84
iRank70
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 74%· 37KIGDB61· 4
Year 2020Dev D3T Limited · 2KOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
40 Narrative games like Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One that you should try
Games like Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One · Find similar →
More about this game →Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentHow this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.
We filtered the 50 games similar to Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One down to the 40 that fit the “Narrative” category. Mafia II: Definitive Edition, I Am Alive and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
iRank77/ 100
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Within the “Narrative” category, the closest game to Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One is Mafia II: Definitive Edition — scoring 84/100 on our similarity scale. I Am Alive and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition follow close behind.
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The best narrative games like Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
40 similar games foundUpdated May 2026
Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. Each one has been evaluated across 8 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.
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 69%· 2.9KIGDB69· 8
Year 2012Dev Ubisoft Shanghai · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PC
✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, dark, oppressive atmosphere and strong narrative focus
≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, precision platforming and post-apocalyptic world
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
It predates Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One by 9 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 79%· 14K
Year 2021Dev Grove Street Games · Rockstar GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · Android
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 40%· 1.5KIGDB45· 2
Year 2008Dev Eden Games · Atari InteractiveOn PC
✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere
≠ Its own twist: horror tension, shooter and first-person shooting
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
It predates Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One by 13 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression77
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 86%· 60KIGDB83· 15OC84· 183
Year 2019Dev Remedy Entertainment · 505 GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · PC
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 84%· 41KRAWG👍 86%· 765MC72IGDB80· 3
Year 2008Dev Rockstar New England · Rockstar GamesPlaytime ~2hOn PC · Xbox · Nintendo
✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere
≠ Where it differs: brings sandbox freedom, deep simulation and sandbox world
Set in Bullworth Academy, a fictional British private school, this game tells about school bullying and the troublesome period of growing to adolescence. You assume the role of Jimmy Hopkins, a 15-year-old boy and a “problem child”, who was already kicked out of many schools for his misbehavior.
It predates Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One by 13 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100Progression100Visuals100
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 87%· 15KRAWG👍 86%· 1.6KMC93IGDB95· 2
Year 2001Dev DMA Design · CapcomPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, dark, oppressive atmosphere and strong narrative focus
≠ Stands apart with third-person shooting, shooter and deep simulation
The one that established the template: a 3D open city with radio stations, missions on call and free roaming between them. Historically it matters enormously. It has aged the hardest of the era — no mission checkpoints, no map markers for much of it, a silent protagonist, and shooting that amounts to auto-aim and hoping.
It predates Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One by 20 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Game mode100Tone100Progression100Combat73World70
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExploration
Steam👍 89%· 25KIGDB69· 5OC69· 92
Year 2022Dev Squanch GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · PC
✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with adventure storytelling, dark, oppressive atmosphere and strong narrative focus
≠ Where it differs: brings shooter, first-person shooting and setting scifi, while skipping visual third person
Where it drifts furthest from Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One: visuals.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 62%· 32KIGDB69· 15OC68· 134
Year 2018Dev Avalanche Studios · Square EnixOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing adventure storytelling, dark, oppressive atmosphere and strong narrative focus
≠ Its own twist: shooter, third-person shooting and sandbox freedom
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
Genre100Combat100Tone100Progression100Visuals100Game mode78
#10Postal III
80
iRank34
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 46%· 6.1KIGDB10· 1
Year 2011Dev Running With Scissors · AkellaPlaytime ~2hOn PC
✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, dark, oppressive atmosphere and strong narrative focus
≠ Stands apart with first-person shooting, shooter and third-person shooting
Good or Insane? The choice is yours. Following the Apocalyptic end to the Postal Dude’s week in Paradise, we follow him and his insane pitbull Champ as they emigrate to its appropriately named sister city, Catharsis.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
It predates Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One by 10 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Game mode100Tone100Progression100World84Combat63
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 57%· 63KIGDB68· 23
Year 2016Dev Hangar 13 · 2K GamesOn PS4 · PC · Mac
✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere
≠ Its own twist: shooter, third-person shooting and racing gameplay
New Bordeaux and its period soundtrack are exceptional, and the story handles race and its era with more seriousness than the genre usually manages. Driving feels heavy and right. The structure undercuts all of it — the same racket-clearing loop repeats across every district, and the mission variety runs out long before the map does.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
Genre100Tone100Progression100Visuals100World90Game mode79
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 93%· 30KRAWG👍 93%· 3.1KMC94IGDB94· 4
Year 2002Dev Rockstar North · Rockstar GamesPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere
≠ Stands apart with third-person shooting, shooter and racing gameplay
Tighter and more focused than the open worlds that followed it, with a compact city you learn by heart rather than by map marker. Driving carries most of the game. The shooting has aged badly — no proper cover, stiff aiming — and missions restart from the beginning, which turns a late failure into a long redo.
It predates Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One by 19 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Tone100Progression100Visuals100Game mode84Combat75
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 80%· 14KIGDB67· 8OC65· 41
Year 2016Dev Frogwares · Bigben InteractiveOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere
≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, vibe casual and multiplayer gameplay
Where it drifts furthest from Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One: visuals.
Same studio: Frogwares.
Genre100Combat100World100Progression100Tone83Game mode66
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExploration
Steam👍 83%· 20KIGDB77· 7OC77· 208
Year 2022Dev Tango Gameworks · Bethesda SoftworksOn Xbox · PC · PS5
✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere
≠ Stands apart with horror tension, shooter and first-person shooting, while skipping visual third person
Where it drifts furthest from Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One: visuals.
Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100Combat70
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExploration
Steam👍 86%· 40KIGDB76· 20OC77· 113
Year 2016Dev Ubisoft Montreal · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn Xbox · PS4 · PC
✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere
≠ Its own twist: survival mechanics, shooter and first-person shooting, while skipping visual third person
Where it drifts furthest from Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One: visuals.
Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression68Combat54
Complete list of narrative games like Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, ordered from highest to lowest similarity score. Use the filters above to narrow down by genre, setting or game mode and find the alternative that best fits your playstyle.
75
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Shooter · Third-person shooter
75
Gears 5
Adventure · Shooter
75
We Happy Few
Adventure · Survival
74
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Shooter · FPS
73
Metro Exodus
Shooter · FPS
72
Amnesia: The Bunker
Survival · Horror
72
Resident Evil Village
Survival · Horror
71
The Darkness II
Shooter · FPS
58
Hatred
Shooter · FPS
50
Void Bastards
Shooter · FPS
76
Disney•Pixar Finding Nemo
Adventure · Puzzle
76
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Adventure · Shooter
76
Sonic Frontiers
Adventure · Platformer
72
Hob
Adventure · Puzzle
71
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Platformer · Metroidvania
71
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Adventure
71
Vangers
Racing · Adventure
71
Twinsen's Little Big Adventure 2 Classic
Adventure · Puzzle
71
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Adventure
71
Lunnye Devitsy
Platformer · Metroidvania
70
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Adventure · Shooter
70
Just Cause 3
Adventure · Shooter
70
Lost Planet 3
Shooter · Third-person shooter
69
Mafia II (Classic)
Third-person shooter · Adventure
67
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Shooter · FPS