Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth similar games & best alternatives

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - Trailer
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - ken-follett-s-the-pillars-of-the-earth_1.avif
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - ken-follett-s-the-pillars-of-the-earth_2.avif
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - ken-follett-s-the-pillars-of-the-earth_3.avif
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - ken-follett-s-the-pillars-of-the-earth_4.avif
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - ken-follett-s-the-pillars-of-the-earth_5.avif
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - ken-follett-s-the-pillars-of-the-earth_6.avif

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth

PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch • 2017

Should you play it?

12th century, England: In a time of poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and safety for its people. In their struggle to survive, lives and destinies intertwine. Based on Ken Follett's world-bestseller ‘The Pillars of the Earth’.

What works

  • Deep and emotional story
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art
  • Excellent voice acting and music
  • Meaningful player choices with consequences
  • Immersive medieval historical atmosphere

Things to keep in mind

  • Minimal gameplay interaction
  • Linear narrative with limited branching
  • Slow pacing especially early on
  • Lack of puzzle challenge
  • No multiplayer or social features

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Koi x Shin Ai Kanojo

  • My Therapy

  • The Detail

  • Memory Oblivion Box

  • Cats and the Other Lives

  • The Lion's Song: Episode 1 - Silence

More fantastical

Games that feels like Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth but with more imaginative fiction

  • Sanator: Scarlet Scarf

  • An Octave Higher

  • The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav

  • The Crown of Leaves

  • Heart of the Woods

  • Ballads at Midnight

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav

  • Anna's Quest

  • The Dark Eye: Memoria

  • Silence

  • Goodbye Deponia

Similarity map

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).

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth: 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 Fantasy, Strategy, Competence.

Last update: 03/08/2026