Games like Don't Get Your Hopes Up

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, monetization

96% User Score Based on 1,112 reviews

It was a morning like all others, until she realized her dad wasn't home. In his place, a stranger who speaks nonsense and insists she "takes her medicine". Who is he? Where is dad? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to and Roger.

70%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

67% User Score Based on 215 reviews

Critic Score 71%Based on 6 reviews

"No Longer Home" is a semi-auto-biographical point and click game, about two recent graduates preparing to move out of their flat. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to No Longer Home.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

96% User Score Based on 11,075 reviews

‘goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A romance/horror story about life, death, and memes. A shift in perspective can change everything. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Missed Messages.

87%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

88% User Score Based on 18,116 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

The Beginner's Guide is a narrative video game from Davey Wreden, the creator of The Stanley Parable. It lasts about an hour and a half and has no traditional mechanics, no goals or objectives. Instead, it tells the story of a person struggling to deal with something they do not understand. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Beginner's Guide.

69%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, replayability

74% User Score Based on 463 reviews

Critic Score 57%Based on 3 reviews

Actual Sunlight is a short interactive story about love, depression and the corporation. The game puts you in the role of Evan Winter, a young professional in Toronto, as he moves through three distinct periods of his life. The story is linear, unavoidable and (hopefully) thought-provoking. You experience his perceptions, fall under the consequences of his decisions, and meet everyone who didn’t … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Actual Sunlight.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

96% User Score Based on 1,501 reviews

Dead Letter Dept. is a short horror game mystery experience, where you use your computer keyboard to type in various prompts, and attempt to decipher damaged images as oddities begin to appear. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to DEAD LETTER DEPT..

81%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

89% User Score Based on 2,498 reviews

Critic Score 71%Based on 7 reviews

A game in which you explore the intimacy of someone whose phone you've found. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to A Normal Lost Phone.

61%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, grinding

61% User Score Based on 3,444 reviews

Depression Quest is an interactive fiction game where you play as someone living with depression. You are given a series of everyday life events and have to attempt to manage your illness, relationships, job, and possible treatment. This game aims to show other sufferers of depression that they are not alone in their feelings, and to illustrate to people who may not understand the illness the dept… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Depression Quest.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

94% User Score Based on 18,415 reviews

Critic Score 90%Based on 1 reviews

What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of short stories about a cursed family in Washington State. Each story offers a chance to experience the life of a different family member with stories ranging from the early 1900s to the present day. The gameplay and tone of the stories are as varied as the family members themselves. The only constants are that each is played from a first-person perspe… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to What Remains of Edith Finch.

89%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

94% User Score Based on 1,872 reviews

Critic Score 84%Based on 18 reviews

Norco is a Southern Gothic point & click narrative adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and verdant industrial swamps of a distorted South Louisiana. Your brother Blake has gone missing in the aftermath of your mother's death. In the hopes of finding him, you must follow a fugitive security android through the refineries, strip malls, and drainage ditches of suburban New Orlea… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to NORCO.

87%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

95% User Score Based on 1,532 reviews

Critic Score 86%Based on 2 reviews

If Found… is an interactive visual novel from Dreamfeel about searching for connection. Find out who you really are. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to If Found....

90%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

96% User Score Based on 35,756 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 8 reviews

"Then we can always regroup on the moon, silly! " If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to To the Moon.

92%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

92% User Score Based on 1,980 reviews

You must stay in your apartment as the city around you falls to an Eldritch horror. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to You Will (Not) Remain.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay

100% User Score Based on 852 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 2 reviews

Experience the stories of Haru, Erika, and Manami, a trio of friends navigating their feelings of love, connection, and just wanting to belong. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to A YEAR OF SPRINGS.

99%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

99% User Score Based on 4,340 reviews

STORYUSSR, 1986. When Ira Grachevskaya goes missing in the closed city of Vorkuta-5, not a soul seems to be concerned – except for the quiet outcast Asya Shubina, that is. Uncover the mystery behind Ira’s disappearance, transmit your radio signal to the universe and learn why a bird flies past the window. CHARACTERSMeet the cast. A problem child and a truant, Ira doesn't have the best reputati… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Z.A.T.O. // I Love the World and Everything In It.

91%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

91% User Score Based on 1,454 reviews

All players approach games in varied ways, making different choices. No one ever plays in exactly the same way. Indeed, how a person plays can be an indicator of their personality... And Refind Self is a game where you can learn all about that personality. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Refind Self: The Personality Test Game.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

96% User Score Based on 268 reviews

A story of loneliness, mental health, and self-pity. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Life Tastes Like Cardboard.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

96% User Score Based on 1,799 reviews

A narrative-driven point-and-click adventure that explores the stories of four different characters in a masked ball taking place on a train in the late 1920s. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers.

92%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, optimization

92% User Score Based on 5,813 reviews

Critic Score 90%Based on 1 reviews

Taking around an hour on the first play-through, "When The Darkness Comes" feels like you're wandering around a glitchy hard drive full of abstract dreams and beautiful nightmares. The narrator initially makes it feel like a comedic game, but it soon starts to take a darker tone as you travel down the bizarre broken rabbit hole that explores the darkest themes of the human mind. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to When the Darkness comes.

93%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

93% User Score Based on 323 reviews

Intellica believes that positivity and happiness are the keys to self-sustaining thinking programs. By taking part in the A.M.T. Study, you can help make it happen!  QUALIA is a retro-inspired Interactive Fiction text game where you analyze and categorize two participants based on their responses to a series of questions. Are they really human? Are you? Remember, the A.M.T. Study is not a … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to qualia.

95%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding

99% User Score Based on 205 reviews

Critic Score 82%Based on 2 reviews

A point n' click sequel to Perfect Tides about the momentum and whiplash of young adulthood. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Perfect Tides: Station to Station.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:monetization, character development

98% User Score Based on 574 reviews

You wake up in a mysterious place, alone and freezing to death, the only person around seems to be a weird girl with a long sleeve soviet jersey. Hope Left Me is a post-noir visual novel released as a tie-in to the album of the same name by Astrophysics. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to HOPE LEFT ME.

82%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, optimization

77% User Score Based on 20,826 reviews

Critic Score 82%Based on 14 reviews

A first-person exploratory game taking place in 1995 in which Katie, a university student back from Europe, arrives at her family's newly inherited mansion only to find nobody there, with a note from her younger sister Sam suggesting that she's left home. Katie must explore the mansion to put together the stories of where her parents have gone and why Sam has decided to leave. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Gone Home.

88%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

95% User Score Based on 2,594 reviews

Critic Score 81%Based on 16 reviews

When the truth is buried, go underground. Step into this new take on text-based adventure from the award-winning team behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume. A short story that hands you the fate of the world above, as a detective looking for answers on the Subsurface Circular. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Subsurface Circular.

82%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, replayability

89% User Score Based on 1,739 reviews

Critic Score 76%Based on 18 reviews

Fang is a typical 18-year-old dinosaur: they’re more concerned about their band going viral than they are about what happens after graduation. But they’re about to have much bigger problems. Will they find time to figure themselves out? Can they balance a potential apocalypse and a budding romance? During hard times, what do we owe each other? Goodbye Volcano High is a cinematic narrative adventur… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Goodbye Volcano High.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, atmosphere

98% User Score Based on 464 reviews

An adventure game about old computers, community, creativity, fandom, gender, and the internet. Alex Cole is a teenage trans girl in 1999 who has yet to figure herself out. She spends much of her free time on the internet, browsing a fan forum for her favorite magical girl show, and chatting with her friends. Join her on her story of self-discovery through friendship and media as she explores her … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Secret Little Haven.

83%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

83% User Score Based on 613 reviews

You are Isabella Song – a hacker PI. Your job is to hack cameras, phones, and computers, as well as question suspects, analyze evidence and draw conclusions. But don't forget that in Farca city, even criminals can end up victims. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Song of Farca.

99%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, optimization

99% User Score Based on 112 reviews

A surreal, coming-of-age visual novel set in early 2010s Central Florida, "Siren's Call" is the small town you swore you'd always leave. Something inside of you knows that this is your last chance. Will you reach escape velocity? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Siren's Call: Escape Velocity.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, humor

96% User Score Based on 4,925 reviews

Face unspeakable horrors. Succumb to madness. Welcome to a truly daemonic narrative experience inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Dagon.

90%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

90% User Score Based on 1,757 reviews

This short visual novel follows Jack as he makes desperate plans to save the girl dearest to him, and as he remembers how Anna tore through his life. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Kill or Love.

90%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, stability

95% User Score Based on 1,880 reviews

Critic Score 73%Based on 1 reviews

A pig farmer decides he no longer wants to dispose of bodies for the mob. What follows is a discussion between him and his would-be killer. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Adios.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

98% User Score Based on 552 reviews

Mystery-solving adventure If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to UNREAL LIFE.

89%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, stability

89% User Score Based on 1,214 reviews

Critic Score 76%Based on 2 reviews

Necrobarista is a gorgeous 3D visual novel about a supernatural Melbourne cafe where the dead spend their last night on Earth. Utilizing a unique anime-inspired aesthetic, Necrobarista places a focus on the usage of animation and cinematography to provide a cinematic experience that draws players into a visually and narratively captivating adventure. Through a series of vignettes, Necrobarista pre… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Necrobarista.

89%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

95% User Score Based on 11,686 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 28 reviews

Night In The Woods is an adventure game about a college dropout who comes home to the friends and the town they left behind. Break stuff, play bass, hang out, go places and discover things that aren't meant for you. Come home to Possum Springs. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Night in the Woods.

93%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

93% User Score Based on 4,361 reviews

Marie's Room is a short-story exploration game about an unconventional friendship between two classmates, told through memories. You play as Kelsey, remembering Marie's room as it was 20 years ago. What happened to Marie and Kelsey all those years ago? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Marie's Room.

57%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

51% User Score Based on 1,041 reviews

Critic Score 69%Based on 5 reviews

Cibele is a game about love, sex, and the internet. You play as a 19 year old girl who has become close with a young man she met in an online game. Her relationship with him heats up, becoming more and more intimate with each phone call and private chat. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Cibele.

73%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

69% User Score Based on 172 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 4 reviews

The fate of humanity is at stake. Use your gift of clairvoyance to see into the future and stop an apocalypse that threatens the balance between your world and the deities'. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Harmony: The Fall of Reverie.

93%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

93% User Score Based on 346 reviews

A comedic story game played in vignettes, about feeling anxious as a bear in inner city Melbourne, Australia, and trying to connect to people none the less. Click, pull, mash, and guide your way through an ever changing mix of dialogue choices, reaction challenges, dexterity tests, rhythm games and God only knows what else as you overthink and under-perform your way through every day life -- St… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Just, Bearly.

92%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, stability

92% User Score Based on 53 reviews

"Curtain Call" is a visual novel about (literally) breaking through social masks by forming meaningful connections with incredibly deep personalities. Whether you’re looking to make new friends or something more, there’s a whole cast of characters just dying to meet you! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Curtain Call.

83%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

83% User Score Based on 1,628 reviews

Critic Score 76%Based on 1 reviews

Neo Cab is an emotional survival game about staying human in a world disrupted by automation. You play as Lina, the last human driver on the neon-drenched streets of Los Ojos. When your friend and only lifeline mysteriously vanishes, you'll need to use wits and empathy to survive. Choose your passengers— and your words— wisely. If you can balance your cash, star rating and emotional health, you m… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Neo Cab.

70%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

76% User Score Based on 262 reviews

Critic Score 61%Based on 6 reviews

A visual novel about an abusive relationship, idealization, and intimacy. Live a summer of dysfunctional love through branching storylines, twists, sudden changes, and an innovative mechanic where you choose which senses to use with your boyfriend. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star.

92%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

95% User Score Based on 822 reviews

Critic Score 89%Based on 10 reviews

STORY Embark on a thrilling sci-fi journey in a futuristic Asian city with MINDS BENEATH US. In a society fully automated by advanced AI, you find yourself trapped in a foreign body, alongside the subconscious of its original owner. As society evolves, a new industry emerges that replaces the hardware needed to operate AI-automated systems with human brains. Consequently, the most disadvantaged … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Minds Beneath Us.

69%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

71% User Score Based on 112 reviews

Critic Score 65%Based on 8 reviews

Stay is a nail-biting tale of abduction and isolation, where every single second counts. A pixel-art adventure game with multiple routes and endings, your computer is tethered to a PC inside an abandoned house... where an abducted man finds himself trapped and in desperate need of help. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to STAY.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:character development, stability

98% User Score Based on 2,172 reviews

A classic love story about letting go. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to a new life..

70%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

70% User Score Based on 277 reviews

"Same encounter, different world." If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Room of Depression.

72%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:character development, replayability

71% User Score Based on 247 reviews

Critic Score 74%Based on 11 reviews

Return to the vibrant cyberpunk world of Neo-San Francisco from 2064: Read Only Memories, filled with friendly and familiar faces. Neurodiver will introduce new characters, locations, and mechanics, including the ability to dive into and change other characters' memories, as well as overhauled art and an unsolved case to crack with multiple endings. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER.

81%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, stability

81% User Score Based on 2,418 reviews

They may be awkward dimensions, but they're my dreams... Interactive Dream Journal & Diary; Awkward Dimensions Redux is a personal game. Lasts 20 minutes to an hour with less traditional... If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Awkward Dimensions Redux.

90%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding

95% User Score Based on 292 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 3 reviews

Grotto is a mystical, narrative-focused experience. You are the Soothsayer. The one capable of talking with the stars and unveiling their messages. In a time of turmoil, the tribe of the valley turn to your powers of divination and come to you for guidance. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Grotto.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

94% User Score Based on 991 reviews

Pleh! is a short psychological horror walking simulator which tells the story of a depressed game developer, his intrusive thoughts and his dark mysterious secrets. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Pleh!.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

94% User Score Based on 2,773 reviews

In the near future, androids have become the way of the norm. Emotionless husks of metal have become a part of human society, much to the dismay of the boy. The robot he found at the dumpsite though, this one was different. It laughed, it cried, it smiled, it has dreams, just like a human… Lucy The eternity she wished for is a Visual Novel, about a boy and an android. You play as the boy, who fac… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Lucy: The Eternity She Wished For.