Games like Dear Esther
by The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe
Begin a journey through one of the most original first-person games of recent years.
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Ranked by how similar the games actually are, not by sales. Released and Price are remembered for next time.
Closest matches
$5.99Dreamcore: Rabbit Hole
Apr 24 · Ankoku
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator · First-Person
Walking simulator. Explore cozy liminal spaces that feel unsettlingly familiar and spark your imagination, like a dream you’ve been in before.
ExplorationWalking SimulatorPsychological HorrorFirst-Person3DAdventureSurrealNonlinearHorrorRelaxing👍 398
-15%$2.54下校怪奇譚
3 days ago · THE FOOL CREATE
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration · First-Person
Walk home from school — and step into a different story every time. Talk to the people you pass in town, or take a closer look at the things around you, and a new tale begins.
AdventureCasualWalking SimulatorExploration3DFirst-Person1990'sRetroAtmosphericMultiple Endings
-15%$8.49Tape 101: Liminal Descent
2 days ago · 2H-Productions
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration · First-Person
A psychological horror descending through liminal spaces shaped by the Kübler Ross model - the five stages of grief, where your perception and an RC car are the only tools to grasp what’s real.
HorrorPsychological HorrorWalking SimulatorAtmosphericRealisticExplorationFirst-PersonSingleplayerImmersive SimSurreal
$0.99The Hobo Dev
2 days ago · Fromont Gaming
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration · First-Person
A five-minute experience. Give a stranger a coin, write your name on a post-it, and stick it on a permanent wall shared by every player. Come back anytime to find your name and see how far the wall has grown.
CasualWalking SimulatorExplorationFirst-Person3DMinimalistStylizedAtmosphericWholesomeDogs
-10%$2.69Take Care of My Heifer
5 days ago · REVVALUTION Studio
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration · First-Person
“Take Care of My Heifer” is a short horror game packed with terror and dark humor. You’ve been asked to look after a heifer until morning and follow the owner’s instructions. Just make sure you don’t miss anything.
Walking SimulatorIndieHorrorDarkAtmosphericPsychological HorrorSimulationExplorationThrillerFirst-Person
$6.99SERPENT AT THE VERNISSAGE
Oct 23 · a trip by daniel bock
Both: First-Person · Exploration
A psychedelic trip to an abandoned island paradise, where nothing is quite what it seems. Explore forgotten villas, sentient art pieces and sunken opera houses. And find your way back home before the archipelago swallows you whole.
AdventureActionFirst-PersonExplorationAction-AdventurePsychedelicSurrealAtmosphericPuzzle Platformer3D
-40%$1.79I Wish You Weren't Here
2 days ago · Covenant
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator
After waking up alone in an unfamiliar building, you have 2 questions: Why are you here, and where is everyone? As you explore, things start to make sense - but not everything is as it seems
AdventurePuzzleExplorationEmotionalSingleplayerStory RichWalking SimulatorPsychologicalDarkAtmospheric
-30%$6.99Undusted: Letters from the Past
Oct 13 · 5minlab Corp.
Both: Short
Undusted: Letters from the Past is a casual game in which you clean and restore dirty items. What is her story as she returns to a long-neglected house? Enjoy the satisfying audiovisuals featuring sensually designed sounds and graphics.
CozyRelaxingShortStory RichFamily FriendlyVisual NovelWholesomePuzzleCleaningSimulation👍 1,738
-20%$7.99Escape the Backrooms
Oct 23 · Fancy Games, Blackbird Interactive
Both: First-Person · Exploration
Escape the Backrooms is a 1-4 player co-op horror exploration game. Traverse 30+ eerie backrooms levels while avoiding entities and other dangers. Try to escape but be warned: survival isn't guaranteed.
HorrorMultiplayerOnline Co-OpPsychological HorrorCo-opSurvival HorrorFirst-PersonEscape RoomExplorationAdventure👍 137,469
-50%$9.99Adorable Adventures
Apr 30 · Wild Sheep Studio
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator
Play as Boris, a curious baby boar who must learn how to use his nose to reunite with his family after a forest fire. Explore beautiful landscapes, track scents, and uncover secrets as you slowly reconnect with nature in this cozy animal adventure.
ExplorationRelaxingCuteAtmosphericCasualIndieColorfulSingleplayerWalking SimulatorNature👍 710
-15%$2.54And who is the maiden?
2 days ago · Cipi Games
Both: Short
A young man disappeared in a Slavic village. You show up with three companions and a few days to find out what really happened, before the water decides to answer for itself. Based on Adam Wołoszczuk's award-winning scenario "A kto dziewczyna?", with 11 different ways it can end.
Choose Your Own AdventureVisual NovelStory RichChoices MatterShortMultiple EndingsMysteryInvestigationAdventureInteractive Fiction
$0.99Cave Escape
2 days ago · Carrotbbit
Both: Walking Simulator · First-Person
An observation-based 3D thriller game where you must safely escape a dark cave to save a companion trapped under a boulder. Carefully explore the cave: if you spot an anomaly, turn back immediately; if there are no anomalies, keep moving forward to find your way out.
CasualSimulationPuzzleWalking SimulatorFirst-PersonAtmosphericDarkHorrorIndieMystery
$24.99Bootstrap Island
Mar 12 · Maru VR
A highly realistic VR survival roguelike adventure set on a ruthless 17th-century tropical island. Shipwrecked and alone, you must survive without guidance as you face wild beasts, nature’s fury, and a mysterious local tribe. Every decision is yours. Your survival is in your own hands!
SurvivalAdventureOpen WorldVRLife SimRoguelikeActionNatureAtmosphericSimulation👍 1,366
$19.99Project Castaway
Mar 17 · Mardonpol Inc.
Both: Exploration · First-Person
Project Castaway is a survival crafting title set in the Pacific Ocean. Live the life of a stranded castaway, with only yourself - and the island's inhabitants - for company! Sail the ocean, hunt, explore unique islands and gather resources as you fight for survival.
Open World Survival CraftCo-opOnline Co-OpExplorationSurvivalSandboxFirst-PersonOpen WorldMultiplayerBase Building👍 1,820
$9.99SILENT BREATH
Aug 20 · EXODIAC STUDIOS
Both: First-Person · Exploration
Unpredictable horrors lurk around every corner, forcing you to find the missing people while desperately clinging to survival. In this experience even your own mind can become your enemy. Stay vigilant and keep your voice hushed, or risk becoming another victim of the forest's darkness
HorrorPsychological HorrorThriller1990'sRealisticMultiplayerDarkFirst-PersonExplorationEarly Access👍 1,125
-20%$15.99Secrets of Thoth
2 days ago · Fortunate Games
Both: Exploration · First-Person
Uncover ancient truths in the mystical, intriguing and often dangerous alpine heights. Solve puzzles, explore ancient, beautiful and forgotten locations while you awaken the secrets of the Emerald Tablets.
AdventurePuzzleExploration3DFirst-PersonSingleplayerAtmosphericDark FantasyStory Rich
Also worth a look
Share some of the same DNA, but further from the original.
-30%$17.49Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy
Dec 16 · AtomTeam
Both: Exploration
A love letter to classic Infinity Engine cRPGs from the creators of ATOM RPG, Swordhaven is a turn-based \ RTwP, party-based, dialogue-heavy 85+ hour long adventure set in a world of Nova Drakonia.
AdventureCRPGChoices MatterIsometricSingleplayerNonlinearNarrativeExplorationMultiple EndingsParty-Based RPG👍 786
-10%$9.90Poopy's Playland
2 days ago · EmilJoes Games
Both: Exploration · First-Person
Play as a grieving mother whose child went missing in a playland one year ago. Use your trusty flashlight to navigate through the dark, solve replayable puzzles to progress forward, and hide from the unstable killer mascots! Investigate the mysteries and find out the truth...
ExplorationPuzzleHorrorSurvival HorrorAction-AdventureFemale Protagonist3DFirst-PersonColorfulRealistic
$12.99Liminal Shroud
Sep 3 · Everdeep Studios
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration
A different kind of liminal experience. Explore surreal spaces inspired by nostalgia, discover hidden paths, and unravel a mystery that is shaped by your own mind. No monsters, no combat. Just atmosphere, discovery, and dread.
Psychological HorrorHorrorMystery DungeonWalking SimulatorExplorationDungeon CrawlerRelaxingAdventureThriller3D
$18.99Winter Survival
Nov 19 · DRAGO entertainment
Both: Exploration · First-Person
Winter Survival is a story-driven survival game where trauma turns reality into a reflection of your breaking mind. Battle cold, hunger, hallucinations, and adapt to the wilderness as it adapts to you.
SurvivalOpen World Survival CraftCookingOpen WorldAtmosphericExplorationSingleplayerAdventureFirst-PersonBase Building👍 595
-25%$5.24Ashworth
2 days ago · MR ROCK
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator
Something has been waiting for you. Explore a forgotten place buried beneath the earth, solve twisted puzzles, and piece together a dark story one clue at a time. But the deeper you go, the more it wakes. Survive what hunts you, or become part of Ashworth's story.
HorrorPsychological HorrorSurvival HorrorPuzzleIndieAtmosphericAdventureStory RichExplorationWalking Simulator
-15%$16.14Alex & Arty
4 days ago · ROLLDBOX GAMES
Both: Exploration
Restore a dying alien world through the bond between Alex and Arty. Use Alex’s tech to cleanse corruption, help Arty bring light back to each region, and watch the planet transform through your actions.
ExplorationAdventureCreature CollectorNatureRelaxingColorfulAtmosphericEmotionalCuteStylized
$19.99Voltage High Society
Jun 23 · Platonic Partnership
Both: Exploration · First-Person
First-person horror metroidvania about fisting your way through a prison island crawling with cybernetic monstrosities. Explore, evolve, escape. Inspired by Tetsuo: The Iron Man.
ExplorationBoomer ShooterMetroidvaniaFPSImmersive SimBoxingCharacter Customization3DFirst-PersonDark Comedy👍 144
$7.99Backrooms Media
Dec 16 · NPK Games
Both: First-Person · Exploration
Backrooms Media is a 1-4 player co-op horror that plunges you into unsettling, hyper-realistic liminal spaces. Navigate eerie environments filled with lurking horrors. Group up with your friends to face the terror of the endless backrooms together and... try to escape.
Co-opMultiplayerCasualPsychological HorrorHorrorOnline Co-OpSurvival HorrorFirst-PersonExplorationSingleplayer👍 546
$4.99The Greenening
May 7 · Erkberg Games
Both: Exploration
A short and wholesome incremental journey about exploring and reawakening a forgotten world. Wash away the ashes to discover the secrets hidden beneath, upgrade your versatile watering abilities, and grow your own cozy space garden.
IncrementalCasualIdlerExplorationNatureRelaxingCleaningCuteCozyWholesome👍 484
-30%$6.99Havelyn
2 days ago · All Loose®
Both: Exploration · First-Person
A peaceful open world of forests, rivers and wide meadows. Set out alone or with up to 4 friends to find the place you’ll call home. Build a quiet life or grow your settlement into a thriving new civilization. The choice is yours.
AdventureSimulationFarming SimSandboxColony SimExplorationImmersive Sim3DFirst-PersonColorful
$5.99Besitupia: Mediator
May 3 · Oppressive HellMode
Both: Exploration · First-Person
You have lost most of your memories after parabiosis. You will have to learn how to use your new abilities to figure out everything happening around you. Will you be able to adapt? Be sure to read “About the Game” before purchasing 👽
ExplorationMetroidvaniaImmersive SimFPSThird-Person ShooterSurvival HorrorPhysicsAction3DFirst-Person
-30%$6.99MIMESIS
Oct 27 · ReLU Games, Inc.
Both: Exploration
A 4-player online co-op survival horror game. Avoid the contaminated rain, gather scrap and get back to the tram. Monsters that copy your friends' voices and behavior, and many other threats, stand in your way. Gear up and stick together to survive.
Early AccessOnline Co-OpSocial DeductionPsychological HorrorFunnyPvEPost-apocalypticExplorationRogueliteSurvival Horror👍 8,404
-51%$0.49Chill Drive Together
3 days ago · cnsgames
Both: Exploration
An endless road, one or two drivers, and nothing waiting at the end of it. One key changes the world around the car — no loading screen. Sixteen cars, five environments. Nothing to unlock, nowhere to be.
ExplorationIndieMultiplayerRacingImmersive SimOnline Co-OpArcadeCasualSimulationColorful
-10%$4.49The Door Factory
2 days ago · David Gallardo
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration
The Door Factory is a first-person horror game where you inspect mysterious doors before they are sent into production. Step inside, observe the environment, spot anomalies, and decide whether each door should be approved or reported.
HorrorPsychological HorrorWalking SimulatorChoices MatterImmersive SimSimulationRealisticActionExplorationAtmospheric
-50%$9.99Salt 2: Shores of Gold
Nov 12 · Lavaboots Studios
Both: Exploration
Salt 2 is a pirate-themed open world adventure focused on exploration, crafting, and survival. Play solo or with up to 5 friends, sailing the sea with your ship as a mobile base. Discover islands full of quests, towns, caves, and secrets. Level up, craft gear, hunt, fish, and customize your ship.
Open WorldSurvivalSailingPiratesCraftingExplorationSandboxPvEAction-AdventureNaval👍 2,182
-40%$17.99Slime Rancher 2
Sep 23 · Monomi Park
Both: First-Person
Continue the adventures of Beatrix LeBeau as she journeys across the Slime Sea to Rainbow Island, a land brimming with ancient mysteries, and bursting with wiggly, new slimes to wrangle in this sequel to the smash-hit, Slime Rancher.
CuteRelaxingSingleplayerOpen WorldColorfulFirst-PersonCreature CollectorAdventureSimulationCasual👍 43,609
-20%$3.19CONCRETE BURIAL
3 days ago · Games From The Abyss
Both: Short · First-Person
Equipped only with a weapon that consumes your own blood, explore an ancient brutalist catacomb. Beware the Eyes of The Whispering Crypt. Find the 4 artifacts of desire. Confront God.
ShortFirst-PersonHorrorAtmosphericFemale ProtagonistAdventureFPSPsychological HorrorDark FantasyDystopian
$1.99Nightmare Train
Sep 29 · Gaia
Both: Walking Simulator · First-Person
Survival horror on a train racing through endless night. Explore the cars, collect artifacts, keep your sanity, and avoid the monster hunting you in the dark.
ActionSimulationWalking SimulatorHidden Object3DCinematicFirst-PersonRealisticDemonsHorror

