Games Like When the Darkness comes

A dark/sad/weird/funny first person exploration game. You play a man on his last night alive as he obsesses over a mysterious painting. More of a story game in that it emphasizes mood and character over gameplay. Takes ten minutes to play and has "next-gen" features like a shrimp tank.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 38.4%, Walking Simulator 20.6%, Horror 14%, Dark 10.4%, First-Person 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: Shares the same raw, unsettling, and low-fidelity approach to depicting the isolation and darkness of mental illness.

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 42.1%, First-Person 10.7%, Psychological 7.7%, Psychological Horror 7.2%, Story Rich 7.2%

Why You'll Like It: A deeply meta and introspective walking simulator that, like the seed, explores the creative process and the mental health of its developer.

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 45.5%, First-Person 11.6%, Story Rich 10.8%, Atmospheric 10.4%, Indie 6.4%

Why You'll Like It: A short, narrative-driven walking simulator that focuses on memory and emotional weight in a confined, atmospheric space.

You're stranded at a cathedral-like train station in the near future, searching for a ticket out of town. Explore the secret passageways, interact with strangers, dig for records, and get hypnotized by the soundtrack – a batch of original music courtesy of the band, Archie Pelago.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 53.5%, First-Person 13.1%, Horror 12.2%, Indie 8.8%, Adventure 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: Features a surreal, dreamlike environment that rewards exploration and captures a similar sense of 'otherworldly' discomfort.

Experience true psychological horror as you explore nightmares inspired by the creator's struggles with depression and OCD. The defenseless protagonist must avoid monstrous manifestations of what haunts his subconscious in his quest to wake up into reality.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 40.4%, Walking Simulator 21.8%, Horror 20.2%, Atmospheric 5.5%, Indie 4.2%

Why You'll Like It: Directly inspired by the developer's struggle with OCD and depression, using a haunting, hand-drawn style to visualize intrusive thoughts.

Smuggle contraband VHS tapes across the border. Discover the remnants of illicit industry. Prepare for an assassination. This is Paratopic, an atmospheric retro-3D horror adventure through a cursed fever dream.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.3%, Horror 21.5%, Walking Simulator 17.7%, Atmospheric 7.9%, Indie 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: Uses a surreal, fragmented, and low-poly aesthetic to create a sense of unease that mirrors the glitchy landscape of the seed game.

Face unspeakable horrors. Succumb to madness. Welcome to a free daemonic narrative experience inspired by H. P. Lovecraft.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 26%, Horror 18.5%, Walking Simulator 18.1%, First-Person 9.3%, Dark 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: A short, atmospheric, and narrative-heavy experience that excels at building dread through its visual storytelling.

Explore a mysterious abandoned bunker and find notes that paint a disturbing picture.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 29.4%, Walking Simulator 24.1%, Horror 12.7%, First-Person 9.9%, Dark 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: A free-to-play, narrative-focused horror experience that relies on environmental storytelling to build a dark, mysterious atmosphere.

‘goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A love/horror story about life, death, & memes.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 42%, Psychological 13.5%, Emotional 11.8%, Choices Matter 9.5%, Horror 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: A short, poignant visual novel that deals with themes of suicide and mental health with a similar sensitivity.

Experience the liminal world of the backrooms through a VHS camera, immersing into a mysterious story and wandering the dream-like structures... Might there be something following you?

Why similar: Psychological Horror 33.4%, Walking Simulator 22.6%, Horror 17.4%, First-Person 11%, Dark 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: Captures the liminal, unsettling feeling of exploring empty, digital-looking spaces that feel both familiar and wrong.

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: Psychological Horror 22.5%, Walking Simulator 18.2%, Dynamic Narration 17.8% ★, Psychological 9.5%, Horror 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: A direct exploration of the titular theme, using simple interactive fiction to convey the weight of living with depression.

A reverse-detective adventure, where you control your character's face

Why similar: Psychological Horror 48.7%, Horror 21%, First-Person 13.8%, Choices Matter 7.4%, Story Rich 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror game with unique mechanics that force you to confront surreal, shifting identities and dark truths.

They may be awkward dimensions, but they're my dreams...

Why similar: Walking Simulator 42.1%, Horror 17.5%, First-Person 13.7%, Psychological Horror 7.3%, Adventure 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: A collection of short, surreal experiences that mirror the abstract and often glitchy nature of the seed game's world.

"Everything is going to be OK" is a desktop labyrinth of vignettes, poetry, strange fever dream games, and broken digital spaces.

Why similar: Atmospheric 50.1%, Adventure 49.9%

Why You'll Like It: An abstract, experimental game that uses surreal imagery and text to process trauma and the complexities of life.

Caligo is the darkness everyone descends into one way or another, and to each of us it's something different. For some it's a short but exciting adventure, some will see it as a place to relax. Yet others will be reminded of their worst nightmare, while for a few, it might come as a revelation.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.1%, Psychological Horror 17.1%, Horror 8.8%, Psychological 7.7%, First-Person 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: A short, atmospheric walking simulator that focuses on a surreal, dark journey through a dreamlike landscape.

From the darkness is a psychological horror game with a scary atmosphere, the game takes place in an old Soviet abandoned apartment.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 34.5%, Horror 20.5%, Walking Simulator 18.9%, Dark 9.1%, First-Person 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror game that emphasizes atmosphere and the feeling of being watched in a dark, confined environment.

Pleh! is a short psychological horror walking simulator that tells the story of a depressed game developer, his intrusive thoughts and his dark mysterious secrets.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.5%, Walking Simulator 23.1%, Psychological 8.6%, Dark 8.1%, Horror 6.8%

Why You'll Like It: A short, dark, and emotional walking simulator that focuses on the internal struggles of its protagonist.

Luto is a psychological horror experience where you take on the role of someone unable to leave their home. Every attempt to escape will lead you deeper into the unknown, where nothing is as it seems and everything will test your senses.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 29.1%, Walking Simulator 25.4%, Psychological 9.2%, Dark 9.1%, First-Person 4.9%

Why You'll Like It: A cinematic, story-rich psychological horror game that focuses on the loss and grief associated with a domestic setting.

Play as a farmer who struggles to manage a failing farm. You come to a point where there is no more hope, and you must do something.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.4%, Horror 22.9%, Dark 16.4%, First-Person 8.8%, Atmospheric 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: A short, free-to-play horror game that uses a simple, dark aesthetic to convey a story of struggle and survival.

God's Basement is a first-person, narrative-driven, single player horror game. Uncover the secrets of an afterlife shrouded in mystery, as an entity known as "The Operator" leads you deeper into the fringes of a seemingly eternal purgatory.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 25.1%, Walking Simulator 21.9%, Horror 11.3%, Dark 8.4%, Psychological 8%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person psychological horror game that uses its environment to tell a story of trauma and guilt.

Fragments of Dread is an episodic psychological horror series. Each episode tells a self-contained story of dread, fear, and survival.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 30.4%, Walking Simulator 26.2%, Horror 12.4%, First-Person 7.8%, Dark 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a short, atmospheric, and psychological experience that fits well with the walking simulator genre.

A tense, atmospheric descent into psychological horror—trapped in a place where reality fades and fear takes hold.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 38.6%, Walking Simulator 29.4%, Horror 15.1%, First-Person 4%, Psychological 3.8%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, exploration-based horror game that mirrors the feeling of being trapped within one's own mind.

An atmospheric horror journey between reality and madness. Three paths lie ahead only one is free of anomalies. Observe closely. Choose wisely. Save the lost souls.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 33.2%, Walking Simulator 27%, Horror 12.7%, Dark 6.9%, First-Person 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror walking simulator that uses puzzles and atmosphere to explore its dark narrative.

This is a game in which you traverse the extremely dark world inside a dream.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 32.6%, Walking Simulator 24.7%, Horror 11.3%, Psychological 10.1%, Dark 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: The quintessential surreal exploration game where you navigate the abstract, often disturbing dreamscapes of a lonely protagonist.

First Person Psychological Horror. Addicted to virtual ecstasy, trapped in digital hell. Navigate glitchy dreamscapes and a city that never sleeps. Every mission brings you closer to your next dose, but will you follow your protective AI, or the man behind a liberating new drug?

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.6%, Walking Simulator 20.8%, Horror 11.7%, Psychological 10%, Dark 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror experience that uses a clinical, story-rich setting to explore deep-seated fears and memories.

A small "horror" narrative game about isolation and depression.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 28.5%, Psychological Horror 18.5%, Narration 11.9%, Horror 9.1%, First-Person 9%

Why You'll Like It: A short, interactive, and atmospheric experience that focuses on the quiet, lonely moments of its protagonist.

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: Psychological Horror 49.2%, Horror 13.6%, Dark 8.7%, Psychological 8.1%, Story Rich 5.9%

Why You'll Like It: A dark, surreal point-and-click adventure that deals with mental health and trauma through a hauntingly beautiful lens.

Scanner Sombre is a 3d horror cave exploration game where darkness is your greatest foe. Illuminate the unseen with your LIDAR scanner, revealing the eerie beauty and peril of the abyss. From the creators of Prison Architect, this immersive adventure uses light and shadow for a haunting experience.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 37.6%, Psychological Horror 19.5%, Horror 17.2%, First-Person 9.1%, Atmospheric 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: Uses a unique point-cloud visual style to make the act of exploring dark, atmospheric environments feel tense and mysterious.

The Cat Lady follows Susan Ashworth, a lonely 40-year old on the verge of suicide. She has no family, no friends and no hope for a better future. One day she discovers that five strangers will come along and change everything...

Why similar: Psychological Horror 34%, Horror 18.7%, Psychological 9.6%, Dark 9.1%, Story Rich 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: A mature, dark, and psychological narrative game that explores depression and the will to survive in a grim world.

Blameless is a mysterious first-person adventure with primary focus on puzzle solving and short story. The player will appear in a role of an architect trying to investigate strange happenings, after discovering evidence of an act of violence.

Why similar: Horror 49.3%, First-Person 16.5%, Psychological Horror 9.5%, Adventure 7.3%, Indie 6.8%

Dark Fracture is a psychological horror experience in which you explore an ever-changing world where reality and nightmares collide. Walk on the edge of madness in the shoes of a tormented soul as you descend into the darkest depths of the human psyche, and question everything you see.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 25.2%, Walking Simulator 21.8%, Horror 13.6%, First-Person 10%, Psychological 9.4%

You wake up in a strange place, not knowing who you are, where you are, or how you got here. Trapped in an environment that twists to break your sanity, your only way out is to delve into the unknown and face the horrors of a past your mind is trying to hide.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 36.6%, Walking Simulator 15.6%, Horror 14.5%, First-Person 11.2%, Indie 5.4%

NIGHTGHAST is a first-person horror game about wicked witches and sinister widows...

Why similar: Psychological Horror 29.4%, Walking Simulator 25.5%, Narration 15.1%, Horror 14.4%, First-Person 6.6%

An interactive horror experience of exploring a missing woman’s phone.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 37.6%, Horror 18.7%, Psychological 10.9%, Dark 8.2%, Choices Matter 6.9%

Explore a cold, abandoned, and dreary facility to piece together its mysteries and find a means for escape from the horror that lurks within.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 33.9%, Psychological Horror 24.4%, Horror 16.2%, First-Person 10.5%, Atmospheric 9.1%

Walking simulator. Explore, admire and listen. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen, but can feel oppressive at times by invoking fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and liminal space architecture. Inspired by backrooms.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 39.1%, Walking Simulator 35.1%, First-Person 10.1%, Atmospheric 7.2%, Dark 3.6%

A 15 minute heist game by Crows Crows Crows & Directed by William Pugh (The Stanley Parable). Slip into the soft-soled shoes of the mastermind responsible for the greatest heist- oh god I can’t do this any more, i’m joining the strike. good luck writing the steam description. -tina

Why similar: Walking Simulator 55.4%, First-Person 24.6%, Indie 8%, Atmospheric 3.6%, Story Rich 3.5%

Chorus of Carcosa is a first-person psychological horror game about an anxious sculptor who is trapped in a dark and ever-changing building. Stay silent, survive its twisted labyrinths and escape the monsters. Just don’t lose your way in the shadows or within your own mind.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.2%, Walking Simulator 25.6%, Horror 11.3%, Dark 9.2%, First-Person 8.1%

Devolverland Expo is a first-person 'marketing simulator' set within an abandoned convention center after the annual Devolver Digital game expo was mysteriously canceled.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 30.6%, Psychological Horror 18%, Horror 16.8%, First-Person 14.8%, Indie 7%

Dire Echo is a psychological horror walking simulator that immerses players in the eerie and oppressive atmosphere of abandoned deep space.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 32.9%, Psychological Horror 18.6%, First-Person 11.1%, Psychological 8.6%, Dark 8.2%

Deep Sorrow is a horror/adventure game which leads you to a bunker and makes you feel desperate to get out.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 23.7%, Walking Simulator 22.2%, Horror 12.6%, First-Person 9.2%, Indie 8.6%

The Lies We Tell Ourselves is an episodic first person psychological action-adventure game with introspective/horror elements and a focus on subtle storytelling and atmosphere. Explore, solve puzzles, survive and uncover truths buried deep within a castle of lies.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 27.7%, Walking Simulator 22.3%, Horror 9.5%, Dark 7.8%, Psychological 7.4%

Fears to Fathom is an episodic psychological horror game where each episode unveils a short story narrated by the ones who survived.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 35.7%, Horror 23.2%, Walking Simulator 12.1%, First-Person 9.9%, Psychological 7.9%

Can you survive 1000 rooms of cute terror? Or will you break once the cuteness starts to fade off and you're running for your life from the unspeakable hideous beings that shake and writhe in bowels of this house? They wait for you, they wait and hunger for meeting you.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.2%, Horror 27.9%, Walking Simulator 12.1%, First-Person 11.3%, Dark 6.9%

An uncanny liminal space themed walking-simulator.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 37.5%, Narration 21%, Psychological 12.7%, Emotional 9.6%, Atmospheric 6.7%

Can you think twice in under a second?

Why similar: Psychological Horror 53.1%, Indie 25.8%, Atmospheric 9%, Singleplayer 6.8%, Puzzle 5.3%

Sector 404 is a first-person anomaly horror game set in a crumbling Soviet housing block. After taking your medicine, your world begins to fracture. Climb from floor to floor, uncovering distorted anomalies and your own unraveling mind. Miss too much, and reality resets. Will you ever make it home?

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.3%, Walking Simulator 24.8%, Horror 10.9%, First-Person 8.5%, Psychological 8.3%

A psychological first-person horror game where you enter a memory-erasing protocol and relive a trauma. Uncover dark secrets, and experience fear through immersive atmosphere.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 29.8%, Walking Simulator 26.4%, Horror 13.5%, Dark 8.5%, First-Person 7.7%

Whispering Fog is a first person psychological horror game set in an ever-changing forest shrouded in fog. A quiet getaway becomes a sinister nightmare as the illusion of safety and solitude slowly crumbles around you.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 29.3%, Walking Simulator 21.4%, Horror 13.3%, Dark 9.9%, First-Person 9.4%

TOMORROW DON'T COME is a contextual puzzle game about depression and how it feels to be stuck.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 37.7%, Psychological 16.9%, Dark 14%, Indie 8%, Atmospheric 7.8%

Beat your best scores in Neon Beats, a 2D platformer game with rhythm based levels!

Why similar: Indie 81.1%, Singleplayer 18.9%

A little game that’s not a game, winner of an old game jam that nobody’s ever heard of. So DON'T INSTALL IT!

Why similar: Indie 31.1%, Narration 26%, Adventure 22.4%, Psychological Horror 12.7%, Puzzle 5.2%

A game about never-ending problem of loading screens. We've all experienced it while playing games, while downloading something, while installing an operating system ect. And now you can experience it once again in Loading Screen Simulator: Steam edition

Why similar: Indie 65.5%, Singleplayer 19.5%, Atmospheric 15%

You wake up, alone, on a strangely familiar island full of puzzles that will frustrate and annoy you.

Why similar: Walking Simulator 54.8%, First-Person 22.9%, Atmospheric 10.6%, Puzzle 6.7%, Singleplayer 2.6%

Implements of Hell is a first-person psychological horror game. Explore the mysteries, unlock the secrets, and change the outcome in a slow-paced atmospheric, and extremely horrifying experience.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 25.7%, Walking Simulator 25.3%, Horror 10.7%, Psychological 9.5%, Dark 7.6%

A short and mysterious free point and click adventure game, inspired by the feeling of oddness in an everyday situation.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.3%, Walking Simulator 27.6%, Horror 13.1%, Psychological 9.3%, Emotional 6.8%

Himno is a peaceful, 2D platformer game with an infinite number of beautiful procedurally generated maps. Take a breath, and relax.

Why similar: Adventure 72.3%, Singleplayer 27.7%

A short Psychological Horror Experience for one night that takes you through the dark corridors of a mental asylum. For best experience a dark room and headphones recommended.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 32.4%, Narration 23.2%, Horror 14.7%, Dark 9.6%, First-Person 9.3%

A Victorian mansion. A cult worshipping an otherworldly erotic deity. Among all that - you. Explore a world inspired with the works of Lovecraft, Giger and Beksiński. See for yourself that there are no limits to the dark ecstasy.

Why similar: Horror 55.8%, Psychological Horror 31.6%, Adventure 12.6%

The Hotel is a psychological horror thriller in which the player will have to face the evil living within the walls of a lonely hotel. But more importantly, the player will have to decide what this evil is to him. Maybe the nature of this evil is deeper than it seems at first glance.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 26.9%, Walking Simulator 23.7%, Horror 12.1%, First-Person 8.9%, Dark 7.3%