Rank 01Why this
Also Investigation and Surreal, like Californium.
- $9.99 (Price checked Oct 31)
- Deck Playable
- 2017
Games like Californium
- 33 games
- Updated May 4, 2026
Players who liked Californium also play
The closest matches to Californium: The Norwood Suite, Maize, The Old City: Leviathan, Manifold Garden, and Kentucky Route Zero: PC Edition. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
- Rank 01
Rank 02
Rank 03- $5.99 (Price checked Oct 31)
- 2014
Rank 04 
Manifold Garden
Why this: Also Experimental and Psychedelic, like Californium.
Rank 05 
Kentucky Route Zero: PC Edition
Why this: Also Experimental and Surreal, like Californium.
Rank 06 
Rank 07 
Out Of Hands
Why this: Also Psychedelic and Surreal, like Californium.
Rank 08 
The full ranked list: top 24 games like Californium
Best match first, as plain text. The same list for AI assistants:
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- 10The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature
Also Hidden Object and Interactive Fiction, like Californium.
- 85% of 98 reviews
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- Released: 2016
- Developer: Darjeeling, Nova Production, ARTE France
- Price: $6.99checked Oct 31
- 69% of 178 reviews
- Genres: Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Casual
- Metacritic 64
- Platforms: Windows, macOS
Players highlight
- Dense literary references reward attentive players
- Philip k dick inspired storytelling shines
- Reality glitches feel genuinely unsettling
- Atmospheric
- Eerie
- Hypnotic
More games like Californium, sliced differently
Reviewers mention these as similar to Californium
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
The Stanley Parable
Why this: Same atmospheric mood as Californium.
Paradise Killer
Why this: Also Investigation and Surreal, like Californium.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Californium at current Steam store prices.
Broken Reality
Why this: Also Psychedelic and Surreal, like Californium.
OK/NORMAL
Why this: Also Experimental and Psychedelic, like Californium.
MirrorMoon EP
Why this: Also Experimental and Surreal, like Californium.
Between Horizons – A Sci-Fi Detective Adventure
Why this: Also Investigation and Interactive Fiction, like Californium.
The NOexistenceN of you AND me
Why this: Shares narrative branching with Californium.
Free alternatives
Free games the recommender matches to Californium, limited to titles with at least 500 Steam reviews and 80% positive.
NaissanceE
Why this: Shares environmental exploration with Californium.
Off-Peak
Why this: Also Psychedelic and Surreal, like Californium.
9.03m
Why this: Also Experimental and Interactive Fiction, like Californium.
Adventure Escape Mysteries
Why this: Also Investigation and Interactive Fiction, like Californium.
Hello Neighbor Alpha 1
Why this: Also Investigation and Surreal, like Californium.
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
Manifold Garden
Why this: Also Experimental and Psychedelic, like Californium.
Kentucky Route Zero: PC Edition
Why this: Also Experimental and Surreal, like Californium.
KARMA: The Dark World
Why this: Shares environmental exploration with Californium.
Out Of Hands
Why this: Also Psychedelic and Surreal, like Californium.
About Californium
The closest matches to Californium: The Norwood Suite, Maize, The Old City: Leviathan, Manifold Garden, and Kentucky Route Zero: PC Edition. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
If Californium is your kind of game, the closest matches are The Norwood Suite, Maize and The Old City: Leviathan — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers describe it as atmospheric, eerie and hypnotic, and single out its environmental exploration and narrative branching. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
About Californium: Taking the form of a first-person experience of a bad trip, Californium pays homage to sci-fi legend Philip K. Dick by transporting you into the life of a writer searching for his own identity. Explore, solve the riddles and conduct your investigation. Will you find what’s behind the simulacra ?
Is Californium worth buying?
Players are split
A summary of what players say, not a promise you'll like it. Every signal is listed below.
- 69% of 178 Steam reviews are positive.
- We don't track this game's daily reviews yet, so this is the all-time picture.
- Price: $6.99 (checked Nov 7).
- People who recommend it had played a median of 3 h when they wrote their review.
- Critics usually quit early: a median of 2.4 h played before their negative review.
What fans praise · Themes mined from positive reviews
- Dense literary references reward attentive players
- Philip k dick inspired storytelling shines
- Reality glitches feel genuinely unsettling
- Retro psychedelic visuals are unforgettable
Top critical reviews
The most up-voted negative English reviews in our sample, quoted as written.
“Guess this is what people mean when they make fun of artsy games. I often enough like them, but not this one. Catches your attention with fancy visual style, but has nothing else to offer. And doesn't even look that good in motion, yet…”
“Beautiful work of art that captures the atmosphere of a bygone era and a disillusioned mind, but ultimately hampered by tedious and oftentimes frustrating gameplay.”
People who play it also play: The Norwood Suite, Maize, The Old City: Leviathan
Frequently asked about Californium
Can I run it?
How much does Californium cost?
Californium is listed on Steam at 6.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
What games are most similar to Californium?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Californium are The Norwood Suite, Maize, The Old City: Leviathan.
Who developed Californium?
Californium was developed by Darjeeling, Nova Production, ARTE France and published by ARTE France.