# Games like The Witness

> The closest matches to The Witness: The Talos Principle, Obduction, Outer Wilds, Quern - Undying Thoughts, and Manifold Garden. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.

## Similar games, ranked

The full ranked list, 24 games, best match first (the HTML page shows the top 8 as cards).

1. [The Talos Principle](https://imho.run/games/257510/the-talos-principle) — Also Philosophical, like The Witness. 16,978 Steam reviews, 95% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/257510/)
2. [Obduction](https://imho.run/games/306760/obduction) — Also Nonlinear and Walking Simulator, like The Witness. 2,360 Steam reviews, 78% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/306760/)
3. [Outer Wilds](https://imho.run/games/753640/outer-wilds) — Shares non linear exploration with The Witness. 50,025 Steam reviews, 95% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/753640/)
4. [Quern - Undying Thoughts](https://imho.run/games/512790/quern-undying-thoughts) — Also Walking Simulator, like The Witness. 2,480 Steam reviews, 91% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/512790/)
5. [Manifold Garden](https://imho.run/games/473950/manifold-garden) — Also Philosophical and Nonlinear, like The Witness. 4,329 Steam reviews, 95% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/473950/)
6. [Firewatch](https://imho.run/games/383870/firewatch) — A frequent pick in The Witness players' libraries, and another Indie. 55,602 Steam reviews, 89% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/383870/)
7. [Blue Prince](https://imho.run/games/1569580/blue-prince) — Shares environmental puzzles with The Witness. 13,179 Steam reviews, 86% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1569580/)
8. [Chroma Zero](https://imho.run/games/3121470/chroma-zero) — Shares non linear exploration and puzzle solving with The Witness. 201 Steam reviews, 96% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3121470/)
9. [Antichamber](https://imho.run/games/219890/antichamber) — Also Nonlinear, like The Witness. 10,145 Steam reviews, 95% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/219890/)
10. [TUNIC](https://imho.run/games/553420/tunic) — Shares puzzle solving with The Witness. 9,809 Steam reviews, 92% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/553420/)
11. [INFRA](https://imho.run/games/251110/infra) — Shares non linear exploration and environmental puzzles with The Witness. 2,463 Steam reviews, 88% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/251110/)
12. [Isles of Sea and Sky](https://imho.run/games/1233070/isles-of-sea-and-sky) — Shares puzzle solving with The Witness. 839 Steam reviews, 94% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1233070/)
13. [Taiji](https://imho.run/games/1141580/taiji) — Also Nonlinear and Walking Simulator, like The Witness. 785 Steam reviews, 92% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1141580/)
14. [Escapeworld Dilemma](https://imho.run/games/1325270/escapeworld-dilemma) — Shares non linear exploration with The Witness. 86 Steam reviews, 70% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1325270/)
15. [RiME](https://imho.run/games/493200/rime) — A frequent pick in The Witness players' libraries, and another Adventure. 1,451 Steam reviews, 89% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/493200/)
16. [The Vanishing of Ethan Carter](https://imho.run/games/258520/the-vanishing-of-ethan-carter) — Shares puzzle solving with The Witness. 4,130 Steam reviews, 86% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/258520/)
17. [Return of the Obra Dinn](https://imho.run/games/653530/return-of-the-obra-dinn) — Same atmospheric mood as The Witness. 17,928 Steam reviews, 96% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/)
18. [The Sojourn](https://imho.run/games/794960/the-sojourn) — Also Philosophical, like The Witness. 107 Steam reviews, 68% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/794960/)
19. [Islands of Insight](https://imho.run/games/2071500/islands-of-insight) — Also Philosophical and Nonlinear, like The Witness. 1,166 Steam reviews, 76% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2071500/)
20. [Riven](https://imho.run/games/1712350/riven) — Shares puzzle solving with The Witness. 2,175 Steam reviews, 94% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1712350/)
21. [FEZ](https://imho.run/games/224760/fez) — Shares puzzle solving with The Witness. 6,224 Steam reviews, 91% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/224760/)
22. [The Forgotten City](https://imho.run/games/874260/the-forgotten-city) — Also Philosophical and Walking Simulator, like The Witness. 7,104 Steam reviews, 96% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/874260/)
23. [Call of the Sea](https://imho.run/games/1042490/call-of-the-sea) — Shares puzzle solving with The Witness. 2,379 Steam reviews, 87% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1042490/)
24. [The Swapper](https://imho.run/games/231160/the-swapper) — A frequent pick in The Witness players' libraries, and another Action. 3,406 Steam reviews, 94% positive. [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/231160/)

## Machine-readable

The same ranked list as JSON from the imho.run API for AI assistants (GET, no key, same site as this page):

- Top 20: https://imho.run/api/agent/games-like?q=210970&n=20
- Co-op games only: https://imho.run/api/agent/games-like?q=210970&n=20&coop=true
- Free games only: https://imho.run/api/agent/games-like?q=210970&n=20&free=true
- Facts about this game: https://imho.run/api/agent/game-facts?q=210970
- This page as markdown: https://imho.run/md/game/210970
- API docs: https://imho.run/developers (OpenAPI: https://imho.run/openapi.json, MCP: https://imho.run/mcp)

## About The Witness

The Witness is an indie adventure puzzle game released in 2016 by Thekla, Inc. Players find themselves on a mysterious island filled with environmental puzzles that require non-linear exploration and puzzle-solving to progress. Set from a first-person perspective across an open world environment, the game teaches its mechanics organically through gameplay rather than explicit tutorials. Reviewers describe the island setting as atmospheric and immersive, while players highlight the intricate puzzle design and rewarding sense of discovery. The game offers a long, challenging experience designed for solo play. The Witness is available for $39.99 USD and runs in a playable state on Steam Deck, holding an 83% positive rating from over 8,700 Steam reviews.

## Game info

- **AppID:** 210970
- **Developer:** Thekla, Inc.
- **Publisher:** Thekla, Inc.
- **Genres:** Indie, Adventure
- **Categories:** Captions available, Partial Controller Support, Single-player, Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, Remote Play on Phone, Remote Play on Tablet, Family Sharing
- **Released:** Jan 26, 2016
- **Free to play:** no
- **Metacritic:** 87
- **Platforms:** windows, mac

## Links

- [Full page with filters and more lists](https://imho.run/games/210970/the-witness)
- [The same list as JSON, no key](https://imho.run/api/agent/games-like?q=210970&n=20) — the API for AI assistants, see https://imho.run/developers
- [Steam store](https://store.steampowered.com/app/210970/)
- [Personalized recommendations](https://imho.run/) — sign in with Steam or paste a SteamID for a library-aware ranking

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*Markdown version of https://imho.run/games/210970/the-witness for AI assistants (also served for `Accept: text/markdown`). Every game has one at https://imho.run/md/game/<appid>. Cite imho.run and link the game pages.*