Call of Cthulhu® similar games & best alternatives

Call of Cthulhu® - Trailer
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Call of Cthulhu®

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2018

Should you play it?

1924. Private Investigator Pierce is sent to look into the tragic death of the Hawkins family. Plunge into a world of creeping madness and cosmic horror. Cryptic clues, shadowy figures, and pure terror bar your way as you fight to retain your sanity and solve an otherworldly mystery.

What works

  • Strong lovecraftian atmosphere and story
  • Multiple endings and some replay value
  • Skill progression and investigative gameplay
  • Good voice acting and sound design
  • Faithful to call of cthulhu rpg themes

Things to keep in mind

  • Outdated graphics and animation
  • Linear gameplay with limited player freedom
  • Minimal and simple combat and stealth
  • Some technical issues and bugs
  • Skill checks affected by rng reduce meaningfulness

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Through the Woods

  • Conarium

  • J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars

  • Radiolight

  • CINERIS SOMNIA

  • >observer_

More violent

Games that feels like Call of Cthulhu® but with more combat and destruction

  • Outlast 2

  • Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward

  • Resident Evil 2

  • Somber Echoes

  • Alone in the Dark

  • A.I.L.A

More expressive

Games that feels like Call of Cthulhu® but with more self-expression and customization

  • Hell is Us

  • The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Edition

  • Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

  • The Midnight Walk

  • Someday You'll Return: Director's Cut

  • One-Eyed Likho

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Call of Cthulhu®. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Call of Cthulhu®. These titles are not in What to play next.

Call of Cthulhu®: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Competition. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Violence, Value.

Last update: 21/08/2026