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 38.5% ★, Emotional 17.9%, Surreal 15.2%, Relaxing 8.6%, Story Rich 7%

Why You'll Like It: Like the seed game, this title features a core time-manipulation mechanic used to navigate through emotional memories.

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 24.2% ★, Story Rich 17.7%, Walking Simulator 16.8%, Atmospheric 15.1%, Emotional 11%

Why You'll Like It: This game shares a deep focus on time manipulation and the emotional weight of reliving past events to change outcomes.

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 53.9% ★, Female Protagonist 13.7%, Relaxing 11.4%, Puzzle 9.1%, Atmospheric 7.5%

Why You'll Like It: It centers on a unique time-scrubbing mechanic that allows players to manipulate the environment to solve puzzles.

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: Surreal 43.8%, Puzzle 17.5%, Atmospheric 14.4%, Story Rich 12.8%, Stylized 11.5%

Why You'll Like It: This game utilizes perspective and time-based reality manipulation to create a surreal, mind-bending puzzle experience.

Gorogoa is an elegant evolution of the puzzle genre, told through a beautifully hand-drawn story designed and illustrated by Jason Roberts. Winner of Debut Game at the 2018 BAFTA Games Awards, as well as Best Mobile Game and the Innovation Award at the GDC 2018 Choice Awards.

Why similar: Puzzle 35.6%, Mystery 15.1%, Atmospheric 14.5%, Stylized 13.8%, Story Rich 11.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its non-verbal, visual storytelling and surreal puzzle-solving feel very similar to the artistic style of the seed game.

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

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.1%, Narrative 18% ★, Relaxing 17.5%, Atmospheric 14.8%, Mystery 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: This game excels at non-verbal storytelling through a beautiful, atmospheric world that mirrors the emotional tone of the seed game.

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 41.1%, Walking Simulator 26.7%, Family Friendly 16.7%, Female Protagonist 15.5%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the same short, atmospheric, and nostalgic feeling of a journey focused on personal discovery.

This is the original version of Braid from 2009, which may not work well on newer systems. For an updated version of the game with nicer graphics, more levels and a large amount of developer commentary, see Braid, Anniversary Edition.

Why similar: Time Manipulation 64.8% ★, Puzzle 16.4%, Time Travel 14.8% ★, Atmospheric 2.1%, Story Rich 2%

Why You'll Like It: A classic puzzle-platformer that pioneered the use of time manipulation as a primary mechanic for narrative and gameplay.

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: Soundtrack 25.1% ★, Emotional 22.6%, Relaxing 11.4%, Puzzle 10.8%, Family Friendly 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: A gentle, puzzle-focused adventure that emphasizes emotional resonance and atmospheric exploration.

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: Narrative 27.1% ★, Emotional 18.8%, Puzzle 16.4%, Mystery 12.3%, Stylized 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: This game uses recursive perspective puzzles to tell a deeply personal and emotional story about relationships.

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: Narrative 31.2% ★, Emotional 23.9%, Female Protagonist 11.9%, Relaxing 9.2%, Story Rich 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: Integrates narrative and puzzle-platforming to explore a touching story about loss and childhood.

Florence Yeoh feels a little... stuck. Her life is an endless routine of work, sleep, and spending too much time on social media. Then one day, she meets a cello player named Krish who changes everything about how she sees the world and herself.

Why similar: Narrative 37.1% ★, Female Protagonist 16.5%, Story Rich 15.4%, Emotional 11.4%, Family Friendly 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: A short, interactive narrative experience that uses simple mechanics to convey complex emotional beats.

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 24%, Atmospheric 21.1%, Surreal 15.4%, Relaxing 13.4%, Story Rich 10%

Why You'll Like It: A visually stunning game that uses its environment and music to tell a wordless, emotional story.

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 33.1%, Story Rich 20.9%, Mystery 14.5%, Atmospheric 12.1%, Female Protagonist 10.1%

Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in narrative exploration that focuses on the emotional weight of memories and the passage of time.

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 36.3%, Story Rich 15.1%, Puzzle 14.5%, Female Protagonist 13.7%, Family Friendly 11.1%

Why You'll Like It: It uses environmental storytelling and the act of organizing objects to evoke strong feelings of nostalgia and personal history.

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 28.2%, Atmospheric 24.1%, Relaxing 16.3%, Walking Simulator 16%, Story Rich 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: An adventure-puzzle game that uses a beautiful, stylized world to explore themes of grief and memory.

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: Narrative 40% ★, Mystery 14.9%, Story Rich 11.3%, Female Protagonist 9.6%, Family Friendly 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: Offers a hand-drawn, atmospheric world filled with mystery and puzzle-solving that mirrors the seed game's tone.

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: Relaxing 17.6%, Female Protagonist 17.2%, Family Friendly 15.2%, Story Rich 14%, Puzzle 13.6%

Why You'll Like It: The game features a unique world-manipulation mechanic where rearranging map pieces changes the environment to solve puzzles.

Embark on an emotional first-person narrative adventure where you control the story—and affect its outcomes—with your real-life blinks. With this innovative technique you will fully immerse yourself in a world of memories, both joyous and heartbreaking, as your whole life flashes before your eyes.

Why similar: Narrative 37.3% ★, Emotional 24.2%, Walking Simulator 10.7%, Story Rich 9.1%, Surreal 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: Uses a unique blink-detection mechanic to progress through a life story, emphasizing the fleeting nature of time.

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: Narrative 33% ★, Emotional 17.2%, Female Protagonist 9%, Relaxing 8.4%, Family Friendly 8%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative-driven game that uses childhood memories and watercolor aesthetics to evoke a sense of nostalgia.

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 21.5%, Logic 12.2%, Female Protagonist 11.3%, Linear 10.4%, Relaxing 9.9%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a relaxing, puzzle-filled exploration experience that rewards curiosity and observation.

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 49.7%, Puzzle 22.8%, Story Rich 16.7%, Stylized 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: Its surreal, perspective-based puzzles provide a similar sense of wonder and environmental manipulation.

From Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer of LIMBO and INSIDE — COCOON takes you on an adventure across worlds within worlds. Master world-leaping mechanics and solve intricate puzzles to unravel a cosmic mystery.

Why similar: Puzzle 35.9%, Stylized 22.4%, Atmospheric 19%, Linear 11.5%, 3D 11.2%

Why You'll Like It: Features a surreal, world-within-a-world mechanic that provides a highly polished and atmospheric puzzle experience.

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 29.5%, Relaxing 16.3%, Mystery 16.3%, Female Protagonist 14.6%, Story Rich 13.1%

Why You'll Like It: A relaxing, story-rich game that focuses on character relationships and the atmosphere of a unique, surreal location.

Traverse a dried-out seabed littered with the remains of a decaying civilization. Keep your unique vessel going, overcome numerous obstacles and withstand the hazardous weather conditions. How far can you make it? What will you find?

Why similar: Atmospheric 38.1%, Story Rich 32.4%, Puzzle 29.6%

Why You'll Like It: A quiet, atmospheric journey across a desolate landscape that relies on vehicle maintenance and puzzle-solving.

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 35.3%, Female Protagonist 19%, Story Rich 16.4%, Puzzle 13.7%, Atmospheric 13%

Why You'll Like It: Combines folklore-inspired adventure with puzzle-solving in a beautifully atmospheric setting.

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: Soundtrack 38.7% ★, Emotional 24.7%, Female Protagonist 16.1%, Puzzle 10.3%, Atmospheric 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: A beautiful, cinematic puzzle-platformer that emphasizes the bond between two characters in a surreal 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: Surreal 30%, Walking Simulator 18.5%, Puzzle 13%, Narrative 12.2% ★, Mystery 11.8%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal exploration game where you reveal the world by painting it, focusing on discovery and atmosphere.

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: Emotional 25.6%, Relaxing 21.3%, Female Protagonist 16.1%, Puzzle 15.8%, Linear 8.9%

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 40.1%, Story Rich 21.1%, Atmospheric 20.2%, Puzzle 13.6%, Walking Simulator 5%

Why You'll Like It: A poignant, emotional adventure that uses unique control mechanics to tell a story about two siblings.

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: Walking Simulator 15.6%, Surreal 13.9%, Female Protagonist 13.8%, Emotional 13.1%, Mystery 12.1%

Explore a lovingly crafted world with all its odd inhabitants as you experience the ethereal realm and deliver messages to the spirits. Make your mark in the wordless narrative - with a Tiny Echo.

Why similar: Surreal 25.9%, Relaxing 17.9%, Female Protagonist 13.2%, Atmospheric 12.9%, Puzzle 11.8%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, point-and-click adventure that relies on atmosphere and visual cues rather than dialogue.

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 28.3%, Mystery 15.8%, Family Friendly 13.5%, Story Rich 12%, Female Protagonist 10.6%

Make up for lost time with Once Again, If you could travel through time, who’s the first person you’d meet? An interactive story about a boy who spends his summers wandering between past and present... After meeting her, summer will never be the same again...Who is she, and what journey awaits you?

Why similar: Soundtrack 20.5% ★, Narrative 19.3% ★, Time Travel 19.1% ★, Emotional 16.7%, Female Protagonist 11%

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

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.7%, Emotional 20.4%, Female Protagonist 14.4%, Relaxing 13.7%, Family Friendly 11.6%

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 17.4% ★, Soundtrack 14.6% ★, Surreal 14.3%, Emotional 10.4%, Female Protagonist 8.9%

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: Mystery 14.3%, Emotional 14.1%, Female Protagonist 12.9%, Relaxing 11.9%, Linear 11.2%

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: Emotional 19.2%, Mystery 17.2%, Surreal 14.6%, Puzzle 11.8%, Story Rich 10.3%

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

Why similar: Time Manipulation 30.3% ★, Time Travel 18.9% ★, Narrative 17.7% ★, Emotional 11.1%, Mystery 7.6%

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: Relaxing 29.6%, Female Protagonist 25.6%, Atmospheric 17.9%, Walking Simulator 12%, Puzzle 8.4%

Step onto the stage in Forgetmenots, a story-driven puzzle adventure where memories take center stage. Explore a theatrical world that unfolds like a live performance, solving puzzles in a whimsical yet bittersweet journey about loss and remembrance.

Why similar: Emotional 29.3%, Story Rich 20.5%, Female Protagonist 17.5%, Puzzle 12.6%, Relaxing 9.9%

OPUS: Prism Peak is a narrative adventure where you play as a weary photographer stranded in the Dusklands, traveling with a girl who's lost her memories. Together, you'll uncover the mysteries of this land through your camera and find your way home.

Why similar: Nostalgia 25.5% ★, Narrative 15.2% ★, Soundtrack 13.5% ★, Emotional 10.3%, Walking Simulator 10%

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: Emotional 25.3%, Mystery 13.7%, Puzzle 13.3%, Relaxing 11.5%, Female Protagonist 10.8%

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 41.2% ★, Surreal 20.6%, Relaxing 11.1%, Puzzle 8.5%, Story Rich 7.2%

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 40.1%, Female Protagonist 21.3%, Atmospheric 13.2%, Story Rich 13%, Puzzle 10.6%

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: Emotional 34.6%, Relaxing 27.2%, Logic 20.6%, Puzzle 10.9%, 3D 6.6%

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: Logic 16.1%, Surreal 15.4%, Emotional 13.8%, Mystery 10.7%, Female Protagonist 9.8%

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 32.5% ★, Mystery 17.5%, Relaxing 13.5%, Puzzle 11.8%, Linear 10.1%

Repair old-school objects in this cozy puzzle game. Join antique-restorer Maria, as she arrives in the sun-soaked town of Bellariva and set out on a journey of helping the townsfolk reconnect.

Why similar: Relaxing 22.7%, Female Protagonist 20.6%, Puzzle 18%, Family Friendly 15%, Story Rich 14.5%

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 40.9%, Puzzle 16.4%, Mystery 15.9%, Relaxing 15.6%, Atmospheric 11.2%

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: Time Manipulation 26.4% ★, Time Travel 15% ★, Female Protagonist 11.3%, Logic 10.6%, Puzzle 9.2%

A Pizza Delivery is a narrative exploration game with puzzle elements focused on connecting with people. Share pizza with charming characters to uncover their stories—and your own. Drive and explore a strange, meditative world filled with secrets.

Why similar: Narrative 29% ★, Walking Simulator 18.7%, Emotional 15.6%, Surreal 11.8%, Female Protagonist 5.9%

Help the cursed souls of Limbo escape their endless time loop in the afterlife. As Kulebra, a newly-deceased snake, witness their grief and guide them toward closure through point-and-click puzzles, light stealth, and empathy-driven boss encounters.

Why similar: Time Manipulation 33.2% ★, Emotional 15.8%, Mystery 8.9%, Linear 7.4%, Story Rich 6.7%

An exploration game about emotional ties that transcend even death. Riley is faced with a headstrong ghost, urging her on an adventure across atmospheric shores, uncovering the island's tragic secret. Choices in dialogue shape the bond between the two, ultimately deciding Riley's fate.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.4%, Emotional 20.7%, Mystery 13.1%, Story Rich 12.2%, Female Protagonist 10.9%

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: Narrative 45.9% ★, Female Protagonist 21.4%, Story Rich 17.7%, Atmospheric 14.9%

Sonority is an innovative music puzzle adventure set in a lovingly designed, fascinating world. Play as Esther and discover the rockery, a place full of music and unique puzzle mechanics.

Why similar: Emotional 26.6%, Logic 19.3%, Story Rich 11.9%, Puzzle 10.9%, Female Protagonist 10.2%

The world has been swallowed into the grey void of time and space. The only key to the winding puzzle - a time-controling pocket-watch - lies in the hands of a clockmaker Father. The watch creates a mysterious barrier between the Father and his estranged Daughter.

Why similar: Time Manipulation 48% ★, Emotional 19.6%, Time Travel 16% ★, Puzzle 6.9%, Story Rich 6.9%

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

Why similar: Time Travel 44.2% ★, Relaxing 20.9%, Puzzle 15.9%, Family Friendly 15.6%, 3D 3.4%

Tengami is an atmospheric adventure game set inside a Japanese pop-up book. Fold and slide the beautifully crafted paper world to solve puzzles and discover secrets.

Why similar: Soundtrack 26.2% ★, Walking Simulator 24.7%, Relaxing 13.5%, Puzzle 12.6%, Atmospheric 11.5%