Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between

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Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is a single player casual simulation game with fantasy, mystery, anime and science fiction themes. It was developed by Fellow Traveller and was released on March 31, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Glitchhikers is a surreal journey through the spaces between places. A late night drive, a deserted airport lounge, a moonlit walk through an empty park, a quiet carriage on an overnight train. Who will you meet? What will you talk about? Where will the journey take you? Find yourself along the way.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between screenshot

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72%Audience ScoreBased on 114 reviews

music11 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

Offers a unique, introspective experience encouraging self-reflection and thoughtful conversation on deep topics like life, death, and existence.
Beautiful, surreal visual and auditory atmosphere with relaxing synth music and captivating landscapes that evoke liminal spaces and calm moods.
Supports mental health awareness by providing content warnings, self-care check-ins, and a non-judgmental space for players to explore complex feelings.

Writing and dialogue often feel shallow, repetitive, or unnatural, sometimes resembling immature or pretentious conversations rather than genuine reflection.
Gameplay controls and mechanics are clunky, inconsistent, or tedious, with limited movement and occasionally nauseating navigation, detracting from immersion.
Lack of traditional game structure, goals, or impactful player choices may frustrate players looking for narrative payoff, variety, or deeper character development.

music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
53%
10%
The game's music is widely praised for its ambient, dreamlike synth melodies that create a relaxing and introspective atmosphere, perfectly complementing the game's meditative themes and visuals. Many players find the soundtrack mesmerizing and suitable for unwinding or thoughtful reflection, with some even recommending purchasing the soundtrack itself. However, a few note desire for more variety in the music to enhance the experience further.
- “The soundtrack offers an ambient, dreamlike mixture of synth tones, slow percussion, and drifting melodies that hold space rather than direct it.”
- “The soundtrack is equally mesmerizing, with haunting melodies and ambient sounds that perfectly complement the game's dreamlike atmosphere.”
- “The visuals are beautiful, the conversations are engaging and thought-provoking, and the music is absolutely amazing—I bought the soundtrack too (and I never buy those).”
- “Music: 6/10”
- “The ambient is nice, there is a neon-diy-decoration in the room and some sombre 80s synth music in the background, yet, you’re stuck with this second semester philosophy student talking about how everything is actually affected by entropy, that the light that reaches your eyes while stargazing is actually from stars that are long dead and did you ever think about how fish actually fly in the water, man?”
- “In practicality, you will spend your time waiting, waxing philosophy with the various NPCs, and listening to a relaxing soundtrack.”
emotional
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply emotional and contemplative experience, exploring themes like death, loss, and existential reflection with a focus on the journey rather than resolution. Its atmospheric storytelling invites players to engage personally, often evoking strong feelings of grief, acceptance, and introspection. While its lack of conventional closure may frustrate some, it is widely praised as a powerful, artful, and emotionally resonant narrative experience.
- “And published by Fellow Traveller, is a narrative experience that exists in a category few games attempt to occupy—one where the destination is irrelevant, and the emotional resonance of the journey becomes the entire point.”
- “Their musings are contemplative and often existential, touching on creativity, fear, isolation, purpose, mortality, and the difficulty of navigating a chaotic world.”
- “Characters fade away without resolution, and the game trusts players to fill the emotional gaps with their own interpretations.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The story of "glitchhikers: the spaces between" is unconventional, focusing on introspective and conversational experiences rather than a traditional narrative or clear goals, appealing to players seeking emotional and reflective storytelling. While some praise its evocative themes and immersive emotional depth, others criticize it for slow pacing, lack of a coherent plot, and overused tropes. Overall, it is a contemplative journey that may resonate with niche audiences but can feel aimless or unengaging to others.
- “They are not exposition machines or quest givers but conversational partners—people who, like the player, are suspended in motion and temporarily removed from the demands of everyday life.”
- “For players who seek games that challenge medium expectations, encourage introspection, and treat storytelling as emotional collaboration rather than delivery, glitchhikers: the spaces between offers a rare and affecting journey.”
- “Through its evocative storytelling and immersive gameplay, the game invites players to confront their own thoughts and emotions, offering a safe space for reflection and introspection.”
- “There's no real goal, no real story, so the only real content is the conversations you have with those characters.”
- “At first glance, this looked like it was going to follow a similar path to Outer Wilds, but was nowhere near that level of storytelling.”
- “No soul, no true story, just a bunch of overdone tropes.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The graphics are praised for their beautiful, hypnotic, and atmospheric vaporwave-inspired visuals that enhance the meditative experience, though character designs are often seen as flat and limit interaction. While some found the visuals polished and thoughtfully integrated with the game's aesthetic and music, others gave moderate scores, indicating a mixed reception primarily due to simplistic character art. Overall, the environment and artistic style are considered standout strengths.
- “Together, the visuals and audio create a hypnotic sense of suspended consciousness, like floating just outside one’s own thoughts.”
- “Possibly one of the most beautiful games I've ever played - and I don't mean the visuals, although those are nice in a vaporwave kinda way.”
- “The final release feels so good while clicking to glide through the spaces, and the glitchy visuals popping up everywhere in the environment add a lot to the experience.”
- “It limits interactivity in a game already thin on interaction, and reduces focus from one of the game's strengths, its environment and visuals.”
- “Graphics: 5/10”
- “The OG car journey's in there, a little more polished up, better interface and graphics, more music, more visuals (though I do also love the original soundtrack), and even some of the same characters you can talk to, and you can also tailor the experience a little more at the main hub area I guess?”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay of Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is deliberately minimalistic and introspective, focusing on slow-paced exploration and meditative interactions rather than traditional objectives or challenges. While some players may find the pacing diffuse or the movement mechanics uncomfortable, the game excels at creating an immersive, reflective experience through its atmospheric navigation and storytelling.
- “Gameplay itself is intentionally sparse and unobtrusive.”
- “Through its evocative storytelling and immersive gameplay, the game invites players to confront their own thoughts and emotions, offering a safe space for reflection and introspection.”
- “With a variety of journeys (gameplay modes) available, and plenty of meditative conversations to have, this is a fantastic game to simply exist in.”
- “Players seeking clear objectives, branching plotlines, character backstories, or mechanical challenges may find the pacing too slow or the structure too diffuse.”
- “You see, the 'lurching' motion is incredibly nauseating, and this part of the gameplay gave me motion sickness. Yes, I know there's a huge dot in the middle of the screen designed to alleviate that, but it doesn't work for me.”
- “The gameplay is sort of weird.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its ethereal, dreamlike quality, supported by haunting music and ambient sounds that encourage calm introspection and immersion rather than fast-paced progress. While the visuals and mood are unique and soothing, some critics note that character depth is lacking, suggesting voice acting could enhance the overall experience. Overall, it offers a relaxing, reflective journey with a distinctive, slightly surreal ambiance.
- “Movement and interaction serve as gentle framing devices rather than objectives, encouraging players to internalize atmosphere rather than 'progress.' Each journey—whether by road, rail, or terminal—has a rhythm, gradually revealing new conversational partners and small surreal disruptions that remind the player that these worlds exist slightly askew from reality.”
- “From the moment I embarked on my journey as a passenger in the cosmic carpool, I was swept away by the game's ethereal atmosphere and thought-provoking narrative.”
- “The soundtrack is equally mesmerizing, with haunting melodies and ambient sounds that perfectly complement the game's dreamlike atmosphere.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect tedious and slower-paced due to inconsistent movement controls, particularly in the train level and its stop. However, other levels offer a more relaxing exploration experience, making them enjoyable for unwinding.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users appreciate the unique character designs and enjoy the gradual expansion of drink options at the rest stop, which adds depth to the overall experience.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is sharp and unexpected, often bringing a clever and abrupt comedic touch that leaves a strong impression.

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74%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is a casual simulation game with fantasy, mystery, anime and science fiction themes.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Steam Deck and others.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between was released on March 31, 2022.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between was developed by Fellow Traveller.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between for its music but disliked it for its story.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is a single player game.

Similar games include SEASON: A letter to the future, Kentucky Route Zero, The NOexistenceN of you AND me, Far from Noise, Wanderstop and others.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between

Platforms

music

emotional

story

graphics

gameplay

atmosphere

grinding

character development

humor