Riven similar games & best alternatives

Riven - Trailer
Riven - riven_1.avif
Riven - riven_2.avif
Riven - riven_3.avif
Riven - riven_4.avif
Riven - riven_5.avif
Riven - riven_6.avif

Riven

Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation VR2, PlayStation 5, SteamVR, Meta Quest 2 • 2024

Should you play it?

Uncover a story of intrigue, betrayal, and a civilization teetering on the brink of collapse as you solve intricate puzzles to unlock the secrets of Riven. Built from the ground-up and expanded from the award-winning original game released in 1997.

What works

  • Beautiful, immersive 3d and vr environments
  • Challenging and rewarding puzzles
  • Fresh new content and puzzle changes
  • Strong narrative and environmental storytelling
  • High sensory and atmospheric quality

Things to keep in mind

  • Character animations and 3d models less charming than original fmv
  • Some puzzles simplified or changed, may disappoint purists
  • Occasional loading times and minor bugs
  • No in-game note-taking system robust enough for puzzle complexity
  • Shorter game length compared to original

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Quern - Undying Thoughts

  • ENA: Dream BBQ

  • Riven (1997)

  • Myst III: Exile

  • The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2

  • Obduction

Less expressive

Games that feels like Riven but with less self-expression and customization

  • Haven Moon

  • Firmament

  • Meridian 157: Chapter 1

  • Aporia: Beyond The Valley

  • Estranged: The Departure

  • Machinika: Atlas

More survival-focused

Games that feels like Riven but with a stronger survival pressure

  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent

  • Penumbra Overture

  • Tormented Souls 2

  • Doorways: Holy Mountains of Flesh

  • Fibrillation HD

  • The Heilwald Loophole

Choose your own criteria ->

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).

Riven: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Strategy, Thrill. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Intimacy.

Last update: 03/08/2026