Games like Varius
Below are 13 hand-picked alternatives to Varius for fans of indie, casual, ranked by imho.run's hybrid recommender. Each pick is scored on three signals: collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries (which players who logged hours in Varius also play), content overlap on genres, categories, and storefront tags, and review-mined "vibe" embeddings that catch tonal similarity even when the genre label differs. Sections below cover closest matches, reviewer cross-mentions, and Steam Deck–friendly options. No login required — these picks work anchor-only.
About Varius: Inspired by classic games, Varius reimagines core gameplay concepts for a new experience, spreading the retro feeling and difficulty throughout 3 unique game modes.
Players who liked Varius also play
Ranked by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries plus content overlap on genres, tags, and developers.
- 1
ABZU
Top pick for Varius fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
From the art director of Journey®, ABZÛ is a beautiful underwater adventure that evokes the dream of diving. Immerse yourself in a vibrant hidden world bursting with color and life as you descend into the heart of the ocean. But beware as you swim deeper as dangers lurk in the depths.
- 2
Braid
Second-strongest match for Varius fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
This is the original version of Braid from 2009, which may not work well on newer systems. For an updated version of the game with nicer graphics, more levels and a large amount of developer commentary, see Braid, Anniversary Edition.
- 3
Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine
Third-strongest match for Varius fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie with Varius.
Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is a single player or co-op heist game. Assemble a crack team of thieves, case the joint, and pull off the perfect heist.
- 4
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
Ranked #4 for Varius fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
12th century, England: In a time of poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and safety for its people. In their struggle to survive, lives and destinies intertwine. Based on Ken Follett's world-bestseller ‘The Pillars of the Earth’.
- 5
A Story About My Uncle
Ranked #5 for Varius fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
A Story About My Uncle is a first person platforming adventure game about a boy who searches for his lost uncle, and ends up in a world he couldn’t imagine existed. The movement is a crucial part of the games core gameplay – focusing on swinging through the world with a grappling hook that gives the player a wonderful sense of speed and...
- 6
Tooth and Tail
Ranked #6 for Varius fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
Lead the revolution with an army of flamethrowing Boars, mustard gas-lobbing Skunks, and paratrooper-puking Owls. Tooth and Tail is a Real-Time-Strategy game featuring Single Player, Online Competitive Play, Split Screen, Replays, and more. Build a base, lead your army, eat your enemies!
- 7
The Darkside Detective
Ranked #7 for Varius fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
Grab your trench coat, tune your sixth sense and join the Darkside Division as they investigate the outright bizarre, the downright dangerous and the confusing cases of Twin Lakes. Flesh-hungry tentacles, mafian zombies, and the occasional missing sock are no match for The Darkside Detective.
- 8
Horizon Chase Turbo
Ranked #8 for Varius fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
Thrilling arcade racing game, inspired by the super-fun-straight-to-the-point classic racing games from the 90s.
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Head-to-head comparisons
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
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ABZU
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
From the art director of Journey®, ABZÛ is a beautiful underwater adventure that evokes the dream of diving. Immerse yourself in a vibrant hidden world bursting with color and life as you descend into the heart of the ocean. But beware as you swim deeper as dangers lurk in the depths.
- 2
Braid
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
This is the original version of Braid from 2009, which may not work well on newer systems. For an updated version of the game with nicer graphics, more levels and a large amount of developer commentary, see Braid, Anniversary Edition.
- 3
A Story About My Uncle
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
A Story About My Uncle is a first person platforming adventure game about a boy who searches for his lost uncle, and ends up in a world he couldn’t imagine existed. The movement is a crucial part of the games core gameplay – focusing on swinging through the world with a grappling hook that gives the player a wonderful sense of speed and...
- 4
The Darkside Detective
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
Grab your trench coat, tune your sixth sense and join the Darkside Division as they investigate the outright bizarre, the downright dangerous and the confusing cases of Twin Lakes. Flesh-hungry tentacles, mafian zombies, and the occasional missing sock are no match for The Darkside Detective.
- 5
Horizon Chase Turbo
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Indie and Casual with Varius.
Thrilling arcade racing game, inspired by the super-fun-straight-to-the-point classic racing games from the 90s.
Frequently asked about Varius
- How much does Varius cost?
- Varius is listed on Steam at 0.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to Varius?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Varius are ABZU, Braid, Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine.
- Who developed Varius?
- Varius was developed by Fish Tank Studio.
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 Varius.
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