- #1 This War of Mine
97% matchVery Positive94% of 97,235 reviews2014
Dev: 11 bit studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 16.8 hrs≥1hr: 83%
In This War Of Mine you do not play as an elite soldier, rather a group of civilians trying to survive in a besieged city; struggling with lack of food, medicine and constant danger from snipers and hostile scavengers. The game provides an experience of war seen from an entirely new angle.
Why similar: War 44%, Choices Matter 14.1%, Psychological 11.3%, Emotional 9.9%, Atmospheric 7.3%
Why You'll Like It: It is the definitive game about civilian survival in a war-torn city, focusing on the moral weight of difficult choices.
- #2 Attentat 1942
96% matchVery Positive93% of 494 reviews2017
Dev: Charles Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 78%
Attentat 1942 is a historically-accurate adventure about World War 2. Face moral dilemmas and existential struggles as you uncover the troubled past of your family.
Why similar: Historical 21.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 18%, Interactive Fiction 12.4%, Visual Novel 12%, Emotional 9%
Why You'll Like It: This historical narrative game uses interviews and interactive sequences to explore the civilian experience during the Nazi occupation of Prague.
- #3 Through the Darkest of Times
96% matchVery Positive84% of 1,143 reviews2020
Dev: Paintbucket GamesPub: HandyGames
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.7 hrsMean: 6.8 hrs≥1hr: 61%
Berlin 1933. “Adolf Hitler is chancellor!” We all know the consequences this message bore. Unspeakable horrors and suffering would sweep across the world. Few would stand and fight the monstrosity that was the German Reich. Will you? Lead an underground resistance group Through the Darkest of Times.
Why similar: Historical 23.9%, Choices Matter 11.9%, Simulation 11%, Multiple Endings 9.4%, Emotional 8.6%
Why You'll Like It: You lead a small resistance group in Nazi Germany, balancing the need to survive with the moral imperative to fight against a regime.
- #4 The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
95% matchVery Positive89% of 9,719 reviews2021
Dev: SeverPub: 101XP
Windows
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 9.1 hrs≥1hr: 91%
A narrative-driven hardcore RPG set in a gritty world ruled by real but unrelenting gods. Set out on a challenging lifetime journey, where every choice has a price and entails consequences. Will you become an inquisitor, a judge, or conspire against the old order? Dare to decide!
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 19.1%, Choices Matter 17.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 17.2%, Text-Based 13.5%, Visual Novel 11%
Why You'll Like It: A narrative-heavy RPG where your choices define the life and eventual fate of a character living in a rigid, oppressive society.
- #5 We. The Refugees: Ticket to Europe
94% matchVery Positive89% of 148 reviews2023
Dev: Act Zero
Windows
‘We. The Refugees: Ticket to Europe’ is a socially engaged, text-based RPG about a journalist looking for his big break by uncovering the plights of refugees travelling from Africa to Europe. It is a story inspired by true events.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 18.6%, Text-Based 18.2%, Choose Your Own Adventure 16.5%, Emotional 10%, Multiple Endings 9.6%
Why You'll Like It: This interactive fiction title explores the complex and often dangerous reality of the refugee experience through a narrative-driven investigation.
- #6 Bury Me, My Love
94% matchMixed69% of 181 reviews2019
Dev: The Pixel HuntPub: PID Games
Windows
Median: 2.3 hrsMean: 8.0 hrs≥1hr: 69%
Bury me, my Love tells the story of Syrian refugee Nour and her husband Majd, as Nour undertakes a perilous journey to safety in Europe.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 33.5%, Simulation 22%, Visual Novel 21%, Adventure 14.6%, Story Rich 9%
Why You'll Like It: This text-based adventure follows a Syrian refugee's journey, emphasizing the emotional connection and difficult decisions made through mobile messaging.
- #7 A War of a Madman's Making
91% matchVery Positive96% of 109 reviews2024
Dev: Witching Metal Prod.
Windows
You are subordinate to the deranged dictator and must plan his doomed invasion in this text-based RPG / Visual Novel. Navigate the shark-filled waters of the Great Leader's presidential cabinet, try to save your family, and survive the purges in a world of power-hungry leaders and nuclear warfare.
Why similar: War 14.4%, Interactive Fiction 12.6%, Choose Your Own Adventure 12.2%, Historical 10.8%, Text-Based 10.5%
Why You'll Like It: An interactive fiction title that mirrors the structure of war-time visual novels by focusing on the personal stakes of conflict.
- #8 1979 Revolution: Black Friday
92% matchMostly Positive77% of 1,086 reviews2016
Dev: iNK Stories
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 4.9 hrs≥1hr: 88%
1979 Revolution: Black Friday is a choice driven, narrative game that brings players into the brooding world of a nation on the verge of collapse. Play as Reza, an aspiring photojournalist, and make life and death decisions as you survive the gritty streets of Iran in the late 1970’s.
Why similar: Historical 30.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 21.9%, Choices Matter 19.5%, Multiple Endings 10.6%, Story Rich 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: Based on real historical events, this interactive drama forces players to make life-or-death decisions during the Iranian Revolution.
- #9 Martial Law
91% matchVery Positive92% of 3,854 reviews2021
Dev: FIXER
Windows · Mac · Linux
Martial Law is a game about difficulties that came with Communism in Poland. The story is shown from the perspective of a man who is abandoned because of his low social status. He tries his best to be there for his daughter despite the difficulties.
Why similar: Choices Matter 20.9%, Multiple Endings 20.3%, Visual Novel 16.8%, Story Rich 9.5%, Emotional 7.8%
Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric, choice-driven game that captures the tension of living under a restrictive regime through a civilian lens.
- #10 Twenty-second: Stories of Underground Kharkiv
90% matchVery Positive89% of 76 reviews2024
Dev: Brenntkopf DevelopmentPub: Brenntkopf Publishing
Windows
The Twenty-Second: Stories of Underground Kharkiv is a quest and a visual novel that will tell you in the first person about the events of 2022 in the Kharkiv metro.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 23%, War 22.6%, Visual Novel 16.6%, RPG 9.1%, Historical 8.6%
Why You'll Like It: A narrative-driven game that provides a direct, localized perspective on the civilian experience during the early days of the 2022 invasion.
- #11 December 1914
89% matchVery Positive85% of 151 reviews2023
Dev: 莉莉恩工作室
Windows
A comic-style narrative-oriented game based on the Christmas Eve Truce during World War I.
Why similar: War 22%, Historical 20.4%, Interactive Fiction 16.5%, Visual Novel 12.9%, Emotional 10.4%
Why You'll Like It: This historical visual novel focuses on the emotional and human side of the WWI Christmas truce, emphasizing empathy over combat.
- #12 Papers, Please
87% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 79,495 reviews2013
Dev: Lucas PopePub: 3909
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 10.2 hrs≥1hr: 85%
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 33%, Simulation 25%, Story Rich 14.7%, Atmospheric 9.6%, 2D 8.6%
Why You'll Like It: A dystopian document-thriller that forces you to balance the needs of your family against the moral implications of your job as a border inspector.
- #13 Depression Quest
89% matchMixed61% of 3,934 reviews2014
Dev: The Quinnspiracy
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 42 minMean: 77.9 hrs≥1hr: 43%
Depression Quest is an interactive fiction game where you play as someone living with depression. You are given a series of everyday life events and have to attempt to manage your illness, relationships, job, and possible treatment.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 33.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 24.7%, Visual Novel 10.8%, Text-Based 9.7%, Psychological 8.7%
Why You'll Like It: While different in theme, its focus on interactive text and the heavy consequences of personal choices makes it a strong mechanical parallel.
- #14 Beholder
86% matchVery Positive92% of 30,706 reviews2016
Dev: Alawar Stargaze (Warm Lamp Games)Pub: Alawar
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 13.9 hrs≥1hr: 82%
You’re a state-installed landlord in a totalitarian country. Place listening devices, steal and sneak into your tenants’ apartments. Use what you uncovered to report anyone capable of plotting against the state. You MUST! But WILL you?
Why similar: Choices Matter 23.6%, Multiple Endings 20.7%, Dark 13.5%, Story Rich 11%, Simulation 9.4%
Why You'll Like It: You play as a state-installed landlord in a totalitarian society, forced to choose between spying on your tenants or maintaining your own humanity.
- #15 Survive In Russia
88% matchMixed65% of 57 reviews2020
Dev: Alexander Sablin
Windows · Mac
Survive in Russia is a survival quest in Russia. You will be available a selection of characters. Each of them presents survival mode and story mode. Only on your choice will depend on the life of the character.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 24.9%, Visual Novel 16.1%, Multiple Endings 14.4%, Choices Matter 13.5%, RPG 8.7%
Why You'll Like It: A nonlinear, choice-heavy survival game that focuses on the struggle of an individual navigating a harsh, unforgiving environment.
- #16 Chornobyl Liquidators
86% matchMixed48% of 691 reviews2024
Dev: Live Motion GamesPub: Frozen Way
Windows
Median: 1.3 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 54%
Chornobyl Liquidators is not a fantastic tale of exploring the Zone. It's a story about real people facing a real threat — the CNPP disaster. Invisible radiation, KGB, difficult moral choices... Do you have enough courage and strength to take on this challenge?
Why similar: Historical 26.7%, Choices Matter 13.8%, Multiple Endings 13.7%, Emotional 12.7%, RPG 8%
Why You'll Like It: A historical simulation that focuses on the personal, often dangerous tasks performed by individuals during a real-world disaster.
- #17 Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You
84% matchVery Positive90% of 15,492 reviews2016
Dev: Osmotic StudiosPub: Daedalic Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 8.3 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Big Brother has arrived - and it’s you. Investigate the lives of citizens to find those responsible for a series of terror attacks. Information from the internet, personal communications and private files are all accessible to you. But, be warned, the information you supply will have consequences.
Why similar: Choices Matter 56.3%, Simulation 25.6%, Interactive Fiction 6.6%, Visual Novel 3.4%, Story Rich 2.8%
Why You'll Like It: This narrative-driven game places you in the role of a government investigator, forcing you to decide how much privacy you are willing to sacrifice for security.
- #18 Not Tonight
85% matchVery Positive82% of 2,763 reviews2018
Dev: PanicBarnPub: No More Robots
Windows
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 6.5 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Person of European Heritage #112: Welcome to Relocation Block B, your new home. Your designated role is 'Bouncer'. Work hard, stay out of trouble, and we might let you stay in the UK.
Why similar: Simulation 30%, RPG 29.6%, Multiple Endings 16.1%, Story Rich 8.7%, 2D 7.8%
Why You'll Like It: A political survival game set in an alternate-history Britain that explores the consequences of nationalism and social division on the individual.
- #19 The Light in the Darkness
84% matchMostly Positive76% of 58 reviews2024
Dev: Voices of the ForgottenPub: Arcade Distillery
Windows
The Light in the Darkness tells the story of a working-class family of Polish Jews in France during the Holocaust. It is the first videogame to portray the Holocaust, releasing free for educational purposes.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 68.4%, Emotional 19.6%, Adventure 10.4%, Singleplayer 1.6%
Why You'll Like It: An educational, narrative-driven experience that tells the story of a Jewish family in France during the Holocaust.
- #20 The Town of Light
83% matchMostly Positive79% of 2,792 reviews2016
Dev: LKA
Windows
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 4.3 hrs≥1hr: 91%
12 March 1938, Renée, 16, was ripped out of her world, her only fault was that of not knowing her place in the world.
Why similar: Psychological 30.7%, Historical 27%, Choose Your Own Adventure 19%, Story Rich 8.7%, Atmospheric 8.4%
Why You'll Like It: A psychological narrative game based on real historical events that explores the dark reality of life within a psychiatric institution.
- #21 Field Hospital: Dr. Taylor's Story
82% matchVery Positive89% of 109 reviews2020
Dev: Gard Interactive
Windows · Mac
Field Hospital is a text-based bureaucratic detective game about hard decisions. Decide who to treat and whom to refuse. Face consequences. Study patients’ info and read their stories. Investigate the tangled case of Dr. Taylor.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 21.8%, War 18.3%, Text-Based 14.2%, Multiple Endings 10.7%, Choices Matter 10.4%
Why You'll Like It: A point-and-click narrative game that focuses on the ethical dilemmas faced by medical staff in a war zone.
- #22 Heads Will Roll: Reforged
80% matchVery Positive84% of 1,674 reviews2023
Dev: 1917 StudiosPub: Valkyrie Initiative
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 15.9 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Hardcore survival RPG with non-linear story that lets you play as a young medieval soldier who over the course of battles and adventures becomes the most formidable and respected knight of his era. Or, if he’s not lucky enough, perishes in the chaos of the Hundred Years' War.
Why similar: War 20.5%, Historical 13%, Text-Based 11.9%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11.6%, Interactive Fiction 10.7%
Why You'll Like It: A dark, choice-driven narrative game where survival depends on managing resources and making difficult moral compromises.
- #23 Brutalism22
82% matchMixed65% of 69 reviews2023
Dev: Marginal act
Windows
This is a retro horror game about the war in Ukraine and brutalist architecture in Eastern Europe
Why similar: Thriller 36.1%, Multiple Endings 31.7%, Story Rich 18.3%, Adventure 7%, Atmospheric 4.9%
Why You'll Like It: A story-rich exploration game that uses its environment to tell a narrative about a society in decline.
- #24 Ukrainian Warfare: Gostomel Heroes
77% matchVery Positive91% of 1,701 reviews2026
Dev: Cats Who Play
Windows
Median: 4.7 hrsMean: 11.1 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Ukrainian Warfare: Gostomel Heroes – is a real-time strategy game with a high degree of realism. Relive the Battle of Kiev (2022), a turning point in the Ukrainian conflict. Witness the Untold Story of 2022 Through the Eyes of Those Who Fought.
Why similar: Historical 47.5%, War 42.8%, Atmospheric 8.5%, Singleplayer 1.2%
- #25 Home Behind
81% matchVery Positive84% of 6,125 reviews2016
Dev: TPP Studio
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 13.8 hrs≥1hr: 89%
In Home Behind, you take on the role of a refugee cast out from your homeland by a band of rebels. Your home and the peace you enjoyed has been destroyed, and your family has disappeared. Can you survive the struggle, famine, and sickness to make it to the safety of Europe?
Why similar: RPG 44.7%, Adventure 25.1%, Simulation 19%, 2D 5.2%, Atmospheric 3.6%
Why You'll Like It: A survival RPG that chronicles the arduous journey of a refugee fleeing their war-torn homeland in search of safety.
- #26 93, Kuindzhi
76% matchVery Positive95% of 4,245 reviews2026
Dev: Nikita Igorevich StudioPub: Smysl Media
Windows
Median: 1.3 hrsMean: 1.6 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Kuindzhi, 93 is an atmospheric first-person narrative vignette about an 18-year-old boy from Donbas. The story takes us to March 2022, when the world changed forever — into a space where the past, fears, and doubts find their voice.
Why similar: Psychological 21%, Historical 16.3%, Emotional 16%, Visual Novel 10.9%, Dark 9.4%
- #27 Sovietpunk: Chapter one
81% matchMixed69% of 192 reviews2021
Dev: Hot Chill
Windows
Sovietpunk is a cyberpunk story set in the setting of the Soviet Union after a global nuclear war. You have to guide the main character through the gloomy tunnels, in which the struggle for life is in full swing.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 35.4%, Visual Novel 21.6%, Story Rich 10%, Dark 8.4%, Atmospheric 7.8%
Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric, story-rich interactive fiction game that explores the remnants of a collapsed society.
- #28 Liquidators
78% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 1,213 reviews2020
Dev: Gray Unit
Windows
Chernobyl, USSR, 1986. Three nuclear plant workers go on a daring mission to prevent a radioactive fallout that would affect half of Europe. Every moment is permanent, and all is at stake.
Why similar: Historical 26.6%, Thriller 16.6%, Multiple Endings 13.5%, Stylized 13.4%, Choices Matter 12.8%
Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric narrative experience that draws on the historical context of the Chernobyl disaster to tell a personal story.
- #29 Interrogation Simulator
79% matchVery Positive95% of 61 reviews2022
Dev: Otis MillerPub: Fire Cycle Games
Windows · Linux
Inspired by JCS videos and similar Interrogation analysis. Match evidence with statements. Play good cop/bad cop. Make choices. Learn what makes people tick. Unravel the mystery.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 23.7%, Interactive Fiction 22.5%, Text-Based 17.3%, Visual Novel 15.5%, RPG 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: This game uses dialogue-based choices to simulate the high-pressure environment of questioning suspects in a political context.
- #30 Undying Symphony
77% matchVery Positive85% of 192 reviews2024
Dev: Siberian Koala
Windows
«Undying Symphony» tells a story about challenges that Leningrad people faced during the Siege and shows us one of the most tragic episodes of Leningrad history
Why similar: Historical 39.6%, Multiple Endings 18.5%, Visual Novel 11.3%, Story Rich 10.3%, Atmospheric 7%
- #31 Interactive Horror Stories
79% matchMixed69% of 150 reviews2019
Dev: Aslan Game Studio
Windows · Mac · Linux
"Choose your own adventure" style nightmares
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 21.8%, Choose Your Own Adventure 20.7%, Text-Based 16.6%, Historical 13.2%, Choices Matter 12.1%
Why You'll Like It: A collection of short, text-based interactive stories that utilize a similar choose-your-own-adventure format.
- #32 R/A\W
78% matchMixed48% of 50 reviews2025
Dev: Russian Devs Against The WarPub: VISUAL FLOSS
Windows · Mac · Linux
Anthology of anti-war stories by award-winning authors from Russia
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 24.3%, Text-Based 19.9%, Visual Novel 19.6%, War 19.3%, Emotional 6.2%
- #33 Durka Simulator
75% matchVery Positive94% of 1,713 reviews2023
Dev: Xrisofor
Windows · Linux
"Durka Simulator" is a visual novel with humorous elements that takes place in an alternative reality in the Russian Federation.
Why similar: Visual Novel 19.5%, Choose Your Own Adventure 18.9%, Text-Based 17.1%, Interactive Fiction 14.3%, Historical 12.1%
- #34 IZGUB 2001
76% matchVery Positive97% of 111 reviews2024
Dev: Dbrhdk
Windows
You decide how a civil war in the country of Izgub is supposed to end. Visual novel with strong themes of war, political violence and moral dilemma.
Why similar: War 24.1%, Interactive Fiction 22.2%, Visual Novel 16%, RPG 8.7%, Dark 6.4%
- #35 Squad 22: ZOV
75% matchMixed60% of 653 reviews2025
Dev: SPN StudioPub: Zarobana Entertainment
Windows
Single player tactical action real-time game with active pause to plan orders carefully. Based on real war-time experience of living Russian veterans of war in Ukraine. It's all about modern conflict small infantry groups with some armored vehicle and drone support as well as real events story
Why similar: Historical 41.4%, War 40.9%, Choices Matter 14.5%, Story Rich 2.7%, Singleplayer 0.6%
- #36 Glory to Ukraine!
74% matchVery Positive85% of 162 reviews2024
Dev: Slavic Balls
Windows · Linux
On 24 February, Russia invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Your task is kill the invaders. Use any available weapons: knive and axe, machine gun and grenades. Be careful, enemies are crafty and merciless. The fate of Ukraine depends on you.
Why similar: War 65.3%, Dark 18.6%, Adventure 15.5%, Singleplayer 0.6%
- #37 The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante — Chapter 1&2
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 2,034 reviews2020
Dev: SeverPub: 101XP
Windows
Median: 2.2 hrsMean: 5.7 hrs≥1hr: 74%
A narrative-driven hardcore RPG set in a gritty world where the gods are real. Set out on a challenging lifetime journey, where every choice you make has a price to pay and consequence to it. Will you become an inquisitor, a judge, or conspire against the old order? Dare to decide!
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 18.7%, Interactive Fiction 18.6%, Text-Based 14.7%, Visual Novel 12%, Choices Matter 8.1%
- #38 Simulator of Ukraine 1991
73% matchVery Positive87% of 225 reviews2024
Dev: Almost Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
This game is a global strategy, which is primarily focused on Ukraine after leaving the Soviet occupation. Here you will be given control of Ukraine with the opportunity to change history and intervene in the events of that time.
Why similar: Simulation 86.5%, Singleplayer 13.5%
- #39 Russian Psychiatric Pastoral: Prologue
72% matchMostly Positive79% of 106 reviews2025
Dev: Ivan Lysenko
Windows
Introductory demonstration version. An interactive movie that combines a psychiatrist simulator, a detective story and unique fight sequences. Take on the role of a psychiatrist, encounter various psychiatric diagnoses, and investigate disappearances of various people.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 22.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 22.2%, Thriller 11.3%, Multiple Endings 9.9%, Choices Matter 9.3%
- #40 My Therapy
72% matchVery Positive96% of 334 reviews2022
Dev: Suvorov Mikhail
Windows · Linux
A visual novel about cute melancholic girls!
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.2%, Interactive Fiction 16.1%, Choose Your Own Adventure 15.2%, Multiple Endings 15.2%, Choices Matter 8.6%
- #41 Ukrainian ball in search of gas
73% matchVery Positive94% of 907 reviews2017
Dev: Nikita "Ghost_RUS"Pub: Ghost_RUS Games
Windows
Median: 12 minMean: 30.1 hrs≥1hr: 30%
You play as a man turned into a ball and you need to steal all the gas from the forest at all costs.
Why similar: Choices Matter 41.5%, Story Rich 24.4%, Simulation 21.6%, Adventure 12.5%
- #42 Svoboda 1945: Liberation
71% matchVery Positive98% of 190 reviews2021
Dev: Charles Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 4.7 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Svoboda 1945: Liberation is a unique adventure game featuring dialogues with real actors. Talk to witnesses of the chaotic aftermath of World War 2 and discover the secret history of your own family in a captivating story about reconciliation with the dark past.
Why similar: War 19.5%, Historical 17.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 14.4%, Visual Novel 11.6%, Emotional 9.3%
- #43 BLOCKADE War Stories
74% matchMostly Positive71% of 99 reviews2019
Dev: Novalink
Windows
New vision of the Great Patriotic War in the style of Blockade3D! New heroes, new adventures, dangerous tasks, crowds of enemies and a unique atmosphere - all this is Blockade War Stories!
Why similar: Adventure 100%
- #44 Knell of St. Godhrkar
70% matchVery Positive93% of 1,565 reviews2021
Dev: -二律背反-
Windows · Mac
In this game, you can watch as 7 protagonists come to a crossroad, facing their own destiny. You will witness their own choices and the blood-splattering consequence they have on one another. There is no way out except to plunge them into the abyss...
Why similar: Text-Based 26.4%, Visual Novel 23.2%, Interactive Fiction 17.5%, RPG 12.4%, Story Rich 9.6%
- #45 No, I'm not a Voenkom
71% matchMixed47% of 116 reviews2025
Dev: Pine Games
Windows
You're an ordinary factory worker, whiling away your dreary life in a nondescript small town. You had a stable job, your own apartment, mortgaged at just 89% interest, and everything was going well, until one gloomy evening, an uninvited guest knocked on your door...
Why similar: Choices Matter 20.5%, RPG 17.7%, Multiple Endings 12.9%, Simulation 10.5%, Thriller 9.8%
- #46 Cycle of Struggle: Ardengrad
68% matchVery Positive98% of 50 reviews2026
Dev: Visionary Impact
Windows
Cycle of Struggle: Ardengrad is a visual novel about politics, love, and the cost of historical choices in an alternate world. You are a student drawn into events that will soon erupt into civil war. Here, ideologies are not just words—they define people’s fates. Every decision leaves a mark.
Why similar: War 24.9%, Visual Novel 22.4%, Thriller 21.6%, Multiple Endings 13.2%, Choices Matter 7.6%
- #47 The Peresmeshnik
71% matchVery Positive93% of 110 reviews2020
Dev: Sean Arnold
Windows
It is said that the last frontier is space, but the crew of the Soviet Frigate, The Peresmeshnik, is about to discover that the sea still hides a terrifying secret. Waiting to be found.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 23%, Text-Based 22.3%, Interactive Fiction 20.9%, Thriller 7.2%, Choices Matter 6.7%
- #48 For Mother Matron
69% matchVery Positive92% of 168 reviews2022
Dev: Velvetique GamesPub: Neoclassic Games
Windows · Mac
A story about a girl named Lizzy living in a miserable world and her journey to its darkest depths. A free atmospheric horror visual novel where you navigate life-or-death situations. SEEK PARADISE OR DIE TRYING
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 22.6%, Interactive Fiction 22.5%, Visual Novel 17.2%, Multiple Endings 12.4%, Choices Matter 10.7%
- #49 Revolution: Young Mao
70% matchMostly Negative22% of 195 reviews2026
Dev: YunruPub: Revolt
Windows · Mac · Linux
Set around 1929, this interactive visual novel lets you relive the early Red Army's epic journey from a first-person perspective. Experience immersive historical narratives and make pivotal branching choices. Beware: wrong decisions will end your game!
Why similar: Historical 30.1%, Visual Novel 22%, Interactive Fiction 19.5%, Text-Based 13.3%, Choices Matter 5%
- #50 Emily is Away
67% matchVery Positive89% of 32,286 reviews2015
Dev: Kyle Seeley
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 54 minMean: 19.9 hrs≥1hr: 42%
Emily is Away is an interactive story. Create a screenname and choose your path through the branching narrative.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 23.7%, Choose Your Own Adventure 17.5%, Choices Matter 16.7%, Text-Based 11.3%, Visual Novel 10.8%
- #51 All Quiet in the Trenches
66% matchVery Positive90% of 909 reviews2024
Dev: Totally Not Aliens
Windows · Linux
All Quiet in the Trenches is a narrative turn-based strategy RPG set in World War I. Get to know your soldiers, take care of their needs and lead them in battle, trying to strike a precarious balance between the ambitions of your superiors and the survival of your men.
Why similar: War 31.1%, Historical 17.7%, Choices Matter 13.1%, RPG 8.2%, Psychological 7.2%
- #52 The Sin Collector: Repentless
69% matchVery Positive92% of 90 reviews2021
Dev: Sylen Studio
Windows
THE SIN COLLECTOR: REPENTLESS is a game on the border of a visual novel and a classic text RPG, set in the world of The Sin Collector, a series of books written by Michał Gołkowski. Action takes place a couple of years before the events presented in the books.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 17.4%, Interactive Fiction 16.8%, Text-Based 15.8%, Visual Novel 11.9%, Choices Matter 8.9%
- #53 Welcome to Chornobayivka VR
69% matchMixed70% of 99 reviews2022
Dev: darksciencelab
Windows
At that day the Russians start a miss planned attack against Ukraine, Joe grabs his preferred weapon to stop the Zombie Russian Soldiers that got infected by a sick experiment of Putin. Fight for democracy and freedom in a wave like horror VR shooter experience for free.
Why similar: War 63.5%, Dark 23.7%, Atmospheric 12.8%
- #54 Project Vostok: Episode 1
68% matchVery Positive83% of 117 reviews2022
Dev: Natrix
Windows · Mac · Linux
"Project Vostok" is a non-linear horror visual novel about a group of airplane crash survivors finding a mysterious Soviet-era bunker in Altai mountains. Uncover the story full of drama, horrors and decide the fate a of various cast of heroes in this free visual novel.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 21.1%, Visual Novel 19.8%, Choices Matter 12.3%, Multiple Endings 11.5%, Emotional 9.4%
- #55 Mothmen 1966
67% matchVery Positive91% of 321 reviews2022
Dev: LCB Game StudioPub: Chorus Worldwide Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.7 hrsMean: 2.1 hrs≥1hr: 62%
Mothmen 1966 is a 'Pixel Pulp' - a visual novel fusing exceptional writing and stunning illustration, inspired by mid-20th century pulp fiction and 80s home computer graphics - set amongst the strange occurrences of the Leonid meteor shower of 1966.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 19.2%, Interactive Fiction 18.3%, Visual Novel 12.7%, Thriller 11.2%, Choices Matter 9.5%
- #56 I, the Forgotten One
67% matchVery Positive91% of 195 reviews2023
Dev: Hosted Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
To defeat the rebel knights and stabilize the crown, you must journey through the most dangerous realm in the kingdom--your own wretched past.
Why similar: War 23.6%, Text-Based 17.1%, Interactive Fiction 16.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 15%, Psychological 14%
- #57 One's Own Exile
64% matchVery Positive100% of 467 reviews2025
Dev: Updog Software
Windows
Follow Sybil in her pursuit for survival, having to sacrifice everything - her culture, her identity, her values - to achieve a single objective: escape from a place that is constantly trying to kill her. A short game about persecution and identity.
Why similar: Visual Novel 16.1%, Multiple Endings 15.4%, Emotional 14.6%, Choices Matter 9.3%, Dark 8.9%
- #58 Breakout 13
65% matchVery Positive88% of 7,447 reviews2023
Dev: ALT Lab
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 6.7 hrsMean: 12.2 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Breakout 13 is a thrilling narrative game with interactive cinematic experience. Based on true stories. Embark on a revealing journey as you attempt to break free from a negligent correctional institute and carve out your own path to justice. Each decision you make shapes the story.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 26.8%, Interactive Fiction 26.7%, Multiple Endings 14.7%, Choices Matter 14.7%, RPG 9.4%