THE LONGING similar games & best alternatives

THE LONGING - Trailer
THE LONGING - the-longing_1.avif
THE LONGING - the-longing_2.avif
THE LONGING - the-longing_3.avif
THE LONGING - the-longing_4.avif
THE LONGING - the-longing_5.avif
THE LONGING - the-longing_6.avif

THE LONGING

Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac • 2020

Should you play it?

An unusual mix of adventure and idle game. In utter loneliness deep below the surface, it's your task to wait for the awakening of your king... for 400 days.

What works

  • Unique slow-paced experience
  • Emotional and meditative gameplay
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art and music
  • Deep narrative and multiple endings
  • Encourages patience and self-reflection

Things to keep in mind

  • Very slow and repetitive gameplay
  • Long waiting times may frustrate some
  • Limited active gameplay mechanics
  • Not replayable without save manipulation
  • Some players find content sparse

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • moon: Remix RPG Adventure

  • TRATRITLE

  • Artis Impact

  • Where the Water Tastes Like Wine

  • Refind Self: The Personality Test Game

  • Haven Park

Less idle-friendly

Games that feels like THE LONGING but with less of an idle filler feel

  • Paper Lily - Chapter 1

  • RUBATO

  • Catmaze

  • Bear's Restaurant

  • Alwa's Legacy

  • The Last Campfire

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

THE LONGING: 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 Idle, Intimacy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Competence.

Last update: 21/08/2026