30 Narrative games like William and Sly 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 49 games similar to William and Sly down to the 30 that fit the “Narrative” category. Lunnye Devitsy, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure and Ori and the Will of the Wisps top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to William and Sly.

iRank99/ 100

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GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

The best narrative games like William and Sly

30 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to William and Sly. Each one has been evaluated across 14 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.

#1Lunnye DevitsyClosest overall match

iRank64

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeCasualNarrativeRelaxingOpen WorldExploration

Steam👍 64%· 162

Year 2009Dev Boss BaddiePlaytime ~2hOn PC

✓ Same family of open-world action games: precision platforming, Metroidvania exploration and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, punishing difficulty and visual 2d, while skipping cozy, relaxing feel

Lunnye Devitsy is the story of an alien who falls from the moon onto a huge mountainside on the planet below. Explore strange locations, aid mysterious characters and find your way home.

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: visuals.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for William and Sly.

It predates William and Sly by 15 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Tone70

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Steam

#2Alba: A Wildlife AdventureClosest on tone

iRank91

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeCasualCozyNarrativeOpen WorldExploration3D

Steam👍 98%· 8.0KRAWG👍 96%· 82MC81OC82· 28

Year 2020Dev ustwo gamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Nearly identical: adventure storytelling, vibe casual and cozy, relaxing feel.

≠ Missing: Metroidvania exploration.

Alba: a Wildlife Adventure is a new tale from the creators of Monument Valley and Assemble with Care. When Alba visits her grandparents on a Mediterranean island, she is ready for a peaceful summer of wildlife exploration with her friend Ines.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Tone82

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Steam GOG Epic

#3Ori and the Will of the WispsClosest on setting

iRank92

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeCozyOpen WorldFantasyExploration

Steam👍 97%· 144KRAWG👍 89%· 1.3KMC91IGDB91· 12OC91· 178

Year 2020Dev Moon Studios · Microsoft StudiosPlaytime ~11hOn PC · Xbox · Nintendo

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing precision platforming, Metroidvania exploration and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, punishing difficulty and visual 2d, while skipping vibe casual

A New Journey Begins Embark on an adventure with all new combat and customization options while exploring a vast, exotic world encountering larger than life enemies and challenging puzzles. Seek help from discoverable allies on your path to unravel Ori’s true destiny.

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: visuals.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Setting100World100Progression100

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Steam Xbox Nintendo

#4Twinsen's Little Big Adventure 2 Classic

iRank88

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeCozyOpen WorldFantasyExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 97%· 914RAWG👍 74%· 77

Year 1997Dev DotEmu · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with adventure storytelling, precision platforming and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, combat magic and setting scifi, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Little Big Adventure 2, also known as Twinsen's Odyssey is the sequel of Little Big Adventure (also known as Relentless: Twinsen's Adventure) in which you've liberated the world from its evil dictator.

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: visuals.

It predates William and Sly by 27 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression100Setting63Tone62

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Steam GOG itch.io

#5Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

iRank90

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeCozyOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 91%· 17KIGDB91· 15OC88· 200

Year 2021Dev Insomniac Games · Sony Interactive EntertainmentOn PC · PS5

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, precision platforming and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with shooter, third-person shooting and first-person shooting, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: setting.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals57

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Steam Epic PS

#6Disney•Pixar Finding Nemo

iRank76

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeCasualOpen WorldFantasyExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 76%· 217

Year 2015Dev KnowWonder · Disney InteractivePlaytime ~1hOn PC

✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and vibe casual

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo features two main storylines. As in the 2003 animated feature film, the clown fish Nemo is headed for his first day at school when he's captured near Australia's Great Barrier Reef by a scuba diver and winds up in an aquarium in a dentist's office.

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for William and Sly.

It predates William and Sly by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Setting100World100Progression100

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Steam

#7Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter

iRank73

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeCasualOpen WorldExplorationThird Person3D

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 vibe casual

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, dark, oppressive atmosphere and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for William and Sly.

It predates William and Sly by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100World100Progression100Visuals79Game mode66

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Steam GOG Epic

#8Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

iRank93

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeCasualNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 96%· 132KRAWG👍 93%· 453OC87· 87

Year 2020Dev Insomniac Games · Sony Interactive EntertainmentPlaytime ~13hOn PC · PS

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing adventure storytelling, vibe casual and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with stealth mechanics, setting scifi and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

This isn’t the Spider-Man you’ve met or ever seen before. In Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, we meet an experienced Peter Parker who’s more masterful at fighting big crime in New York City.

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: setting.

Genre100World100Progression100Game mode85Combat70Tone55

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Steam Epic PS

#9Hob

iRank81

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldFantasyExploration

Steam👍 88%· 5.5KIGDB72· 8OC75· 53

Year 2017Dev Runic GamesOn PS4 · PC

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, precision platforming and Metroidvania exploration

≠ Its own twist: puzzle design, deep RPG systems and action RPG combat, while skipping cozy, relaxing feel

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: visuals and tone.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Setting100World100Progression100

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Steam GOG Epic

#10Sonic FrontiersClosest on visuals

iRank80

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldFantasyExplorationThird Person3D

Steam👍 89%· 28KIGDB72· 8OC71· 137

Year 2022Dev Sonic Team · SegaOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, precision platforming and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and setting scifi, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: tone.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Visuals82Progression78

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Steam Epic Xbox

#11Control

iRank85

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldFantasyExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 86%· 60KIGDB83· 15OC84· 183

Year 2019Dev Remedy Entertainment · 505 GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and strong narrative focus

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

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: tone and setting.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression73Visuals57

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Steam Epic Xbox

#12I Am Alive

iRank69

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldFantasyExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 69%· 2.9KIGDB69· 8

Year 2012Dev Ubisoft Shanghai · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, precision platforming and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, dark, oppressive atmosphere and post-apocalyptic world, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: tone and setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for William and Sly.

It predates William and Sly by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals57

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Steam GOG

#13Mafia II: Definitive Edition

iRank70

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 74%· 37KIGDB61· 4

Year 2020Dev D3T Limited · 2KOn PS4 · PC · Xbox

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and open world exploration

≠ Stands apart with shooter, third-person shooting and first-person shooting, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for William and Sly.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals57

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Steam GOG Epic

#14Bully: Scholarship Edition

iRank82

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen 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 open world exploration

≠ Where it differs: brings sandbox freedom, deep simulation and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

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.

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: tone.

It predates William and Sly by 16 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100World70Visuals57

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen 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 open world exploration

≠ Its own twist: horror tension, shooter and first-person shooting, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Where it drifts furthest from William and Sly: setting and tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for William and Sly.

It predates William and Sly by 16 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression77Visuals42

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Steam

Complete list of narrative games like William and Sly

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with William and Sly, 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.