Games Like The Forgotten City

Named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer, and The Guardian, Outer Wilds is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning open world mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop.

Why similar: Mystery 21.2%, Great Soundtrack 21%, Exploration 15.4%, Story Rich 11.2%, Open World 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: Like the seed game, it features a time loop and non-linear exploration to uncover the secrets of a dying civilization.

Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

Why similar: Mystery 35.2%, Great Soundtrack 16.9%, Story Rich 13.2%, Atmospheric 9%, First-Person 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: It shares a heavy focus on deductive reasoning and piecing together a mystery through observation and investigation.

Step into a living illustrated world in a time when Europe is at a crossroads of great religious and political change. Walk in the footsteps of Andreas Maler, a master artist who finds himself in the middle of murders, scandals, and intrigue in the Bavarian Alps.

Why similar: Investigation 30.6%, Mystery 17.4%, Multiple Endings 13.4%, Story Rich 11.7%, Choices Matter 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: This game offers a similar historical setting combined with deep, choice-driven narrative and investigation mechanics.

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

Why similar: Time Travel 48.2% ★, Mystery 18.2%, Story Rich 8.5%, Adventure 6.1%, Great Soundtrack 5.6%

Why You'll Like It: It centers entirely on a time loop mechanic where you must use information gathered from previous runs to change the outcome.

Eternal Threads is a single-player, first-person story-driven puzzle game of time manipulation, choice and consequence.

Why similar: Time Travel 32.9% ★, Investigation 16.3%, Mystery 10.6%, Choices Matter 10%, Multiple Endings 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: It features time manipulation and complex, choice-driven narrative consequences similar to the seed game.

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: Time Travel 47.1% ★, Mystery 19.5%, Great Soundtrack 15.1%, Story Rich 6.9%, Adventure 6%

Why You'll Like It: A time-loop mystery game where you must observe and intervene to prevent murders at a masked ball.

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: Great Soundtrack 23.4%, Adventure 19.3%, Mystery 15.9%, Atmospheric 12%, Exploration 11%

Why You'll Like It: It focuses on exploration and deciphering a mystery through language and observation in a beautifully realized world.

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: Investigation 21.2%, Mystery 13.1%, Choices Matter 11.4%, Multiple Endings 10.2%, Open World 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: An open-world investigation game that rewards exploration and gathering clues to solve a central mystery.

A new kind of detective game that allows you to think and investigate freely. Discover clues surrounding 12 strange and gruesome deaths and build your own theory. Pick your suspect, deduce the motive, unmask the awful truth.

Why similar: Investigation 35.2%, Mystery 24.5%, Choices Matter 12.7%, Story Rich 10.1%, Exploration 6.4%

Why You'll Like It: A brilliant detective game that requires you to piece together complex events through careful observation and deduction.

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 27.3%, Choices Matter 21.5%, Exploration 12.5%, Adventure 9.6%, Atmospheric 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: It features a unique archaeological mystery that requires you to translate an ancient language to uncover the truth.

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 23.2%, Story Rich 17%, Mystery 15.6%, Great Soundtrack 11.9%, Exploration 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in environmental storytelling that explores the history of a family through interactive, narrative-driven segments.

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut is a groundbreaking role playing game. You’re a detective with a unique skill system at your disposal and a whole city to carve your path across. Interrogate unforgettable characters, crack murders or take bribes. Become a hero or an absolute disaster of a human being.

Why similar: Choices Matter 27.4%, Story Rich 18.9%, RPG 16.5%, Great Soundtrack 8.8%, Atmospheric 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: It offers unparalleled depth in dialogue-based investigation and moral choices within a rich, narrative-heavy world.

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: Philosophical 33.5%, Walking Simulator 19.4%, Story Rich 12.5%, First-Person 11.8%, Mystery 11.8%

Why You'll Like It: It combines first-person exploration with deep philosophical questions and environmental puzzle-solving.

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: Investigation 20%, Mystery 16.5%, Walking Simulator 13.9%, Story Rich 11.5%, First-Person 11.5%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person narrative adventure that focuses on puzzle-solving and uncovering a deep, atmospheric mystery.

Roleplaying in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism. Live the life of an escaped worker, washed-up on a lawless station at the edge of an interstellar society. Inspired by the flexibility and freedom of TTRPGs, explore the station, choose your friends, escape your past and change your future.

Why similar: Multiple Endings 23%, Story Rich 18.6%, Exploration 16.1%, RPG 16.1%, Atmospheric 11.3%

Why You'll Like It: It emphasizes player agency and narrative choices in a sci-fi setting that feels as intimate and consequential as the seed game.

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: Investigation 15.8%, Mystery 14%, Philosophical 13%, Walking Simulator 12.9%, Exploration 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: A classic puzzle-adventure that rewards deep exploration and observation of its mysterious, self-contained world.

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 22.2%, Mystery 16.1%, Story Rich 11.1%, Great Soundtrack 10.9%, First-Person 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person narrative game that excels in building mystery and character connection through dialogue and exploration.

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 20.8%, Adventure 14.4%, First-Person 12.4%, Mystery 12.1%, Multiple Endings 11%

Why You'll Like It: The foundational first-person puzzle game that emphasizes environmental storytelling and uncovering the history of a strange place.

Take on the role of a private investigator in this immersive detective simulator. Solve murders and other crimes in a procedurally generated and persistent city where every NPC lives and breathes their own independent lives. Find the killer quickly… or they will kill again!

Why similar: Open World 28.1%, First-Person 24.7%, RPG 16.9%, Adventure 12.7%, Atmospheric 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: A procedural detective game that allows for total freedom in how you investigate and solve crimes in a persistent city.

Elsinore is a time-looping adventure game set in the world of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Elsinore combines strong social simulation elements, a dynamic story that reacts immediately to player decisions, and a world full of diverse characters with secrets to uncover.

Why similar: Time Travel 39.3% ★, Investigation 11.5%, Choices Matter 11.2%, Adventure 8.9%, Great Soundtrack 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: A time-loop adventure based on Hamlet where your choices significantly alter the fate of the characters.

You are a traveling painter, exploring the island of Eastshade. Capture the world on canvas using your artist’s easel. Talk to the inhabitants to learn about their lives. Make friends and help those in need. Visit cities, scale summits, unearth mysteries, and discover forgotten places!

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 13.5%, Open World 11.9%, Exploration 11.5%, Mystery 11%, First-Person 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: An exploration-focused RPG that prioritizes interacting with locals and solving problems in a peaceful, immersive world.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is an expanded re-imagining of 2013's The Stanley Parable. You will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will make a choice, and you will become powerless. You are not here to win. The Stanley Parable is a game that plays you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.9%, Choices Matter 18.8%, Multiple Endings 18.6%, First-Person 9.9%, Mystery 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: It uses meta-narrative and choice-based loops to challenge the player's perception of the game world.

A first‑person cyberpunk horror detective story set in a decaying, neon‑scarred future. As an Observer who invades minds to hunt for clues, you will sift through corrupted memories to track down a mysterious killer and confront your own dark past.

Why similar: Investigation 33.1%, Walking Simulator 22.3%, Choices Matter 12.9%, First-Person 10.9%, Multiple Endings 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a dark, atmospheric investigation experience that leans heavily into mystery and first-person exploration.

The Gnosia lie. Pretending to be human, they’ll get in close, trick and deceive, and then eliminate one victim at a time...

Why similar: Time Travel 57.7% ★, Mystery 17.1%, Story Rich 10%, Atmospheric 5.4%, Adventure 5.3%

Why You'll Like It: A unique blend of time loops and social deduction that forces you to identify the culprit through repeated cycles.

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: Great Soundtrack 20.5%, Atmospheric 18%, Adventure 17.1%, Mystery 14.9%, Story Rich 14.5%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, narrative-heavy adventure that focuses on atmosphere and character-driven storytelling.

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 30.5%, Mystery 14.2%, Story Rich 13.5%, Exploration 10.2%, First-Person 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: It uses an innovative playback system to investigate a mystery, much like the investigative loops in the seed game.

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 23.9%, Mystery 23%, Exploration 9.4%, Atmospheric 8.8%, First-Person 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative-driven mystery that uses environmental clues to piece together a tragic story in a beautiful setting.

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

Why similar: Exploration 16.2%, Walking Simulator 16.1%, First-Person 14%, Open World 13.3%, Philosophical 12%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person puzzle game that encourages deep observation of the environment to uncover its hidden logic.

Lose yourself in the dystopian world of New York, 2329; immortality comes at a price that someone has to pay. In this interactive noir story, lead the investigation using advanced technology, as Detective James Karra who risks it all in pursuit of a serial killer targeting the city’s elite.

Why similar: Investigation 20.7%, Philosophical 20.4%, Walking Simulator 14.8%, Choices Matter 12.5%, Multiple Endings 10.7%

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: Mystery 24.6%, Investigation 19.3%, Story Rich 13.4%, First-Person 12.8%, Atmospheric 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person mystery set in 1920s Norway that focuses on narrative and atmospheric exploration.

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 35.8%, Great Soundtrack 19.9%, Atmospheric 7.7%, Story Rich 7%, Exploration 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: It excels at telling a story through the environment and the remnants of a vanished community.

Quirky, top-down puzzle adventure game. You’re trapped in a 12-minute time loop. Try to save yourself and a small town from destruction from a meteorite. Solve intuitive puzzles, interact with the people of the town, and discover the secrets of the town. Discover the 15 different endings!

Why similar: Time Travel 52.3% ★, Mystery 15%, Investigation 9.1%, Adventure 6%, RPG 5.8%

It's winter, 1980. Szymon, a boy raised in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, finds an abandoned Nazi bunker. Will he find what he’s looking for? Play Paradise Lost and explore an underground world, where Slavic mythology mixes with retrofuturistic technology. Discover the last story on Earth.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 18.9%, Mystery 14.9%, Choices Matter 13.4%, Multiple Endings 11.9%, Exploration 9.7%

Think in reverse. Outsmart the impossible. A mind-bending first-person adventure where you solve ingenious and complex puzzles by rewinding objects through time.

Why similar: First-Person 27.4%, Story Rich 25.2%, Exploration 19.2%, Atmospheric 14.1%, Adventure 14%

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 20.6%, Mystery 15.7%, Exploration 13.1%, Great Soundtrack 12.6%, First-Person 10.3%

Revisit and repeat the final moments of China's turn of the century in this narrative puzzle adventure. Play a 6th-grade student and greet classmates, explore secrets, play mini-4WD, or just wander around town. Make your choices to create a perfect day for everyone!

Why similar: Time Travel 36.1% ★, Investigation 17.9%, Choices Matter 11.1%, Multiple Endings 9.7%, Story Rich 6.6%

Causal Loop is a narrative puzzler that blends mind-bending mechanics with a rich sci-fi story about time, consequence, and survival. Solve intricate puzzles by using the signature “echo” mechanic to record, replay, and interact with up to three versions of your past self. Can you break the loop?

Why similar: Philosophical 27.6%, Mystery 25%, First-Person 11.1%, Story Rich 11%, Exploration 10.9%

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: Investigation 21.5%, Mystery 17.4%, Walking Simulator 16.8%, Exploration 8.9%, First-Person 8.2%

Roadwarden is an illustrated text-based RPG that uses isometric pixel art and combines mechanics borrowed from RPGs, Visual Novels, adventure games and interactive fiction.

Why similar: RPG 20.7%, Choices Matter 15%, Story Rich 12.5%, Multiple Endings 11.4%, Adventure 10.5%

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 24.1%, Walking Simulator 23.4%, Adventure 14.1%, Story Rich 13.6%, Atmospheric 8.9%

Get lost beneath the fog in The Wild Eternal, a reflective first-person exploration game. Embark on a meditative journey to heal the scars of your past. Can you escape the cycle of reincarnation?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 18.8%, Great Soundtrack 15.3%, Mystery 13.7%, Exploration 9.4%, First-Person 8.8%

On the corner of July Avenue and Yam Street, all is not what it seems. What role will you play in a city's fate?

Why similar: Investigation 18.2%, Great Soundtrack 17.4%, Walking Simulator 15.4%, Mystery 12.5%, First-Person 9.6%

Experience a Narrative Adventure where your choices and character growth truly matter. As a member of a 1793 secret society, live a tale of intrigue and manipulation on the hunt for your missing mother.

Why similar: Choices Matter 31.4%, Mystery 17.4%, RPG 14.6%, Story Rich 13.8%, Adventure 11.6%

A story-driven, first-person adventure game offering a cinematic experience. Embark on a journey to HaustVille, an abandoned settlement in a post-apocalyptic world. Explore your surroundings and uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of the last survivors.

Why similar: Investigation 21.7%, Walking Simulator 18.4%, Mystery 18%, Story Rich 9.1%, Exploration 8.8%

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: Time Travel 26% ★, Great Soundtrack 16.4%, Choices Matter 13.7%, Story Rich 11.6%, Walking Simulator 9.4%

An atmospheric exploration game set in a Dark Fantasy world. Explore the ruins of an ancient civilisation and uncover it's forgotten past through a short nonlinear story with timeless retro graphics.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.4%, Exploration 16.4%, Adventure 15.4%, First-Person 11.6%, Atmospheric 6.8%

Time is relative. Sometimes 10 seconds can feel like an eternity... In TIMEframe you will discover a world in slow motion. Explore the remnants of a mysterious civilization on the brink of destruction.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.4%, Great Soundtrack 24.5%, Exploration 11.9%, First-Person 11.1%, Atmospheric 9.1%

In Chronoquartz, every move matters! You have 10 turns per loop: explore, solve puzzles, and use your past knowledge to progress. Strategy, critical thinking, and time management will be your allies in this unique temporal adventure. Will you succeed in saving time?

Why similar: Time Travel 45.8% ★, Mystery 15.4%, Exploration 11.3%, Investigation 10.8%, Fantasy 5.4%

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: Time Travel 36.6% ★, Great Soundtrack 15.3%, Choices Matter 13.8%, Story Rich 10.4%, Mystery 7.3%

The Great Perhaps is a time travel puzzle game about an astronaut returning to Earth destroyed by natural cataclysms. There, among the ruins he finds an unusual artifact — an old lantern, in the light of which you can see glimpses of another time and travel to the past.

Why similar: Time Travel 47.6% ★, Great Soundtrack 10.4%, Mystery 10%, Adventure 9.7%, Exploration 6.4%

The Thaumaturge is a character-driven RPG with a rich story, morally ambiguous choices, and turn-based combat. In a city on the brink of change, use your mystical powers to read emotions, uncover motives, and command folklore-inspired demons — while resisting the temptation of your own pride.

Why similar: Investigation 21.6%, Choices Matter 13.7%, Mystery 13.4%, Multiple Endings 10%, Story Rich 9.4%

Step into the unknown and embark on an epic, time travel adventure, completely re-imagined. Introducing Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate, a remake of the critically acclaimed VR adventure game - Wanderer. There’s no telling where you’ll go and who you’ll become as you unravel the mysteries of time.

Why similar: Time Travel 48.7% ★, Mystery 19.8%, Story Rich 9.6%, RPG 8.8%, Exploration 8.4%

You only have 21 days until this living city dies. The clock is ticking. You can’t be everywhere at once. Decide what to explore, who to meet and see every decision shape the curious stories and terrible secrets of this branching narrative game.

Why similar: Choices Matter 21.6%, Great Soundtrack 16.1%, Mystery 15.7%, Adventure 12.2%, Story Rich 11.8%

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 21%, Mystery 19%, Exploration 9.8%, Story Rich 9.4%, Great Soundtrack 8.8%

Explore the ancient theatre of Arausio and discover Roman antiquity in this narrative exploration game!

Why similar: Rome 37.9% ★, Walking Simulator 19.3%, Investigation 10.8%, Exploration 9.5%, Story Rich 7.5%

Explore an unknown and abandoned world. Each step, each puzzle, brings you closer to discovering the history and secrets of a lost civilization. Can you find the light?

Why similar: Philosophical 18.9%, Walking Simulator 16.6%, Mystery 16.3%, Investigation 15.3%, Great Soundtrack 12.4%

Uncover secrets of past lives in this story-rich, tactical roleplaying game set in Sigil, a dark fantasy city at the heart of the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse. Explore the planes, survive combat alongside a party of bizarre companions, and solve puzzles unlike any ever seen in the genre.

Why similar: Philosophical 32.1%, Choices Matter 19.2%, RPG 13.8%, Story Rich 13.4%, Atmospheric 7.8%

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: Walking Simulator 24.2%, Mystery 16.2%, Choices Matter 15.9%, Multiple Endings 12.6%, Story Rich 8.7%

NORCO is a dialogue-focused point & click adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and industrial swamplands of an increasingly surreal and distorted South Louisiana.

Why similar: Investigation 27%, Philosophical 20.7%, Mystery 20.2%, Story Rich 10.9%, First-Person 8.3%