NextGameLike
Retention

8 Puzzle games like Retention that you should try

Games like Retention · Find similar →

We filtered the 28 games similar to Retention down to the 8 that fit the “Puzzle” category. Flower Shop: Winter In Fairbrook, VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action and Heileen 3: New Horizons top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Retention.

NextGameLike35/ 100

Did you find what you were looking for?

GenreCasualSubgenreVisual Novel
Tags
CasualNarrativeSolo
Year 2015Dev Sometimes You
Stores

Quick answer

Within the “Puzzle” category, the closest game to Retention is Flower Shop: Winter In Fairbrook — scoring 87/100 on our similarity scale. VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action and Heileen 3: New Horizons follow close behind.

🗳️

Help us build the best rankings

Community powered

Vote on each result below — good match or not. Every vote directly shapes how we rank similar games for everyone.

The best puzzle games like Retention

8 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Retention. Each one has been evaluated across 10 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

Flower Shop: Winter In Fairbrook

87
NGL63
Flower Shop: Winter In Fairbrook
Closest overall match
CasualVisual Novel
SoloCasualNarrativeCozy2D
Year 2014Dev Winter WolvesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

With Retention it shares deep simulation, a casual, approachable feel and single-player focus. Both also lean on 2D presentation. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is a first-person view.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Visuals64
2

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

87
NGL89
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
CasualVisual Novel
SoloNarrativeCasualCozy2D
Year 2016Dev Wolfgame · Ysbryd GamesPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Apple Macintosh

What carries over from Retention is visual novel storytelling, strong narrative focus and single-player focus. To that it adds 2D presentation. They part company on visuals: this one brings pixel art.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Visuals53
3

Heileen 3: New Horizons

84
NGL63
Heileen 3: New Horizons
CasualVisual Novel
SoloNarrativeCasualCozyAnime
Year 2014Dev Winter WolvesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

Held in common with Retention: deep simulation, strong narrative focus and single-player focus. Its own ground is an anime aesthetic.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100
4

Always Remember Me

84
NGL61
Always Remember Me
CasualVisual Novel
SoloNarrativeCasualCozyAnime
Year 2014Dev Winter WolvesPlaytime ~2hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

With Retention it shares visual novel storytelling, strong narrative focus and single-player focus. Its own ground is an anime aesthetic.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100
5

Venba

84
NGL88
Venba
Closest on visuals
CasualVisual Novel
SoloNarrativeCasualExploration2D
Year 2023Dev Visai GamesOn Xbox · PC · PS5

It meets Retention on puzzle design, strong narrative focus and single-player focus. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. The distance is in progression — its own ground is crafting mechanics.

Released 8 years after Retention.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Tone76Progression52
6

Storyteller

81
NGL82
Storyteller
CasualVisual Novel
SoloNarrativeCasual2DSandbox World
Year 2023Dev Daniel Benmergui · Annapurna InteractiveOn Android · PC · iOS

The thread back to Retention runs through puzzle design, strong narrative focus and single-player focus. The common ground extends to 2D presentation. It sets itself apart with sandbox freedom and open world exploration.

Released 8 years after Retention.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Tone73
7

Her Story

81
NGL87
Her Story
Closest on progression
CasualVisual Novel
SoloNarrativeCasualExplorationOpen World
Year 2015Dev Sam BarlowOn Linux · Android · PC

The thread back to Retention runs through puzzle design, strong narrative focus and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery. They part company on visuals: this one brings a first-person view.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Tone76Visuals0
8

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth

70
NGL79
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
CasualVisual Novel
SoloNarrativeCasual2DDark
Year 2017Dev Daedalic EntertainmentPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

It meets Retention on adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and single-player focus. The common ground extends to 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is tone: dark, oppressive atmosphere.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Tone69

Explore games similar to Retention by category

If Retention left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the puzzle or the simulation that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on 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 Retention look-alike but simply the best Visual Novel 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 Casual Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.