The Last of Us™ Part I similar games & best alternatives

The Last of Us™ Part I

PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5 • 2023

Should you play it?

Discover the award-winning game that inspired the critically acclaimed television show. Guide Joel and Ellie through a post-apocalyptic America, and encounter unforgettable allies and enemies in The Last of Us™.

What works
  • Masterful storytelling and emotional depth
  • Immersive and detailed environments
  • Engaging stealth and combat mechanics
  • High-quality graphics and audio
  • Meaningful character development
Things to keep in mind
  • Technical issues and poor pc optimization at launch
  • Long shader compilation times
  • Linear gameplay with limited exploration
  • Some repetitive combat scenarios
  • High hardware requirements

What to play next

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

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Days Gone

  • The Last of Us™ Part II Remastered

  • Metro Awakening

  • Echoes of the Living

  • El Paso, Elsewhere

  • Alan Wake

  • Collapse

  • Quantum Break

  • Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Echoes of the Living

  • Advent Rising

  • Potato Thriller
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Escapism

    The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series
  • Story

    Persona 3 Reload
  • Fantasy

    Ground Zero

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).

The Last of Us™ Part I: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Status. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Violence, Story.

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

    2

    "Players can choose different tactical approaches such as stealth or guns blazing, and use various weapon attachments and gadgets, but gameplay is mostly linear and objective-driven."

    Capsule for Rogue Trooper Redux Rogue Trooper Redux

    "Players have some control over combat style (stealth vs action), exploration, and difficulty customization, but the game is largely linear and story-driven."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    3

    "Gameplay involves skillful stealth, combat, resource gathering, base building, and decision making with some challenge and progression."

    Capsule for Chernobylite Complete Edition Chernobylite Complete Edition

    "Gameplay involves skillful stealth, resource management, and combat mechanics that provide challenge and feedback, especially on higher difficulties."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -5

    "Single player experience without competitive or ranked modes; focus on personal progression and story."

    Capsule for BloodRayne (Legacy) BloodRayne (Legacy)

    "Single-player story experience with no competitive or ranked modes."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    3

    "Players report long play sessions, replaying the game multiple times, and habitual engagement with the story and gameplay."

    Capsule for Classic Marathon 2 Classic Marathon 2

    "Players report long play sessions, replaying the game multiple times, and engaging with collectibles and achievements."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Entirely single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

    Capsule for Banished Banished

    "Entirely single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    1

    "Limited creativity in gameplay; some weapon variety and build choices, but mostly predefined levels and enemy patterns."

    Capsule for Metal: Hellsinger Metal: Hellsinger

    "Limited creativity in gameplay; some weapon upgrades and crafting, but mostly predefined story and level design."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; single-player narrative focus."

    Capsule for Eastward Eastward

    "No evidence of exerting control over others; single-player narrative focus."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    5

    "Strong emotional immersion and escape into a fictional post-apocalyptic world."

    Capsule for The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series

    "Strong immersion in a post-apocalyptic fictional world providing emotional escape and distraction from real life."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and emotional investment in story and characters."

    Capsule for Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and emotional investment in story and characters."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    1

    "Some experimentation with combat mini-games and strategies, but mostly linear progression."

    Capsule for Meg's Monster Meg's Monster

    "Some experimentation with combat tactics and stealth approaches, but mostly linear gameplay."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    2

    "Players explore detailed environments and uncover collectibles and lore, though areas are somewhat linear."

    Capsule for The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope

    "Players explore detailed environments and collect hidden items, though the world is mostly linear."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    -3

    "Minimal character customization; mostly fixed character appearances and story-driven presentation."

    Capsule for Omensight: Definitive Edition Omensight: Definitive Edition

    "Minimal character customization; mostly standardized presentation and narrative-driven character portrayal."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    4

    "Set in a fictional post-apocalyptic world with mutated creatures and sci-fi horror elements, evoking imaginative fiction."

    Capsule for Ground Zero Ground Zero

    "Set in a fictional post-apocalyptic world with infected creatures and dramatic storytelling."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "Single-player experience with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

    Capsule for The Evil Within The Evil Within

    "Single-player experience with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    3

    "Players develop skills in stealth, memory, and resource management, and progress through upgrades and levels."

    Capsule for ORDER 13 ORDER 13

    "Players develop skills in stealth, combat, and resource management; character progression through upgrades."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay typical of single-player PC games; no physical activity involved."

    Capsule for In Sound Mind In Sound Mind

    "Sedentary gameplay typical of single-player PC games; no physical activity involved."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -4

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement; not suited for background or idle play."

    Capsule for Death's Gambit: Afterlife Death's Gambit: Afterlife

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement; not suited for background or idle play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    3

    "Emotional connection to story and characters fosters a sense of intimacy despite lack of social interaction."

    Capsule for Undusted: Letters from the Past Undusted: Letters from the Past

    "Emotional connection to characters and story creates a sense of intimacy despite lack of social interaction."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or management roles; single-player narrative experience."

    Capsule for Tiny Echo Tiny Echo

    "No leadership roles; single-player narrative experience."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    3

    "Players collect weapons and upgrades, progress through story and levels."

    Capsule for Tomato Way Tomato Way

    "Players collect items, upgrade weapons, and improve skills as they progress through the story."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    1

    "Some players experience flow and catharsis, but overall gameplay is tense and challenging."

    Capsule for Hotline Miami Hotline Miami

    "Some players find emotional catharsis and flow, but gameplay can also be tense and challenging."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    4

    "High-quality graphics, sound, and immersive environments provide strong sensory stimulation."

    Capsule for Assassin's Creed® Origins Assassin's Creed® Origins

    "High-quality graphics, audio, and immersive environments provide strong sensory stimulation."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

    "No social status or recognition mechanics; single-player focus."

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

    "No social status or recognition mechanisms; single-player focus."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Highly praised narrative immersion with deep character development and emotional storytelling."

    Capsule for Persona 3 Reload Persona 3 Reload

    "Highly praised narrative immersion with emotional storytelling and character development."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    3

    "Requires tactical thinking in combat, stealth, and resource management; some puzzle elements and planning."

    Capsule for Metro Awakening Metro Awakening

    "Requires tactical thinking in combat, stealth, and resource management."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    3

    "Tense stealth and combat sequences create suspense and excitement."

    Capsule for A Plague Tale: Requiem A Plague Tale: Requiem

    "Tense combat and stealth sequences provide suspense and excitement."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    2

    "Good perceived value for players seeking a short, emotional narrative experience."

    Capsule for The Stillness of the Wind The Stillness of the Wind

    "Players appreciate the emotional and narrative value despite some technical issues and relatively short length."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Combat involves graphic violence, headshots, gore, and use of weapons and environmental traps to kill enemies."

    Capsule for Cold Fear™ Cold Fear™

    "Combat involves shooting, melee, and stealth kills with graphic violence against infected and humans."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    4

    "Strong survival elements including resource management, avoiding death, and strategic defense."

    Capsule for Hell is Others Hell is Others

    "Strong survival elements including resource scarcity, avoiding threats, and strategic combat."

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Last update: 01/06/2026