Free games like Dear Esther
Below are 8 free-to-play Steam games similar to Dear Esther, ranked by player overlap and content similarity. No purchase or Steam login required to view the list. Every pick is a full free-to-play title — not a demo, trial, or time-limited giveaway. imho.run's catalogue refreshes daily, so newly free or newly popular titles surface here without manual editing.
Want the full alternatives list (paid + free + Steam Deck + cheaper picks)? See the parent games like Dear Esther page.
Ranked picks
- 1
9.03m
Free-to-play alternative to Dear Esther — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie with Dear Esther.
The media is quick to put figures to death tolls in such disasters, and 9.03m tries to remind people of the individuals behind those figures. 9.03m is set on Baker Beach in San Francisco, where debris from the tsunami has washed ashore in the years following the tsunami. To play, you must find the butterflies.
- 2
Port of Call
Free-to-play alternative to Dear Esther — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Dear Esther.
Imagine waking up on a small dock with no recollection of who you are or how you got there. The first person you find is a grumpy, old man who enlists you to work on his ferry boat which seems to have materialized behind you.
- 3
Marie's Room
Free-to-play alternative to Dear Esther — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Dear Esther.
Marie's Room is a short story exploration game about an unconventional friendship between two classmates. You play as Kelsey, remembering Marie's room as it was twenty years ago. But something’s off. What happened to Marie?
- 4
The Plan
Free-to-play alternative to Dear Esther — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Casual with Dear Esther.
A fly ascends to the skies, pondering the pointlessness of its brief existence.
- 5
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit
Free-to-play alternative to Dear Esther — no purchase or trial window. Shares Adventure with Dear Esther.
Have you ever dreamt of being a superhero? Meet Chris, a creative and imaginative 9 year old boy who escapes reality with fantastical adventures as his alter ego, the Awesome Captain Spirit! Captain Spirit is a free demo set in the Life is Strange universe. Contains links to Life is Strange 2
- 6
Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
Free-to-play alternative to Dear Esther — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie with Dear Esther.
A 15 minute heist game by Crows Crows Crows & Directed by William Pugh (The Stanley Parable). Slip into the soft-soled shoes of the mastermind responsible for the greatest heist- oh god I can’t do this any more, i’m joining the strike. good luck writing the steam description. -tina
- 7
The Flood
Free-to-play alternative to Dear Esther — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Dear Esther.
The Flood is a peaceful 5 minute narrative experience in which you pilot a little boat down a river. It's a gentle reminder that sometimes we should stop worrying about our destination and just enjoy the journey.
- 8
Off-Peak
Free-to-play alternative to Dear Esther — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Dear Esther.
You're stranded at a cathedral-like train station in the near future, searching for a ticket out of town. Explore the secret passageways, interact with strangers, dig for records, and get hypnotized by the soundtrack – a batch of original music courtesy of the band, Archie Pelago.