Games Like What Remains of Edith Finch

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 55.1%, Story Rich 10.1%, Atmospheric 7.6%, Exploration 6.3%, First-Person 5.4%

Why You'll Like It: Like Edith Finch, it centers on exploring a family home and piecing together an intimate, emotional story through objects, spaces, and quiet discovery.

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 28.8%, Story Rich 18.1%, Atmospheric 11.6%, Mystery 11.5%, Great Soundtrack 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: It delivers the same kind of first-person, story-rich experience where atmosphere, naturalistic dialogue, and a slowly unfolding mystery matter more than traditional gameplay.

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: Walking Simulator 23.7%, Exploration 13.6%, Mystery 12.8%, Story Rich 12.1%, First-Person 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: Made by the same studio, it shares Edith Finch's surreal storytelling instincts, emotional undertones, and inventive shifts in how each sequence plays.

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 29.3%, Mystery 15.6%, Atmospheric 12.1%, Story Rich 10.8%, First-Person 7.1%

Why You'll Like It: Its first-person exploration, haunting mood, and focus on reconstructing tragic events make it one of the closest mystery-driven alternatives.

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 44.7%, Great Soundtrack 14.7%, Story Rich 11.1%, Atmospheric 10.8%, First-Person 4.6%

Why You'll Like It: This is another slow, atmospheric narrative mystery built around wandering through a place full of echoes from lives already lost.

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 33.6%, Story Rich 18.7%, Female Protagonist 9%, Mystery 8.6%, Atmospheric 7.1%

Why You'll Like It: It captures a very similar pleasure of exploring a contained space and uncovering human stories through layered environmental narrative.

Coming back to the family hotel after years, a young woman finds herself trapped with the ghosts from her past and an old cellular telephone as the only way to unveil a terrible truth.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 25%, Story Rich 14.1%, Mystery 12.5%, Atmospheric 9.5%, Female Protagonist 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: It similarly uses first-person exploration of an isolated building to unravel a dark family-linked mystery with strong atmosphere.

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: Story Rich 26.9%, Mystery 13.4%, Atmospheric 12.5%, Great Soundtrack 12%, Walking Simulator 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its supernatural mystery, strong sense of place, and focus on dialogue-driven character storytelling make it a great fit for Edith Finch fans.

What Never Was is a short, story-driven first-person game focused on exploration and puzzle-solving about Sarah, having to shoulder the arduous task of clearing out her grandfathers attic, and soon finds that not everything about the attic is what it seems.

Why similar: Story Rich 21.4%, Walking Simulator 16.4%, Mystery 13.8%, First-Person 9.2%, Female Protagonist 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: Its short, first-person journey through a relative's hidden imaginative world feels especially close to Edith Finch's blend of memory, family, and wonder.

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: Story Rich 33.1%, Walking Simulator 26.5%, First-Person 11.6%, Emotional 10.6%, Mystery 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: Though less exploratory, it shares Edith Finch's emotional intensity and inventive use of perspective to tell a life-spanning story about memory and loss.

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 36.9%, Story Rich 23.1%, Atmospheric 11%, Great Soundtrack 8.2%, First-Person 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: It shares Edith Finch's experimental narrative design and fascination with using interactive spaces to reveal deeply personal stories.

Virginia is a single-player first-person thriller set in a small town with a secret. Experience a missing person investigation through the eyes of graduate FBI agent Anne Tarver.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 27.8%, Story Rich 14.3%, Mystery 13.1%, Female Protagonist 10.4%, Atmospheric 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: This is another compact, stylized mystery experience that relies on cinematic storytelling and mood rather than puzzles or action.

Tell Me Why is the multi-award winning episodic adventure game from Dontnod Entertainment in which twins use their supernatural bond to discover the truth of their troubled past.

Why similar: Story Rich 30.2%, Walking Simulator 27.7%, Mystery 11%, Atmospheric 9.9%, Exploration 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: It also revolves around revisiting family history, uncovering buried truths, and tying emotional character drama to a central mystery.

Dear Esther immerses you in a stunningly realised world, a remote and desolate island somewhere in the outer Hebrides. As you step forwards, a voice begins to read fragments of a letter: 'Dear Esther...' - and so begins a journey through one of the most original first-person games of recent years.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.1%, Story Rich 11.5%, Exploration 9.1%, Mystery 8.3%, First-Person 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: It is a foundational first-person narrative exploration game with poetic storytelling, melancholy atmosphere, and a strong sense of place.

Marie's Room is a short story exploration game about an unconventional friendship between two classmates. You play as Kelsey, remembering Marie's room as it was twenty years ago. But something’s off. What happened to Marie?

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.9%, Story Rich 21.7%, Great Soundtrack 10.4%, Atmospheric 10.3%, Mystery 7%

Why You'll Like It: This short environmental narrative also turns a personal space into a vehicle for memory, friendship, and emotional revelation.

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: Story Rich 27.7%, Atmospheric 18.5%, Great Soundtrack 18.3%, Walking Simulator 17.9%, Adventure 6.4%

Why You'll Like It: Its emotionally devastating story about grief and revisiting key moments echoes Edith Finch's tragic, memory-focused storytelling.

Long-lost family secrets. Hints of a hidden fortune. And miles to go before they sleep. Tess Devine’s relationship with her mom has never been easy, but they’re about to set out together on a journey into the past that they’ll never forget.

Why similar: Story Rich 31%, Exploration 15.5%, Atmospheric 13.5%, First-Person 13.1%, Mystery 11.4%

Why You'll Like It: Its road-trip structure still scratches the same itch of uncovering family secrets through grounded exploration and intimate conversations.

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

Why similar: Atmospheric 23.6%, Story Rich 19.8%, Psychological Horror 14.8%, Great Soundtrack 10.4%, Horror 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: Its anthology-like structure and inventive storytelling tricks make it a strong match if your favorite part of Edith Finch was how each vignette felt distinct.

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: Story Rich 18%, Walking Simulator 17.1%, Mystery 11.2%, Female Protagonist 10.3%, First-Person 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: It shares the pleasure of unraveling a personal mystery in first person, with strong atmosphere and a story tied to family and longing.

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 31.5%, Atmospheric 16.1%, Story Rich 15.2%, Great Soundtrack 11.7%, Exploration 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: It mixes simple exploration with a reflective family story and a similarly intimate, melancholy tone.

Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

Why similar: Mystery 25.7%, Story Rich 22.1%, Atmospheric 13.4%, Great Soundtrack 13.2%, Walking Simulator 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its core appeal of reconstructing deaths one story at a time resonates strongly, even if it leans more heavily into deduction than Edith Finch does.

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: Walking Simulator 35.3%, Story Rich 20.6%, Atmospheric 13.5%, First-Person 9.2%, Visual Novel 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: By telling a death-centered story through multiple perspectives, it mirrors Edith Finch's interest in how lives are remembered after loss.

Draugen is a single-player, first-person Fjord Noir mystery set in 1920s Norway. Explore a forgotten coastal village in your search for your missing sister, accompanied by your independent and enigmatic young ward. Norwegian Game of the Year 2019.

Why similar: Story Rich 22.6%, Mystery 18.1%, Atmospheric 14%, First-Person 11.3%, Psychological Horror 7.5%

Why You'll Like It: This is another first-person Nordic mystery that leans heavily on atmosphere, isolation, and story discovery over challenge.

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: Story Rich 19.6%, Great Soundtrack 17.2%, Mystery 16.3%, Exploration 12%, Atmospheric 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: It is more systemic and open-ended, but the joy of piecing together a larger mystery through exploration makes it an excellent adjacent recommendation.

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: Story Rich 28.9%, Atmospheric 17.9%, Female Protagonist 17.8%, Exploration 14.2%, Emotional 9%

Why You'll Like It: Its focus on revisiting family memories and discovering the past through tactile exploration makes it a natural fit despite the different presentation.

The Fidelio Incident is a single-player, first-person thriller set off the coast of Iceland. Inspired by Beethoven's only opera Fidelio. After a violent plane crash, Stanley must search a desolate frozen island in search of his wife Leonore while covering up any traces of their bloody Irish past.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 40.8%, Great Soundtrack 14.2%, Story Rich 12%, Mystery 9.2%, First-Person 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: It combines first-person traversal with a tightly focused mystery and emotional backstory in a way that feels close to narrative walking sims.

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: Walking Simulator 18.7%, Story Rich 12.8%, Female Protagonist 11.3%, Mystery 10.7%, Exploration 10%

Why You'll Like It: Like Edith Finch, it is a first-person narrative experience driven by uncovering painful personal history through exploration of a meaningful location.

Alex Chen hides her 'curse': the psychic power of Empathy, the ability to absorb the emotions of others. When her brother dies in a so-called accident, Alex must embrace her power to find the truth.

Why similar: Story Rich 35.8%, Female Protagonist 20.3%, Mystery 14.3%, Atmospheric 13.8%, Emotional 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: Its emotional character focus, gentle exploration, and emphasis on empathy and hidden trauma make it a softer, more choice-driven companion pick.

Have you ever dreamt of being a superhero? Meet Chris, a creative and imaginative 9 year old boy who escapes reality with fantastical adventures as his alter ego, the Awesome Captain Spirit! Captain Spirit is a free demo set in the Life is Strange universe. Contains links to Life is Strange 2

Why similar: Story Rich 37.5%, Great Soundtrack 21.5%, Atmospheric 15.9%, Walking Simulator 13.7%, Adventure 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its childlike imagination, grounded family drama, and small-scale exploratory storytelling echo some of Edith Finch's most affecting moments.

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

Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.7%, Mystery 16.8%, Female Protagonist 15.1%, Atmospheric 14.8%, Adventure 13.5%

Why You'll Like It: It offers atmospheric first-person exploration and a personal mystery rooted in relationships and memory rather than combat.

Follow the grim tale of young Amicia and her little brother Hugo, in a heartrending journey through the darkest hours of history.

Why similar: Story Rich 35.2%, Female Protagonist 14.1%, Atmospheric 13.5%, Great Soundtrack 11.8%, Adventure 6.2%

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: Great Soundtrack 25.8%, Atmospheric 20.3%, Female Protagonist 13.6%, Story Rich 12.3%, Walking Simulator 7.9%

You wake up, alone, on a strange island full of puzzles that will challenge and surprise you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 25.9%, First-Person 14.8%, Exploration 14.6%, Atmospheric 11.9%, Puzzle 9.6%

A third‑person psychological horror game where you explore both the real world and the spirit realm. As a medium drawn to a deserted resort, you’ll uncover dark secrets, confront echoes of trauma, and face the consequences of seeing more than one truth.

Why similar: Story Rich 16.2%, Walking Simulator 15.5%, Female Protagonist 13.3%, Atmospheric 12.3%, Great Soundtrack 10.9%

Explore an abandoned building, encountering puzzles and clues to discover what happened, as you try to escape in both your nightmares and the waking world. Be immersed in the hauntingly beautiful 3D atmosphere in this puzzle exploration mystery game.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.6%, Atmospheric 14.8%, Great Soundtrack 12.4%, Mystery 11.6%, First-Person 8.8%

In the wake of catastrophe find the means to make your family whole again.

Why similar: Story Rich 27.8%, Atmospheric 20.5%, Walking Simulator 10.8%, Emotional 8.1%, Dark 8%

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

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.4%, Great Soundtrack 19.1%, Atmospheric 17.3%, Exploration 10.3%, Story Rich 8.9%

A first-person psychological horror with a strong emphasis on atmosphere and storytelling. Explore an ever-shifting Victorian mansion as a painter seeking to complete his masterpiece, even at the cost of his own sanity.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.8%, Horror 22.2%, Atmospheric 9.5%, Story Rich 9.5%, Psychological Horror 9.1%

INFRA puts you into the boots of a structural analyst on a routine mission. Quickly though, your task turns into a fight for survival, all caused by deep-rooted schemes of the past. Your tools are simple: your camera and the wits to navigate a labyrinth of debris.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 25.2%, Story Rich 12.2%, Atmospheric 11.7%, Mystery 10.6%, Great Soundtrack 9%

The Haunting of Joni Evers is a dark supernatural mystery about a broken family from small-town Oklahoma. Haunted by a specter that's hunted her family for generations, Joni must uncover the mysteries of the Cunningham House, dig through lost memories, and face the past to break the curse.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 22.2%, Story Rich 14.8%, Mystery 11.9%, Atmospheric 9.7%, Female Protagonist 8.4%

It's Clara's last day on the island where she grew up. She needs to complete preparations, visit her favorite places, and say her goodbyes before leaving on a journey she may not return from.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 42.6%, Great Soundtrack 13.3%, Atmospheric 12.7%, First-Person 10.2%, Female Protagonist 10.1%

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: Story Rich 17.7%, Adventure 15.2%, Atmospheric 11.6%, Walking Simulator 10.2%, Indie 9.8%

A story-driven experience about two doctors traversing backwards through a dying man's memories to artificially fulfill his last wish.

Why similar: Story Rich 44.5%, Great Soundtrack 34.9%, Emotional 6.7%, Indie 4.3%, Adventure 3.6%

The Old City: Leviathan is an experiment in first person exploration that focuses entirely on story. All that exists is you and the world. Set in a decaying city from a civilization long past, The Old City: Leviathan puts the player in the shoes of a sewer dwelling isolationist.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 40.5%, Atmospheric 14.5%, Story Rich 12%, Exploration 10.1%, First-Person 8.3%

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

Why similar: Great Soundtrack 24.1%, Walking Simulator 23.7%, Exploration 22.3%, Female Protagonist 9.3%, Adventure 8.9%

A quiet game of life and loss. One by one, everyone left the village for the city. Everyone, except Talma. Approaching her final years, she maintains a simple way of life tending to her homestead, surviving, subsisting, whilst increasingly disturbing letters arrive from her family in the city.

Why similar: Story Rich 23.6%, Atmospheric 17.4%, Female Protagonist 13.4%, Great Soundtrack 11.1%, Adventure 10.5%

A gothic suspense tale set in a cursed mansion. "The House in Fata Morgana" is a full-length visual novel spanning nearly a millennium that deals in tragedy, human nature, and insanity.

Why similar: Story Rich 20.2%, Great Soundtrack 15.9%, Mystery 15.1%, Atmospheric 11.1%, Female Protagonist 8.1%

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: Story Rich 29.9%, Atmospheric 18.6%, Female Protagonist 15.9%, Emotional 7.8%, Adventure 6.4%

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 24.6%, Story Rich 16.7%, Atmospheric 11.3%, Great Soundtrack 10.7%, Mystery 10.4%

Northern Canada, 1970. A strange blizzard ravages Atamipek Lake. Step into the shoes of a detective to explore the eerie village, investigate surreal events, and battle the elements to survive. Kona is a chilly interactive tale you won't soon forget.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.5%, Story Rich 16.2%, Atmospheric 13.5%, First-Person 10.9%, Great Soundtrack 9%

Take on the role of Six, a lone child lost in a massive metal vessel known as the Maw, surrounded by dangerous, distorted versions of adults. You’ll need to do your best to escape in one piece or your fate will be worse than you ever dared dream.

Why similar: Atmospheric 21.4%, Story Rich 18.4%, Great Soundtrack 13.3%, Horror 8.9%, Dark 8.8%

If Found... is a game about going home, coming out and erasing everything.

Why similar: Story Rich 23.8%, Great Soundtrack 19.6%, Female Protagonist 14%, Atmospheric 12.2%, Visual Novel 8.8%

What if you lost all your memories? An emotional family drama seen through the eyes of a woman with Alzheimer's disease. As Annie’s life slowly unravels, uncover memories of her deceased brother as her past bleeds into the present.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 24.3%, Story Rich 20.2%, Mystery 12.2%, First-Person 9.6%, Female Protagonist 9.6%

Home is Where One Starts... is a short, first-person exploration game in the same vein as Dear Esther or Gone Home. It’s a story about childhood, hope, and the miracle of memory. You play as a little girl from a broken home somewhere in the American South.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 34.4%, Atmospheric 9.9%, First-Person 9.3%, Story Rich 9.1%, Female Protagonist 8.8%

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: Story Rich 43.3%, Female Protagonist 21.3%, Adventure 10.9%, Indie 8.4%, Visual Novel 8.4%

Fran Bow is a creepy adventure game that tells the story of Fran, a young girl struggling with a mental disorder and an unfair destiny.

Why similar: Story Rich 29.6%, Psychological Horror 16.5%, Atmospheric 10.2%, Great Soundtrack 8.8%, Female Protagonist 8.6%

Blackwood Crossing is a story-driven first-person adventure game. An intriguing and emotive tale exploring the fragile relationship between orphaned siblings, Scarlett and Finn. When their paths cross with a mysterious figure, an ordinary train ride evolves into a magical story of life, love and loss.

Why similar: Story Rich 38.4%, Adventure 25.9%, Female Protagonist 21.3%, Indie 14.4%

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: Great Soundtrack 25.8%, Atmospheric 19.4%, Exploration 15.2%, Walking Simulator 11.1%, Story Rich 9.8%

An immersive, narrative videogame that retells Joel Green’s 4-year fight against cancer through about two hours of poetic, imaginative gameplay that explores themes of faith, hope and love.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 30%, Story Rich 24.2%, Great Soundtrack 13.9%, Atmospheric 10.7%, Emotional 5.9%