Single-player games like The Painscreek Killings
Below are 13 single-player Steam games similar to The Painscreek Killings, 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 The Painscreek Killings page.
Ranked picks
- 1
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 2
SONDER: Embrace The World
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
Time flows back and forth in this narrative, open-world cavern, harbouring a young research civilisation in the face of disaster. Embrace environmental clues that add up to an interwoven story of fear, resolve and a constant sense of discovery, defying the laws of time and space.
- 3
Incident Reports: Millers Residence
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
A late-night call sends you to the Millers Residence. What begins as a routine investigation turns into a descent through buried records, missing evidence, and a house arranged to hide something far worse.
- 4
Scene Investigators
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 5
Enigma of Fear
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 6
Kona
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 7
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 8
The Last Case of John Morley
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 9
Return of the Obra Dinn
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.
- 10
The Room
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 11
Outer Wilds
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 12
Paradise Killer
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.
- 13
Rusty Lake: Roots
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. 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.