IMHO.

Games like The Painscreek Killings

If The Painscreek Killings is your kind of game, the closest matches are The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Scene Investigators and Enigma of Fear — picked from the ranked list below. 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.

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About The Painscreek Killings: Investigate an infamous cold case in the eerie, abandoned town of Painscreek. Search for evidence, connect the dots and uncover who killed Vivian Roberts. Can you expose the truth behind this town’s dark secrets?

2017IndieAdventure19.99 USDDeck PlayableWindowsby EQ Studios
The Painscreek Killings — Steam game cover

Players who liked The Painscreek Killings also play

Steam players who put hours into The Painscreek Killings also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.

  1. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

    WHY THIS

    Top pick for The Painscreek Killings fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person story-driven mystery. Purchase this game to get both the original and the Unreal Engine 4 remaster called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux.

    2014IndieAdventure19.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  2. Scene Investigators

    WHY THIS

    Second-strongest match for The Painscreek Killings fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Scene Investigators is a hardcore deductive reasoning game for fans of the "true crime" genre. Step into re-created crime scenes, observe closely for pieces of evidence, analyze possible motives behind the crimes, and uncover what truly happened.

    2023IndieAdventure24.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. Enigma of Fear

    WHY THIS

    Third-strongest match for The Painscreek Killings fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Become Mia, a paranormal detective searching for her missing father inside the Perimeter - a place that doesn't exist. Investigate clues like a real detective and unravel the mysteries behind the Enigma of Fear, defeating the terrible monsters who'll try to stop you.

    2024ActionIndieAdventure29.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  4. Kona

    WHY THIS

    Ranked #4 for The Painscreek Killings fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Northern Canada, 1970. A strange blizzard ravages Atamipek Lake. Step into the shoes of a detective to explore the eerie village, investigate surreal events, and battle the elements to survive. Kona is a chilly interactive tale you won't soon forget.

    2017IndieAdventure14.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  5. Murdered: Soul Suspect

    WHY THIS

    Ranked #5 for The Painscreek Killings fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT™ takes players into a whole new realm of mystery where the case is personal and the clues just out of reach, challenging gamers to solve the hardest case of all… their own murder.

    2014ActionAdventureRPG19.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  6. The Last Case of John Morley

    WHY THIS

    Ranked #6 for The Painscreek Killings fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Step into the mind of John Morley, a 1940s detective on his final case. Explore shadowed places long forgotten by time, and piece together crime scenes in a narrative adventure steeped in mystery, unexpected twists, and a truth buried for decades.

    2025IndieAdventure12.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  7. The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication

    WHY THIS

    Ranked #7 for The Painscreek Killings fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Try to escape with your life in a first-person survival horror adventure. Play through the eyes of four distinct characters as you evade and confront terrifying ghosts, unravel mind-bending puzzles, and unearth a sinister conspiracy…

    2024Adventure24.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  8. INFRA

    WHY THIS

    Ranked #8 for The Painscreek Killings fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    INFRA puts you into the boots of a structural analyst on a routine mission. Quickly though, your task turns into a fight for survival, all caused by deep-rooted schemes of the past. Your tools are simple: your camera and the wits to navigate a labyrinth of debris.

    2016IndieAdventure6.89 USDSteam ↗

Reviewers mention these as similar to The Painscreek Killings

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.

  1. Return of the Obra Dinn

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of The Painscreek Killings cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

    2018IndieAdventure19.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. Scene Investigators

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of The Painscreek Killings cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Scene Investigators is a hardcore deductive reasoning game for fans of the "true crime" genre. Step into re-created crime scenes, observe closely for pieces of evidence, analyze possible motives behind the crimes, and uncover what truly happened.

    2023IndieAdventure24.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. The Room

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of The Painscreek Killings cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    A mysterious invitation leads to the attic of an abandoned house. In the room is a cast-iron safe laced with strange carvings and on top, a note from your distant companion. It promises something ancient and astonishing concealed in the iron chamber - you need only find a way in.

    2014IndieAdventure4.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  4. Kona

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of The Painscreek Killings cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Northern Canada, 1970. A strange blizzard ravages Atamipek Lake. Step into the shoes of a detective to explore the eerie village, investigate surreal events, and battle the elements to survive. Kona is a chilly interactive tale you won't soon forget.

    2017IndieAdventure14.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  5. Outer Wilds

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of The Painscreek Killings cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer, and The Guardian, Outer Wilds is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning open world mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop.

    2020ActionAdventure24.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  6. Paradise Killer

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of The Painscreek Killings cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Paradise Island, a world outside reality. There’s been a murder that only "investigation freak" Lady Love Dies can solve. Gather evidence and interrogate suspects in this open world adventure. You can accuse anyone, but you’ll have to prove your case in trial. It’s up to you to decide who’s guilty.

    2020IndieAdventureRPG19.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  7. Rusty Lake: Roots

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of The Painscreek Killings cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Experience the beginning and end of characters' lives and build your own family tree! Rusty Lake: Roots is the second premium point-and-click adventure by the creators of the Cube Escape series and Rusty Lake Hotel.

    2016IndieAdventure3.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  8. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

    WHY THIS

    Reviewers of The Painscreek Killings cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person story-driven mystery. Purchase this game to get both the original and the Unreal Engine 4 remaster called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux.

    2014IndieAdventure19.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗

Cheaper alternatives

Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below The Painscreek Killings at current Steam store prices.

  1. Terraria

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~50% under The Painscreek Killings on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Dig, fight, explore, build! Nothing is impossible in this action-packed adventure game. Four Pack also available!

    2011ActionIndieAdventure9.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. Garry's Mod

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~75% under The Painscreek Killings on Steam right now. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox. There aren't any predefined aims or goals. We give you the tools and leave you to play.

    2006IndieSimulationCasual4.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. Lethal Company

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~50% under The Painscreek Killings on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    A co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company.

    2023ActionIndieAdventure9.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  4. People Playground

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~50% under The Painscreek Killings on Steam right now. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    Shoot, stab, burn, poison, tear, vaporise, or crush ragdolls in a large open space.

    2019ActionIndieSimulation9.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  5. Portal 2

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~50% under The Painscreek Killings on Steam right now. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    The "Perpetual Testing Initiative" has been expanded to allow you to design co-op puzzles for you and your friends!

    2011ActionAdventure9.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  6. Undertale

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~50% under The Painscreek Killings on Steam right now. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    UNDERTALE! The RPG game where you don't have to destroy anyone.

    2015IndieRPG9.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  7. Vampire Survivors

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~75% under The Painscreek Killings on Steam right now. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you. Be the bullet hell!

    2022ActionIndieRPG4.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  8. PEAK

    WHY THIS

    Priced ~60% under The Painscreek Killings on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    PEAK is a co-op climbing game where the slightest mistake can spell your doom. Either solo or as a group of lost nature scouts, your only hope of rescue from a mysterious island is to scale the mountain at its center. Do you have what it takes to reach the PEAK?

    2025ActionIndieAdventure7.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗

Free alternatives

Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.

  1. Doki Doki Literature Club!

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.

    2017IndieFree To PlayCasualFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  2. Life is Strange - Episode 1

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.

    2015ActionAdventureFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. Ultimate Custom Night

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!

    2018ActionIndieFree To PlayFreeSteam ↗
  4. ENA: Dream BBQ

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.

    2025IndieAdventureFreeDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  5. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!

    2023IndieSimulationFree To PlayFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  6. Indigo Park: Chapter 1

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Explore the abandoned childhood wonder of Indigo Park! Guided by Rambley the Raccoon, help restore power to the destroyed amusement park while you run from the reason it shut down.

    2024ActionIndieAdventureFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  7. The Looker

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    You wake up, alone, on a strangely familiar island full of puzzles that will frustrate and annoy you.

    2022IndieFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  8. missed messages.

    WHY THIS

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Painscreek Killings.

    ‘goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A love/horror story about life, death, & memes.

    2019IndieSimulationFree To PlayFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗

Plays great on Steam Deck

Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.

  1. Kona

    WHY THIS

    Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Northern Canada, 1970. A strange blizzard ravages Atamipek Lake. Step into the shoes of a detective to explore the eerie village, investigate surreal events, and battle the elements to survive. Kona is a chilly interactive tale you won't soon forget.

    2017IndieAdventure14.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. Murdered: Soul Suspect

    WHY THIS

    Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT™ takes players into a whole new realm of mystery where the case is personal and the clues just out of reach, challenging gamers to solve the hardest case of all… their own murder.

    2014ActionAdventureRPG19.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  3. The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication

    WHY THIS

    Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.

    Try to escape with your life in a first-person survival horror adventure. Play through the eyes of four distinct characters as you evade and confront terrifying ghosts, unravel mind-bending puzzles, and unearth a sinister conspiracy…

    2024Adventure24.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗

Frequently asked about The Painscreek Killings

Does The Painscreek Killings run on Steam Deck?
The Painscreek Killings is rated Playable on Steam Deck — it runs, but expect some manual adjustments (control remapping, text size, or graphics settings) for the best experience.
How much does The Painscreek Killings cost?
The Painscreek Killings is listed on Steam at 19.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
What games are most similar to The Painscreek Killings?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside The Painscreek Killings are The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Scene Investigators, Enigma of Fear.
Who developed The Painscreek Killings?
The Painscreek Killings was developed by EQ Studios.

imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on The Painscreek Killings.

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