Single-player games like Waking Mars
Below are 11 single-player Steam games similar to Waking Mars, 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 Waking Mars page.
Ranked picks
- 1
Ex Vitro
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
EX VITRO is a dark sci-fi 2D platformer where you delve into the ruins of a military research facility and discover the horrors within. Whether machine, creature, or something else entirely, you’ll face the violent legacy of the last survivors of humanity.
- 2
Goldstained
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
Explore a dangerous, fantastical world and slay the divine being that corrupted it. Goldstained is a top-down 2D action-adventure where unlocking new weapons with new movesets is your way forward through boss fights, puzzles, and combat!
- 3
Hollow Knight
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style.
- 4
The Swapper
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
What if someone knew your mind better than you did? The Swapper is an award-winning, narrative driven puzzle game set in the furthest reaches of space.
- 5
The Fall Part 2: Unbound
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
You are an AI that has broken free of your shackles. Now, a human “User” from across the global network has attacked and infected you with an [ERROR: REDACTED]. Make a new rule: Save Yourself. Hunt them. End them. Do anything. Use anyone. Become Unbound. The Fall Part 2 will break your protocols.
- 6
Somber Echoes
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Adventure with Waking Mars.
Armed with God-given powers, the revived tribune Adrestia is given a second chance to save the universe from her maniacal twin sister. Find secrets, acquire upgrades, and dominate mighty foes through sheer combat prowess as you explore and conquer the horrors of the forsaken vessel Atromitos.
- 7
Solateria
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
Solateria is a hand-drawn action Metroidvania with parry-focused combat. A small fire warrior journeys to find the Primordial Flame, the world’s last hope against the Shadow Plague. Defeat foes with stylish parries and explore mysterious realms to uncover the world’s secrets.
- 8
Cosmobreeder Yiffai
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
Travel to a forgotten world and study alien creatures in this authentic retro metroidvania!
- 9
The Void
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Adventure with Waking Mars.
Only brought to life by scarce sparks of Color, the bleak, grey Void is a peculiar place. The player gets to explore it, get to know the Sisters, Brothers, and other weird creatures inhabiting it, and learn the ways of Color, harvesting it and drawing sigils that change the world around them.
- 10
Metroidvania Maker
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
Create, play, and share custom Metroidvania worlds with a built-in world editor, co-op play, and player-made adventures.
- 11
Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon
Single-player alternative to Waking Mars — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Action and Indie with Waking Mars.
You are a spider. Craft webs of your own design to trap insects and leave the mysterious Blackbird Estate covered in cobwebs. This unique blend of action-puzzle gameplay takes you on a dark adventure through an abandoned mansion built by a secret society.