Gone Home similar games & best alternatives

Gone Home

Mac, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Linux, Xbox One, iOS • 2013

Should you play it?

June 7th, 1995. 1:15 AM. You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here? Unravel the mystery for yourself in Gone Home, a story exploration game from The Fullbright Company.

What works
  • Immersive narrative and atmosphere
  • Emotional and relatable story
  • Detailed 1990s setting and nostalgia
  • Strong voice acting and sound design
  • Freedom to explore at own pace
Things to keep in mind
  • Short playtime (~2-3 hours)
  • Limited gameplay mechanics
  • Low replay value
  • Price considered high by some
  • Linear story with limited player expression

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • A Normal Lost Phone

  • Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling

  • Tacoma

  • Marie's Room

  • What Remains of Edith Finch

  • despelote

  • I Am Dead

  • Journal

  • Old Man's Journey
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • despelote

  • I Am Dead

  • Journal
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Exploration

    Psychopomp GOLD
  • Story

    Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice VR Edition
  • Autonomy

    Botany Manor

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • 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 for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

Gone Home: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Intimacy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Continuation.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    4

    "Players freely explore the manor, choose how to approach puzzles, and decide which clues to investigate next, indicating a strong sense of control over actions."

    Capsule for Botany Manor Botany Manor

    "Players freely explore the house at their own pace, deciding which objects to examine and how deeply to investigate the story."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    -1

    "Gameplay involves simple puzzles and exploration with minimal skill or challenge."

    Capsule for 9 Childs Street 9 Childs Street

    "Gameplay involves simple exploration and minimal puzzle solving, with no significant skill challenges."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -5

    "No competitive elements; focus is on personal narrative experience without comparison to others."

    Capsule for Detention Detention

    "No competitive elements; focus is on personal narrative experience without comparison to others."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    -3

    "Short game (~4-6 hours) with little replay value; players tend to complete it once and move on."

    Capsule for Stick it to The Man! Stick it to The Man!

    "Short game length (~2-3 hours) with low replay value; players tend to finish once and move on."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and story progression."

    Capsule for Rakuen Rakuen

    "Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and story discovery."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    2

    "Players interact with and examine many objects, but mostly within predefined story and puzzle structures."

    Capsule for The Station The Station

    "Players can interact with and examine many objects, piecing together the story creatively, but no building or modifying."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No social dominance or power dynamics; experience is solitary and respectful."

    Capsule for Half-Life: A Place in the West Half-Life: A Place in the West

    "No social dominance or power dynamics; experience is solitary and respectful."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    3

    "Strong narrative and immersive atmosphere provide emotional escape from real life."

    Capsule for A Plague Tale: Innocence A Plague Tale: Innocence

    "Immersive narrative and atmosphere provide an emotional escape from real life."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and intrinsic motivation for story and exploration."

    Capsule for Rosewater Rosewater

    "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest in story and exploration."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    2

    "Non-linear exploration encourages trying different paths and piecing story elements together."

    Capsule for The Moon Sliver The Moon Sliver

    "Encourages exploration and discovery of story elements in non-linear ways."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    5

    "Core gameplay revolves around exploring large, surreal environments and uncovering hidden areas and story elements."

    Capsule for Psychopomp GOLD Psychopomp GOLD

    "Core gameplay is exploring a large house and uncovering hidden story elements."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    -3

    "Limited customization or personalization options; players mainly experience a fixed narrative and environment."

    Capsule for Title_Pending Title_Pending

    "Limited customization; players experience a fixed narrative and environment."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    -4

    "Grounded in realistic, dramatic scenarios without fantasy or sci-fi elements."

    Capsule for As Dusk Falls As Dusk Falls

    "Grounded in realistic 1990s setting and family drama without supernatural elements."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "Solo experience with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

    Capsule for Dead Space Dead Space

    "Solo experience with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    3

    "Players learn about characters, story, and world; develop understanding through choices and exploration."

    Capsule for Rosewater Rosewater

    "Players learn about characters and story through exploration and interpretation."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    Capsule for World of Tanks Blitz World of Tanks Blitz

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention during playthroughs; not designed for background or idle play."

    Capsule for Refind Self: The Personality Test Game Refind Self: The Personality Test Game

    "Requires focused attention during playthrough; not designed for casual or background play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    4

    "Emotional connection with characters and story fosters feelings of closeness and empathy."

    Capsule for Sumire Sumire

    "Emotional connection to characters and story fosters a sense of closeness and empathy."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management elements; purely individual experience."

    Capsule for In Sound Mind In Sound Mind

    "No leadership or group management elements; purely individual experience."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    3

    "Collecting items and completing puzzles to advance the story provides a sense of progression."

    Capsule for Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul

    "Progression through story is achieved by collecting and interpreting items and notes."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    4

    "Calm, melancholic atmosphere and pacing promote relaxation and immersion."

    Capsule for Oknytt Oknytt

    "Calm, atmospheric pacing encourages relaxation and immersion."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Engaging audio-visual style with nostalgic and eerie effects provide sensory stimulation."

    Capsule for last seen online last seen online

    "Strong audio and visual atmosphere with nostalgic 90s elements provide sensory engagement."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

    "No social status or recognition mechanics present."

    Capsule for Lost in Play Lost in Play

    "No social status or recognition mechanics present."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Narrative-driven game with deep emotional storytelling and character development."

    Capsule for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice VR Edition Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice VR Edition

    "Narrative-driven game with deep emotional storytelling and character development."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    -3

    "Minimal strategic or problem-solving demands; mostly straightforward searching."

    Capsule for 100 March Cats 100 March Cats

    "Minimal strategic or problem-solving demands; mostly straightforward exploration."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    1

    "Some suspenseful atmosphere but no high-risk or intense thrill elements."

    Capsule for Tested on Humans: Escape Room Tested on Humans: Escape Room

    "Some suspenseful atmosphere but no real risk or intense thrills."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    -2

    "Mixed player opinions on value; short length seen as too brief for full price, better on sale."

    Capsule for Aozora Meikyuu Aozora Meikyuu

    "Mixed player opinions on value due to short length and price; better on sale."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    -5

    "No violence or combat; focus on peaceful exploration and story."

    Capsule for Tacoma Tacoma

    "No violence or combat; focus on peaceful exploration and story."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    -5

    "No survival mechanics or threats; stable, safe environment."

    Capsule for Fugl Fugl

    "No survival mechanics or threats; safe, stable environment."

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Last update: 01/06/2026