzle 21.2%, Exploration 19.4%, Open World 16.7%, First-Person 8.8%, Mystery 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the same solitary, curiosity-led discovery as you explore an open island whose puzzles and hidden rules gradually recontextualize everything.

In this award-winning puzzle adventure game, play as the Traveler on a quest to reunite the Peoples of the Tower. Observe, listen, and decipher ancient languages in a fascinating universe inspired by the Myth of Babel.

Why similar: Puzzle 27%, Great Soundtrack 20.2%, Adventure 10.3%, Mystery 9.1%, Atmospheric 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: This is another game about learning how an unfamiliar world works through observation, pattern-matching, and deciphering meaning.

An archaeologist uncovers a lost history in an ancient space Nebula. Award-winning narrative adventure game with hieroglyphic language puzzles, from the creators of 80 DAYS.

Why similar: Mystery 21.3%, Exploration 12.8%, Space 12.5%, Sci-fi 10.9%, Great Soundtrack 9%

Why You'll Like It: Its archaeological sci-fi story and language deciphering make exploration feel like genuine discovery in a way that strongly echoes Outer Wilds.

Explore a land filled with lost legends, ancient powers, and ferocious monsters in TUNIC, an isometric action game about a small fox on a big adventure.

Why similar: Exploration 49.2%, Puzzle 27.9%, Atmospheric 13.3%, 3D 4.3%, Indie 3.7%

Why You'll Like It: Beneath the cute exterior is a dense web of secrets, environmental clues, and knowledge-gated exploration that scratches the same "figure it out yourself" itch.

The Talos Principle is a first-person puzzle game in the tradition of philosophical science fiction. Made by Croteam and written by Tom Jubert (FTL, The Swapper) and Jonas Kyratzes (The Sea Will Claim Everything).

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 21.1%, Puzzle 19.3%, Story Rich 11.3%, Sci-fi 10.9%, Atmospheric 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its philosophical sci-fi mystery and contemplative first-person puzzles evoke the same blend of wonder, loneliness, and big questions.

Descend into the depths of an alien underwater world filled with wonder and peril. Craft equipment, pilot submarines and out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, cave systems, and more - all while trying to survive.

Why similar: Open World 24.8%, Exploration 22.9%, Horror 16.9%, Sci-fi 9.5%, First-Person 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: Its handcrafted alien world delivers the same sense of awe, fear, and self-directed discovery, even if survival systems play a bigger role.

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: Mystery 20.5%, Exploration 20%, Puzzle 14.5%, Adventure 10.6%, First-Person 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: From the creators of Myst, it offers immersive environmental puzzles and the pleasure of slowly understanding a mysterious place.

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: Space 27.7%, Puzzle 15.9%, Sci-fi 13.5%, Great Soundtrack 12.7%, Atmospheric 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: This melancholic sci-fi puzzler shares Outer Wilds' lonely space setting, existential undertones, and focus on thoughtful discovery.

Observation is a sci-fi thriller uncovering what happened to Dr. Emma Fisher, and the crew of her mission, through the lens of the station’s artificial intelligence S.A.M.

Why similar: Space 29.7%, Adventure 12.4%, Sci-fi 10.7%, Horror 8.6%, Mystery 7.2%

Why You'll Like It: Piecing together what happened aboard a space station creates the same cosmic unease and narrative intrigue, just from a more constrained perspective.

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: Mystery 17.9%, Great Soundtrack 16.2%, Story Rich 13.6%, Exploration 12.1%, Atmospheric 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: It shares Outer Wilds' atmospheric solitude and central mystery, though it is much more narrative-led and less systemic.

The Sexy Brutale — a never-ending masked ball featuring intrigue, murder and the (quite possibly) occult! Relive the same mysterious day where the guests at the casino mansion are being murdered by the staff over and over again...

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 29.2%, Mystery 28.4%, Puzzle 15.1%, Story Rich 11%, Adventure 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: It turns a repeating day into an investigative puzzle box, rewarding experimentation and route optimization across interconnected spaces.

Play as an Artificial Intelligence guiding a stranded xenobiologist through a beautiful and mysterious alien ocean. A non-violent sci-fi story, enter a world of wonder, fear and vulnerability, unraveling the history and ecology of an impossible planet. What will you discover together?

Why similar: Beautiful 20.9% ★, Great Soundtrack 14.7%, Exploration 12.4%, Space 8.8%, Story Rich 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a quieter but similarly contemplative form of sci-fi discovery as you study alien ecosystems and piece together a mystery.

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

Why similar: Space 32.5%, Mystery 22.2%, Sci-fi 14.4%, Story Rich 12.8%, Adventure 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: It channels Outer Wilds' reflective sci-fi tone through slow, atmospheric exploration of an alien world full of unanswered questions.

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: Mystery 20.6%, Story Rich 15.9%, Puzzle 14.8%, Exploration 14.3%, First-Person 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: A gorgeous first-person adventure focused on exploration, environmental puzzles, and uncovering a strange ancient mystery.

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: Space 26%, Story Rich 12.8%, Mystery 12.2%, Exploration 11.7%, Sci-fi 11.4%

Why You'll Like It: Unraveling a vanished space-station crew through environmental storytelling gives it a similar exploratory sci-fi mystery appeal.

Explore a dense, interconnected labyrinth, and unravel its many secrets. Collect items to manipulate your environment in surprising and meaningful ways. Encounter beautiful and unsettling creatures, as you attempt to survive what lurks in the dark. There is more than what you see.

Why similar: Exploration 27.4%, Mystery 20.9%, Puzzle 15.7%, Horror 13.2%, Atmospheric 11%

Why You'll Like It: It is a masterclass in knowledge-based progression, where the world opens up because you understand its hidden logic rather than because you leveled up.

The Moon has gone dark, cutting off Earth’s last source of energy. As a lone astronaut, you’ll explore abandoned lunar bases, solve intricate puzzles, and navigate stunning zero-gravity environments. Operate advanced vehicles, uncover hidden truths, and survive in this gripping sci-fi thriller.

Why similar: Space 34.7%, Adventure 10%, Sci-fi 9.8%, Mystery 9.7%, Story Rich 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: A cinematic space adventure with environmental storytelling and a strong sense of isolation, even if it is more guided and linear.

Rediscover gravity and explore an Escher-esque world of impossible architecture. Witness infinity in first-person and master its rules to solve physics-defying puzzles. Cultivate a garden to open new paths forward, where an eternal expanse awaits.

Why similar: Exploration 22.8%, Mystery 22.4%, Puzzle 18.5%, Atmospheric 12.3%, First-Person 12.2%

Why You'll Like It: Its impossible architecture and perception-based puzzles deliver a similar sense of wonder and world-scale design, if in a more abstract form.

In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever – but things have gone terribly wrong. The space station has been overrun by hostile aliens and you are now being hunted.

Why similar: Space 24.5%, Great Soundtrack 11.6%, Sci-fi 11.5%, Exploration 9.5%, Story Rich 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: The space-station exploration, environmental storytelling, and uncovering of layered sci-fi mysteries make it a worthwhile heavier alternative.

A strange signal... an alien craft... an interplanetary, gravity-defying journey through space and time.

Why similar: Space 32%, Exploration 16.4%, Mystery 13.3%, Atmospheric 10.7%, Story Rich 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: It does not offer much mystery-solving, but its hypnotic traversal and cosmic atmosphere strongly echo Outer Wilds' feeling of spaceflight and wonder.

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: Exploration 27.8%, Puzzle 19%, Mystery 12.3%, Adventure 11.5%, Story Rich 11.3%

Why You'll Like It: The classic template for exploratory puzzle adventures, built around inhabiting a mysterious world and learning its systems through observation.

Paradise Island, a world outside reality. There’s been a murder that only "investigation freak" Lady Love Dies can solve. Gather evidence and interrogate suspects in this open world adventure. You can accuse anyone, but you’ll have to prove your case in trial. It’s up to you to decide who’s guilty.

Why similar: Mystery 23.1%, Open World 19.1%, Exploration 17.9%, Story Rich 14.6%, Atmospheric 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its open-ended detective structure rewards wandering, clue-collecting, and assembling the truth yourself instead of following a rigid path.

Embark on an unique and unforgettable journey and guide Sable through her Gliding; a rite of passage that will take her across vast deserts and mesmerizing landscapes, capped by the remains of spaceships and ancient wonders.

Why similar: Open World 20.4%, Exploration 19.8%, Story Rich 15.4%, Atmospheric 12.1%, Sci-fi 11.6%

Why You'll Like It: While less puzzle-heavy, it captures the joy of open-ended exploration, ancient ruins, and quiet wonder in a beautifully realized world.

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

Why similar: Beautiful 40.7% ★, Great Soundtrack 21.3%, Exploration 11.9%, Atmospheric 8.8%, Adventure 5%

Play the critically acclaimed masterpiece. Embark on a new journey in a vast, exotic world where you’ll encounter towering enemies and challenging puzzles on your quest to unravel Ori’s destiny.

Why similar: Beautiful 40.2% ★, Great Soundtrack 25.2%, Exploration 7.5%, Story Rich 6.4%, Atmospheric 5.3%

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: Mystery 22.2%, Exploration 15.1%, Open World 11.8%, Puzzle 11.8%, Story Rich 11.2%

Why You'll Like It: A modern Myst-like with strong environmental puzzles and an inviting sense of being dropped into a place you must understand on its own terms.

The Solus Project is a single player exploration adventure with survival elements. The adventure is set on a mysterious planet and is the spiritual successor to The Ball - 2010 PC Gamer Action/Adventure Game Of The Year...

Why similar: Space 19.2%, Exploration 17.1%, Sci-fi 11%, Open World 7.4%, Mystery 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: Exploring a hostile alien planet and uncovering remnants of a lost civilization gives it a strong lonely-survival-mystery vibe.

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: Mystery 23.4%, Exploration 15.5%, Open World 12%, Story Rich 11.4%, Puzzle 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: If your favorite part of Outer Wilds was following environmental clues to solve a large mystery, this leans hard into that detective side.

Gomez is a 2D creature living in a 2D world. Or is he? When the existence of a mysterious 3rd dimension is revealed to him, Gomez is sent out on a journey that will take him to the very end of time and space. Use your ability to navigate 3D structures from 4 distinct classic 2D perspectives.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 30%, Exploration 17.7%, Puzzle 17.6%, Beautiful 12.8% ★, Mystery 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: Its secret-laden world and emphasis on decoding hidden layers reward the same kind of obsessive curiosity and knowledge-driven progression.

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: Story Rich 20.1%, Great Soundtrack 17.3%, Mystery 16.7%, Exploration 12.3%, Atmospheric 10.9%

No Man's Sky is a game about exploration and survival in an infinite procedurally generated universe.

Why similar: Space 35.2%, Open World 20.3%, Exploration 17%, Sci-fi 9.9%, First-Person 5.2%

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: Great Soundtrack 38.1%, Story Rich 19.2%, Puzzle 10%, Atmospheric 9.7%, Exploration 8.3%

An interactive thriller about a man trapped in a time loop. Featuring James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe.

Why similar: Mystery 29.4%, Story Rich 15%, Puzzle 13.6%, Great Soundtrack 11.8%, Adventure 7.8%

From the creators of What Remains of Edith Finch. Enter the surreal world of The Unfinished Swan and explore a mysterious, hidden kingdom by splatting paint to reveal the world around you.

Why similar: Exploration 20.3%, Mystery 14.7%, Beautiful 14.2% ★, Puzzle 13.2%, Great Soundtrack 8%

Maquette is a first-person recursive puzzle game that takes you into a world where every building, plant, and object are simultaneously tiny and staggeringly huge.

Why similar: Beautiful 24.6% ★, Great Soundtrack 13.1%, Puzzle 11.5%, Mystery 10.6%, First-Person 7.9%

Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4.

Why similar: Space 32.5%, Open World 16%, Exploration 11.5%, Sci-fi 9.6%, Great Soundtrack 8.5%

“Ori and the Blind Forest” tells the tale of a young orphan destined for heroics, through a visually stunning Action-Platformer crafted by Moon Studios.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 45.6%, Atmospheric 14.2%, Story Rich 11.4%, Beautiful 9.2% ★, Adventure 5.6%

Winner of over 80 awards, Control is a visually stunning third-person action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Why similar: Epic 17% ★, Story Rich 15.9%, Sci-fi 11.4%, Horror 10.5%, Atmospheric 10%

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: Puzzle 33.1%, Exploration 24.7%, First-Person 16.1%, Great Soundtrack 7.1%, Indie 5.7%

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: Exploration 16%, Great Soundtrack 15.8%, Mystery 14.5%, Puzzle 10.4%, Atmospheric 9.2%

Explore a beautiful, vast and ruined world riddled with dangers and lost technologies.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 49.9%, Atmospheric 14.4%, Exploration 13.9%, Adventure 7.9%, Sci-fi 5.6%

The Outer Worlds is an award-winning single-player RPG from Obsidian Entertainment and Private Division. As you explore a space colony, the character you decide to become will determine how this player-driven story unfolds. In the colony's corporate equation, you are the unplanned variable.

Why similar: Space 23.7%, Open World 21.9%, Exploration 17.2%, Story Rich 11.8%, Sci-fi 9.8%

The Talos Principle 2 is a thought-provoking first-person puzzle experience that greatly expands on the first game's philosophical themes and stunning environments with increasingly mind-bending challenges.

Why similar: Exploration 19.8%, Story Rich 18.4%, Puzzle 17%, Mystery 15.9%, Sci-fi 15%

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

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 24.7%, Beautiful 24.2% ★, Exploration 23.3%, Open World 14.4%, Adventure 7.3%

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

Why similar: Beautiful 29.1% ★, Exploration 13.4%, Mystery 9.5%, Atmospheric 9.1%, Open World 8.2%

Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality.

Why similar: Beautiful 49.3% ★, Great Soundtrack 25.2%, Atmospheric 9.1%, Story Rich 4.6%, Puzzle 3%

From the creators of the award-winning Hyper Light Drifter comes the high-speed and gravity-bending world of Solar Ash.

Why similar: Space 25.5%, Exploration 24.4%, Atmospheric 11%, Sci-fi 11%, Adventure 10.4%

The Turing Test is a challenging first-person puzzle game set on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. You are Ava Turing, an engineer for the International Space Agency (ISA) sent to discover the cause behind the disappearance of the ground crew stationed there.

Why similar: Space 29.6%, Puzzle 14.8%, Great Soundtrack 12.7%, Sci-fi 12.3%, First-Person 8.4%

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

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 30.7%, Beautiful 22.2% ★, Exploration 17.1%, Atmospheric 12.5%, Open World 4.9%

Help Madeline survive her inner demons on her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain, in this super-tight platformer from the creators of TowerFall. Brave hundreds of hand-crafted challenges, uncover devious secrets, and piece together the mystery of the mountain.

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 60.9%, Story Rich 12.8%, Exploration 6.7%, Atmospheric 6.1%, Indie 5.5%

Control a herd of charming creatures called Trebhum and explore an unforgettable alien world filled with exotic lifeforms and surreal environments. Discover dozens of mutations to overcome puzzles, explore new biomes, and survive on a dangerous planet.

Why similar: Open World 25.2%, Exploration 23.6%, Story Rich 19.2%, Atmospheric 12.7%, Puzzle 9.6%

Rebel Galaxy is a swashbuckling space adventure, with action-packed combat, exploration, discovery, trade, and “negotiation” with the outlandish denizens at the edge of the known universe.

Why similar: Space 43.8%, Great Soundtrack 19.4%, Open World 13.6%, Sci-fi 9.2%, Exploration 4%

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

Why similar: Horror 15.6%, Exploration 15.2%, Story Rich 14.7%, Psychological Horror 13.3%, Atmospheric 11.4%

Perception is reality. In this mind-bending first-person puzzler, you escape a surreal dream world through solving impossible puzzles using the ambiguity of depth and perspective.

Why similar: Puzzle 23.7%, Exploration 19.9%, Story Rich 18.1%, First-Person 14.8%, Psychological Horror 12%

Dive into a freezing underwater adventure on an alien planet. Below Zero is set two years after the original Subnautica. Return to Planet 4546B to uncover the truth behind a deadly cover-up. Survive by building habitats, crafting tools, & diving deeper into the world of Subnautica.

Why similar: Open World 22.1%, Exploration 18.9%, Horror 13.6%, Story Rich 9.2%, Sci-fi 8.9%