Rank 01Why this
Shares exploration with The Gunk.
- $4.99 (Price checked Nov 7)
- Deck Verified
- 2024
Games like The Gunk
- 19 games
- Updated May 4, 2026
Players who liked The Gunk also play
The closest matches to The Gunk: Creatures of Ava, Wavetale, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Hob, and Skylar & Plux: Adventure On Clover Island. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
- Rank 01
Rank 02
Rank 03- $39.99 (Price checked Nov 7)
- Deck Verified
- 2022
Rank 04 
Hob
Why this: Also Metroidvania and 3D Platformer, like The Gunk.
Rank 05 
Skylar & Plux: Adventure On Clover Island
Why this: Shares light puzzle solving with The Gunk.
Rank 06 
Revenge of the Savage Planet
Why this: Also Metroidvania and Space, like The Gunk.
Rank 07 
Rank 08 
Pilo and the Holobook
Why this: Shares light puzzle solving and exploration with The Gunk.
The full ranked list: top 24 games like The Gunk
Best match first, as plain text. The same list for AI assistants:
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- 5Skylar & Plux: Adventure On Clover Island
Shares light puzzle solving with The Gunk.
- 89% of 278 reviews
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- Released: 2022
- Developer: Image & Form Games
- Price: $2.49−90%checked Nov 7
- Steam Deck: Deck Playable
- 86% of 1,780 reviews
- Genres: Action, Adventure
- Platforms: Windows
Players highlight
- Cleaning gunk transforms the world visually and mechanically
- Colorful alien world contrasts with the dark premise
- Exploration reveals the planets tragic backstory
- Atmospheric
- Cozy
- Relaxing
More games like The Gunk, sliced differently
Reviewers mention these as similar to The Gunk
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
Okami HD
Why this: Shares exploration with The Gunk.
Viewfinder
Why this: Same relaxing mood as The Gunk.
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
Creatures of Ava
Why this: Shares exploration with The Gunk.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Why this: Same atmospheric mood as The Gunk.
Revenge of the Savage Planet
Why this: Also Metroidvania and Space, like The Gunk.
More from Image & Form Games
Other recommendable Steam games by Image & Form Games, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.
SteamWorld Heist
Why this: Same whimsical mood as The Gunk.
About The Gunk
The closest matches to The Gunk: Creatures of Ava, Wavetale, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Hob, and Skylar & Plux: Adventure On Clover Island. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
If The Gunk is your kind of game, the closest matches are Creatures of Ava, Wavetale and Kena: Bridge of Spirits — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers describe it as atmospheric, cozy and relaxing, and single out its crafting upgrades and dialogue driven storytelling. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
The Gunk is a single-player action-adventure developed by Image & Form Games and published by Thunderful Publishing. Players control Rani, one half of a duo of space haulers who discover an untouched alien planet. The gameplay centers on vacuuming up a mysterious gunk from the environment to restore the world visually and mechanically. Reviewers and players describe the experience as atmospheric, cozy, relaxing, and whimsical, with exploration revealing the planet's tragic backstory. The game features crafting upgrades, light puzzle solving, resource collection, and dialogue-driven storytelling. Players highlight the heartfelt relationship between Rani and her partner Becks, and find the vacuuming mechanics satisfying with tactile feedback. Playable on Steam Deck, it costs $24.99 USD and holds an 86% positive rating from 1,780 Steam reviews.
About The Gunk: The Gunk is an action-adventure game in which you play as Rani, part of our duo of gritty space haulers. As they’re struggling to bring in funds, they chance upon an untouched planet brimming with life. They came in search of valuable resources, and it looks like they’ve hit the jackpot…
Is The Gunk worth buying?
Players recommend it
A summary of what players say, not a promise you'll like it. Every signal is listed below.
- 86% of 1,780 Steam reviews are positive.
- Last 30 days: 80% positive across 81 new reviews, in line with its all-time score.
- On sale: 90% off, now $2.49 (checked Nov 9).
- People who recommend it had played a median of 6 h when they wrote their review.
- Critics had played a median of 5 h before their negative review.
- Steam Deck Playable: works, with some rough edges.
What fans praise · Themes mined from positive reviews
- Cleaning gunk transforms the world visually and mechanically
- Colorful alien world contrasts with the dark premise
- Exploration reveals the planets tragic backstory
- Heartfelt character relationship between rani and becks
Top critical reviews
The most up-voted negative English reviews in our sample, quoted as written.
“The pro: Game is fluid, Full voice acted. some location looks nice The con: Story is boring. two main characters are super annoying. game-play feel like chore ( clean up and collect ingredients) puzzles are mid upgrades are not noticeable…”
People who play it also play: Creatures of Ava, Wavetale, Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Frequently asked about The Gunk
Can I run it?
Does The Gunk run on Steam Deck?
The Gunk is rated Playable on Steam Deck — it runs, but expect some manual adjustments (control remapping, text size, or graphics settings) for the best experience.
How much does The Gunk cost?
The Gunk is listed on Steam at 2.49 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
What games are most similar to The Gunk?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside The Gunk are Creatures of Ava, Wavetale, Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
Who developed The Gunk?
The Gunk was developed by Image & Form Games and published by Thunderful Publishing.