The Gardens Between similar games & best alternatives

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The Gardens Between

2018

Should you play it?

The Gardens Between is a surreal puzzle adventure that follows best friends, Arina and Frendt, as they fall into a mysterious world of beautiful garden islands. Manipulate time to solve puzzles and discover the secrets of each island.

What works

  • Beautiful and imaginative art style
  • Innovative time manipulation gameplay
  • Relaxing music and atmosphere
  • Emotional and nostalgic story
  • Accessible and low frustration puzzles

Things to keep in mind

  • Short game length
  • Low puzzle difficulty
  • Limited replay value
  • Minimal player autonomy
  • Price considered high by some

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • I Am Dead

  • The Last Campfire

  • Röki

  • Elroy and the Aliens

  • Old Man's Journey

  • Crushed In Time

More autonomous

Games that feels like The Gardens Between but with more freedom over how you play

  • Zefyr: A Thief's Melody

  • Ether One

  • AER Memories of Old

  • Promenade

  • Down the Rabbit Hole

  • Super Lucky's Tale

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 The Gardens Between. 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 The Gardens Between. These titles are not in What to play next.

The Gardens Between: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Autonomy, Expression, Thrill.

Last update: 21/08/2026