Games Like The Message from Deep Space

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

Why similar: Puzzle 79.9%, Adventure 8.5%, Indie 6.9%, Singleplayer 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses heavily on the core mechanic of deciphering unknown languages through observation and logical deduction.

Sethian is a sci-fi puzzle game in which you master a fictitious language. The only surviving speaker is an ancient computer. Does it hold the answers behind the disappearance of the Sethianese people?

Why similar: Puzzle 46.9%, Sci-fi 38.7%, Indie 14.5%

Why You'll Like It: A direct thematic match that tasks you with translating an ancient alien language to uncover the history of a lost civilization.

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: Sci-fi 39.8%, Puzzle 32.1%, Space 14.7%, Adventure 6.4%, Indie 4.5%

Why You'll Like It: Features a deep, rewarding linguistic puzzle system centered on archaeology and deciphering an ancient script.

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: Space 32.5%, Puzzle 24%, Sci-fi 21.3%, First-Person 9.2%, Adventure 4.2%

Why You'll Like It: Captures the essence of space exploration and piecing together a cosmic mystery through ancient text and environmental clues.

Event[0] is a sci-fi narrative exploration game where you build a relationship with a lonely spaceship computer to get home to Earth.

Why similar: Dynamic Narration 30.8% ★, Space 23.5%, Sci-fi 17%, First-Person 12.1%, 3D 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: Centers on communicating with an artificial intelligence to solve puzzles and uncover the truth behind a stranded space mission.

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

Why similar: Puzzle 33%, Sci-fi 27.8%, Space 21.5%, First-Person 13%, Adventure 2.7%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person puzzle game that explores deep philosophical questions about consciousness and science in a space setting.

A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998. Scour the early Internet for clues, uncover hidden connections, and piece together the family tree behind the secretive Roottree Corporation.

Why similar: Investigation 44.4%, Puzzle 37.3%, Retro 11.7%, Adventure 2.8%, Singleplayer 2%

Why You'll Like It: An intricate detective game that requires deep investigation and cross-referencing of information to solve a mystery.

Game inspired by SETI. Take the role of a scientist to find an extraterrestrial signal .Control massive Radio Antennas by using interactive control in your Observatory. Detect , download and decode unknown or story telling signals. Manage and Maintain an electrical system to improve your systems and make it more efficient.

Why similar: Science 48.6%, Aliens 33.3%, Space 12.1%, Indie 3.4%, First-Person 2.3%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the technical, atmospheric experience of scanning space for alien signals and managing complex equipment.

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

Why similar: Aliens 43%, Sci-fi 18.8%, Puzzle 15.9%, Space 14.4%, Indie 3.2%

Why You'll Like It: A unique scientific investigation game where you interpret alien biology and environments through a specialized interface.

Welcome to the Museum! Machinika Museum is a mystery game where you discover beautiful and mysterious machines of extra-terrestrial origins in an atmospheric galaxy-spanning 3D puzzle game. Will you be able to understand their stories and discover what happened to their previous owner?

Why similar: Science 34.5%, Aliens 19.5%, Investigation 13.5%, Puzzle 11.2%, Sci-fi 10.8%

Why You'll Like It: A polished puzzle game that focuses on interacting with and repairing mysterious alien artifacts.

Stories Untold is a compilation tape of four experimental adventures, including a remaster of the original hit episode “The House Abandon”.

Why similar: Text-Based 41.6%, Retro 20.7%, Sci-fi 16.7%, Puzzle 9.7%, Adventure 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: Uses a retro, text-based aesthetic and first-person perspective to build a tense, sci-fi mystery narrative.

Dr. Herman, your sci-fi journey begins. Armed only with your mind and the Manipulator that operates with different types of energy, you'll have to pass through portals, visit parallel worlds, and solve physics-based puzzles.

Why similar: Science 62.8%, Sci-fi 14.2%, Puzzle 13.1%, First-Person 6.7%, Adventure 2.1%

Why You'll Like It: Combines physics-based puzzles with a strong scientific narrative in a first-person perspective.

Epigraph is a short, challenging, language decipherment puzzle game.

Why similar: Investigation 37.9%, Puzzle 30%, Text-Based 21.8%, 3D 4.2%, Adventure 2.6%

Why You'll Like It: A dedicated detective game that emphasizes logic and investigation to solve complex mysteries.

Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

Why similar: Puzzle 54%, Retro 19.7%, First-Person 12.6%, Indie 6.4%, Singleplayer 4%

Why You'll Like It: A brilliant investigative puzzle game that relies on observation and logic to reconstruct a mysterious sequence of events.

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 61.6%, Puzzle 32.3%, Adventure 3.8%, Singleplayer 2.3%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a masterclass in deductive reasoning and investigation, requiring you to piece together complex events from fragmented information.

The Station is a first-person sci-fi mystery set on a space station sent to study a sentient alien civilization. Assuming the role of a recon specialist, players must unravel a mystery which will decide the fate of two civilizations.

Why similar: Sci-fi 33.3%, Space 25.6%, Puzzle 16.2%, First-Person 11.1%, Indie 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative-driven sci-fi exploration game that tasks you with uncovering what happened on a research space station.

Faraday Protocol is a first person puzzle game that will test your wits and intelligence. Use the Bia-Tool, an ancient pistol-like relic of an alien civilization, to solve puzzles by bending energy and manipulating enigmatic machinery.

Why similar: Aliens 33.7%, Puzzle 18.6%, Sci-fi 17.1%, First-Person 9.8%, Linear 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person puzzle game that utilizes environmental manipulation and logic within a mysterious, alien-inspired facility.

Cypher is a first person puzzle game about cryptography.

Why similar: Puzzle 77%, First-Person 14.2%, Indie 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: A minimalist puzzle game that focuses on cryptography and logic, mirroring the translation themes of the seed game.

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

Why similar: Puzzle 45.5%, Sci-fi 26%, First-Person 12.8%, Science 10.3%, Adventure 2%

Why You'll Like It: A philosophical first-person puzzle game that challenges your understanding of science, logic, and existence.

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

Why similar: Sci-fi 31.1%, Space 27.6%, Puzzle 15.8%, Indie 11.4%, Adventure 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: Puts you in the role of a space station's AI, requiring you to manipulate systems and investigate a mysterious event.

Exographer is an exploration game based on science. Become an explorer, stranded in an alien planet, and discover the secrets of an extinct civilization. Gain new powers to avoid dangers and obstacles in your journey, and use your camera to reveal particles and hidden clues.

Why similar: Science 59.4%, Puzzle 14.1%, Investigation 12.6%, Sci-fi 10.2%, Adventure 2.2%

Why You'll Like It: An exploration-heavy puzzle game that uses scientific themes to uncover the secrets of an alien world.

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: Sci-fi 41.8%, Space 30.5%, First-Person 14.4%, Adventure 6%, Indie 5.3%

Why You'll Like It: An immersive narrative experience that tasks you with investigating a deserted space station by reviewing holographic recordings.

An emotional point-and-click hard sci-fi adventure game about exploring an abandoned space station. Follow messages left by the long-gone staff to learn the outcome of the research team and the secrets they left behind.

Why similar: Sci-fi 25.9%, Space 23.9%, Puzzle 23.4%, Linear 12.3%, 3D 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the isolation of space exploration and the mystery of uncovering lost signals.

In Escape 51 you play as a small alien that has been mistreated by humans as he works to escape the research facility that has kept him and other aliens like him captive for so long.

Why similar: Aliens 42.1%, Puzzle 15.9%, Sci-fi 14.6%, Space 14.4%, Linear 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: A sci-fi puzzle game that tasks you with navigating alien environments and solving logic-based challenges.

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

Why similar: Puzzle 77.9%, 3D 16.2%, Indie 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: Features a brilliant, non-verbal language decoding mechanic that is central to uncovering the game's deepest secrets.

Investigate. Interrogate. Descend into a world of intrigue to untangle the Mystery of the Malign.

Why similar: Investigation 37.9%, Puzzle 27.2%, Retro 16.6%, First-Person 7.2%, 3D 4.8%

Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric exploration game that emphasizes puzzle-solving and uncovering a dark, sci-fi mystery.

You must explore the labyrinth of riddles and investigate the apocalyptic event at the research facility following the experiments with the Higgs boson, or “the God particle”.

Why similar: Science 40.1%, Sci-fi 17.2%, Investigation 16.9%, Puzzle 11.7%, First-Person 5%

Why You'll Like It: A physics-based adventure that explores sci-fi themes through a unique, experimental lens.

Embark on an archaeological adventure inside an ancient pyramid to find your missing mentor. As an intrepid explorer, solve puzzles, investigate clues, and unravel the pyramid's secrets. Spoiler: it was not built by humans!

Why similar: Aliens 44.3%, Puzzle 18%, Sci-fi 17.6%, Investigation 16.5%, Adventure 2.9%

Why You'll Like It: Blends the themes of ancient mystery and alien technology into a focused puzzle-solving experience.

A short horror game where you control a decaying spacecraft exploring distant star systems.

Why similar: Sci-fi 18%, Retro 16.6%, Space 15.8%, Aliens 15.4%, Text-Based 13.9%

A unique puzzle-adventure set in the secret YogLabs research facility. As a newly created clone, you’ll face a series of challenges while disaster threatens to consume the laboratory.

Why similar: Science 43.5%, Puzzle 17.8%, Sci-fi 11.1%, Space 8%, First-Person 7.4%

Woken from a hypersleep, you find yourself alone on a drifting star cruiser, light years from home. The crew has disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a few scattered records and a strange artifact that seems to hold the key to an alien civilisation.

Why similar: Puzzle 61.8%, Indie 28.1%, Adventure 10%

Why You'll Like It: A puzzle-adventure game centered on investigating strange, ancient technology in a space setting.

Machinika: Atlas is an indie puzzle game and is the direct sequel to Machinika: Museum, you play as a museum researcher who just land on Atlas. Will you unravel the mysteries of the alien vessel? Solve cryptic puzzles to find out what happened!

Why similar: Science 22.3%, Aliens 19%, Investigation 12.5%, Puzzle 12.2%, Sci-fi 12%

Fight against brain-rot in this story-driven educational physics puzzle game. You will need to learn and apply high school physics concepts to solve increasingly challenging problems and uncover a galaxy spanning plot. When you have finished, you will be able to take a college level physics course.

Why similar: Science 51.4%, Aliens 16.8%, Puzzle 12.3%, Sci-fi 10.3%, First-Person 4.6%

Uncover the lies. Free your mind. Veritas is a compact narrative puzzle game that asks: what is truth, and does it even matter?

Why similar: Puzzle 29.6%, Sci-fi 24.6%, Science 22.3%, First-Person 14.8%, 3D 3.9%

Why You'll Like It: A point-and-click puzzle adventure that leans into sci-fi mystery and atmospheric discovery.

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Why similar: Text-Based 24.7%, Puzzle 19.4%, Space 18.9%, Sci-fi 13.9%, First-Person 9.7%

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: Science 44.9%, Aliens 23.9%, Sci-fi 13.6%, Space 10%, First-Person 4.6%

EXOTERRA: A Space Journey is a first-person science fiction puzzle game set aboard a stranded ship in the vast, dark expanse of outer space. Explore the HOPE-03 and uncover the mysteries it holds as you solve fully interactive escape-room-style chambers powered by a physics-based system.

Why similar: Sci-fi 34.7%, Puzzle 33.4%, First-Person 14.1%, 3D 6.6%, Adventure 5%

Help Artificial Intelligence named HAWKING activate an incredible mechanism that can reload the Universe!

Why similar: Puzzle 31.3%, Sci-fi 28.1%, First-Person 15.6%, 3D 11.1%, Linear 7.7%

A spaceship simulator for aliens, an ever-changing rule discovery puzzle for humans.

Why similar: Aliens 47.2%, Puzzle 24.4%, Sci-fi 15.2%, Space 10.1%, Indie 2.2%

Solve intricate puzzles to activate Nikola Tesla's creations, restore Wardenclyffe Tower, and unlock hidden devices in his New York lab. Explore the Chicago World's Fair in this mind-bending puzzle adventure.

Why similar: Science 51.3%, Investigation 19.5%, Puzzle 12.3%, Linear 6.6%, 3D 4.4%

10 CDs, 10 passwords. Find hidden messages, text, numbers to unlock next CD to continue your steganography puzzle journey.

Why similar: Retro 33.5%, Puzzle 32.8%, Text-Based 16.5%, Sci-fi 10.6%, Indie 3.3%

Cube puzzler and an epic adventure. Stamp stickers to the sides of your cube to imbue each surface with unique powers, which are vital to solving puzzles and finding secrets.

Why similar: Science 53.2%, Puzzle 13.4%, Sci-fi 12.9%, Aliens 12.3%, 3D 4.7%

After discovering an ancient portal, you suddenly find yourself among the remnants of an ancient alien civilization. Technological relics, sprawling ruins, and cryptic puzzles are all that remain. If you are to learn their secrets, you must unearth the fate of the race that called this world home.

Why similar: Science 49.7%, Puzzle 14.4%, Sci-fi 13.9%, Space 12.9%, First-Person 5.6%

Trapped on a space station with the Keychain Killer you must unravel this mystery, or it will be your last. Collect evidence, interrogate suspects and solve puzzles to stand a chance.

Why similar: Sci-fi 31%, Puzzle 27.4%, Space 24.7%, Linear 12.7%, Adventure 4.2%

A retro-sci-fi themed mystery investigation puzzle game. Search for clues across the solar system, gather intelligence using your cutting-edge investigation tools, and figure out what happened. When you find all 15 ships, you win!

Why similar: Puzzle 40.3%, Retro 29.9%, Space 23.8%, Indie 3.9%, Singleplayer 2.1%

Lost in an unexplored star system after a dimensional anomaly dispersed your fleet, you start to pick up signals scattered throughout the system. Explore the wrecks of the corporate fleet, discover the secrets of the anomaly, and try to get the good ending.

Why similar: Sci-fi 23.9%, Retro 22.4%, Puzzle 17.9%, Space 17.2%, First-Person 8%

You wake up in a spaceship, you realize that strange things are going on there, you try to get back to civilization. However, this is harder than you think, the encounters will drive you crazy and you will doubt yourself.

Why similar: Sci-fi 27.8%, Space 25.9%, Puzzle 18.1%, Retro 8.8%, First-Person 7.2%

Traverse mirrors as if they were natural extensions of space to solve puzzles and uncover secrets. Reshape your perspective to perform gravity-shifting acrobatics as you jungle-gym through a sprawling environment. You'll never look in a mirror the same way again.

Why similar: Puzzle 44.1%, First-Person 24.6%, Space 11%, 3D 10%, Adventure 3.7%

The GoD Unit is a first-person physics-based puzzle game set in a near pre-apocalyptic future, featuring the mass manipulation ability and other familiar and beloved puzzle mechanics.

Why similar: Science 51.6%, Puzzle 16.9%, Sci-fi 14.6%, First-Person 9%, 3D 4.9%

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

Why similar: Space 38.8%, Sci-fi 32.1%, Linear 12.7%, 3D 10.3%, Adventure 6%

You are entrusted with the role of one of the elite captains, put on a high-tech mech suit suitable for travel into space and go on an exciting journey.

Why similar: Space 46.6%, First-Person 22.9%, 3D 15.9%, Adventure 6%, Indie 6%

In a concrete slab beneath the earth, a lone technician is sent for routine maintenance on a network of supercomputers. Each terminal operates on its own hidden rules, and the only way to escape is to learn how to speak their language. Crack the code, unlock the truth.

Why similar: Investigation 40.8%, Puzzle 26.6%, Sci-fi 12.6%, First-Person 7.9%, 3D 7.8%

Experience an immersive sci-fi adventure. Walk in the footsteps of the ill-fated crew members of the Miranda station. Explore a world cloaked in mystery and danger, solve clever puzzles to help discover the questions that...

Why similar: Space 28.5%, Sci-fi 26.2%, Puzzle 22.1%, First-Person 12.9%, Adventure 6.6%

Take Notes is a puzzle game set in the near future within a bunker filled with 40 unique puzzles. Prepare yourself for a mind-bending adventure where every puzzle solved brings you one step closer to stopping the unthinkable

Why similar: Puzzle 36.6%, Sci-fi 26.3%, First-Person 17.6%, 3D 9.9%, Adventure 4.5%

The Moon's haunted - and when an astronaut loses contact with Earth, the adventure begins in full. Fill up your oxygen, load up the guns, and set out on an interstellar FPS adventure across the stars, filled with puzzles, fights, exploration, and strange secrets of the universe.

Why similar: Sci-fi 26.4%, Space 22.2%, Puzzle 21.1%, Linear 11.5%, First-Person 10.9%

The Fermi Paradox is a choice-driven sci-fi narrative strategy game in which your decisions in one corner of the galaxy can upend entire civilizations in another. Guide species through millennia and help them explore the vastness of space, make contact and, perhaps, create harmony.

Why similar: Aliens 54.8%, Sci-fi 24.1%, Space 16.5%, Indie 3.4%, Singleplayer 1.2%

Waking up alone in a derelict terraforming facility on an unknown (and distinctly not terraformed) planet, it's up to you to find a way to survive, learn what happened to the people who lived here and why you were abandoned in this narrative-driven incremental game.

Why similar: Text-Based 41.6%, Puzzle 19.7%, Sci-fi 19.4%, Space 14%, Adventure 3.5%

Explore a unique and connected world. Understand its fragile balance, uncover its deepest questions, and find more than just the answers.

Why similar: Puzzle 37.9%, Sci-fi 24.5%, First-Person 18.5%, 3D 7.8%, Adventure 5.6%

Follow Nova Dune, a space explorer in her quest to find out about the unfamiliar distress signal she received aboard her ship. Determined to investigate it, she finds herself on a desolated planet where all civilization has vanished.

Why similar: Sci-fi 35%, Puzzle 33.5%, Space 19.8%, Adventure 6.5%, Indie 5.2%

Venineth is a single-player game focusing on unraveling the mysteries of ancient alien technology, somewhere in the universe via exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving, in a dangerous, distant worlds.

Why similar: Aliens 40.3%, Sci-fi 18%, Puzzle 14%, Space 13.8%, Indie 6.5%