Games like POOLS
by Tensori
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.
View on Steam · $9.79 →
Ranked by how similar the games actually are, not by sales. Released and Price are remembered for next time.
Closest matches
$17.99Dreamcore
Jan 23 · Montraluz
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator · Psychological Horror
Experience backrooms like never before. Dreamcore is the ultimate psychological exploration game, set in the largest liminal world ever made. No guides, no path—only intuition. Will you keep your bearings in a world designed to make you lose them?
ExplorationWalking SimulatorPsychological HorrorFirst-PersonSurreal3DHorrorNonlinearRelaxingAtmospheric👍 1,881
$5.99Dreamcore: Rabbit Hole
Apr 24 · Ankoku
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator · Psychological Horror
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
$4.990°N 0°W
Mar 1 · Colorfiction
Both: Surreal · Exploration · Walking Simulator
Ready for a wild trip of psychedelic sights and sounds? 0°N 0°W is a chill, first-person walking sim for everyone, where each run is a fresh adventure!
ColorfulSurrealExplorationPsychedelicOpen WorldPlatformerWalking SimulatorFirst-Person3DRelaxing👍 363
$12.99Shape of the World
Jun 5 · Hollow Tree Games
Both: Surreal · Walking Simulator · Exploration
A serene first person exploration game in a surreal, organic world that reacts to your presence. Journey through a psychedelically colorful ecosystem of flourishing flora, rambling waterfalls, burgeoning mountains, glowing monoliths and graceful creatures. A 1-3 hour escape from work, anxiety and stress.
CasualNatureIndieAtmosphericSurrealWalking SimulatorExplorationFirst-PersonRelaxingAdventure👍 263
-15%$8.49Tape 101: Liminal Descent
2 days ago · 2H-Productions
Both: Psychological Horror · Walking Simulator · Realistic
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
$8.99Anemoiapolis: Chapter 1
Mar 3 · Andrew Quist
Both: Psychological Horror · Exploration · First-Person
The most relaxing horror game you'll ever play. Anemoiapolis exists in the uncanny valley of American architecture -- endless carpeted floors and lonely malls. Escape for your life, and enjoy the scenery.
HorrorPsychological HorrorExplorationFirst-PersonSingleplayerMysteryRealisticWalking SimulatorProcedural GenerationAtmospheric👍 1,153
$29.99Obduction
Aug 24 · Cyan, Inc.
Both: Exploration · First-Person · Surreal
A new sci-fi adventure from Cyan, the creators of Myst. Abducted far across the universe, you find yourself on a broken alien landscape with odd pieces of Earth. Explore, uncover, solve, and find a way to make it home.
AdventurePuzzleExplorationIndieFirst-PersonMysterySurrealVRWalking SimulatorAtmospheric👍 3,032
$9.99HOST
Jul 1 · Garrett Fuselier
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator · First-Person
When your spacecraft crashes on an unknown planet, you navigate your way through its dark and puzzling corridors. Using only your hands and your wits, will you discover your parasitic power before it's too late?
Early AccessExplorationPuzzleWalking Simulator3DFirst-PersonVRSurrealUndergroundLinear
$14.99MIND: Path to Thalamus Enhanced Edition
Aug 5 · Pantumaca Barcelona, @CarlosGameDev, Dani Navarro, Luka Nieto
Both: Walking Simulator · Surreal · First-Person
MIND: Path to Thalamus is a First Person Puzzler that throws you into a fantastic and surreal environment. You will bend the natural elements to your will in order to progress in this emotive, mindbending tale. Now also in Virtual Reality!
AdventurePuzzleWalking SimulatorIndieSurrealAtmosphericFirst-PersonStrategyExplorationVR👍 855
$1.99Cave Crawler
Apr 18 · Technomancy Studios
Both: Walking Simulator · First-Person · Psychological Horror
Cave Crawler is a short horror game where you pilot a drone into a cave and discover something horrible.
HorrorWalking Simulator3DFirst-PersonPsychological HorrorLinearRealisticSci-fiThrillerAtmospheric👍 550
$19.99Submerged
Aug 3 · Uppercut Games Pty Ltd
Both: Exploration · Relaxing · Walking Simulator
Submerged is a third-person combat-free game in which you explore a mysterious flooded city and discover the beauty of desolation in vast outdoor environments. You take on the role of Miku, a young girl who has brought her wounded brother to the city in their small fishing boat.
ExplorationRelaxingFemale ProtagonistWalking SimulatorFamily FriendlyNatureThird PersonCasualAdventureOpen World👍 4,327
$4.99Backrooms Abyss
Jul 4 · Chadder Studios
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration · First-Person
Explore and survive levels based on the popular creepypasta lore. Each level offers various escape routes but also introduces perilous obstacles. Players can immerse themselves in the seemingly boundless and unsettling levels of the backrooms, experiencing the game's eerie and intricate mazes.
AdventureCasualRoguelikeWalking SimulatorExplorationFPS3DFirst-PersonRealistic1980s
$5.99TIMEframe
Jul 7 · Random Seed Games
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration · First-Person
Time is relative. Sometimes 10 seconds can feel like an eternity... In TIMEframe you will discover a world in slow motion. Explore the remnants of a mysterious civilization on the brink of destruction.
IndieCasualWalking SimulatorAtmosphericGreat SoundtrackExplorationFirst-PersonAdventureStylizedShort👍 269
$14.99THE LONGING
Mar 5 · Studio Seufz
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration
An unusual mix of adventure and idle game. In utter loneliness deep below the surface, it's your task to wait for the awakening of your king... for 400 days.
Point & ClickWalking SimulatorChoose Your Own AdventureIdler2DUndergroundMultiple EndingsExplorationAtmosphericChoices Matter👍 6,979
$29.99INFRA
Jan 15 · Loiste Interactive
Both: Exploration · First-Person · Walking Simulator
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.
ExplorationPuzzleAtmosphericFirst-PersonWalking SimulatorAdventureMysteryStory RichIndieSingleplayer👍 3,469
Also worth a look
Share some of the same DNA, but further from the original.
$7.99Hospital 666
Mar 5 · Lokin
Both: Psychological Horror · Realistic · Walking Simulator
Hospital 666 is a 1-4 player horror escape game. Traverse through eerie hospital levels while observing the occurrence of anomalies and choosing the correct elevator. Some abnormal bosses will chase you to death, and you must find the right way to escape them.
HorrorOnline Co-OpPsychological HorrorMultiplayerRealisticWalking SimulatorMultiple EndingsThrillerSupernaturalAdventure👍 1,203
$4.99Is Simon There?
May 6 · Stanislaw Truchowski
Both: Psychological Horror · Realistic · Walking Simulator
A few months have passed since the death of my son, Simon. Ever since that tragic day, I find myself falling into the darkest emotions I could ever imagine. I am haunted everyday with what I have done; But sometimes, I am haunted by more than just my emotions...
HorrorPsychological HorrorStory RichRealisticDarkPuzzleWalking SimulatorThrillerCollectathonAtmospheric👍 286
$0.99One Wish
Jun 6 · GDNomaD
Both: Psychological Horror · Walking Simulator · Exploration
Сlassic indie horror for one evening. The game has no tips, you need to solve all the puzzles yourself and avoid the monster that wants to devour your soul. Therefore, you need to be very careful and attentive to escape from the nightmare.
AdventureIndieHorrorPsychological HorrorWalking SimulatorPuzzleExplorationFirst-PersonMinimalistPsychological👍 162
$9.99Backrooms: Escape Together
Oct 18 · Triiodide Studios
Both: Psychological Horror · First-Person · Realistic
A visually lifelike co-op horror game for 1-6 people. Journey through 11 procedurally generated levels, using what's available to survive and progress deeper into the Backrooms.
MultiplayerHorrorOnline Co-OpPsychological HorrorSurvival HorrorCo-opAtmosphericFirst-PersonRealisticEarly Access👍 42,321
$0.99VERGE:Lost chapter
Oct 1 · GDNomaD
Both: Walking Simulator · First-Person
Our hero decided to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and get out into nature to relax in a cabin that was in the mountains.
Walking SimulatorHorrorIndieAdventureSimulationFunnySingleplayerFirst-PersonHistoricalPvE👍 2,875
-20%$7.99Escape the Backrooms
Oct 23 · Fancy Games, Blackbird Interactive
Both: Psychological Horror · 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
$6.99Fractal Block World
Oct 18 · Dan Hathaway
Both: Exploration · Surreal · First-Person
This is a surreal exploration game. Explore a massive fractal with great complexities. You can shrink infinitely to go deeper into the fractal. Or you can become larger by growing. Inner space awaits you in this infinite world.
ExplorationOpen WorldSurrealFPSVoxelIndiePsychedelicFirst-PersonAdventureNonlinear👍 1,490
$15.99Backrooms: Lost Tape
Dec 23 · Cortez Productions
Both: Psychological Horror · Exploration
You work in the cinema as an usher and accidentally fell into the Backrooms, now being trapped, needing to unravel the mysteries of the yellow rooms in order to get out of this place, but be careful, there are entities that will be in your way.
HorrorSurvival HorrorPsychological HorrorDarkExplorationSingleplayerAtmosphericLore-RichMysteryInvestigation👍 1,334
$0.99Auver
Apr 27 · ZC Games
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator · First-Person
Suzanne Auver was a successful painter once, until her sister went missing. Blaming herself, she was persistent on finding her. But with frequent nightmares involving the disappearance of her sister, this wasn't an easy task.
HorrorExplorationWalking SimulatorPuzzleFirst-PersonStylizedRealisticFantasyLinearAction-Adventure
$22.99Kayak VR: Mirage
Jul 12 · Better Than Life
Both: Realistic · Relaxing · Exploration
Kayak VR: Mirage is a jaw-dropping and exhilarating journey through beautiful locations, made for Virtual Reality. Maneuver our fully physically accurate kayak around checkpoints and crown yourself the fastest, or take it easy and use the free roam mode and enjoy the scenery.
VRRacingRealisticSimulationImmersive SimNatureRelaxingPhysicsArcadeExploration👍 1,006
$4.99Writer. Chapter 1
Jan 6 · Beshbarmak games
Both: Exploration · Walking Simulator · First-Person
You, the legendary writer, the “King of Horror,” find yourself at the center of a nightmare. A mysterious place, frighteningly familiar, hides sinister secrets. Explore locations, solve riddles, escape from the monster, collect a story that will become a new masterpiece... if you survive.
ExplorationPuzzleDetectiveWalking SimulatorFirst-PersonPsychological HorrorHorrorSimulationControllerLinear
$19.99Ultimate Fishing® Simulator 2
May 9 · Silent Bear Studio, SHINING GAMES
Both: Realistic · First-Person · Relaxing
Fish around the globe using float, bottom, spinning, or casting gear, and catch over 60 realistic fish species. Play solo or online in normal, realistic, or sandbox mode! Explore stunning locations, switch to an underwater cam, and fill your trophy room!
FishingSimulationMultiplayerSportsRealisticSingleplayerFirst-PersonRelaxingCasualAdventure👍 2,078
$1.34迷路会社 | Maze Company
Dec 12 · Coward_Watson
Both: Walking Simulator · Psychological Horror · Realistic
A short horror walking simulator where you just head from the workroom to the exit. Something may happen along the way, but don't worry, just keep going.Your goal is to return.
HorrorWalking SimulatorPsychological Horror3DFPSMultiple EndingsMysteryDarkPsychologicalRealistic
-20%$27.99Visage
Oct 29 · SadSquare Studio
Both: Psychological Horror · First-Person
Visage is a first-person psychological horror game. Explore a mysterious ever-changing house in a slow-paced, atmospheric world that combines both uncannily comforting and horrifyingly realistic environments, and enjoy a genuinely terrifying experience.
HorrorPsychological HorrorSurvival HorrorDarkMultiplayerFirst-PersonSingleplayerAtmosphericAdventureIndie👍 8,750
FreeAnswer Knot
May 31 · Naraven
Both: First-Person · Walking Simulator · Surreal
A short narrative and exploration game about Zach, June, and a strange phenomenon. You're Zach and, stuck in your home, you will do everything to keep hearing June's voice messages. What is happening out there?
IndieFirst-PersonShortInteractive FictionWalking SimulatorFree to PlayHorrorSurrealEmotionalSingleplayer
Explore Fushimi Inari
Oct 11 · Matt Newell
Both: Walking Simulator · Exploration · Relaxing
A short exploration/photography experience set in a realistically designed recreation of the renowned Japanese shrine, Fushimi Inari Taisha. *The game has been removed because it will be available as part of "Lushfoil Photography Sim", coming soon
Walking SimulatorFree to PlaySimulationExplorationAtmosphericCasualAdventureIndieVRRelaxing
FreeOff-Peak
Oct 21 · Cosmo D
Both: Surreal · Walking Simulator · First-Person
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.
Free to PlaySurrealIndieWalking SimulatorAdventureGreat SoundtrackFirst-PersonHorrorAtmosphericShort
$4.99Through The Fragmentation
May 13 · Máté Pribelszky
Both: Immersive · Exploration · First-Person
Atmospheric first person adventure game focusing on immersion and exploration. Meet strange characters, discover secrets and try to unfold the mystery of the Fragmentation.
Dialogue HeavyAdventureImmersiveExplorationFirst-PersonAtmosphericMysteryNonlinearStylizedChoices Matter👍 217
$9.99Umfend
Oct 30 · AIHASTO
Both: Psychological Horror · First-Person · Surreal
The glass sphere burst in the night of 1996. The world of distortion opened its gates and took away from you someone very important. However, in 2005, the past emerges again to hunt you once more. An atmospheric horror about love and time.
IndieAdventureHorrorPsychological HorrorFirst-PersonSurrealAnimeRomanceDating SimMystery👍 657

