Single-player games like Cairn
Below are 19 single-player Steam games similar to Cairn, ranked by player overlap. Every pick carries Steam's Single-player category, so multiplayer-only titles or always-online games don't sneak in. imho.run pulls the category data from Steam directly — Single-player here matches what the store labels.
Want the full alternatives list (paid + free + Steam Deck + cheaper picks)? See the parent games like Cairn page.
Ranked picks
- 1
Peaks of Yore
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Cairn.
Travel around The Great Gales to climb challenging peaks in this physics-based climbing adventure set in 1887. Meet like-minded mountaineers, unlock helpful climbing gear, and become a pioneer of mountaineering.
- 2
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Adventure with Cairn.
From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes a genre-defying experience, now expanded in this definitive DIRECTOR’S CUT. As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America. Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time?
- 3
Climber: Sky is the Limit
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Sports with Cairn.
Climber: Sky is the Limit is a mountain walking simulator game where you become a winter climber. To succeed you need to plan the trip, prepare appropriate equipment, face extreme weather conditions and survive. Only the sky is the limit!
- 4
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Sports with Cairn.
Just you and your bike - take it on a thrilling ride down an unspoiled mountain landscape. Make your way through thick forests, narrow trails and wild rivers. Race, jump, slide and try not to crash - all the way from the peak to the valley!
- 5
Baby Steps
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Cairn.
Play as Nate, an unemployed failson with nothing going for him, until one day he discovers a power he never knew he had… putting one foot in front of the other.
- 6
Descenders
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Sports with Cairn.
Descenders is extreme downhill freeriding for the modern era, with procedurally generated worlds, and where mistakes have real consequences. Will you lead your team to glory and become the next legendary Descender?
- 7
Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Sports and Indie with Cairn.
In solo or with your friends, explore in total freedom massive-parkour-ready maps. Uncover hidden spots, time trials, trick challenges, and more! In multiplayer, dive into game modes like TAG, Capture The Flag, and Trick Battles!
- 8
The Long Dark
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Cairn.
THE LONG DARK is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies -- only you, the cold, and all the threats Mother Nature can muster.
- 9
Jusant
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Cairn.
Enjoy meditative vibes in Jusant, an action-puzzle climbing game. Scale an immeasurably tall tower and ascend to new heights alongside your watery companion. Master your climbing tools, find your way up through diverse biomes, and piece together the tower’s past.
- 10
Subnautica
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Cairn.
Descend into the depths of an alien underwater world filled with wonder and peril. Craft equipment, pilot submarines and out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, cave systems, and more - all while trying to survive.
- 11
PEAK
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Cairn.
PEAK is a co-op climbing game where the slightest mistake can spell your doom. Either solo or as a group of lost nature scouts, your only hope of rescue from a mysterious island is to scale the mountain at its center. Do you have what it takes to reach the PEAK?
- 12
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Adventure with Cairn.
Ushering in a new era for the METAL GEAR franchise with cutting-edge technology powered by the Fox Engine, METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Phantom Pain, will provide players a first-rate gaming experience as they are offered tactical freedom to carry out open-world missions.
- 13
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Cairn.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person story-driven mystery. Purchase this game to get both the original and the Unreal Engine 4 remaster called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux.
- 14
Oxenfree
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Cairn.
Oxenfree is a supernatural thriller about a group of friends who unwittingly open a ghostly rift. You are Alex, and you’ve just brought your new stepbrother Jonas to an overnight island party gone horribly wrong.
- 15
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Cairn.
Featuring a beautiful, detailed open-world and a haunting soundtrack, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is non-linear storytelling at its best.
- 16
Furi
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Cairn.
The jailer is the key, kill him and you’ll be free. Fight your way free in this ultra-responsive, fast-paced sword-fighting and dual-stick shooting game.
- 17
Haven
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Cairn.
Two lovers gave up everything and escaped to a lost planet to be together. Glide through a mysterious landscape, explore a fragmented world and fight against what’s trying to tear them apart in this RPG adventure about love, rebellion, and freedom.
- 18
Squids Odyssey
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Cairn.
Build your team of Squid heroes for epic turn-based battles against corrupted crabs and shrimps! Steev and the rest of the Squids are in danger! An infectious ooze is corrupting their world, and this band of unlikely heroes needs to fight back to save their kingdom.
- 19
Furi Demake - The Chain
Single-player alternative to Cairn — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Cairn.
Fight your way free in this 8-bit-inspired version of Furi's first boss fight against The Chain. Frantic action, nervous controls, a blend of shoot and sword fight reimagined in 90s style. Only 1 boss fight! A gift to Furi’s fans.