Single-player games like The Painscreek Killings
Below are 16 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
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.
- 2
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.
- 3
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
Become the most celebrated detective of all time: Sherlock Holmes! Use your impressive talents as a detective to solve six thrilling and varied cases: murders, missing persons, spectacular thefts and numerous investigations that sometimes lead you into the realms of the fantastic.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
The Séance of Blake Manor
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
The Séance of Blake Manor is a supernatural detective mystery, set in 1897 Ireland, where you investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Deane in a remote hotel full of secrets and other-worldly occurrences.
- 7
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.
- 8
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.
- 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
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.
- 13
What Remains of Edith Finch
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington state. As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she's the last one in her family left alive.
- 14
SOMA
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
From the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent comes SOMA, a sci-fi horror game set below the waves of the Atlantic ocean. Struggle to survive a hostile world that will make you question your very existence.
- 15
Prey
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever – but things have gone terribly wrong. The space station has been overrun by hostile aliens and you are now being hunted.
- 16
Her Story
Single-player alternative to The Painscreek Killings — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with The Painscreek Killings.
A woman is interviewed seven times by the police. Search the video database and explore hundreds of authentic clips to discover her story in this groundbreaking and award winning narrative game.