Games Like POOLS

The most relaxing horror game you'll ever play. Anemoiapolis exists in the uncanny valley of American architecture -- endless carpeted floors and lonely malls. Escape for your life, and enjoy the scenery.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 20%, Psychological Horror 18.7%, Surreal 14.2%, Realistic 11.8%, First-Person 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: Captures the exact essence of liminal space exploration with a focus on surreal, empty environments.

You are trapped in an endless underground passageway. Observe your surroundings carefully to reach "The Exit 8".

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.4%, Psychological Horror 19%, Surreal 12.8%, First-Person 8.8%, Realistic 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in repetitive, uncanny architecture that forces players to pay close attention to subtle environmental shifts.

Experience liminal spaces like never before. Dreamcore is the ultimate psychological exploration game, set in the largest liminal world ever made. No guides, no path—only intuition. Will you keep your bearings in a world designed to make you lose them?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 15.6%, Psychological Horror 11.8%, Surreal 11.1%, Nonlinear 8.5%, Realistic 7.5%

Why You'll Like It: Features a distinct dreamlike aesthetic that mirrors the unsettling, nostalgic, and surreal nature of POOLS.

Subliminal is a psychological horror game inspired by the urban legend of The Backrooms. Bleeding edge lighting and rendering, handcrafted open-ended levels, light and perspective-based puzzles, nostalgic spaces, unfamiliar faces, and a rotting feeling that something is not quite right.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 22.2%, Surreal 20%, Realistic 16.8%, Atmospheric 10.2%, First-Person 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: Utilizes hyper-realistic graphics to create a sense of isolation and disorientation within vast, empty structures.

Explore and admire while navigate through eerie, surreal environments inspired by the Backrooms lore. Explore this uncanny world lost in time and get lost in the otherworldly architecture in a world where reality bends and your sanity is tested.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 23.2%, Psychological Horror 16.6%, Realistic 10.8%, Surreal 10.2%, Atmospheric 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: Directly inspired by the backrooms aesthetic, focusing on the quiet, unsettling nature of empty, non-Euclidean spaces.

You are trapped on a train that runs forever. Keep an eye out for anomalies and find a way out.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.7%, Psychological Horror 23.2%, Realistic 11.5%, Exploration 7.7%, First-Person 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: A direct spiritual successor to the liminal horror genre, focusing on identifying anomalies in a repetitive, eerie transit environment.

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: Surreal 34.5%, Psychological Horror 24%, First-Person 16.1%, Exploration 9.8%, Minimalist 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: Explores perspective and surreal geometry, offering a mind-bending experience that feels like navigating a lucid dream.

NaissanceE is an obscure and magical first person exploration game, a philosophical trip and an artistic experience. The adventure takes place in a primitive mysterious structure and the game mainly consists to explore and feel the deep and strong ambiance of this atemporal world.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 31.9%, Surreal 20.5%, Exploration 15.4%, Atmospheric 13.1%, First-Person 10.8%

Why You'll Like It: An abstract, architectural exploration game that perfectly captures the feeling of being small within an infinite, surreal space.

An exploration game that delves into the depths of loneliness. Wander through empty rooms, search for signs of an abandoned world, and listen to the sounds around you. No dangerous chases, just silence and an empty world to explore.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.1%, Psychological Horror 16.2%, Surreal 14.3%, Realistic 10.2%, Exploration 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses heavily on the exploration of empty, uncanny environments that evoke a strong sense of nostalgia and unease.

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: Surreal 26.9%, Nonlinear 15.1%, First-Person 11.7%, Exploration 10%, Atmospheric 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal architectural puzzle game that challenges your perception of space and gravity in a beautiful, infinite world.

Walking simulator. Explore cozy liminal spaces that feel unsettlingly familiar and spark your imagination, like a dream you’ve been in before.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 21.6%, Psychological Horror 15.1%, Surreal 10.7%, Nonlinear 8.5%, Exploration 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: Expands on the surreal, dream-like exploration of the original with more complex, shifting environments.

Dive into a realistic experience of the Backrooms, without jumpscares, getting lost in impossible spaces and feeling like something is watching you. The uncertainty of not knowing where you're going will make you want to quit… Will you be able to make it to the end?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 21.3%, Psychological Horror 16.7%, Realistic 10.6%, Nonlinear 9.5%, Escape Room 7.8% ★

Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror experience that leans into the liminality of hotel corridors and the fear of being trapped in a loop.

When a routine expedition into The Complex goes horribly wrong, you're left alone and lost, wandering the seemingly infinite maze of hallways, otherwise known as the Backrooms. Might there be something following you?

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.4%, Realistic 22.8%, Exploration 13.4%, First-Person 8.4%, Walking Simulator 6.4%

Why You'll Like It: Delivers a grounded, realistic take on the backrooms phenomenon, emphasizing the oppressive nature of endless, repetitive hallways.

Explore, Listen and Observe. LIMINAL WATERS is a liminal space exploration game. Discover a large facility with diverse rooms and themes and be enchanted by the radiant beauty of Unreal Engine 5.6. Relaxation, anxiety, confusion or familiarity? The mysterious Poolrooms are waiting for you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 38.5%, Surreal 20.8%, Realistic 14.3%, Relaxing 10.2%, Atmospheric 7.1%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the specific aesthetic of indoor pools and water-based liminal spaces, mirroring the core theme of the seed game.

Glitchhikers is a surreal journey through the spaces between places. A late night drive, a deserted airport lounge, a moonlit walk through an empty park, a quiet carriage on an overnight train. Who will you meet? What will you talk about? Where will the journey take you? Find yourself along the way.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27.5%, Nonlinear 22%, Atmospheric 15.6%, Minimalist 10.5%, First-Person 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the liminality of transit spaces and the surreal, introspective conversations that occur in the middle of the night.

Liminal Shift is a unique atmospheric suspense game developed using the latest Unreal Engine 5 technologies such as Lumen and Nanite. With every step you take, Liminal Shift pushes you deeper into an eerie, unsettling experience like no other.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 20.8%, Psychological Horror 13.7%, Surreal 13.4%, Realistic 10.2%, First-Person 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: A dedicated exploration of liminal spaces that prioritizes atmosphere and the feeling of being watched in empty locations.

Your job at the Cabin Factory is simple: inspect the cabins and decide on whether they’re haunted or not. If you do find any anomalies, get out…immediately.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.3%, Psychological Horror 28.2%, Realistic 11%, Atmospheric 9.6%, First-Person 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: Uses immersive-sim elements to create a grounded but deeply unsettling atmosphere in a secluded, strange location.

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 46.9%, Surreal 15.5%, Atmospheric 12.2%, First-Person 10.7%, Psychological Horror 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: A deeply introspective walking simulator that explores the surreal and often confusing nature of game design and personal expression.

Luto is a psychological horror experience where you take on the role of someone unable to leave their home. Every attempt to escape will lead you deeper into the unknown, where nothing is as it seems and everything will test your senses.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 29.7%, Psychological Horror 24%, Realistic 9.1%, Atmospheric 8.3%, Exploration 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: A cinematic psychological horror game that focuses on the claustrophobia of a home that refuses to let you leave.

Enter the lost world of Kairo. Explore vast abandoned monuments. Bring strange and ancient machinery back to life. Slowly uncover the true purpose of Kairo and fulfil a great destiny.Kairo is an atmospheric 3D exploration and puzzle solving game.

Why similar: Surreal 26.3%, Walking Simulator 17.2%, Exploration 15.9%, Atmospheric 14.6%, First-Person 12.8%

Why You'll Like It: An abstract, minimalist exploration game that relies on atmosphere and architectural discovery rather than explicit narrative.

Scanner Sombre is a 3d horror cave exploration game where darkness is your greatest foe. Illuminate the unseen with your LIDAR scanner, revealing the eerie beauty and peril of the abyss. From the creators of Prison Architect, this immersive adventure uses light and shadow for a haunting experience.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 41.5%, Psychological Horror 15.2%, Exploration 13.8%, Atmospheric 13.5%, First-Person 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: Uses a unique point-cloud visual style to make the act of exploring dark, enclosed spaces feel both claustrophobic and beautiful.

Placed in a world without change, you must create fate by watering an ancient plant. Determine a future and live with it.

Why similar: Surreal 26.2%, Psychological Horror 17.5%, Atmospheric 14.5%, Walking Simulator 11.7%, First-Person 11.6%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, low-poly exploration game that feels like a fever dream, emphasizing atmosphere and strange, cryptic environments.

If you scream, you restart. A jumpscare horror simulator where you walk through a pitch black forest and escape by reaching 8:00 AM.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 26.5%, Walking Simulator 25.5%, Realistic 13%, Atmospheric 9%, First-Person 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: A short, atmospheric horror experience that relies on the player's silence and presence to build tension in a realistic forest setting.

You're trapped in an endlessly looping art gallery — familiar, yet uncanny. If you can notice the changes, maybe you can find your way out.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 35.8%, Psychological Horror 27.4%, First-Person 10.2%, Realistic 9.9%, Exploration 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: An exploration-heavy horror game that uses surreal art and architecture to create a sense of disorientation.

Unpredictable horrors lurk around every corner, forcing you to find the missing people while desperately clinging to survival. In this experience even your own mind can become your enemy. Stay vigilant and keep your voice hushed, or risk becoming another victim of the forest's darkness

Why similar: Psychological Horror 29%, Realistic 18.6%, Walking Simulator 16.6%, First-Person 9.8%, Exploration 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: Uses realistic, body-cam style visuals to heighten the tension of exploring an eerie, isolated environment.

Longing for light, a sunless world begins devouring itself. Every step shifts the landscape beneath you as you search for what remains of her.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27%, Surreal 20%, Psychological Horror 19.6%, Exploration 7.5%, Atmospheric 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: A psychedelic, surreal walking simulator that uses unique visual styles to create an otherworldly, dreamlike atmosphere.

A slow burn walking sim with an interactive soundtrack and horror vibes. You explore abstract locations and create your own unique sound for each of them by moving around and using Monoliths.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.8%, Psychological Horror 20.4%, Surreal 19.7%, Atmospheric 8.8%, First-Person 6.5%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, atmospheric walking simulator that focuses on the discovery of strange, ancient structures in a desolate landscape.

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: Immersive 28.6% ★, Psychological Horror 21.1%, Walking Simulator 15.5%, First-Person 8.6%, Atmospheric 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in shifting environments and psychological horror, where the architecture itself changes to reflect the protagonist's mental state.

Smuggle contraband VHS tapes across the border. Discover the remnants of illicit industry. Prepare for an assassination. This is Paratopic, an atmospheric retro-3D horror adventure through a cursed fever dream.

Why similar: Surreal 33.8%, Psychological Horror 19.8%, Walking Simulator 17.6%, Atmospheric 12.4%, First-Person 4.5%

Why You'll Like It: A short, unsettling experience that uses surreal imagery and disjointed storytelling to create a lingering sense of dread.

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 25.7%, Psychological Horror 25.4%, Atmospheric 11.6%, Exploration 10.1%, First-Person 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the logic of dreams and surreal exploration, providing a disorienting experience that feels disconnected from reality.

LiDAR Exploration Program is a relaxing atmospheric game with light horror elements, where you explore in complete darkness using a scanner to reveal the world around you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.8%, Psychological Horror 24.1%, Atmospheric 12.6%, Exploration 10.5%, First-Person 9.6%

Inside the Backrooms is a horror multiplayer game mixed with different mechanics that will make you spend an intense night with friends. Explore, think, interact, but be careful, it is rumored that there are several entities wishing to find you...

Why similar: Psychological Horror 36.8%, Multiplayer 13.7%, First-Person 11.6%, Exploration 11%, Atmospheric 10.5%

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: Walking Simulator 27.6%, Psychological Horror 24.8%, Underwater 11.6% ★, First-Person 9.9%, Atmospheric 9.7%

Step into an uncanny building trapped in endless loops. Use the elevator, uncover unsettling anomalies, and evade the Entity lurking behind you. Liminal Exit is an immersive game inspired by liminal spaces and Exit 8. Explore 3 liminal space floors and track anomalies to escape, but watch your back!

Why similar: Walking Simulator 25.8%, Psychological Horror 16.8%, Surreal 14.3%, Nonlinear 11.5%, Realistic 10.1%

Visage is a first-person psychological horror game. Explore a mysterious ever-changing house in a slow-paced, atmospheric world that combines both uncannily comforting and horrifyingly realistic environments, and enjoy a genuinely terrifying experience.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 38.1%, Walking Simulator 13.6%, First-Person 8.4%, Surreal 8.2%, Realistic 7.6%

Experience the liminal world of the backrooms through a VHS camera, immersing into a mysterious story and wandering the dream-like structures... Might there be something following you?

Why similar: Psychological Horror 23%, Walking Simulator 21.9%, Realistic 12.3%, First-Person 9.7%, Exploration 8.5%

You arrive at a deserted street that feels familiar yet is filled with unease. Pick up your camera, capture the hidden anomalies, and break this endless loop.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 29.3%, Psychological Horror 21.1%, Surreal 14.5%, Realistic 10.9%, First-Person 9%

SKUF BACKROOMS is a psychological horror game that takes the player to the Backrooms level, consisting of intertwining transition zones of post-Soviet living spaces.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.9%, Psychological Horror 21.7%, Realistic 13.5%, Surreal 10.1%, Atmospheric 9%

Liminal City is a psychological horror and exploration game based on found footage, set in Backrooms Level 11. Walk through the streets of Level 11, filled with soulless buildings, dynamically moving to different levels and searching for a way out. Once you fall in here will you be able to get out?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.3%, Psychological Horror 21.6%, Realistic 13.6%, Atmospheric 8.1%, Exploration 7.9%

You work in the cinema as an usher and accidentally fell into the Backrooms, now being trapped, needing to unravel the mysteries of the yellow rooms in order to get out of this place, but be careful, there are entities that will be in your way.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 25%, Surreal 19.6%, Realistic 13.3%, Atmospheric 10.4%, Exploration 9.9%

ROUTINE is a First Person Sci-Fi Horror set on an abandoned lunar base designed around an 80s vision of the future. Explore and investigate your surroundings as you survive against unknown threats.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.1%, Psychological Horror 25.8%, Atmospheric 11.8%, First-Person 9.7%, Exploration 8.8%

Seybul Tech is a walking simulator. Navigate as an office employee, confronting peculiar encounters while in search of an exit from this enigmatic abyss.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.6%, Psychological Horror 21.2%, Surreal 17.7%, Realistic 8.5%, Exploration 7%

A short horror game where you pilot a tiny submarine through an ocean of blood on an alien moon.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 22.6%, Underwater 15.7% ★, Walking Simulator 15.2%, Atmospheric 10.6%, Minimalist 7.5%

This is an indie horror from the first person, in which you find yourself in an area called Kowloon in search of cheap housing. The inhabitants of this place only at first glance seem to be ordinary people, but if we dig deeper, we will see their real faces.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.2%, Psychological Horror 24.4%, Realistic 12.9%, Atmospheric 11.6%, First-Person 8.7%

Welcome to a world where you are lost between consciousness and dreams. As you wander the dark corridors of an old hotel, face the games your mind plays on you. Your memories linger like a shadow following you. But there's nowhere to escape... Are you ready to confront your darkest fears?

Why similar: Psychological Horror 29.2%, Walking Simulator 23.1%, Realistic 11.8%, Atmospheric 11.6%, Exploration 9.4%

Explore terrifying liminal spaces. Horror walking simulator with reality-bending platforming and supernatural threats. Get lost between dimensions.

Why similar: Realistic 18%, Exploration 13.3%, Psychological Horror 12.8%, Minimalist 12%, First-Person 11.7%

Noah Baker, an 18 year old highschooler experiences unsettling occurrences while house-sitting for a media personality, little did he know what was about to unfold that night.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 30.9%, Walking Simulator 22.5%, Realistic 13.3%, Atmospheric 13.2%, Exploration 8.6%

Dive into the mysteries of the Backrooms with a solo-developed survival game. Explore eerie hallways, uncover secrets alone or in multiplayer (up to 6 players), and take on unique challenges.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 26.4%, Realistic 16.7%, Nonlinear 16.3%, First-Person 12.5%, Atmospheric 10.7%

Chorus of Carcosa is a first-person psychological horror game about an anxious sculptor who is trapped in a dark and ever-changing building. Stay silent, survive its twisted labyrinths and escape the monsters. Just don’t lose your way in the shadows or within your own mind.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 23.3%, Psychological Horror 18.1%, Surreal 15.4%, Realistic 10.6%, Atmospheric 7.9%

You are trapped in a small house, suffering from psychosis with no memory. Carefully observe your surroundings to distinguish reality from hallucinations, and overcome your illness by taking medication from visitors at the right time.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 34.5%, Psychological Horror 16.6%, Realistic 16.1%, First-Person 11%, Atmospheric 7.5%

You are wetware, working a mysterious job.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.2%, Psychological Horror 21.7%, Surreal 18.8%, First-Person 9.4%, Atmospheric 8.6%

Snap your own homemade liminal space photos using a mysterious SLR camera as you explore a variety of empty, strange, and familiar spaces.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 40.9%, Exploration 16.2%, Atmospheric 15.8%, First-Person 10.4%, Relaxing 7%

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 24.6%, Psychological Horror 22.3%, Surreal 15.5%, First-Person 10%, Exploration 8.7%

An indie psychological horror experience about surviving infinity. Navigate an endless expanse of rooms, ascend through various levels, gather items and artifacts, avoid going insane, evade corrupted entities, and see just how deep the realm known as The Backrooms goes.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 30.2%, Psychological Horror 27.9%, Surreal 12.9%, First-Person 9.4%, Relaxing 5.9%

The Classrooms is a procedural, liminal-space, found-footage, survival horror game. Explore The Classrooms and discover the various anomalies it contains; from malicious entities, to harmless oddities. And remember, it's different every time you play, so your found footage is uniquely yours.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 27.7%, Surreal 25.4%, Atmospheric 11.2%, First-Person 10.9%, Exploration 10.9%

Shinkansen 0 | 新幹線 0号 is a game set in Japan where players are tasked with finding anomalies in the Shinkansen. (Japanese bullet train)

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28%, Walking Simulator 26.1%, Realistic 17.7%, Immersive 9.9% ★, First-Person 6.8%

Spot anomalies and uncover hidden clues to escape an office where overwork turns strange and experiments happen more often than coffee breaks.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.9%, Psychological Horror 19.5%, Surreal 16.2%, Realistic 10.2%, First-Person 8.2%

RESTORER is a classic walking simulator set in an old, atmospheric mansion. Something roams the halls… It wants to share its secret—with the price being your sanity.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.2%, Psychological Horror 25.1%, Realistic 15.4%, Atmospheric 10.5%, Dark 4%

You woke up in some basement and don't remember who you are or how you ended up here... But what you do know is that you need to get out of here...

Why similar: Walking Simulator 30.2%, Psychological Horror 23.7%, Realistic 16.2%, Atmospheric 10.2%, Dark 4.9%

An atmospheric horror journey between reality and madness. Three paths lie ahead only one is free of anomalies. Observe closely. Choose wisely. Save the lost souls.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 37.1%, Psychological Horror 32.2%, Atmospheric 10.9%, First-Person 7.2%, Dark 4.7%