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Our experts have spent time searching for great games similar to Dear Esther and have found the following:
Dear Esther is a narrative traversal game where 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, Switch or iOS. However, we recommend the following games that offer a similar experience or theme:
Release Date: 14/02/2012, updated in 2016
Out Now: Mac, PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Players: 1
Genres: Narrative, Traversal and Adventure
Accessibility: 3 features
Components: 3D First-Person and Open World
Developer: Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom)
Costs: Purchase cost
Here are our hand-picked short list of similar games; the perfect thing to play next if you enjoyed Dear Esther. We don't use automatic matching, instead, we hand-pick games that are good to play if you have enjoyed Dear Esther.
Still Wakes The Deep is a horror narrative game set on the Beira D oil rig in 1975.
Still Wakes The Deep is a horror narrative game set on the Beira D oil rig in 1975. When disaster strikes off the coast of Scotland you must traverse the collapsing rig to save your crew from what becomes clear is not only a natural disaster.
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Player Non Player is a narrative game about a mysterious villa and four people who need help to rest in peace.
Player Non Player is a narrative game about a mysterious villa and four people who need help to rest in peace. You explore the world, but not like other games.
Out Now: Mac and PC
Everything is an unusual game that simulates a world where you can become any object.
Everything 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.
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Farewell North is an adventure where you play a collie dog who restores colour to a desolate Scottish island.
Farewell North is an adventure where you play a collie dog who restores colour to a desolate Scottish island. You explore with your owner who you help by uncovering hidden paths, evading monsters, and freeing wildlife.
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A Walk with Yiayia is an adventure game where you go on a walk with your Greek grandmother after she's lost her confidence from having a fall.
A Walk with Yiayia is an adventure game where you go on a walk with your Greek grandmother after she's lost her confidence from having a fall. You reassure her and connect with conversation and help her complete small quests in a relaxing neighbourhood.
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11-11 Memories Retold is a narrative adventure about two young men caught up in the first world war.
11-11 Memories Retold is a narrative adventure about two young men caught up in the first world war. A young photographer who joins the western front in Europe to impress a woman, and a German technician who's signs up in search of his son who is missing in action.
Out Now: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Here are our hand-picked long list of similar games; the perfect thing to play next if you enjoyed Dear Esther. We don't use automatic matching, instead, we hand-pick games that are good to play if you have enjoyed Dear Esther.
Journey is an adventure game set in a desert.
Journey is an adventure game set in a desert. Exploring the eerie sandscape, you discover a world abandoned by the race that created it.
Out Now: PC, PS3, PS4 and iOS
Firewatch is an explorative adventure where you play a fire lookout in America’s Shoshone National Forest.
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 Homecoming.
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Everybody's Gone to the Rapture lands you in a fictional deserted English village in 1984.
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.
Out Now: Mac, PC and PS4
The Unfinished Swan invites you to explore a world by splashing paint on it.
The Unfinished Swan invites you to explore a world by splashing paint on it. The tactile experience leads you into a fairy tale about an unfinished painting that leads a child back to his parent.
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Tree is a narrative game that tells the story of a boy who plants a small tree.
Tree is a narrative 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.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a narrative puzzle game about the surviving member of the Finch family, who seems to have died from a curse.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a narrative puzzle game about the surviving member of the Finch family, who seems to have died from a curse. From a 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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A Dark Room is an adventure where you try and survive in the wild.
A Dark Room is an adventure where you try and survive in the wild. The world is depicted with just text but leads you into a dense narrative with intriguing visitors and a steadily expanding world.
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Virginia is a mystery adventure game where you play a graduate FBI agent Anne Tarver as she investigates her first case: the disappearance of a boy in rural Virginia.
Virginia is a mystery adventure game where you play a graduate FBI agent Anne Tarver as she investigates her first case: the disappearance of a boy in rural Virginia. You explore the world and find clues to solve the crime, all the time aware that other powers are afoot.
Gone Home places you in the role of Katie, returning from overseas to her family home.
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.
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LOCK is a puzzle game about escaping rooms.
LOCK is a puzzle game about escaping rooms. LOCK stands for Logic Operated Combination Keep, referring to a digital password protected door lock.
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Myst is a classic video game graphic adventure.
Myst is a classic video game graphic adventure. Published in 1983, and selling over six million copies, it pre-dates many modern adventure games and created a new genre for gaming.
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The Stillness of the Wind is a narrative puzzle game where you play an old woman who looks after a dilapidated farm.
The Stillness of the Wind is a narrative puzzle game where you play 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 loneliness and happy memories.
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Fractured Minds is a short game that explores the implications of living with mental illness.
Fractured Minds is a short game that explores the implications of living with mental illness. It aims to promote awareness and empathy for these issues.
Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One
A Memoir Blue is a narrative game about an athlete's relationship with her mother.
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Sunset tasks you with cleaning a large apartment in a fictional 1970s South American city.
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Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a narrative adventure game about sharing stories.
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a narrative adventure game about sharing stories. You travel across the Depression-era United States discovering and collecting the stories of the people and places you encounter on your journey.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a narrative mystery game about Paul Prospero, an occult-minded detective who receives a disturbing letter from Ethan Carter saying he is in danger.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a narrative mystery game about Paul Prospero, an occult-minded detective who receives a disturbing letter from Ethan Carter saying he is in danger. It turns out that Ethan vanished in the wake of a brutal murder.
N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure is a story-driven first-person indie game with puzzles to solve and story threads to follow.
N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure 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.
Ghost on the Shore is a narrative adventure about emotional and community ties that last after people pass away.
Ghost on the Shore is a narrative adventure about emotional and community ties that last after people pass away. You encounter a headstrong ghost who urges you to investigate an island with a tragic secret.
MyHouse.Wad is a horror adventure created in the form of a new map for the classic Doom video game.
MyHouse.Wad is a horror adventure created in the form of a new map for the classic Doom video game. It uses the Doom game engine but subverts it to create an unsettling and intriguing experience.
Skye is an open-world survival game set in Viking times.
Skye is an open-world survival game set in Viking times. You explore a vast 1:4 scale map of the Isle of Skye as you barter with locals, survive the brutal weather, grow crops and hunt animals.
The Talos Principle 2 is a puzzle game where you explore and unravel the mystery of a futuristic robot society.
The Talos Principle 2 is a puzzle game where you explore and unravel the mystery of a futuristic robot society. You move between zones and solve puzzles by guiding beams of light, manipulating gravity, and switching between robot bodies.
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Blackhaven is a narrative adventure where you play a college intern at Blackhaven Hall, a historic mansion burned down during the American Revolution.
Blackhaven is a narrative adventure where you play a college intern at Blackhaven Hall, a historic mansion burned down during the American Revolution. Play involves exploring the building and discovering a trail of secrets and misdeeds that span centuries.
If Dear Esther is not age appropriate for your child, here are similar games ordered by age rating so you can find an age-appropriate alternative that’s also a game they will love.
These are our hand-picked alternatives to Dear Esther. This doesn't use automatic matching, instead, we hand-pick games that are good to play if you have enjoyed Labyrinth. These selections also include games that offer a different experience but address a similar theme or topic.
Deep Sea Adventure is a pocket-sized strategy game where you dive into the sea to bring back treasure.
Deep Sea Adventure is a pocket-sized strategy game where you dive into the sea to bring back treasure. It’s unusual because although you compete with other players for treasure you share the same limited air supply.
Santorini is a strategy game where you place buildings on a Greek island in an effort to get your character to the top.
Santorini is a strategy game where you place buildings on a Greek island in an effort to get your character to the top. This creates a chess-like three-dimensional competitive puzzle that changes as each player adds pieces to the village.
Ticket to Ride is a railway-themed strategy board game where players compete to earn the most points by collecting cards, placing trains and completing journeys.
Ticket to Ride is a railway-themed strategy board game where players compete to earn the most points by collecting cards, placing trains and completing journeys. It is an easy-to-learn game that can be gently competitive and has become a popular classic.
These are games of a similar genre mix to Dear Esther. This includes games from the Adventure, Narrative and Traversal genres. We pick out games of a similar PEGI rating to further hone these generated suggestions.
Cloudpunk is a cyberpunk adventure where you play Rania, a delivery driver for the illegal company Cloudpunk.
Cloudpunk is a cyberpunk adventure where you play Rania, a delivery driver for the illegal company Cloudpunk. You navigate the city in a flying car to get to your destination in time.
If you like the sound of Dear Esther but it doesn’t offer the accessibility you require, the games in this section offer a similar experience but with more Accessibility Features. You can view a full breakdown in our Dear Esther Accessibility Report.
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: