Carto similar games & best alternatives

Carto - Trailer
Carto - carto_1.avif
Carto - carto_2.avif
Carto - carto_3.avif
Carto - carto_4.avif
Carto - carto_5.avif
Carto - carto_6.avif

Carto

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch • 2020

Should you play it?

Carto is a charming adventure game wrapped around a unique, world-altering puzzle mechanic. Use this power to explore mysterious lands, help a quirky cast of characters, and guide Carto on her journey back to her family.

What works

  • Unique and creative puzzle mechanics
  • Charming art style and characters
  • Relaxing and wholesome atmosphere
  • Engaging and heartwarming story
  • Moderate puzzle challenge with rewarding solutions

Things to keep in mind

  • Short game length with limited replayability
  • Some puzzles can be obscure or unintuitive
  • Lack of hint system frustrates some players
  • Minimal depth in story and character development
  • No multiplayer or competitive features

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Mondealy: Day One

  • Ritual of Raven

  • Little Witch in the Woods

  • Great God Grove

  • A Tiny Sticker Tale

  • Smushi Come Home

Less fellowship-oriented

Games that feels like Carto but with less of a community feel

  • Wytchwood

  • Under The Island

  • NAIAD

  • Milkmaid of the Milky Way

  • At Home Alone Final

  • The Sand Man

Less intimate

Games that feels like Carto but with less focus on close relationships

  • A Monster's Expedition

  • Down in Bermuda

  • Ittle Dew

  • Toki Tori 2+

  • Draw a Stickman: EPIC

  • Paper Trail

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 Carto. 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 Carto. These titles are not in What to play next.

Carto: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Fellowship, Intimacy, Strategy.

Last update: 21/08/2026