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Dear Esther

14 Games like Dear Esther on Mobile that you should try

Games like Dear Esther · Find similar →

We filtered the 46 games similar to Dear Esther down to the 14 that fit the “Mobile” category. Pajama Sam 2: Thunder And Lightning Aren't So Frightening, Putt-Putt Joins the Parade and My Brother Rabbit top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Dear Esther.

NextGameLike70/ 100

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GenreAdventureSubgenreNarrative Adventure
Tags
NarrativeCasualSolo
Year 2012Dev Sumo Digital
Stores

Quick answer

Within the “Mobile” category, the closest game to Dear Esther is Pajama Sam 2: Thunder And Lightning Aren't So Frightening — scoring 68/100 on our similarity scale. Putt-Putt Joins the Parade and My Brother Rabbit follow close behind.

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The best games like Dear Esther on Mobile

14 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Dear Esther. Each one has been evaluated across 7 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.

1

Pajama Sam 2: Thunder And Lightning Aren't So Frightening

68
NGL95
Pajama Sam 2: Thunder And Lightning Aren't So Frightening
Closest overall match
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloCasualNarrative2D
Year 1998Dev Humongous Entertainment · Nightdive StudiosPlaytime ~3hOn PC · iOS · Android

With Dear Esther it shares a casual, approachable feel and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is 2D presentation.

It predates Dear Esther by 14 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Visuals0
2

Putt-Putt Joins the Parade

68
NGL94
Putt-Putt Joins the Parade
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloCasualNarrativeIsometric2D
Year 1992Dev Humongous Entertainment · Nightdive StudiosPlaytime ~1hOn PC · iOS · Android

The thread back to Dear Esther runs through a casual, approachable feel and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals: an isometric view.

It predates Dear Esther by 20 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Visuals0
3

My Brother Rabbit

68
NGL86
My Brother Rabbit
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloCasualNarrative2D
Year 2018Dev Artifex MundiPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Xbox

With Dear Esther it shares a casual, approachable feel and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals: 2D presentation.

Released 6 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Visuals0
4

Gone Home

68
NGL78
Gone Home
Closest on progression
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeExplorationFirst Person
Year 2013Dev The Fullbright Company · Annapurna InteractivePlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · iOS

What brings it close to Dear Esther is exploration and discovery, strong narrative focus, and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and progression. Both also lean on a first-person view. The distance is in tone — its own ground is puzzle design.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Tone62
5

Life Is Strange

67
NGL90
Life Is Strange
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeFantasyExplorationSci-Fi
Year 2015Dev DON'T NOD · Feral InteractiveOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux

Shelved next to Dear Esther for good reason: strong narrative focus, fantasy world and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery. Where the two diverge is visuals and tone: a sci-fi setting and a third-person camera.

Released 3 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Setting64Tone62Visuals0
6

Florence

67
NGL88
Florence
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloCasualNarrativeCozy2D
Year 2018Dev Mountains · Annapurna InteractiveOn Linux · Android · PC

With Dear Esther it shares a casual, approachable feel and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is 2D presentation.

Released 6 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Tone81Visuals0
7

The Gardens Between

64
NGL87
The Gardens Between
Closest on setting
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeFantasyRelaxingLinear
Year 2018Dev The Voxel AgentsOn PS4 · Linux · Android

Genre puts it alongside Dear Esther, and so does strong narrative focus, fantasy world and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and tone — its own ground is a relaxing pace and 2D presentation.

Released 6 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Tone39Visuals0
8

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

64
NGL86
Life is Strange: Before the Storm
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeFantasyMeleeSci-Fi
Year 2017Dev Deck Nine · Square EnixOn PS4 · Linux · Android

It comes from the same genre as Dear Esther and shares strong narrative focus, fantasy world and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and tone — its own ground is a sci-fi setting and a third-person camera.

Released 5 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Setting64Tone62Visuals0
9

Milo and the Magpies

64
NGL98
Milo and the Magpies
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeExplorationCozy
Year 2021Dev Second MazePlaytime ~2hOn PC · iOS · Apple Macintosh

Held in common with Dear Esther: exploration and discovery, strong narrative focus, and single-player focus. The distance is in tone — its own ground is cozy, relaxing feel.

Released 9 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Tone45
10

Twelve Minutes

63
NGL75
Twelve Minutes
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeExplorationDarkIsometric
Year 2021Dev Luis Antonio · Annapurna InteractiveOn Xbox · PS4 · Android

On paper it is what Dear Esther is — exploration and discovery, strong narrative focus, and single-player focus — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. The distance is in visuals and tone — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere and an isometric view.

Released 9 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Tone49Visuals0
11

Thimbleweed Park

61
NGL88
Thimbleweed Park
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrative2DPixel Art
Year 2017Dev Terrible ToyboxOn PS4 · Linux · Android

Genre puts it alongside Dear Esther, and so does strong narrative focus and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and tone — its own ground is 2D presentation.

Released 5 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Tone62Visuals0
12

Batman: The Enemy Within

60
NGL87
Batman: The Enemy Within
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeMeleeDarkThird Person
Year 2017Dev Telltale GamesOn PS4 · Android · PC

Shelved next to Dear Esther for good reason: strong narrative focus and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals and tone: dark, oppressive atmosphere and a third-person camera.

Released 5 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Tone56Visuals0
13

Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series

60
NGL80
Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeMeleeDarkThird Person
Year 2016Dev Telltale GamesPlaytime ~9hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Shelved next to Dear Esther for good reason: strong narrative focus and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals and tone: dark, oppressive atmosphere and a third-person camera.

Released 4 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Tone53Visuals0
14

Late Shift

60
NGL72
Late Shift
AdventureNarrative Adventure
SoloNarrativeDarkThird Person
Year 2016Dev CtrlMovie · Wales InteractiveOn PS4 · PC · iOS

Genre puts it alongside Dear Esther, and so does strong narrative focus and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and tone — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere and a third-person camera.

Released 4 years after Dear Esther.

Genre100Game mode100Tone51Visuals0

More similar-games lists to keep going

Found one on the list you already love? Open its own list: the games that play most like it, ranked, with the reason for each.

Explore games similar to Dear Esther by category

If Dear Esther left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the casual or the fantasy that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PlayStation, Xbox and Mobile, filter by platform and skip the games you could not play anyway.

Rankings in the same genre

Sometimes what you want is not a Dear Esther look-alike but simply the best Narrative Adventure Games there are. That is what these rankings are for: no comparison to anything, just the highest-rated games. And if you feel like widening the net, the Adventure Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.