Single-player games like CD-ROM
Below are 8 single-player Steam games similar to CD-ROM, 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 CD-ROM page.
Ranked picks
- 1
Lost Wiki: Kozlovka
Single-player alternative to CD-ROM — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie with CD-ROM.
Explore a wikipedia-like database and solve a small town mystery in Eastern Europe. Step into the shoes of a journalist in the 90s as you sprawl through articles and uncover the secrets that have been laid in front of you.
- 2
The Roottrees are Dead
Single-player alternative to CD-ROM — playable solo, no multiplayer required.
A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998. Scour the early Internet for clues, uncover hidden connections, and piece together the family tree behind the secretive Roottree Corporation.
- 3
Little Locked Rooms
Single-player alternative to CD-ROM — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie with CD-ROM.
Grab your magnifying glass and peek inside a series of tiny dioramas filled with crimes and carefully crafted mysteries! Think outside the box and solve them all in this new brand of detective game!
- 4
Kathy Rain
Single-player alternative to CD-ROM — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie with CD-ROM.
Set in the '90s, Kathy Rain tells the story of a strong-willed journalism major who has to come to terms with her troubled past as she investigates the mysterious death of her recently deceased grandfather.
- 5
Crime O'Clock
Single-player alternative to CD-ROM — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie with CD-ROM.
Crime O'Clock is a hidden objects investigation and time exploration game with a deep storyline. Investigate cases through time and evolving maps by unveiling a multi-eras linked story. Will you be observant enough to solve the mysteries? Crime waits for no man!
- 6
Strange Antiquities
Single-player alternative to CD-ROM — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie with CD-ROM.
Become the custodian of a store dealing in occult antiquities. Explore the quaint and gloomy town of Undermere, where strange goings-on and dark mysteries abound. Find and identify arcane artefacts, use your collection to aid the townsfolk with their unusual problems — and remember to pet your cat!
- 7
Nancy Drew® Dossier: Resorting to Danger!
Single-player alternative to CD-ROM — playable solo, no multiplayer required.
Defuse an Explosive Situation at an Exclusive Resort!
- 8
The Crimson Diamond
Single-player alternative to CD-ROM — playable solo, no multiplayer required.
Follow amateur geologist and reluctant detective Nancy Maple to the ghost town of Crimson, Ontario to investigate the discovery of a massive diamond in this retro-inspired, EGA text parser mystery adventure!