13 Narrative games like News Tower that you should try

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Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentUpdated May 19, 2026How this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

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We filtered the 27 games similar to News Tower down to the 13 that fit the “Narrative” category. Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, Potion Craft and Poly Bridge top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to News Tower.

iRank94/ 100

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GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

The best narrative games like News Tower

13 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to News Tower. Each one has been evaluated across 11 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.

#1Potion Craft: Alchemist SimulatorClosest overall match

iRank83

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldHistoricalCraftingManagement2D

Steam👍 93%· 43KRAWG👍 72%· 190OC77· 8

Year 2022Dev niceplay games · tinyBuildPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Xbox

✓ Both are crafting sandboxes — sharing sandbox freedom, deep simulation and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings deep RPG systems, puzzle design and adventure storytelling, while skipping combat tactical

Potion Craft is an alchemist simulator where you physically interact with your tools and ingredients to brew potions. You're in full control of the whole shop: invent new recipes, attract customers and experiment to your heart's content. Just remember: the whole town is counting on you.

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: tone.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals100Setting51

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldHistoricalCraftingManagement2D

Steam👍 93%· 43KIGDB70· 1OC83· 11

Year 2022Dev niceplay games · tinyBuildOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

✓ Fits the crafting sandboxes cluster, with sandbox freedom, deep simulation and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: puzzle design, deep RPG systems and adventure storytelling, while skipping combat tactical

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: tone and setting.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals100Setting45

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldCrafting2D

Steam👍 91%· 19KIGDB75· 2OC66· 12

Year 2016Dev Dry CactusOn Linux · Android · PC

✓ Same family of crafting sandboxes: sandbox freedom, deep simulation and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, punishing difficulty and cozy, relaxing feel, while skipping combat tactical

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: setting and tone.

It predates News Tower by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100World100Visuals100Progression48Tone39

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Steam Nintendo

#4Kitchen Simulator 2015

iRank40

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldCraftingMelee

Steam👍 40%· 329

Year 2015Dev WhackAKey GamesPlaytime ~4hOn PC

✓ Both are crafting sandboxes — sharing sandbox freedom, deep simulation and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings adventure storytelling, horror tension and vibe casual, while skipping combat tactical

Description Kitchen simulator The game that turns you into the chef.

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: combat and setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for News Tower.

It predates News Tower by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression45Tone30Combat0

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldCrafting2D

Steam👍 98%· 1.0MRAWG👍 88%· 2.5KMC89IGDB91· 13OC90· 76

Year 2016Dev ChucklefishPlaytime ~13hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the crafting sandboxes cluster, with sandbox freedom, deep simulation and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and visual novel storytelling, while skipping combat tactical

A farming sim that is really a schedule-management game: every in-game day forces a choice between crops, mining, fishing and the villagers, and the calendar never gives you enough hours. The first year is the hook. Fishing is the wall most players hit — the minigame is fiddly and unforgiving early, and several quests gate behind it.

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: setting and tone.

It predates News Tower by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100World81Progression43Visuals34Game mode28Tone24

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Steam GOG Xbox

#6No Man's SkyClosest on tone

iRank76

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldCraftingMultiplayer

Steam👍 85%· 407KRAWG👍 67%· 1.6KMC75IGDB74· 38OC71· 149

Year 2016Dev Hello GamesPlaytime ~15hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of crafting sandboxes: sandbox freedom, deep simulation and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, survival mechanics and shooter, while skipping combat tactical

Years of free updates turned it into a genuinely broad survival-exploration game: base building, freighters, settlements, multiplayer. The scale is unmatched. The core loop is still the criticism — planets are procedurally varied rather than designed, so after twenty of them the discoveries start to rhyme, and the inventory management never stops being fiddly.

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: combat and setting.

It predates News Tower by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Tone100World48Progression40Game mode29Combat0

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldCrafting2D

Steam👍 97%· 1.5MRAWG👍 80%· 2.5KMC81IGDB81· 13OC79· 33

Year 2011Dev Engine Software · 505 GamesPlaytime ~15hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are crafting sandboxes — sharing sandbox freedom, deep simulation and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and survival mechanics, while skipping combat tactical

A 2D sandbox that is far more combat-driven than its look suggests: progression runs through boss fights, and each one unlocks a tier of materials. Building is deep but optional. It explains almost nothing — crafting chains, boss summons and biome requirements are opaque enough that most players keep a wiki open throughout.

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: combat and setting.

It predates News Tower by 13 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100World61Visuals58Tone52Progression48Game mode22

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldCraftingRelaxing

Steam👍 98%· 5.7KOC81· 13

Year 2023Dev Moon Lagoon · Secret ModePlaytime ~4hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Fits the crafting sandboxes cluster, with sandbox freedom, strong narrative focus and sandbox world

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, survival mechanics and vibe relaxing, while skipping deep simulation

Loddlenaut is an ocean cleanup adventure set on a vibrant alien planet. Play as an interstellar custodian who is tasked with cleaning up the pollution left behind by spacefaring mega-corporation.

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: setting and visuals.

Genre100Game mode100World65Progression41Tone20Setting0

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldCrafting2D

Steam👍 90%· 123KRAWG👍 73%· 852MC81IGDB87· 5OC85· 19

Year 2016Dev ChucklefishPlaytime ~17hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Both are crafting sandboxes — sharing sandbox freedom, strong narrative focus and sandbox world

≠ Where it differs: brings deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and precision platforming, while skipping deep simulation

A 2D space sandbox with a stronger sense of place than most: hand-written quests, distinct alien races and villages that feel authored rather than generated. Building is flexible. The combat is thin — most encounters resolve by mashing one weapon — and the mid-game settles into repeating the same planet-scan-and-loot loop.

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: combat and setting.

It predates News Tower by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Visuals66World63Progression47Tone32Game mode20

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Steam GOG

#10Unturned

iRank66

GenreSandboxSubgenreCrafting Sandbox

SoloNarrativeSandbox WorldCraftingMultiplayer

Steam👍 91%· 563KRAWG👍 29%· 1.1K

Year 2014Dev 505 GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of crafting sandboxes: sandbox freedom, strong narrative focus and sandbox world

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, shooter and survival mechanics, while skipping deep simulation

Unturned is a low-poly survival game providing single or multiplayer experience. The main action takes place on 6 different maps (Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Washington, Germany and Russia) flooded with zombies. The story begins in the random location of the chosen map and lasts till the death.

Where it drifts furthest from News Tower: combat and setting.

It predates News Tower by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100World68Tone32Progression32Game mode18Combat0

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Steam Xbox PS

#11The Sims

iRank85