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What are the best Atmospheric games on Steam?

23

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Considered

117

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Jan 22, 2024

Last
Updated

23 Games Considered

Best Atmospheric games on Steam	Price	Steam Rating	Genre
88 Metro: Last Light Redux	$19.99	Very Positive	-
-- Firewatch	$19.50	Very Positive	Narrative, Adventure, Walking Sim
84 Limbo	-	Very Positive	-
-- The Forest	$16.79	Overwhelmingly Positive	-
-- The Wolf Among Us	-	-	-

Firewatch

Top Pro

Great atmosphere

You get lost in the world playing as Henry, it even ends up getting a little spooky. It never shows how it's spooky but there's always that creepy vibe in the background. See More

Top Con

Tremendous build up in story, only to have a lackluster finale

Once the player progresses far enough into the game there are plot thread wrap-ups that seem a bit too convenient and overly rushed. See More

RickZeeland's Experience

Now on offer on Steam for only $4.87 See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Narrative, Adventure, Walking Sim

Top Pro

Excellent story

Firewatch is an exploration game with a strong focus on its main story which makes you ask "what comes next?" like a good book or enthralling movie. See More

Top Con

Story feels a bit weak

Once the player progress far enough into the game there are moments that are left unexplained that were once thought to be important as well as wrap ups that seem a bit too convenient. See More

Top Pro

Adds interaction to the "walking simulator" genre

Unlike many walking simulator game the player is allowed to interact more with the environment than expected. User can repel down ropes, collect caches of items and even adopt a pet. See More

Top Con

Short game

It maxes out at 5 hours of play, which is a bit short, though it is priced fairly for the time one gets. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful graphics

The graphics look great with a canvas effect. See More

Top Pro

Fantastic voice acting

There are two leads with each being voice acted in a believable way in how they interact. The relationship presented in the story is given credence due to how well it is acted. See More

The Wolf Among Us

Top Pro

Characters feel real

The writing is so well done that the character and their story fell very real, even when realizing the story takes place in a fairy-tale world. This allows for immersion in the game that is often not matched by other point and click adventure games. See More

Top Con

May be too gruesome for kids

With all of the cursing and the not to mention the severed head, this story may not be appropriate for children. See More

Top Pro

In game encyclopedia

For those that want more back-story into the Fables comic there is an in game encyclopedia that allows for a more in depth analysis of the characters and their surrounding story. See More

Top Pro

Refinement of earlier success

With the success TellTale achieved in their Walking Dead series, The Wolf Among US takes every good aspect of that gameplay and refines it even further. See More

Hyper Light Drifter

Top Pro

Tells the story through pictures

With no dialog in the game (including text), the game is told through the use of pictures. When talking to an NPC, they will tell their story through a series of pictures. This goes for all interaction in the game. Which is an interesting way to go about telling a story and is pretty unique. Luckily the game tells its story successfully through this method, making for an enjoyable story overall. See More

Top Con

Can be difficult to figure out what to do

With no dialog it can be difficult to figure out what to do and where to go. There is no hand holding here, which is a bit of a throwback to games back in the 90s, but still can be frustrating when stuck and having no idea what to do next. This can be exacerbated by the fact that certain basses need you to be equipped with a certain upgrade in order to defeat them. Since there is no explanation of what this upgrade is, it can easily be missed leaving the player dying over and over again at the hands of certain bosses. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Great sound

The game actually has no dialog, meaning that the music and sound effects emote what the player should be feeling. Luckily they do their job and then some, the music is easy to listen to and works with the game well, same with the sound effects. Everything feels as though it belongs, which is quite an accomplishments due to how stylized the game is. See More

Top Con

Gameplay can be tough

The game can get difficult, causing a good deal of frustration due to the difficulty of enemies in the game. While no impossible, many may feel it is too tough in the later portion of the game. See More

Top Pro

Fantastic pixel graphics

While pixel graphics have seen a revival of late being that they are cheap to make, which lends itself well to the indie scene, Hyper Light Drifter is a step above any of the best offered in this style before. Everything is hand drawn and beautifully detailed. The color pallets used stand out on just their own, as the backgrounds are all quite detailed, with different color choices being used in order to differentiate each area. All the animations in the game are pretty detailed too, even for pixel graphics. T See More

Top Pro

Level design full of choices

Much like older Zelda games, there are different paths that can be taken in each level, there are hidden areas as well. This allows for a good bit of exploration in the game, giving a sense that you are the one exploring and discovering this world. See More

Top Pro

Good combat

The combat in the game is action based in real time. Each enemy has a different attack pattern that can be learned meaning that with time the player knows when and where to hit an enemy. While the combat can be tough at time when multiple enemies are on screen, the challenge can be worth it for the enjoyment of accomplishment. See More

Top Pro

Dynamic dungeons

The layout of each dungeon will change dynamically as you kill enemies contained within. So walls will move or disappear, making for a new path, depending on who you have killed. This makes for an enthralling experience that constantly asks the player to shift their strategy, making for gameplay that does not get stale. See More

Outlast

Top Pro

Your character is really agile

Unlike most horror games where your character is clumsy and slow, in Outlast your character can actually move really well. Not only is your character fast enough to be able to outrun most enemies in the game, he also knows how to parkour. You can jump, grab ledges and climb them, and even slide over a table during a chase. This makes it a really refreshing horror experience. See More

Top Con

A little too reliant on jump scares

In some parts of exploring the insane asylum there are too many jump scares one after another. After a while it loses its scare factor and instead becomes somewhat annoying. This feels like a missed opportunity to build on the dark and gritty atmosphere of the insane asylum. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Horror / First-Person / Survival

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Unpredictable inpatients make exploration more tense

Outlast proves that people can be much scarier than ghosts. As you explore the dark hallways of the insane asylum, you’ll encounter many inpatients. Some of them good, some of them bad, but all of them crazy. So it’s sometimes really hard to tell which one will attack you. While some of them make it very obvious by holding knives or looking especially atrocious, sometimes they will attack unexpectedly. This uncertainty will creep inside your head, making exploration a lot more tense. See More

Top Pro

Really scary

Outlast combines its tense atmosphere, creepy setting, stellar sound design, and a cast of horrifying inpatients to deliver a truly nightmarish experience. The developers even replaced the usual flashlight found in horror games with a camcorder, which has this really creepy nightvision mode. See More

Transistor

Top Pro

Engrossing atmosphere

The plot, art-style & the soundtrack come together to make a very atmospheric game that does a great job at drawing you into the world. From the design each stage an its beautiful cyberpunk sprawl to the intricate look of the enemies it is difficult to no be enveloped by the atmosphere of the game. See More

Top Con

Not as engaging as previous title

The story in Transistor often seems unclear which results in the player feeling less engaged. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful soundtrack

This game features a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. It fits right in to the world the player inhabits. It ties in very well with the gameplay and art-style to create a very immersive atmosphere. See More

Top Pro

Deep storyline

Fantastic story line that is heavily cyberpunk themed. When beginning the game the player is dropped right into the action finding that their voice has been stolen to then slowly learn through gameplay and storytelling who exactly stole it. See More

Top Pro

Unique gameplay

No tutorial, you are dropped into the game, guided through it by an unseen narrator and intuition. See More

Top Pro

Complex, but simple, customization gives much to imagination and strategy

Throughout the game, you get these abilities, called Functions(), that are modular in design. They can be used in one of three ways: Active(): The activated version, or the base version. You use the Slash function, you slash. You can have up to four of these. Upgrade(): Use the current Function on an Active one. You can stack two upgrades on a single Active. Stacking the Slash() function on a Laser() will cause the Laser to now cut people in half. If you stack the Heal() function on it too, you now also get health back. Passive(): These usually only effect the protagonist, Red, and are not activated manually (although some activate an effect upon receiving damage). Put Get() with Bounce(), you now have an attack that will shoot a bullet that bounces to nearby enemies and pulls (gets) all the enemies hit to you. Add a stun upgrade, like Crash(), and you now have a pile of sleeping enemies in front of you. You can now hit them all with a massive explosion. The game can be beat with simple combos that don't require much setup or strategy, but it definitely rewards you for good thinking. See More

Top Pro

Awesome turn based + real time gameplay

Transistor is primarily a hack & slash style action RPG, but has an interesting twist in that you can pause time to plan out your next moves. This ability gives Transistor an element of strategy to the core battle mechanics as well as fluid gameplay. See More

Top Pro

Good Cyberpunk

Good cyberpunk is better than bad cyberpunk. See More

This War of Mine

Top Pro

Creates a sense of fear

Through using the use of sound/graphics as well as how pertinent it is to find supplies, going out into the world where almost all interactions are fraught with danger give a real sense of fear as to not get killed by the worlds survivors. Every sound or shadow moving makes for a world that should worry the player and then some. See More

Top Con

Crafting is difficult to grasp

While playing a huge role in the game the mechanics of crafting are not explained that well leaving the player to guess as to what they need to do, which can be frustrating. See More

Top Pro

Very immersive athmosphere

Top Pro

Realisticly tough decision making

Users must make many choices in game that can result in many realistic consequences. Should the player take a gun out with them to scavenge, what if they run into enemies and didn't bring one? What if they brought the gun but now don't have room in their inventory to collect all the items needed to survive the next day? See More

DOOM

Top Pro

Fantastic level design

The maps in the game are designed quite well with labyrinth aspects being used quite a bit. Many areas have different vertical levels that will tie in at some point to other areas in the stage, which makes traversing them a quest in exploration. This makes for a great way to hide objects, which you will need to search out as well as provides plenty of places for demons to hide. Overall the level design is well thought out and will allow those that love exploration to have plenty to do and see. See More

Top Con

The gore might not be for everyone

Many kill animations, particularly melee kill animations, are quite brutal. Some may find that level of graphic violence off-putting. See More

Specs

Genre:Horror FPS

Top Pro

Fast-paced, arena-style combat

The game has no cover-system and instead asks the player to react quickly to incoming threats. This is done through strafing, quick movements and quick thinking. By being able to dodge and jump the player needs to rely on very quick reflexes in order to succeed in the game, thankfully the game allows this to be done easily due to how nimble and mobile the character can be. This is very similar to Quake and Unreal Tournament styles of play. There is melee combat as well as gunplay. The melee has very gruesome and fun effects when using them, there is also a way to regain health through melee, so it will need to be used at times. The gunplay is also very solid and provides a good amount of guns to use, each with their own look and feel. See More

Top Con

Design may not appeal to everyone

Doom is focused on being an arena shooter at heart for single player and with multiplayer levels being designed without generating health but health pick ups, this is a game that harkens back to older shooters. Many players have moved beyond these gameplay styles and may not enjoy the old school feel of the game. See More

Top Pro

Fast-paced, exhilarating combat

DOOM differs from most modern shooters because it abandons cover-based gunplay and instead encourages you to never stop advancing. This is achieved by not only making your character very nimble, allowing you to run at high speeds and jump great distances, but also by removing weapon reloading entirely. There is also the glory kill system, which restores your health whenever you melee kill an enemy, so no waiting for your health to restore by itself either. All of this creates exhilarating gunplay where you never have to pause for anything. See More

Top Con

Enemy design can get stale

While this is a game designed around throwing mobs of enemies at the player, it would have been nice to see more variation in enemy design for these mobs. There are many transformed human workers scattered throughout, which can get stale after hours of play. See More

Top Pro

Powerful and customizable weapon selections

You start the game with a pistol, but almost immediately start getting new weapons such as the shotgun. During the gameplay new modifications will be unlocked for each weapon, which allows for a good set of customizability in order to fit with ones playstyle. Each weapon has two different mods that can be unlocked, each with their own upgrades. These are unlocked through combat kills, the more cool kills you make, the more upgrades you earn. Once all the upgrades are earned for a modification there will be a challenge that gets unlocked, once this challenge is completed another skill is unlocked that tends to be even more powerful that the others. Overall this give incentive to progress in the game in order to unlock newer and newer features for the gunplay in the game. See More

Top Pro

Refreshing single purpose gameplay

There is no character development, this is a single purpose game that makes itself very clear from the outset. You are in this game to do one thing, kill demons, sometimes in the most gruesome ways possible. The game is very unapologetic about this, which is refreshing in a time when many games focus on story and play out like an interactive movie. This is much more a throwback to simpler times, run and gun, and it can be quite fun. See More

Top Pro

Superb graphics that run quite well

The graphics in the game look extremely good, with plenty of particle effects and great lighting. Demons as well as bosses are animated with gusto and definitely put some fear in the player. What is even better is that the game was programmed well as it runs without any problems on a wide array of systems. Players should have no problem holding a steady 60fps as long as their graphics settings are set appropriately for their gear. See More

Top Pro

Fun hidden secrets

There are quite a few easter eggs and hidden secrets in the game, such as old school Doom 95 levels, a Commander Keen skull, a Terminator 2 animation or a hidden Halo toy that the player will fist bump. This give incentive to search out all areas of the game as you never know what you will find. See More

Top Pro

Intuitive health system

The player can regain health in two ways, one by finding health packs scattered around the level and two by killing enemies. The latter is a great way to stay in the action as there is no real need to stop and search for health as long as you are continually killing enemies (which should be no problem). See More

Top Pro

Longevity thanks to a level editor

There is a level editor included in the game meaning anyone can design their own levels. What is even better is that these levels can be shared online. This way there will be an endless amount of levels to play, making for a lot of longevity of play for those interested. See More

Top Pro

Old school style mutliplayer

There is no regenerating health in the multiplayer mode, users will have to rely on health and armor pickups, which are placed strategically in each map. This means each map has a certain flow in order to collect those items, much like how shooters were designed years ago. This gives an old school feel to the multiplayer and should appeal to those that miss this type of play. See More

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Top Pro

The infighting of voices in Senua's head is unnerving

The many voices in Senua's head, all with their own unique personalities, showcase her struggles with psychosis, with the voices either taunting Senua, picking at her weaknesses, or encouraging her to stand her ground and fight. They can also be useful in battle, with some voices warning Senua to look out behind her as a new enemy spawns and readies to attack her. Constant exposure to these voices is unsettling, because their constant back and forth with praise or insults can take a toll on you after a while. Playing with headphones on is a must in order to feel the full experience of the voices and how well they blend into the gameplay. See More

Top Con

A movie in disguise as a game

The designers clearly would rather be working in Hollywood. See More

Specs

Genre:Action-Adventure, Psychological Horror

Top Pro

Compelling main character

Bolstered by an award-winning performance from Melina Juergens, The story constantly pushes Senua to her limits, both through the innumerable enemies who challenge her and the voices in her head that mock her to give up her impossible journey. She is an incredibly vulnerable character who fights on with her many fears and doubts, showing a different type of protagonist in the gaming landscape. See More

Top Pro

Powerful environments and atmosphere

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice boasts a beautiful, yet haunted atmosphere that evokes powerful feelings of awe, with towering mountains that stretch on for miles, lakes that glitter in the sunset glow and reflect the intimidating architecture of the Norse halls throughout the environment. See More

Bioshock

Top Pro

Incredibly immersive plot and world

While the core of the story is told through character interaction, Bioshock does an incredible job making the world feel real by allowing you to discover more details of the world via reading diaries people left behind. This combined with the steampunk graphics style, fantastic soundtrack and the characters make an incredible atmospheric game. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:Single Player

Top Pro

Intelligent narrative upheld by gameplay

Has some literary value in its critique of objectivism, as well as game narrative and how players blindly follow orders given in games, touching upon how the 'interactive' nature of games can sometimes be a lite. Its themes of sacrifice and greed are reflected in its gameplay, making it a ludonarratively consonant game. See More

Metro 2033 Redux

Top Pro

Very immersive atmosphere

The look of the game is very bleak and yet believable. Venturing through sewers or abandoned train tracks no only looks fantastic but is complemented with great sound effects that really make the areas shine. See More

Top Con

Frustrating stealth sections

When trying to sneak past guards or stealth kill them, there is no discernible pattern that hey abide by. This is made worse as trying to stealth kill may sometimes miss (even though the item used is a silent throwing knife), which alerts every guard in the are, who will now know precisely where you are. This all can be frustrating as slight mistake, even ones that can not be avoided, will be ones downfall. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Road 96

RickZeeland's Experience

Now on offer on Steam for only $4.99 See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Killer Frequency

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

GRIS

Top Pro

Beautiful art

RickZeeland's Experience

Now on offer on Steam for only 4,24€ See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

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