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Prey similar games & best alternatives

Prey

PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, PlayStation 4 • 2017

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Quick resume

In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever – but things have gone terribly wrong. The space station has been overrun by hostile aliens and you are now being hunted.

Global score

91/100

Genres

Action, Adventure, Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Puzzle

Similar games

    Pros

    • High player agency and freedom
    • Deep immersive sim gameplay
    • Rich story and worldbuilding
    • Multiple playstyles and endings
    • Excellent atmosphere and audio design

    Cons

    • Some players find combat repetitive
    • Occasional bugs and technical issues
    • Story pacing uneven for some
    • Lack of multiplayer or social features
    • Some frustration with backtracking

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Cooperation, Leadership, Violence. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Exploration. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Competition.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

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

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • 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.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      5

      "Players have extensive freedom to choose how to approach objectives, explore, and develop character builds with multiple solutions to problems."

    • Competence
      4

      "The game offers challenging combat, skill progression, and problem-solving that reward player mastery and strategic thinking."

    • Competition
      -5

      "Focus is on single-player experience without competitive or ranked multiplayer elements."

    • Continuation
      4

      "Many players report long play sessions, multiple playthroughs, and high replayability due to branching paths and exploration."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "The game is primarily a solo experience with no significant cooperative gameplay."

    • Creativity
      5

      "Players can creatively use abilities, weapons, and environment to solve problems and explore, with many gameplay styles supported."

    • Domination
      -5

      "Interactions are balanced and player choices emphasize moral dilemmas rather than exerting control over others."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Immersive sci-fi setting and narrative provide strong escape from reality and engrossing atmosphere."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and intrinsic motivation, with no external pressure or obligation."

    • Experimenting
      5

      "Game encourages experimentation with different skills, powers, and approaches to challenges."

    • Exploration
      5

      "Exploration is a core element with richly detailed environments, secrets, and lore rewarding curiosity."

    • Expression
      3

      "Character build customization and choice of abilities allow personal expression within gameplay."

    • Fantasy
      4

      "Set in a sci-fi universe with alien powers and speculative technology, providing imaginative fiction."

    • Fellowship
      -5

      "Minimal social interaction; focus is on solitary play and personal narrative experience."

    • Growth
      4

      "Players develop skills, learn enemy behaviors, and improve through gameplay progression."

    • Health
      -5

      "Primarily sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

    • Idle
      -4

      "Requires focused attention and active engagement throughout play sessions."

    • Intimacy
      -5

      "Limited to no close social relationships; interactions mostly narrative and environmental."

    • Leadership
      -5

      "No leadership or group management mechanics; player acts independently."

    • Progression
      5

      "Strong progression system with skill upgrades, item collection, and character development."

    • Relaxation
      2

      "Atmosphere can be tense and suspenseful but also allows moments of calm exploration."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Engaging audio-visual design with immersive sound and detailed environments provide sensory stimulation."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; focus is on individual experience."

    • Story
      5

      "Rich narrative with deep lore, multiple endings, and story elements integrated into gameplay and environment."

    • Strategy
      4

      "Requires planning, problem solving, and tactical decision making to overcome challenges."

    • Thrill
      3

      "Tense moments and suspenseful encounters provide excitement and adrenaline."

    • Value
      4

      "Players report high value due to length, depth, and replayability relative to cost."

    • Violence
      3

      "Combat and destruction of alien enemies are core gameplay elements."

    • Survival
      4

      "Resource management and survival against threats are important gameplay aspects."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026