Games Like The Novelist

The Beginner's Guide is a narrative video game from Davey Wreden, the creator of The Stanley Parable. It lasts about an hour and a half and has no traditional mechanics, no goals or objectives. Instead, it tells the story of a person struggling to deal with something they do not understand.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 20.5%, Experimental 18.3%, Story Rich 17%, Atmospheric 10.7%, First-Person 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: This game offers a meta-narrative experience that explores the creative process and the relationship between a creator and their work.

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 25.2%, Story Rich 21%, Atmospheric 17.7%, First-Person 14.3%, Exploration 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: Like The Novelist, this game focuses on a man escaping his personal life to find clarity, featuring deep dialogue and emotional weight.

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: Story Rich 28.3%, Walking Simulator 22.9%, Atmospheric 16.9%, First-Person 12.6%, Exploration 6.8%

Why You'll Like It: This title excels at exploring family dynamics and personal history through atmospheric, narrative-driven discovery.

June 7th, 1995. 1:15 AM. You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here? Unravel the mystery for yourself in Gone Home, a story exploration game from The Fullbright Company.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 45.2%, Story Rich 11%, Atmospheric 10.8%, First-Person 10.2%, Exploration 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: It shares the intimate, domestic focus of The Novelist, where piecing together a family's story is the primary objective.

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: Choices Matter 24.1%, Story Rich 21.8%, Atmospheric 19.2%, Walking Simulator 10.6%, Indie 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: A deeply emotional narrative game that forces you to make difficult choices to change the fate of a family.

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: Choices Matter 33.1%, Story Rich 27.1%, Multiple Endings 13.9%, Atmospheric 12.8%, Walking Simulator 4.6%

Why You'll Like It: This game places a heavy emphasis on the consequences of choices and the emotional development of its characters.

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 29.4%, Story Rich 21.8%, First-Person 14%, Atmospheric 10.9%, Exploration 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: The observational gameplay mechanic mirrors the ghost-like perspective of The Novelist, allowing you to piece together a narrative through past events.

In this 3D visual novel, follow failed screenwriter Junon as she attempts to make it through the most pivotal day in her life. Relive the past, alter the present, and embrace the future, or without your help, Junon’s story might end in a wreck.

Why similar: Choices Matter 19.3%, Interactive Fiction 16%, Multiple Endings 12.3%, Story Rich 10.5%, Psychological 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative-driven game that explores trauma and family relationships through a unique, choice-based time-manipulation mechanic.

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: Interactive Fiction 30.2%, Multiple Endings 20.8%, Story Rich 18.5%, Atmospheric 13%, Exploration 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the struggle of balancing personal survival with the needs of others in a narrative-heavy, choice-driven environment.

Oxenfree is a supernatural thriller about a group of friends who unwittingly open a ghostly rift. You are Alex, and you’ve just brought your new stepbrother Jonas to an overnight island party gone horribly wrong.

Why similar: Choices Matter 24.2%, Story Rich 19.8%, Supernatural 18.1%, Atmospheric 12.1%, Multiple Endings 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: The dialogue-heavy gameplay and the weight of your choices significantly alter the relationships between the characters.

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 25.2%, Atmospheric 18.2%, First-Person 14%, Supernatural 12.9%, Story Rich 12.3%

Why You'll Like It: It provides an atmospheric, first-person experience where you reconstruct past events to uncover a tragic family story.

Grotto is a mystical, narrative-focused experience. You are the Soothsayer. The one capable of talking with the stars and unveiling their messages. In a time of turmoil, the tribe of the valley turn to your powers of divination and come to you for guidance.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 17.1%, Choices Matter 14.2%, Multiple Endings 12%, Psychological 10.6%, Walking Simulator 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: This game uses an interactive-fiction style to place you in a position of influence over the lives of others, similar to the ghost mechanic.

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: Interactive Fiction 18.4%, Story Rich 18.1%, Emotional 17.4%, First-Person 10.9%, Walking Simulator 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: A highly emotional narrative experience that uses a unique mechanic to reflect on the passage of time and life choices.

The Magnificent Trufflepigs is a first-person, metal-detecting narrative game. It combines laid-back detecting and exploration with a dramatic story, all set in a beautiful English countryside. It’s a game about trying to find something.

Why similar: Story Rich 21.5%, First-Person 18.8%, Atmospheric 16.5%, Interactive Fiction 14.7%, Walking Simulator 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: A grounded, atmospheric mystery that focuses on the personal connection between two characters through their shared activity.

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 40.2%, Atmospheric 16.9%, Story Rich 13.2%, First-Person 9.5%, Indie 6%

Why You'll Like It: This game excels at environmental storytelling, allowing you to observe the final moments of a community's life.

Forgotten Fields is a game about yearning and nostalgia. Play as Sid - a struggling writer who travels back to his childhood home one last time before it's sold off. Visit old friends, relive memories and play through sections of Sid's book in this warm game about the passage of time.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 28.8%, Walking Simulator 16.8%, Story Rich 14.4%, Multiple Endings 13.4%, Atmospheric 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: It directly mirrors the theme of a writer struggling to balance their creative ambitions with the realities of life.

An emotional and immersive game about a man named Will and the people close to him. Experience his life through a story about love, memories and hope.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 24%, Walking Simulator 18.1%, Story Rich 14%, Atmospheric 12.1%, First-Person 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on the emotional aftermath of a life-changing event, emphasizing the impact one person has on those around them.

Hitchhike your way to freedom in this crazy procedurally generated road trip. No one's road is the same!

Why similar: Choices Matter 17.8%, Interactive Fiction 13.3%, Multiple Endings 12.7%, First-Person 12%, Story Rich 11.5%

Why You'll Like It: The procedural narrative and the impact of your choices on the world and its characters mirror the branching paths of The Novelist.

It's 1986 - Meredith Weiss takes a break from her career in the big city to deliver mail in her hometown. How will she experience two weeks in beautiful Providence Oaks, with its iconic lake and quirky community? And what will she do next? It's up to you.

Why similar: Choices Matter 19.5%, Walking Simulator 17.4%, Multiple Endings 17.3%, Story Rich 15.6%, Choose Your Own Adventure 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: It focuses on the quiet, personal choices of an individual trying to balance their career and their personal life in a small town.

A beautiful, 3rd-person exploration game centered around two parallel stories: a fox trying to find her missing family, and a son reconnecting with his estranged father in Alaska. Uncover artifacts from the son's life as he becomes intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 26.1%, Atmospheric 23.3%, Story Rich 16.7%, Exploration 10.1%, Adventure 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: An emotional, atmospheric journey that intertwines a story about a fox with a personal narrative about family loss.

Experience a swirling of emotions in this touching adventure through the lives of three characters of different ages. 10 Experiences, 30 Levels and more than 70 choices. Can you face yourself?

Why similar: Indie 100%

Why You'll Like It: It explores the philosophical aspects of life and the different perspectives one can have on the same events.

Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.

Why similar: Multiple Endings 31.3%, Story Rich 20.7%, Indie 20%, Atmospheric 14.4%, Singleplayer 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: While mechanically different, it perfectly captures the moral weight of choices and the pressure of balancing duty with personal morality.

Driven by a rare neurological affliction plaguing his family, Joshua has to recover his memories by exploring parallel realities through déjà vu. Facing the innermost depths of his past – moments both joyous and painful – seems to be the only way to get his life and family back together.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 23.2%, Walking Simulator 14.5%, Multiple Endings 13.7%, Story Rich 12.4%, First-Person 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: A psychological narrative game that deals with memory and the struggle to maintain one's identity under pressure.

A contemplative experience where you’ll wander through the dreams, memories and fantasies emerging from a dialogue between a grandfather and his grandchild.

Why similar: Experimental 32.3%, Walking Simulator 14.8%, Story Rich 12.2%, Psychological 12%, Atmospheric 10%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal and atmospheric experience that focuses on memory and the passage of time in a deeply personal way.

Unable to sleep, you navigate a quiet condo complex. There's no rush - just you, the building, its inhabitants, and the stories they hold.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 23.5%, Interactive Fiction 16.7%, First-Person 13.7%, Atmospheric 13.5%, Exploration 8.7%

There are things that often fail on nothing but themselves. Is there even a way out? Playing Kafka is a narrative adventure full of impenetrable schemes, insidious plot twists and conversations that slip out of hand. Based on Kafka’s life and his work, developed with Kafka experts.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 24.8%, Story Rich 14.3%, Psychological 13.6%, Choices Matter 11.7%, Atmospheric 10.4%

Lenin – The Lion is a Puzzle RPG game about overcoming fears. Walk into chaos and find the claws of loneliness or carefully build your path and find the benefits of understanding and acceptance.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 18.3%, Choices Matter 16.8%, Psychological 14.6%, Multiple Endings 14.4%, Emotional 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: An emotional, choice-driven game that tackles complex psychological themes through a unique narrative lens.

Experience the Myth of Frankenstein through the innocent eyes of his creature. Make decisions and change people's view that you will meet on your way. Now, the myth is in your hands, so how are you going to end it?

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 20.6%, Choices Matter 17.9%, Multiple Endings 13.8%, Story Rich 12.2%, Choose Your Own Adventure 9.9%

Why You'll Like It: This game uses a beautiful, choice-based narrative to explore the nature of humanity and the consequences of one's actions.

A short, twisted tale about a smuggler and a late night encounter in the English Channel. Control the camera and make tough choices, will you escape with your life?

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 22.5%, Choices Matter 20.7%, Story Rich 15%, Multiple Endings 14.2%, Choose Your Own Adventure 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: A short, impactful narrative game where your choices determine the moral outcome of a tense situation.

This surprising first-person story tells the tale of a heist gone wrong. Encounter high-flying schemers, lovelorn criminals, and more stray kittens than you can shake a stick at.

Why similar: Experimental 30.5%, Interactive Fiction 17.7%, Walking Simulator 12.9%, First-Person 10.2%, Story Rich 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: An experimental, short-form narrative that relies on visual cues and player interpretation to tell a complex story.

A short interactive essay on dreams, pressure, and expectations. Take part in an ancient ritual where one shot determines the fate of a generation.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 28.7%, Story Rich 17.4%, Emotional 14.4%, Atmospheric 11.7%, Multiple Endings 11.6%

7th Chance is a short (20-30 minute) story-based exploration adventure game. Waking up from a night of heavy drinking ... something isn't right.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 22.4%, Walking Simulator 14.2%, Choices Matter 12.7%, Multiple Endings 10.5%, First-Person 8.7%

You will answer a series of questions that will reveal truths from deep within. These questions may make you uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and if you do, are you sure you want the answers you seek?

Why similar: Multiple Endings 20.6%, Choices Matter 19.1%, Psychological 16.2%, Story Rich 15%, Choose Your Own Adventure 13.3%

The End of You is a short, emotional narrative game about love lost, the ghosts of the past, and the painful crawl towards closure.

Why similar: Choices Matter 18.6%, Psychological 18.5%, Story Rich 14.2%, Walking Simulator 13.3%, Emotional 12.8%

A first-person, narrative-driven game featuring The Developer, who questions, taunts, and tests you at every turn. You shouldn’t press the button, but you’ll want to. You will have control, and you will have none. Power is in your hands... or is it? Inspired by classic narrative driven games.

Why similar: Choices Matter 19.9%, Walking Simulator 14.1%, First-Person 13.5%, Multiple Endings 10.1%, Atmospheric 8.8%

Depression The Game is an interactive game simulating major depression. You are joining a young man on one of his really bad days trying to handle his thoughts and survive that day... Will he?

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 18.9%, Choices Matter 13.2%, Psychological 12.9%, Walking Simulator 10.8%, Story Rich 9.8%

Wanderlust: Travel Stories is a bridge between literature and gaming. Step into the shoes of modern travelers—explore their desires, hopes and fears, and shape how their stories unfold. Make this journey your own.

Why similar: Experimental 25%, Interactive Fiction 17.4%, Choices Matter 13.7%, Multiple Endings 11.3%, Story Rich 8.8%

One apartment, many stories: Witness turning points in the lives of the inhabitants of an apartment in Berlin over the course of a whole century.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 21.3%, Story Rich 18.4%, First-Person 17.1%, Atmospheric 14.8%, Exploration 7.9%

“Thing-in-Itself” is a short interactive story about the struggles of understanding another human being. Using Immanuel Kant’s concept as a framework, it leads the player through stages of a relationship, exploring how perceptions may clash and surroundings can alter.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 19.7%, Psychological 15.7%, Walking Simulator 14.7%, Story Rich 11.4%, Emotional 11.3%

Atmospheric first person adventure game focusing on immersion and exploration. Meet strange characters, discover secrets and try to unfold the mystery of the Fragmentation.

Why similar: Choices Matter 20.1%, First-Person 17.4%, Multiple Endings 16.3%, Atmospheric 15.3%, Exploration 10.1%

Graphic Novel meets Visual Novel in this story-rich, choice-driven thriller. Experience Blake’s journey as he encounters a clandestine nemesis, sparking a series of events that force him to choose between losing his sanity or rising to the challenge. Make the right decisions and save New Stone.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 28.5%, Choices Matter 21.1%, Story Rich 13.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 13.1%, Psychological 9.4%

As a young soldier returning to an eerily deserted home, you'll explore enigmatic rooms and uncover a haunting, tragic story. Experience an atmospheric journey filled with suspense, mysterious encounters, and a deep narrative.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 16.1%, Story Rich 14.3%, First-Person 11.9%, Interactive Fiction 11.6%, Atmospheric 11.4%

A haiku platformer. It's short and vague.

Why similar: Experimental 29.1%, Interactive Fiction 14.5%, Psychological 12.2%, Story Rich 9%, Emotional 8%

SELF is a suspenseful Kafkaesque text-based adventure game with simulation and puzzle mechanics. Could you seize the opportunity to find your father and your SELF back in this introspective journey?

Why similar: Experimental 32.4%, Psychological 17%, Indie 13.9%, Adventure 13.1%, Story Rich 11.5%

A psychological interactive novel about a floppy disk with a mysterious program. Help Elliot cope with his mental issues and uncover the secret of the floppy disk.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 20.6%, Choices Matter 18.8%, Psychological 16.8%, Multiple Endings 12%, Story Rich 10.4%

A woman alone in a house. A mystery and a love story. Explore the present to uncover the past, in a short story of love and loss and a life well-lived. A narrative exploration game that examines a world where memories are constantly fading and jumbled.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 25.2%, Atmospheric 15.8%, Emotional 15.2%, First-Person 13.6%, Exploration 10.2%

The first step that you never knew you needed to take to get to wherever you're wanting to go...

Why similar: Choices Matter 20.7%, Multiple Endings 17.7%, Psychological 14.9%, Emotional 10.5%, Choose Your Own Adventure 10.4%

Share thoughts and hot food with your last ever clients, as you wait for the world to end.

Why similar: Choices Matter 16.4%, Multiple Endings 15.5%, Walking Simulator 13.6%, Interactive Fiction 13.1%, Story Rich 10.4%

Do you feel good where you are? Some people do, some don't even if they have everything in the world. Does love fix that sort of feeling, even if such feelings feel so hard to grasp and such love could be toxic to yourself? What is a loving muse to the artist who paints them?

Why similar: Choices Matter 29.1%, Multiple Endings 23.9%, Story Rich 23.2%, Emotional 13.7%, First-Person 6.7%

Hitchhiker is a mystery game set along lost highways, where your goal is to solve the puzzle of your own backstory.

Why similar: Story Rich 17%, Interactive Fiction 15.7%, First-Person 14%, Atmospheric 13.7%, Psychological 11.3%

Reaching for Petals is a poetic adventure about love, loss, and ambition. You will travel to the peak of the ever-reaching mountain to uncover the true nature of your mysterious and seemingly unguided journey.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.4%, Atmospheric 18.2%, Story Rich 18%, Indie 13.4%, Adventure 12.1%

In this narrative card game about relationships and communication, navigate conversations in a colorful world reminiscent of our own. Learn and grow through the cards you choose to play. Who will you become? What will you leave behind?

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 29.5%, Choices Matter 24%, Story Rich 11.6%, Choose Your Own Adventure 10.9%, Indie 6.4%

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: Interactive Fiction 18.7%, Choices Matter 15.6%, Psychological 12.9%, Multiple Endings 12.8%, Walking Simulator 11.8%

South of the Circle is a deep narrative experience of the emerging relationship between Peter and Clara, Cambridge academics involved in a political conflict. The story focuses on promises made in between career and true love, where our choices burdened by our past seem to be illusory.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 34.7%, Story Rich 18.9%, Atmospheric 13.8%, Emotional 12.1%, Walking Simulator 10.8%

The Sixth Sorrow is a short, narrative-driven horror game where your choices impact the story. To what lengths can a mother's love drive her?

Why similar: Choices Matter 18.3%, Interactive Fiction 18.2%, Multiple Endings 15.2%, Walking Simulator 13.2%, Story Rich 10.6%

A "Blind" simulator that lets you experience a new perspective and immersive sensory journey. Step into a world of darkness using your guide cane.

Why similar: Experimental 25.5%, Walking Simulator 15.7%, Psychological 12.9%, Story Rich 12.4%, Atmospheric 10.1%

Imagined Leviathans is a narrative survival game set in a frozen British village. Explore the countryside and unite the survivors to face down your Leviathans together.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 19%, Choices Matter 13.3%, Walking Simulator 12.7%, Story Rich 11.7%, First-Person 10.6%

Classic Zork meets Existential Crisis. A modern text adventure that explores themes of control, isolation and mental health while levelling up the genre with beautiful pixel art.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 28.8%, Psychological 17.9%, Story Rich 17.5%, Atmospheric 14%, Choices Matter 7.9%