The 18 Best Games Like GRIS, Ranked

Moon Studios made and Microsoft Studios published Ori and the Blind Forest. This platform-adventure Metroidvania game launched for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One in March 2015. Players control Ori, a white guardian spirit, and Sein, the "light and eyes" of the Forest's Spirit Tree. Players move between platforms and solve puzzles to advance. The game features "soul links" for saving anytime and an upgrade system to boost Ori's abilities.

A third-person adventure game shows the player, controlling a robed figure, making a pilgrimage across a desert to a rugged mountain with a light beacon ahead. The player uncovers their people's history, rescues and cooperates with friendly creatures, avoids predators, and talks to other travelers.

Thomas Was Alone is an indie, minimalist 2D platformer about friendship, jumping, floating, and anti-gravity. Guide a group of rectangles through obstacles. Use their different skills together to reach the end of each area.

A third-person exploratory action/adventure title puts a boy on a mysterious island. He moves through highly stylized environments with puzzles and small navigation challenges to find out why he is there and reach the end of the road he started traveling.

Brothers shows the two brothers from a third-person view. Thumbsticks move each brother individually. Controller triggers make the brothers interact with the game world, like talking to a non-player character or grabbing a ledge. The older brother is stronger; he pulls levers or boosts his younger brother to higher spaces. The younger brother can pass between narrow bars. The player manipulates both brothers to solve puzzles, often needing

Timelie is a stealth puzzle adventure. You control time like a media player. See future events to plan your escape from the past, sneak past an enemy, and change time during this journey with a mysterious cat and a girl who sees the future.

Editor's Note: Spiritfarer and GRIS both explore loss and acceptance. Expect more focus on crafting and resource management, as this game focuses more on that.

Editor's Note: Only play Celeste if you like a lot of difficulty. Both games share themes of personal struggle and self-discovery, but Celeste's gameplay is much harder and less relaxed.

Inside is an atmospheric 2D side-scroller. A boy, hunted and alone, enters a dark project and fights to keep his identity.

Dreaming Sarah lets you explore Sarah's dream world. Sarah is in a deep coma. Collect items and abilities. Solve puzzles. Interact with people and objects. Try to wake her up.

Abzu is an exploration game. You dive deep into a lush ocean world as a lone diver. You meet majestic creatures. You find ancient secrets. You search for your purpose. Abzu roughly means "The Ocean of Wisdom" from ancient Sumerian.

Eternal Hope is a puzzle adventure. The story follows Ti'bi. He travels between two dimensions seeking his loved one's soul. You must find a way to bring her back to life. Embark on a journey of love and hope. Figure out clever ways to beat obstacles.

The Black Queen stole the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. You play as Aurora, a young princess with a pure heart. Her soul moves to the kingdom of Lemuria. Embark on a quest to get the three light sources back. Defeat the Black Queen. Restore Lemuria.

Hollow Knight is a 2D metroidvania. It emphasizes close combat and exploration. You enter Hallownest, an insect kingdom. Travel its districts. Meet friendly inhabitants. Fight hostile ones. Uncover the kingdom's history. Improve combat and movement by fighting bosses and accessing hidden areas.

Flower lets you escape to a dreamlike world. Journey and flOw made Flower. You soar through fields and hills. Control the wind. Carry flower petals. Watch them come alive. Each level has unique goals and small mysteries. You do what you want, when you want. Freedom is everything.

Monument Valley is a puzzle game by Ustwo Games. Ustwo Games released it for PC in 2022. Leading princess Ida moves through optical illusion mazes. Players solve hard puzzles as Ida travels through her mind, seeking forgiveness for the past.

This is a short story about everyday challenges. It shows how small things create challenges. Help the girl buy milk. Be the first not to disappoint her.

Firewatch is a single-player first-person game. Henry explores the Wyoming wilderness. He works as a fire lookout after a summer job. A peaceful break turns when he questions events. His only contact is a handheld radio. He speaks with his supervisor Delilah about what they both experience.