The Salesman similar games & best alternatives
The Salesman
2025
Related articles
Quick resume
In the Salesman, you play as a recently laid-off employee trying to survive the grind of job applications, debt, and dwindling hope. Trade your belongings for ad-supported replacements as you slowly sell away your life in this psychological horror game
Global score
83/100
Genres
Adventure, Indie, Simulator
Similar games
Pros
- Strong narrative and thematic depth
- Effective psychological horror and satire
- Humor and charm balance tension
- Good value for price
- Unique indie experience with voice acting and sound design
Cons
- Very short and repetitive gameplay
- Minimal player agency and creativity
- Some bugs and technical issues
- Lack of content and replayability
- No multiplayer or social features
Motivations
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Autonomy
Game with the same Autonomy vibe
-3"The game is largely linear with scripted pathing and limited player choice, restricting freedom of action."
Moons of Madness
"Gameplay is very linear and repetitive with limited player choices, reflecting constrained autonomy."
-
Competence
Game with the same Competence vibe
-2"Gameplay is simple and predictable with limited choices and outcomes, focusing more on narrative than skill challenges."
Hiveswap Friendsim
"Tasks are simple and predictable with minimal skill challenge, though some players appreciate the narrative complexity."
-
Competition
Game with the same Competition vibe
-5"No evidence of competitive elements or comparison with others; focus is on personal experience."
Loan Shark
"No evidence of competitive elements or social comparison; focus is on personal experience."
-
Continuation
Game with the same Continuation vibe
-3"Short playtime (~30 minutes) and limited replayability reduce habitual engagement."
Bite Night
"Short playtime (~1 hour) and repetitive gameplay lead to limited habitual engagement."
-
Cooperation
Game with the same Cooperation vibe
-5"Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer features."
Little Inferno
"Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer features."
-
Creativity
Game with the same Creativity vibe
-4"Players follow prescribed steps with no customization or creative modification of gameplay elements."
A Mortician's Tale
"Players follow a fixed routine with no meaningful creation or modification opportunities."
-
Domination
Game with the same Domination vibe
-5"No social dominance or power over others; interactions are solitary and narrative-driven."
Fran Bow
"No social dominance or power over others; interactions are solitary and narrative-driven."
-
Escapism
Game with the same Escapism vibe
4"Strong psychological horror and surreal corporate satire provide immersive escape from reality."
Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition
"Strong psychological horror and satire provide an immersive escape from real life stresses."
-
Expectation
Game with the same Expectation vibe
-4"Players engage voluntarily out of interest and support for the developer, not obligation."
Sirius
"Players engage voluntarily out of interest and support for indie devs, not obligation."
-
Experimenting
Game with the same Experimenting vibe
-3"Limited experimentation due to linear progression and guided gameplay."
Nobody Wants to Die
"Limited gameplay variation and linear progression discourage experimentation."
-
Exploration
Game with the same Exploration vibe
-2"The environment is mostly static with limited new areas; exploration is more about testing different sensitivity ranges and scenarios."
Oblivity - Find your perfect Sensitivity
"Environment is static and familiar; minimal discovery or new area exploration."
-
Expression
Game with the same Expression vibe
-5"No character or environment customization; presentation is standardized."
Swarmlake
"No character or environment customization; presentation is standardized."
-
Fantasy
Game with the same Fantasy vibe
3"Game involves hallucinations and surreal horror elements, blending reality with imaginative fiction."
Who's at the door?
"Game uses surreal and exaggerated corporate satire and horror elements, blending fiction with reality."
-
Fellowship
Game with the same Fellowship vibe
-5"No social or community features; experience is solitary."
永冻之壳 The Shell of Permafrost
"No social or community features; experience is solitary."
-
Growth
Game with the same Growth vibe
1"Players gain insight and personal reflection from the narrative, though gameplay skill development is minimal."
How Fish Is Made
"Narrative and thematic depth offer some personal reflection and insight, but gameplay learning is minimal."
-
Health
Game with the same Health vibe
-5"Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."
THE ENIGMA MACHINE
"Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."
-
Idle
Game with the same Idle vibe
3"Gameplay includes waiting for triggers and slow pacing, allowing for intermittent attention."
God's Basement
"Gameplay includes waiting periods (e.g., microwave) and slow pacing allowing for intermittent attention."
-
Intimacy
Game with the same Intimacy vibe
-5"No close social interactions or relationship building."
Pixel Puzzles 2: Anime
"No close social interactions or relationship building."
-
Leadership
Game with the same Leadership vibe
-5"No leadership or group management roles; single-player narrative."
Max Payne
"No leadership or group management roles; single-player narrative."
-
Progression
Game with the same Progression vibe
2"Players progress through levels and unlock achievements, but no item collection or upgrades."
Bridge Constructor Medieval
"Players progress through days and unlock endings, but no item collection or upgrades."
-
Relaxation
Game with the same Relaxation vibe
-1"Emotional tension and stress present, but some moments of calm and beauty balance the experience."
Endling - Extinction is Forever
"Tension and unease dominate the experience, though some find humor and charm balancing it."
-
Sensation
Game with the same Sensation vibe
2"Visuals, sound design, and voice acting provide engaging sensory experience."
Jagged Alliance 3
"Effective use of sound design, voice acting, and visual atmosphere provide sensory engagement."
-
Status
Game with the same Status vibe
-5"No social recognition or status systems present."
Crying Suns
"No social recognition or status systems present."
-
Story
Game with the same Story vibe
5"Strong narrative focus with immersive story, character development, and thematic depth."
A New Beginning - Final Cut
"Strong narrative focus with immersive storytelling and thematic depth."
-
Strategy
Game with the same Strategy vibe
-4"Minimal strategic decision-making; gameplay is straightforward and simple."
TREE
"Gameplay involves straightforward, repetitive tasks with minimal strategic decision-making."
-
Thrill
Game with the same Thrill vibe
3"Jump scares and suspense create moments of tension and relief."
Don't Knock Twice
"Some effective jump scares and suspenseful moments create tension and relief."
-
Value
Game with the same Value vibe
4"Players generally feel the game offers good value for its low price despite short length."
Message Quest
"Players generally feel the game offers good value for its low price despite short length."
-
Violence
Game with the same Violence vibe
-5"No combat or destructive gameplay; focus on psychological horror."
Lights Off!
"No combat or destructive gameplay; focus on narrative and psychological horror."
-
Survival
Game with the same Survival vibe
2"Story involves avoiding or confronting threats, though gameplay is narrative rather than mechanical survival."
It gets so lonely here
"Narrative involves avoiding failure in a metaphorical sense (economic survival), but no direct survival mechanics."
Analysis
A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Autonomy, Strategy, Experimenting, Competence. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Survival. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Creativity.
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