Games Like The Gardens Between

Embark on an emotional journey of losing the love of one's life. Manipulate time, solve puzzles, reshape surroundings as you push forward into the bittersweet recollections of a past life. This is a story about happiness and hardship, joy and sorrow. A story that all of us will one day experience.

Why similar: Time Manipulation 29.8% ★, Puzzle Platformer 14.7%, Surreal 13.6%, Emotional 12.5%, Relaxing 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: It shares a profound emotional focus on memory and uses time-manipulation as a core mechanic to navigate through life's milestones.

Control the flow of time to solve puzzles in this new version of the indie classic, featuring fully repainted artwork, a new world of puzzles, and seriously in-depth commentary.

Why similar: Time Manipulation 32.7% ★, Puzzle Platformer 21.3%, Time Travel 19% ★, Logic 9.5%, Puzzle 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: As the definitive time-manipulation puzzle game, it offers the same intellectual satisfaction and surreal narrative depth found in the seed game.

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: Female Protagonist 22.5%, Atmospheric 15.3%, Puzzle Platformer 14%, Surreal 12.2%, Relaxing 10.8%

Why You'll Like It: This title captures a similar sense of beautiful, wordless storytelling and surreal, atmospheric environments that evoke strong emotional responses.

Embark on a journey of forgiveness through impossible environments and illusionary puzzles. Experience this meditative and calming puzzle game by manipulating monuments and creating evolving paths to explore new, surreal, and mysterious worlds.

Why similar: Relaxing 16.7%, Emotional 15.4%, Puzzle Platformer 15.4%, Female Protagonist 14.6%, Puzzle 14.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its focus on impossible geometry and relaxing, surreal puzzle-solving makes it a perfect companion to the aesthetic of the seed game.

Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind.

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 31.3%, Surreal 26.9%, Puzzle 13%, Stylized 9%, Atmospheric 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: This game masterfully uses perspective and reality-bending mechanics that mirror the surreal, spatial puzzle-solving of The Gardens Between.

A land of discovery stretches out before you. Explore the beautiful, rugged world of RiME. Armed with your wits and a will to overcome—and the guidance of a helpful fox—you must explore the enigmatic island, reach the tower's peak, and unlock its closely guarded secrets.

Why similar: Puzzle 28.5%, Atmospheric 18.7%, Relaxing 14%, Walking Simulator 13.4%, Adventure 12%

Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric adventure that relies on environmental puzzles and a touching, non-verbal narrative to guide the player through a beautiful island.

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 25.1%, Puzzle Platformer 20.6%, Minimalist 14.3%, Puzzle 12%, Relaxing 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: It provides a surreal, abstract puzzle experience that challenges the player's perception of space and gravity in a way that feels meditative.

The Last Campfire is an adventure, a story of a lost ember trapped in a puzzling place, searching for meaning and a way home.

Why similar: Emotional 18.6%, Puzzle Platformer 17.4%, Puzzle 13.7%, Relaxing 12.2%, Family Friendly 11.7%

Why You'll Like It: It features a gentle, melancholic atmosphere and puzzle-solving that emphasizes emotional discovery and a journey through a mysterious world.

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: Puzzle Platformer 22.1%, Surreal 21%, Walking Simulator 12.8%, Puzzle 10.9%, Minimalist 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal exploration game where the player reveals the world through interaction, mirroring the discovery-based gameplay of the seed game.

A short, fully voiced, story-first adventure across two worlds. Rearrange words into platforms in Izzy’s diary, then wield word magic to shape your path in the fantasy she writes. Gentle puzzles, watercolour wonder, and a bittersweet story of family, loss, and healing.

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 25.1%, Emotional 20.1%, Female Protagonist 15.2%, Puzzle 10.6%, Relaxing 10.1%

Why You'll Like It: It blends emotional narrative with platforming mechanics, using words and pages to solve puzzles in a deeply personal story.

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 30.4%, Puzzle Platformer 19%, Puzzle 16.7%, Minimalist 12.8%, Story Rich 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: The game focuses on perspective-based puzzles that force the player to rethink their surroundings, much like the time-scrubbing mechanics of the seed game.

Welcome to Botany Manor, a stately home in 19th century England. You play as inhabitant Arabella Greene, a retired botanist. Explore your house and gardens, filled with research, to figure out the ideal habitat of forgotten flora. Grow each plant to discover the mysterious qualities they hold…

Why similar: Walking Simulator 19%, Female Protagonist 11.8%, Logic 11.7%, Linear 10.3%, Relaxing 9%

Why You'll Like It: A relaxing, exploration-based puzzle game that rewards curiosity and observation in a beautiful, contained environment.

I can see the signs in my sleep now, always guiding me closer. Will this really work? Have we almost achieved the impossible?

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 16.1%, Logic 12.5%, Surreal 11%, Female Protagonist 8.2%, Minimalist 8%

Why You'll Like It: Uses a clever perspective-shifting mechanic where the player moves through 2D signs within a 3D environment to solve puzzles.

Explore strange and wonderful islands and dark labyrinths below in this narrative puzzle platformer. Guide young mechanic Mo on her quest to repair a world on the brink of collapse. The powerful Omni Switch at your disposal may not be enough to fix the damage that hides beneath the surface...

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 29.4%, Mystery 15%, Female Protagonist 12%, Family Friendly 11.4%, Story Rich 11%

Why You'll Like It: Offers a hand-drawn, story-rich experience with environmental puzzles that explore themes of decay and personal responsibility.

Set out on a mystical adventure of self-discovery against the backdrop of fantastical landscapes of The Tower. Meet its dwellers and unravel their stories. Manipulate spirits to solve puzzles, and lead Ina on her path to freedom.

Why similar: Surreal 27%, Puzzle Platformer 26.1%, Female Protagonist 16.9%, Puzzle 8.5%, Atmospheric 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, atmospheric puzzle-platformer that emphasizes a mysterious world and a journey of self-discovery.

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: Female Protagonist 15.4%, Walking Simulator 14.7%, Surreal 13.2%, Puzzle 12.2%, Mystery 10.8%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative-heavy puzzle game that focuses on exploration and uncovering the history of a mysterious, surreal location.

Timelie is a stealth puzzle adventure, where you control time like a media player. Perceive future events to plan your escape strategy from the past, sneak an enemy, and manipulate time through this companionship journey of a mysterious cat and a little girl with a precognitive power.

Why similar: Time Manipulation 36.6% ★, Puzzle Platformer 20%, Female Protagonist 12.7%, Relaxing 9.1%, Puzzle 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: Features a unique time-manipulation mechanic where players scrub through a timeline to solve stealth and movement puzzles.

Carto is a charming adventure game wrapped around a unique, world-altering puzzle mechanic. Use this power to explore mysterious lands, help a quirky cast of characters, and guide Carto on her journey back to her family.

Why similar: Female Protagonist 17.6%, Family Friendly 15.6%, Relaxing 15.5%, Puzzle 14.1%, Stylized 12.7%

Why You'll Like It: A charming puzzle-adventure where the player rearranges the world map to progress, offering a similar sense of tactile, world-manipulating satisfaction.

Boat, climb, interact and explore in the beautiful ruins of a sunken world.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24%, Female Protagonist 15.4%, Emotional 14.4%, Relaxing 12.6%, Family Friendly 12.4%

Why You'll Like It: A relaxing, combat-free exploration game that focuses on uncovering the secrets of a beautiful, sunken world.

Solve puzzles, riddles, and embark on an exciting journey of discovery! Join Toto and Gal as they explore dreamscapes and befriend magical creatures. Lost in their imagination, the brother and sister must stick together and solve puzzles to find their way home.

Why similar: Surreal 26.2%, Family Friendly 14.8%, Mystery 13.9%, Female Protagonist 11.6%, Puzzle 11.5%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal point-and-click adventure that captures the whimsical, imaginative nature of childhood play.

Guide two brothers on an epic fairy tale journey from visionary Swedish film director, Josef Fares and top-tier developer Starbreeze Studios. Control both brothers at once as you experience co-op play in single player mode, like never before.

Why similar: Emotional 30.1%, Story Rich 18.7%, Atmospheric 17.8%, Puzzle 15.6%, Adventure 12.9%

Why You'll Like It: This game excels at portraying a bond between two characters through gameplay, mirroring the friendship dynamic between Arina and Frendt.

The Forest Quartet is a puzzle adventure about a gone, but not forgotten, lead singer. Play her spirit and travel through 3 acts unique to the members of her band for a final farewell concert. Face their emotions, solve puzzles and fight the corruption plaguing their souls.

Why similar: Female Protagonist 13%, Mystery 11.5%, Linear 10.5%, Relaxing 10.2%, Minimalist 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: A short, music-themed puzzle game that explores grief and memory in a way that feels very similar to the tone of the seed game.

Old Man’s Journey, a soul-searching puzzle adventure, tells a story of life, loss, and hope. Interacting with the world around you, you'll shape the landscape to create the old man's path forward. Experience heartache and hope as you embark on a heartfelt journey through a sunkissed world.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 15.7%, Family Friendly 15.1%, Puzzle Platformer 15.1%, Emotional 11.1%, Stylized 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: A beautiful, narrative-driven puzzle game that uses landscape manipulation to tell a touching story about life and reflection.

A relaxing puzzle game in which you explore 3D dioramas, solve puzzles and save cats lost in time! Crazy, right?!

Why similar: Time Travel 33.8% ★, Hidden Object 23.3%, Relaxing 13.3%, Puzzle 11.9%, Family Friendly 11.6%

Why You'll Like It: A relaxing, puzzle-filled experience that involves manipulating 3D dioramas to find hidden objects.

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

Why similar: Relaxing 34.5%, Walking Simulator 22.3%, Family Friendly 17%, Female Protagonist 15.4%, Adventure 10.8%

Why You'll Like It: A relaxing, short-form exploration game that focuses on the joy of movement and small, meaningful interactions.

Unpacking is a zen puzzle game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration, you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life you’re unpacking.

Why similar: Relaxing 34.8%, Puzzle 16.4%, Female Protagonist 15.2%, Story Rich 13.1%, Family Friendly 12.3%

Why You'll Like It: Tells a deeply emotional story through the simple act of organizing objects, capturing the same 'cozy' and reflective vibe as the seed game.

Experience the intricate dioramas and connections of your life, and the ripples we all make, in this award-winning narrative puzzle game about death, loss, and mental health.

Why similar: Mystery 13.5%, Minimalist 13.1%, Emotional 12.4%, Surreal 12.2%, Puzzle 11.7%

Why You'll Like It: A beautiful, diorama-style puzzle game that explores themes of memory and mystery within a series of interconnected rooms.

When the Past was Around is an adventure point-and-click puzzle game about love, moving on, letting go, and the joy and pain of everything in between.

Why similar: Hidden Object 22.3%, Surreal 22%, Female Protagonist 14.6%, Relaxing 11.9%, Stylized 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, emotional point-and-click puzzle game that uses music and symbolism to tell a story about love and loss.

Spiritfarer® is a cozy management game about dying. As ferrymaster to the deceased, build a boat to explore the world, care for your spirit friends, and release them into the afterlife. The Spiritfarer Farewell Edition includes the heartwarming base game and three major content updates.

Why similar: Emotional 33%, Relaxing 18.3%, Female Protagonist 18%, Story Rich 16.2%, Atmospheric 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: While more expansive, it shares a deep emotional core and a focus on helping characters move on through a surreal journey.

Solve puzzle panels and uncover the meaning of the symbols within. Explore a dense world where secrets are hidden in plain sight.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 15.4%, Hidden Object 13.5%, Surreal 12.7%, Logic 10.5%, Minimalist 8.9%

Discover illusionary pathways and delightful puzzles as you learn the secrets of The Sacred Geometry. Follow the heart warming story of Ro in her journey through motherhood. Rediscover independence through manipulating monuments and evolving paths to explore new, surreal, and mysterious worlds.

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 22.9%, Emotional 14.7%, Puzzle 11.9%, Mystery 9.7%, Female Protagonist 9.5%

Experience a brand new adventure game set amongst a world of weird and wonderful fish planets. Explore beautiful environments, solve intricate puzzles and discover the truth about a mysterious little girl and her mechanical alter-ego, Cubus.

Why similar: Time Travel 22.8% ★, Surreal 15.3%, Female Protagonist 11.3%, Emotional 8.7%, Relaxing 8.4%

In Hourglass you can create a time-clone of yourself to solve challenging puzzles. You will play as Aywa, a young adventurer who is traveling to Egypt to find her missing father - an archeologist, who never returned from his latest expedition.

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 18%, Time Manipulation 17.3% ★, Time Travel 13.9% ★, Female Protagonist 10.1%, Logic 8.7%

Nomori is a mind-bending adventure game where you control time and space to journey through a shattered spirit world. Take shortcuts through portals, rotate your perspective, and control the flow of time to move forward, whichever way that is.

Why similar: Time Manipulation 26.7% ★, Puzzle Platformer 18.4%, Surreal 15.5%, Relaxing 8.5%, Minimalist 7.9%

A relaxing puzzle escape game! Make your way through a variety of hand-crafted 3D dioramas, look for useful objects, find hidden clues and solve fun puzzles! Unravel this mysterious adventure about chaos, order and the surreal.

Why similar: Time Travel 29% ★, Hidden Object 14.6%, Mystery 12.3%, Puzzle 10.4%, Relaxing 10.1%

A cute yet challenging puzzle-platformer with a unique mechanic of moving the world itself to create new paths. Play solo or with a friend in local co-op mode to help Ben & Abi navigate this mysterious world. Test your logic skills by solving clever puzzles to help them find their way back home

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 16.8%, Logic 13.8%, Surreal 13.4%, Emotional 11.4%, Female Protagonist 9.3%

An unnatural storm leaves an adventurous aviator stranded for decades within the infamous Bermuda. Overcome creatures of the deep and unravel the islands secrets in search of a way back home.

Why similar: Hidden Object 26.5%, Mystery 13.4%, Relaxing 13.2%, Family Friendly 12.6%, Puzzle 12.3%

Cast away on an island paradise complete with a cast of friendly frogs. Enjoy sandbox island life and explore at your own pace, solving sticky situations for your new friends and trading your way to fixing your ship!

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 30.9%, Relaxing 17.6%, Emotional 17.1%, Logic 14.1%, Puzzle 8.3%

The ground starts shaking, light bulbs are breaking - and something rather unusual is happening right behind the walls of your very room. Equipped with nothing but wit and courage, you slowly descend into a world inhabited by avian folk and seemingly deadly furniture monsters.

Why similar: Surreal 19.8%, Puzzle Platformer 19.8%, Mystery 9.6%, Puzzle 9.5%, Stylized 9.4%

Set sail for a world-changing adventure as you guide Noor in their quest through a series of mind-bending illusions and atmospheric puzzles. Can you unlock the secrets of the mysterious world – and the meaning behind the Sacred Light?

Why similar: Surreal 21.1%, Puzzle Platformer 18.8%, Relaxing 12.2%, Female Protagonist 11.5%, Puzzle 9.7%

Beasts of Maravilla Island is a 3D adventure game where you take on the role of a young wildlife photographer who traverses Maravilla Island's magical ecosystems to discover extraordinary creatures, learn their behaviors, and, most importantly, photograph their majesty.

Why similar: Female Protagonist 23.4%, Relaxing 15.8%, Puzzle 15.8%, Family Friendly 14%, Stylized 13.3%

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: Surreal 14.8%, Puzzle Platformer 13.5%, Walking Simulator 12.8%, Mystery 8.7%, Stylized 8.5%

The House of Hikmah is a fully voice-acted, narrative-driven 3D adventure game exploring grief, legacy and the search for answers after profound loss. Solve puzzles, encounter historical scholars of the Islamic Golden Age, and uncover timeless lessons in a beautifully imagined House of Wisdom.

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 17.8%, Emotional 16%, Surreal 11.6%, Puzzle 10%, Story Rich 9.9%

Transform into a bird and fly to explore and experience a vibrant world of floating islands in the sky. Venture down into lost ancient ruins where each step leads you closer to the end of the world.

Why similar: Female Protagonist 25.4%, Relaxing 25%, Atmospheric 13.7%, Adventure 12.3%, Walking Simulator 10%

A mutant soap opera where small-town gossip meets the supernatural. Explore the Mutazione community as Kai as she cares for her ailing grandfather. Discover magical gardens, new friends & old secrets. They can survive an apocalyptic meteor strike, but can they survive their small-town drama?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.1%, Female Protagonist 16.5%, Relaxing 15.8%, Mystery 14.8%, Story Rich 11.5%

Lead Abby the string puppet through a bruised, but beautiful fairy tale world in this cinematic adventure. Solve riddles, evade traps and shake off pursuers on the way to find freedom. Can Abby take control of her fate with all the strings attached?

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 40.1%, Female Protagonist 24.6%, Story Rich 15.8%, Atmospheric 13.3%, Adventure 6.1%

Guide brush strokes and solve a variety of puzzles to help an aspiring artist complete her masterpiece amid her brusque neighbor’s gaze and his pesky cat. As her painting starts to take shape, uncover an emotional tale of chance and artistry revealed behind unrelated yet familiar moments.

Why similar: Hidden Object 26.1%, Female Protagonist 19.6%, Relaxing 15.9%, Puzzle 13.4%, Atmospheric 12.5%

Röki is a stunning adventure set in the snowcapped wilderness. As Tove, you must explore an uncharted world of hidden legends and forgotten monsters. Solve puzzles, collect curiosities, and uncover a tale of tragic loss, as you chart your path to redemption.

Why similar: Emotional 26.8%, Female Protagonist 21.9%, Puzzle 16%, Story Rich 14.7%, Atmospheric 11.6%

Adventures of different characters with their unique atmosphere and puzzles.

Why similar: Time Travel 32.4% ★, Surreal 15.4%, Relaxing 10.7%, Puzzle 10.6%, Mystery 9%

Lake Ridden is a story-driven, first-person puzzle game! A cozy supernatural adventure where you unravel a mysterious past, trying to find your sister. Luckily, you are not alone...

Why similar: Puzzle 21.9%, Female Protagonist 21.3%, Walking Simulator 18.3%, Mystery 15.1%, Adventure 14%

Harmony’s Odyssey is a 3D fantasy adventure puzzle game set on mythical dioramas full of riddles, perky creatures and magic. Embark on a fantastic journey through remote fabled lands tangled by a rowdy cat and bring peace to its inhabitants.

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 21.8%, Logic 15.1%, Female Protagonist 13.6%, Family Friendly 13.5%, Relaxing 12.3%

An Interactive first-person puzzle game. Help Elures navigate through the labyrinth of dreams and uncover the secret of extraneous memories.

Why similar: Logic 19%, Surreal 16.3%, Female Protagonist 13.5%, Puzzle 11.7%, Mystery 10.8%

Submerged is a third-person combat-free game in which you explore a mysterious flooded city and discover the beauty of desolation in vast outdoor environments. You take on the role of Miku, a young girl who has brought her wounded brother to the city in their small fishing boat.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27%, Female Protagonist 18%, Family Friendly 15.2%, Relaxing 14.7%, Mystery 13.4%

In a world torn between nature’s grace and cold machine invasion, one girl and her companion must rely on their bond to survive and protect what they hold dear. Their story of hope, loss, and love will stay with you long after the journey ends.

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 31.4%, Emotional 20.4%, Female Protagonist 20.2%, Puzzle 13.1%, Atmospheric 9.9%

Join Clef on an adventure set on a magical sky island where her family once lived. Solve puzzles, discover secrets, and experience a story of sisterly love – and something more, if you are willing to dig deeper…

Why similar: Puzzle Platformer 28.8%, Female Protagonist 16.6%, Puzzle 12%, Logic 11.4%, Relaxing 10.9%

Surf the waters of a submerged city! Unravel the past, save the islanders from mysterious sea monsters and discover secrets hidden under the surface.

Why similar: Stylized 21.1%, Relaxing 15.2%, Female Protagonist 15.2%, 3D 13.8%, Atmospheric 11.2%

Immerse yourself in a unique narrative experience and explore the thousand summer colors of Dordogne as you revisit your childhood to uncover lost family secrets in this touching formative journey.

Why similar: Emotional 19%, Female Protagonist 15%, Family Friendly 13.5%, Relaxing 12.1%, Linear 10.5%

Paper Trail is a top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, set in a foldable, paper world.

Why similar: Logic 15.8%, Female Protagonist 13.8%, Linear 13.6%, Family Friendly 12.9%, Stylized 11.9%