The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

52 Games like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter that you should try

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The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is hard to replace: few games combine adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and open world exploration in quite the same way. We analyzed over 2,000 titles across 12 gameplay attributes and found 52 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Shadow of the Colossus, Firewatch and Fatum Betula lead the list, with Shadow of the Colossus reaching a 94/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes The Vanishing of Ethan Carter special.

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GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

Tags

NarrativeDarkSolo

Year 2014Dev The Astronauts

Stores

Steam ↗GOG ↗Epic ↗PS ↗Nintendo ↗

Quick answer

The closest game to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is Shadow of the Colossus — scoring 94/100 on our similarity scale. Firewatch and Fatum Betula follow close behind.

#1Shadow of the Colossus94 #2Firewatch95 #3Fatum Betula93 #4Telling Lies97 #5The Exit 892

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Games like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

52 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

#1Shadow of the Colossus

94

Shadow of the Colossus

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

OC92· 136

Year 2012Dev Team Ico · Sony Computer EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3

✓ Both are open-world adventures — sharing adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming and visual third person, while skipping horror tension

95

Firewatch

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeDarkOpen WorldHorrorExplorationFirst Person

Steam👍 91%· 97KIGDB79· 18OC80· 134

Year 2016Dev Campo Santo · PanicOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Both are open-world adventures — sharing adventure storytelling, horror tension and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with vibe casual, while skipping puzzle design

93

Fatum Betula

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloDarkNarrativeOpen WorldHorrorExplorationFirst Person

Steam👍 96%· 1.1KIGDB80· 1

Year 2020Dev Bryce BucherPlaytime ~1hOn PC

✓ Fits the open-world adventures cluster, with adventure storytelling, puzzle design and horror tension

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual, while skipping combat magic

Steam Nintendo itch.io

97

Telling Lies

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationFirst Person

Steam👍 63%· 1.3KIGDB85· 7OC79· 50

Year 2019Dev Furious Bee Limited · Annapurna InteractiveOn PS4 · PC · iOS

✓ Both are open-world adventures — sharing adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, while skipping horror tension

92

The Exit 8

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeDarkOpen WorldHorrorExplorationFirst Person

Steam👍 93%· 11KIGDB93· 2

Year 2023Dev KOTAKE CREATE · PLAYISMOn Xbox · PS4 · Switch

✓ Same family of open-world adventures: adventure storytelling, horror tension and puzzle design

≠ Stands apart with deep simulation, linear, story-driven structure and setting modern, while skipping combat magic

#6Super Mario 64

91

Super Mario 64

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloOpen WorldExplorationFantasyThird Person

IGDB89· 1

Year 1996Dev Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development · Nintendo

✓ Same family of open-world adventures: adventure storytelling, open world exploration and single-player focus

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, fantasy world and visual third person, while skipping puzzle design

91

Blue Prince

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationFirst Person

Steam👍 87%· 18KIGDB91· 5OC89· 117

Year 2025Dev Dogubomb · Raw FuryOn Xbox · Switch · PC

✓ Fits the open-world adventures cluster, with adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with roguelike runs, deep simulation and procedural generation, while skipping horror tension

92

Refunct

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationFirst Person

Steam👍 96%· 17KRAWG👍 66%· 152

Year 2015Dev Dominique GrieshoferPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are open-world adventures — sharing adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, vibe relaxing and vibe casual, while skipping horror tension

#9Shadow of the Colossus

89

Shadow of the Colossus

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationFantasy

IGDB93· 13OC92· 136

Year 2018Dev Bluepoint Games · Sony Interactive EntertainmentOn PS4

✓ Fits the open-world adventures cluster, with adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, fantasy world and visual third person, while skipping horror tension

89

Antichamber

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationFirst Person

Steam👍 95%· 18KRAWG👍 83%· 435MC82IGDB83· 6

Year 2013Dev Alexander Bruce · DemruthPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Same family of open-world adventures: adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: precision platforming and setting scifi, while skipping horror tension

#11Spider-Man 3

96

Spider-Man 3

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

IGDB59· 7

Year 2007Dev Beenox · ActivisionOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Both are open-world adventures — sharing open world exploration, single-player focus and exploration and discovery

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming and visual third person, while skipping adventure storytelling

#12The Suicide of Rachel Foster

94

The Suicide of Rachel Foster

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeDarkOpen WorldHorrorExplorationFirst Person

Steam👍 68%· 6.8KIGDB65· 4OC68· 61

Year 2020Dev ONE-O-ONE GAMES · Daedalic EntertainmentOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Both are open-world adventures — sharing adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Where it differs: brings vibe casual, while skipping puzzle design

86

Pilgrims

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationRelaxing

Steam👍 96%· 6.1K

Year 2019Dev Amanita DesignOn Linux · Android · PC

✓ Same family of open-world adventures: adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: card game strategy, vibe relaxing and vibe casual, while skipping horror tension

#14The Spirit and the Mouse

87

The Spirit and the Mouse

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationCozy

Steam👍 97%· 1.0KOC75· 8

Year 2022Dev Alblune · Armor Games StudiosPlaytime ~6hOn PC · Nintendo

✓ Same family of open-world adventures: adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: precision platforming, cozy, relaxing feel and fantasy world, while skipping horror tension

#15Thank Goodness You're Here!

87

Thank Goodness You're Here!

GenreAdventureSubgenreOpen World Action-Adventure

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationCasual

Steam👍 96%· 8.0KRAWG👍 87%· 50IGDB90· 3OC84· 62

Year 2024Dev Coal Supper · PanicPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the open-world adventures cluster, with adventure storytelling, puzzle design and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, vibe casual and setting cartoon, while skipping horror tension

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Adventure · Simulation

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Abzu

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The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Adventure · Puzzle

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

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Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator

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Rankings in the same genre

Best Open-World Adventure Games Best Adventure Games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter?: The closest game to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is Shadow of the Colossus, scoring 94/100 on our similarity scale. They share 6 gameplay attributes, including adventure storytelling, puzzle design and single-player focus. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter?: The three closest games to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter are: 1. Shadow of the Colossus (94/100, 6 shared attributes) 2. Firewatch (95/100, 9 shared attributes) 3. Fatum Betula (93/100, 10 shared attributes). All share The Vanishing of Ethan Carter's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 52 candidates across 12 dimensions.
Is Firewatch similar to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter?: Yes, very much so — Firewatch scores 95/100 similarity to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. They share 9 attributes, including adventure storytelling and horror tension. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Adventure games are similar to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter?: The best Adventure games similar to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter are Shadow of the Colossus, Firewatch, Fatum Betula and Telling Lies. All share the Adventure genre alongside other key The Vanishing of Ethan Carter attributes like adventure storytelling, puzzle design and single-player focus.
How is similarity to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter calculated?: We compare The Vanishing of Ethan Carter 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 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.