Choose Gone Home
Choose Gone Home if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 10,791 Steam reviews back the pick.
Gone Home vs Journal
Gone Home and Journal both land in Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam. Gone Home (2013) is 1 year older than Journal (2014). Journal scores higher on Steam reviews (81.1% positive) than Gone Home (77.4% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Journal
Choose Journal if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 81.1% positive across 238 reviews.
Both Gone Home and Journal sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Gone Home |  Journal | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.4% positive (10,791 reviews) | 81.1% positive (238 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Fullbright | Locked Door Puzzle |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Gone Home (2013) is 1 year older than Journal (2014).
- Journal scores higher on Steam reviews (81.1% positive) than Gone Home (77.4% positive).
- Journal is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Gone Home (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Gone Home is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Journal has no Deck rating yet.
Gone Home vs Journal — FAQ
- Which is better, Gone Home or Journal?
- On Steam reviews Journal scores higher (81.1% positive) than Gone Home (77.4% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Journal is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Gone Home or Journal first?
- If you want chronology, Gone Home (2013) came out before Journal (2014). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Gone Home and Journal similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Gone Home run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Gone Home is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Journal doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.