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11 Games Like Dear Esther

In Dear Esther you explore an uninhabited Hebridean island while an old man reads a series of letters to his eponymous deceased wife. Themes of love, loss, guilt and redemption intertwine with the bleak geography and orchestral music. As you explore the derelict remains of buildings, shipwrecks and caves, you find a story that must be interpreted to make sense.

Unfortunately Dear Esther is not available on Android, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series or iOS. However, we recommend the following games that offer a similar experience or theme:

Game image Dear Esther

Dear Esther
PEGI Rating 12+ for Dear EstherESRB Rating TEEN for Dear Esther

Rating: PEGI 12+, ESRB TEEN

Release Date: 14/02/2012

Platforms: Mac, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Genres: Adventure, Narrative and Open World.

 

 
Game image Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Platforms: Mac and PC

Genres: Adventure, Narrative and Role-Playing

Duration: Between 5 hours and 7 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

Sunset tasks you with cleaning a large apartment in a fictional 1970s South American city. But outside the apartment, there is unrest and rioting. The chaos of the country and the repetitive daily chores grate against one another to create a meditative...


Game image Tree

Tree

Tree

Platforms: PC

Genres: Narrative

Duration: Between 10 minutes and 12 minutes to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Free.

Tree is a short 15 minute game that tells the story of a boy who plants a small tree. You control the planting, watering and how the tree grows each season. As you do this the years pass and the boy...


Game image The Stillness of the Wind

The Stillness of the Wind
PEGI Rating 3+ for The Stillness of the WindESRB Rating EVERYONE for The Stillness of the Wind

The Stillness of the Wind

Platforms: Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC and iOS

Genres: Narrative and Puzzle

Duration: Between 3 hours and 4 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

In The Stillness of the Wind you are an old woman who looks after a dilapidated farm. Over the course of a few hours, no matter what your efforts, the farm falls apart as you learn about the woman’s family and have the chance to ruminate on her...


Game image Everything

Everything
PEGI Rating 3+ for EverythingESRB Rating EVERYONE for Everything

Everything

Platforms: Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC and PlayStation 4

Genres: Adventure, Narrative, Open World and Simulation

Duration: Between 3 hours and 7 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

This is an unusual game that simulates a world where you can become any object. It sounds strange and not much fun, but the enjoyment is in discovering how small or how big a thing you can become. From tiny atoms to whole planets and everything in between.


Game image A Dark Room

A Dark Room
PEGI Rating 7+ for A Dark RoomESRB Rating EVERYONE 10+ for A Dark Room

A Dark Room

Platforms: Nintendo Switch and iOS

Genres: Adventure, Open World, Strategy and Turn-Based

Duration: Between 4 hours and 5 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

A Dark Room is an adventure where you try and survive in the wild. It has a similarly simple start – a single option to stoke a fire – but also evolves into an incrementally complex system of resource management as a larger story unfolds.


Game image NERO Nothing Ever Remains Obscure

N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure
PEGI Rating 7+ for NERO Nothing Ever Remains ObscureESRB Rating EVERYONE for NERO Nothing Ever Remains Obscure

N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Genres: Narrative, Open World and Puzzle

Duration: Between 3 hours and 6 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

N.E.R.O. is a story-driven first-person indie game with puzzles to solve and story threads to follow. The player character essentially walks a linear path and solves puzzles blocking their way, while a story is narrated.


Game image Fractured Minds

Fractured Minds
PEGI Rating 7+ for Fractured MindsESRB Rating EVERYONE for Fractured Minds

Fractured Minds

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Genres: Adventure, Narrative and Puzzle

Duration: Between 1 hour and 2 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

Fractured Minds is a short game that explores the implications of living with mental illness. You explore everyday spaces that behave in strange and sometimes disturbing ways. To progress, you need to solve some simple puzzles.


Game image Firewatch

Firewatch
PEGI Rating 16+ for FirewatchESRB Rating MATURE 17+ for Firewatch

Firewatch

Platforms: Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Genres: Adventure, Narrative and Open World

Duration: Between 4 hours and 7 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

Firewatch is an explorative adventure where you play a fire lookout in America’s Shoshone National Forest. It has a relational and conspiracy undertone similar to the podcast/radio drama and Netflix show [link to...


Game image Everybodys Gone to the Rapture

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
PEGI Rating 16+ for Everybodys Gone to the RaptureESRB Rating TEEN for Everybodys Gone to the Rapture

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

Platforms: Mac, PC and PlayStation 4

Genres: Adventure, Narrative and Open World

Duration: Between 5 hours and 7 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture lands you in a fictional deserted English village in 1984. As you walk the streets of another era you discover bright human forms who re-enact events like a radio play. Through their eyes, you see a web of fear,...


Game image Gone Home

Gone Home
PEGI Rating 16+ for Gone HomeESRB Rating MATURE 17+ for Gone Home

Gone Home

Platforms: Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Genres: Narrative and Puzzle

Duration: Between 3 hours and 5 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

Gone Home places you in the role of Katie, returning from overseas to her family home. But the house is deserted and by exploring the rooms you piece together what happened to her sister, Sam. It’s a mystery to solve, but a common one of family...


Game image What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch
PEGI Rating 16+ for What Remains of Edith FinchESRB Rating TEEN for What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Genres: Narrative, Puzzle and Role-Playing

Duration: Between 2 hours and 4 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs: Purchase cost.

Edith Finch is the surviving member of the Finch family, who seem to have died from a curse. In first-person perspective, you return to the family’s coastal home to learn about each relative’s final hours by exploring their rooms in turn.


 
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Dear Esther is in These Lists

In addition to the similar games listed above, which have been linked to this game specifically in the database, you may find games with a similar theme to Dear Esther in the following lists:

Solve a Mystery

Like a good crime drama or whodunnit novel, solving mysteries and puzzles is a good way to engage in a story. However, rather than just watching these mysteries while someone else does the heavy lifting, these video games place you firmly in the role of the detective. Gathering statements, sifting evidence and making intelligent leaps of deduction requires care and attention. These investigations makes these games slower than others, but it’s worth the effort each time you find the correct conclusion and move the story on.

These games present you with a mysterious scenario to be solved. Whether with direct puzzles, locations to investigate or crime scenarios to deduce, they offer a unique, first-hand sleuthing challenge.
 
Game image Lost and Hound

Lost and Hound
PEGI Rating 7+ for Lost and HoundESRB Rating TEEN for Lost and Hound
Game image Luna The Shadow Dust

Luna The Shadow Dust
PEGI Rating 3+ for Luna The Shadow DustESRB Rating EVERYONE for Luna The Shadow Dust
Game image Love A Puzzle Box Filled with Stories

Love - A Puzzle Box Filled with Stories
Game image Reigns Beyond

Reigns: Beyond
PEGI Rating 7+ for Reigns BeyondESRB Rating EVERYONE 10+ for Reigns Beyond

Free With Origin Access

Origin Access is a subscription service for PC, smartphones and tablets, offering access to games include all those published by EA.
  • Basic (£3.99/Month) grants access to games but not other in-game purchases. Very new games are sometimes restricted to a demo.
  • Advance (£14.99/Month) grants access to even the newest EA games and includes in-game purchases.

 
Game image Sim City

Sim City
PEGI Rating 3+ for Sim CityESRB Rating EVERYONE for Sim City
Game image Superhot

Superhot
PEGI Rating 12+ for SuperhotESRB Rating TEEN for Superhot
Game image Sea of Solitude

Sea of Solitude
PEGI Rating 12+ for Sea of SolitudeESRB Rating TEEN for Sea of Solitude
Game image Skate 4

Skate 4
PEGI Rating 16+ for Skate 4ESRB Rating TEEN for Skate 4
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