Protocol similar games & best alternatives

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Protocol

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2018

Should you play it?

By signing below, you agree to follow the Protocol. Protocol is a program of strict rules created to make first contact with an alien life form that got shot down in the Arctic Circle.

What works

  • Unique dark humor and voice acting
  • Multiple endings and replayability
  • Interesting sci-fi narrative and setting
  • Encourages experimentation and exploration
  • Vr and desktop play options

Things to keep in mind

  • Frustrating repetition due to strict failure penalties
  • Non-skippable cutscenes and dialogs
  • Clunky controls especially outside vr
  • Technical bugs and occasional crashes
  • Limited graphics and animation polish

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

More expressive

Games that feels like Protocol but with more self-expression and customization

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

Protocol: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Experimenting, Exploration. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

Last update: 26/08/2026