Gone Home Thumbnail

Gone Home similar games & best alternatives

Gone Home

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

Related articles

Quick resume

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.

Global score

77/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Puzzle

Similar games

    Pros

    • 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

    Cons

    • Short playtime (~2-3 hours)
    • Limited gameplay mechanics
    • Low replay value
    • Price considered high by some
    • Linear story with limited player expression

    Motivations

    • 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 That Which Gave Chase That Which Gave Chase

      "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 NAIAD NAIAD

      "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 CUPID - A free to play Visual Novel CUPID - A free to play Visual Novel

      "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 suspense and eerie atmosphere but no intense thrills or high-risk situations."

      Capsule for Port of Call Port of Call

      "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."

    Analysis

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

    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.

    Last update: 30/04/2026