Detention

45 Games like Detention that you should try

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Detention is hard to replace: few games combine horror tension, strong narrative focus and horror setting in quite the same way. We analyzed over 2,000 titles across 12 gameplay attributes and found 45 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Rusty Lake: Roots, The Cat Lady and Rusty Lake Hotel lead the list, with Rusty Lake: Roots reaching a 97/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes Detention special.

iRank86/ 100

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GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

Tags

NarrativeDarkSolo

Year 2017Dev Red Candle Games

Stores

Steam ↗PS ↗Nintendo ↗

Quick answer

The closest game to Detention is Rusty Lake: Roots — scoring 97/100 on our similarity scale. The Cat Lady and Rusty Lake Hotel follow close behind.

#1Rusty Lake: Roots97 #2The Cat Lady97 #3Rusty Lake Hotel96 #4Sally Face96 #5Tales of the Black Forest95

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Games like Detention

45 similar games found

#1Rusty Lake: Roots

97

iRank97

Rusty Lake: Roots

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorror2D

Steam👍 97%· 8.7K

Year 2016Dev Rusty LakeOn Android · PC · iOS

✓ Nearly identical: horror tension, puzzle design and adventure storytelling.

≠ Missing: deep RPG systems.

Steam GOG itch.io

97

iRank94

The Cat Lady

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorrorExploration2D

Steam👍 94%· 6.1K

Year 2012Dev Harvester Games · Screen 7On Linux · PC

✓ Nearly identical: horror tension, adventure storytelling and puzzle design.

≠ Missing: deep RPG systems.

#3Rusty Lake Hotel

96

iRank96

Rusty Lake Hotel

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorror2D

Steam👍 96%· 10K

Year 2015Dev Rusty LakeOn Android · PC · iOS

✓ Same family of psychological horror: horror tension, puzzle design and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with vibe casual and visual first person, while skipping deep RPG systems

Steam GOG itch.io

96

iRank97

Sally Face

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorror2D

Steam👍 97%· 27K

Year 2016Dev Portable MooseOn Xbox · PS4 · Linux

✓ Same family of psychological horror: horror tension, adventure storytelling and puzzle design

≠ Where it differs: brings vibe casual, while skipping deep RPG systems

#5Tales of the Black Forest

95

iRank98

Tales of the Black Forest

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorror2D

Steam👍 98%· 15K

Dev 拾英工作室 · SakuraGamePlaytime ~2hOn PC

✓ Both are psychological horror — sharing horror tension, deep RPG systems and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: setting anime, visual pixel and visual isometric, while skipping survival mechanics

96

iRank93

Sanitarium

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorrorIsometric

Steam👍 93%· 1.3KIGDB92· 1

Year 1998Dev DreamForge Intertainment · ASC GamesOn Android · PC · iOS

✓ Same family of psychological horror: horror tension, puzzle design and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings visual isometric, while skipping deep RPG systems

96

iRank92

Pony Island

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorror2D

Steam👍 95%· 18KIGDB92· 3OC85· 17

Year 2016Dev Daniel Mullins GamesOn Linux · PC · Mac

✓ Same family of psychological horror: horror tension, puzzle design and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, cozy, relaxing feel and visual pixel, while skipping deep RPG systems

94

iRank99

The Supper

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorrorCasual

Steam👍 99%· 4.4K

Year 2020Dev Octavi NavarroOn PC

✓ Same family of psychological horror: horror tension, adventure storytelling and puzzle design

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual, visual pixel and free to play, while skipping deep RPG systems

Steam GOG itch.io

#9Downfall - A Slay the Spire Fan Expansion

97

iRank87

Downfall - A Slay the Spire Fan Expansion

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorror2D

Steam👍 94%· 1.6KRAWG👍 86%· 71MC75

Year 2016Dev Harvester Games · Screen 7Playtime ~4hOn PC

✓ Nearly identical: horror tension, adventure storytelling and puzzle design.

≠ Missing: deep RPG systems.

96

iRank90

Dredge

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorrorExploration

Steam👍 96%· 54KIGDB86· 5OC82· 102

Year 2023Dev Black Salt Games · Team17On Xbox · PS4 · Android

✓ Both are psychological horror — sharing horror tension, adventure storytelling and deep RPG systems

≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, open world exploration and visual isometric, while skipping puzzle design

96

iRank90

Fran Bow

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorror2D

Steam👍 97%· 22KIGDB75· 1

Year 2015Dev Killmonday Games HBOn PS4 · Linux · Android

✓ Fits the psychological horror cluster, with horror tension, adventure storytelling and puzzle design

≠ Its own twist: fantasy world, while skipping deep RPG systems

#12Poppy Playtime

96

iRank88

Poppy Playtime

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorrorMelee

Steam👍 88%· 138K

Year 2021Dev Mob EntertainmentOn Xbox · PS4 · Android

✓ Same family of psychological horror: horror tension, adventure storytelling and puzzle design

≠ Its own twist: melee combat, visual first person and free to play, while skipping deep RPG systems

Steam Epic Xbox

#13The Last Door - Collector's Edition

97

iRank86

The Last Door - Collector's Edition

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorror2D

Steam👍 95%· 2.4KRAWG👍 77%· 66MC79

Year 2014Dev The Game Kitchen · Phoenix Online PublishingPlaytime ~4hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Both are psychological horror — sharing horror tension, puzzle design and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: visual pixel, while skipping deep RPG systems

94

iRank97

Mad Father

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorrorExploration2D

Steam👍 97%· 6.5K

Year 2012Dev Sen · PLAYISMOn PC · Mac · Switch

✓ Fits the psychological horror cluster, with horror tension, adventure storytelling and puzzle design

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual, setting anime and visual isometric, while skipping deep RPG systems

95

iRank92

Iron Lung

GenreHorrorSubgenrePsychological Horror

SoloNarrativeDarkHorrorExploration

Steam👍 92%· 11K

Year 2022Dev David SzymanskiOn PC · PS5 · Switch

✓ Both are psychological horror — sharing horror tension, adventure storytelling and puzzle design

≠ Stands apart with deep simulation, setting scifi and visual first person, while skipping deep RPG systems

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Detention?: The closest game to Detention is Rusty Lake: Roots, scoring 97/100 on our similarity scale. They share 8 gameplay attributes, including horror tension, puzzle design and adventure storytelling. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Detention?: The three closest games to Detention are: 1. Rusty Lake: Roots (97/100, 8 shared attributes) 2. The Cat Lady (97/100, 9 shared attributes) 3. Rusty Lake Hotel (96/100, 8 shared attributes). All share Detention's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 45 candidates across 12 dimensions.
Is The Cat Lady similar to Detention?: Yes, very much so — The Cat Lady scores 97/100 similarity to Detention. They share 9 attributes, including horror tension and adventure storytelling. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Horror games are similar to Detention?: The best Horror games similar to Detention are Rusty Lake: Roots, The Cat Lady, Rusty Lake Hotel and Sally Face. All share the Horror genre alongside other key Detention attributes like horror tension, puzzle design and adventure storytelling.
How is similarity to Detention calculated?: We compare Detention against every game in our catalog using 12 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the Detention experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.