IMHO.

Single-player games like Carnival

Below are 11 single-player Steam games similar to Carnival, 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 Carnival page.

Ranked picks

  1. 1
    The Whisperer — Steam game cover

    The Whisperer

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    Investigate an abandoned trading post, explore its surroundings and solve the terrible mystery it holds. The Whisperer is a short story-driven point & click game set in Lower Canada at the beginning of the 19th century.

    2021IndieAdventure4.99 USDSingle-playerSimilar games →
  2. 2
    Scarlet Hollow — Steam game cover

    Scarlet Hollow

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    Your aunt’s dead, your cousin hates you, and you’re stuck in the dead-end town of Scarlet Hollow. Choose your path through a branching narrative so dense that you'll see less than 1/5 of the game on a single playthrough. You won't be able to save everyone. Good luck, and welcome home.

    2021IndieAdventureRPG24.99 USDDeck VerifiedSingle-playerSimilar games →
  3. 3
    Headliner: NoviNews — Steam game cover

    Headliner: NoviNews

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    Award-winning adventure where you control the news and its impact on society, your friends and career. Different choices lead to unique combinations of endings. Share your story with the community, and see what the players before you did.

    2018IndieAdventureSimulation13.99 USDDeck PlayableSingle-playerSimilar games →
  4. 4
    Abscission — Steam game cover

    Abscission

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    Abscission is a Lovecraftian, story-driven horror point-and-click investigation game. It involves searching crime scenes for evidence, combining clues and questioning suspects. Puzzles can have multiple solutions as you guide the protagonist - Detective Will Stanhope - through the story.

    2023Adventure8.99 USDDeck PlayableSingle-playerSimilar games →
  5. 5
    Raid on Taihoku — Steam game cover

    Raid on Taihoku

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    Raid On Taihoku is an adventure game with the backdrop of WW2 Taiwan. By controlling the characters pass through different danger and safe zones, you will experience the struggles of human nature and cruelty of war.

    2023ActionAdventure12.99 USDSingle-playerSimilar games →
  6. 6
    Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders — Steam game cover

    Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    A thrilling point-and-click adventure game where you play as Di Renjie, ancient China's most famous and gifted investigator, as he tracks a serial killer in the heart of the Tang Dynasty's capital city.

    2019IndieAdventure10.99 USDDeck PlayableSingle-playerSimilar games →
  7. 7
    Transient: Extended Edition — Steam game cover

    Transient: Extended Edition

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    H.P. Lovecraft meets Cyberpunk. Delve deep into a dystopian world and investigate what is happening to you and your friends in a domed city. Solve puzzles, hack systems and plug in to explore other dimensions. Discover a truth that might tear apart your sanity and question your very existence.

    2020IndieAdventure19.99 USDDeck PlayableSingle-playerSimilar games →
  8. 8
    The Sinking City Remastered — Steam game cover

    The Sinking City Remastered

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    Powered by Unreal Engine 5, The Sinking City Remastered brings the eerie, atmospheric world of Oakmont back to life with enhanced gameplay and fully relit environments, perfect for both newcomers and returning players.

    2021ActionAdventure39.99 USDDeck PlayableSingle-playerSimilar games →
  9. 9
    The Excavation of Hob's Barrow — Steam game cover

    The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a folk horror narrative-driven adventure. Explore the isolated moors of rural Victorian England as you uncover the mysteries of Hob's Barrow. The answers lie in the soil...

    2022Adventure14.99 USDDeck VerifiedSingle-playerSimilar games →
  10. 10
    The Last Door - Collector's Edition — Steam game cover

    The Last Door - Collector's Edition

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    Something ancient and evil is stirring in Victorian England. Only you can stop it. Journey to the brink of madness and beyond as you set forth alone into the dark.

    2014IndieAdventure9.99 USDDeck PlayableSingle-playerSimilar games →
  11. 11
    The Last — Steam game cover

    The Last

    Single-player alternative to Carnival — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with Carnival.

    The Last is a survival game with a twist, Your main objective is to stay alive and making your camp bigger. The game focuses on the player camp and player made buildings, as a player you will be able to build plenty of different structures to suit your needs on this lonely island.

    2016ActionIndieAdventure7.99 USDSingle-playerSimilar games →