Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Fran Bow (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Fran Bow on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: My Beautiful Paper Smile, which both horror, psychological, fantasy, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle.
- Fran Bow is tagged Psychological Horror, Story Rich, Point & Click, Puzzle, Horror, Adventure, Indie, Dark by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
- 1 are free to download, so you can test the resemblance yourself at no cost.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
My Beautiful Paper Smile
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, fantasy, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 13 player tags including Psychological Horror, Horror and Hand-drawn.
Welcome, child, to your new home. Here you shall learn the art of perfection. Here you shall learn to smile. Be sure that smile doesn’t fade into sadness, or you will need to run and hide…
My Beautiful Paper Smile at a glance Released 2021 Studio Two Star Games Player sentiment 84% positive of 424 Price $14.99 Psychological HorrorHorrorHand-drawnStory RichPuzzlePoint & ClickHidden Object2D
- 2
Cube Escape: Paradox
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 11 player tags including Puzzle, Psychological Horror and Point & Click; released around the same time (2018).
The tenth Cube Escape follows the story of detective Dale Vandermeer who finds himself trapped in two different universes and needs to escape. Cube Escape: Paradox will be released together with the accompanying Paradox: A Rusty Lake Film.
Cube Escape: Paradox at a glance Released 2018 Studio Rusty Lake Player sentiment 97% positive of 12,197 Price Free PuzzlePsychological HorrorPoint & ClickIndieHorrorStory Rich2DDark
- 3
DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 10 player tags including Indie, Psychological Horror and Horror; released around the same time (2015).
DISTRAINT is a 2D psychological horror adventure game for PC. In order to secure a partnership in a famous company, Price seizes the property of an elderly woman. In that very moment, he finds out the price of his humanity.
DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition at a glance Released 2015 Studio Jesse Makkonen Player sentiment 93% positive of 12,901 Price $0.69 IndiePsychological HorrorHorror2DStory RichDarkPuzzlePsychological
- 4
Sally Face - Episode One
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 9 player tags including Story Rich, Psychological Horror and Indie; released around the same time (2016).
An unsettling adventure following a boy with a prosthetic face. After a string of mysterious murders, Sal and his three friends discover something truly sinister casting shadows over their small town.
Sally Face - Episode One at a glance Released 2016 Studio Portable Moose Player sentiment 97% positive of 29,068 Price $2.99 Story RichPsychological HorrorIndieHorrorDarkPuzzlePoint & ClickHand-drawn
- 5
Pony Island
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 9 player tags including Puzzle, Indie and Psychological Horror; released around the same time (2016).
Pony Island is a suspense puzzle game in disguise. You are in limbo, trapped in a malevolent and malfunctioning arcade machine devised by the devil himself. It is not a game about ponies.
Pony Island at a glance Released 2016 Studio Daniel Mullins Games Player sentiment 95% positive of 18,104 Price $4.99 PuzzleIndiePsychological HorrorHorrorDarkGreat Soundtrack2DStory Rich
- 6
What Remains of Edith Finch
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 8 player tags including Story Rich, Female Protagonist and Indie; released around the same time (2017).
What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington state. As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she's the last one in her family left alive.
What Remains of Edith Finch at a glance Released 2017 Studio Giant Sparrow Player sentiment 96% positive of 52,603 Price $4.99 Story RichFemale ProtagonistIndieGreat SoundtrackPsychological HorrorDarkPuzzleHorror
- 7
Little Nightmares
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 8 player tags including Horror, Dark and Puzzle; released around the same time (2017).
Take on the role of Six, a lone child lost in a massive metal vessel known as the Maw, surrounded by dangerous, distorted versions of adults. You’ll need to do your best to escape in one piece or your fate will be worse than you ever dared dream.
Little Nightmares at a glance Released 2017 Studio Tarsier Studios Player sentiment 95% positive of 116,529 Price $19.99 HorrorDarkPuzzleIndieStory RichPsychological HorrorGreat SoundtrackFemale Protagonist
- 8
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, fantasy, story-rich and atmospheric; shares 8 player tags including Psychological, Story Rich and Female Protagonist; released around the same time (2017).
From the makers of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and DmC: Devil May Cry, comes a warrior’s brutal journey into myth and madness. Set in the Viking age, a broken Celtic warrior embarks on a haunting vision quest into Viking Hell to fight for the soul of her dead lover.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice at a glance Released 2017 Studio Ninja Theory Player sentiment 90% positive of 76,521 Price $29.99 PsychologicalStory RichFemale ProtagonistDarkHorrorDark FantasyIndieFantasy
- 9
Layers of Fear (2016)
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 8 player tags including Horror, Psychological Horror and Story Rich; released around the same time (2016).
A first-person psychological horror with a strong emphasis on atmosphere and storytelling. Explore an ever-shifting Victorian mansion as a painter seeking to complete his masterpiece, even at the cost of his own sanity.
Layers of Fear (2016) at a glance Released 2016 Studio Bloober Team SA Player sentiment 88% positive of 27,676 Price $1.99 HorrorPsychological HorrorStory RichIndieDarkPuzzleGreat SoundtrackSurreal
- 10
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 8 player tags including Puzzle, Story Rich and Psychological Horror; released around the same time (2016).
Nine participants awaken, trapped in an underground facility. To escape, they must play a game with deadly consequences. Who will live, and who will die? The choice is yours. Let the Decision Game begin…
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma at a glance Released 2016 Studio Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. Player sentiment 82% positive of 4,898 Price $19.99 PuzzleStory RichPsychological HorrorHorrorGreat SoundtrackGorePoint & ClickDark
- 11
Omori
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, fantasy, story-rich and atmospheric; shares 8 player tags including Psychological Horror, Story Rich and Indie.
Explore a strange world full of colorful friends and foes. When the time comes, the path you’ve chosen will determine your fate... and perhaps the fate of others as well.
Omori at a glance Released 2020 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 97% positive of 88,417 Price $19.99 Psychological HorrorStory RichIndieGreat SoundtrackHand-drawnHorror2DFantasy
- 12
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 8 player tags including Horror, Gore and Psychological Horror.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a first person survival horror. A game about immersion, discovery and living through a nightmare. An experience that will chill you to the core.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent at a glance Released 2010 Studio Frictional Games Player sentiment 95% positive of 35,674 Price $1.99 HorrorGorePsychological HorrorPuzzleDarkIndieStory RichSurreal
- 13
The Past Within
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 8 player tags including Puzzle, Horror and Point & Click.
The Past Within is the new co-op experience from Rusty Lake! Play together with someone you deem trustworthy: one in The Past, the other in The Future. Observe and communicate what you see around you. Solve the puzzles and uncover Albert Vanderboom’s plan.
The Past Within at a glance Released 2022 Studio Rusty Lake Player sentiment 95% positive of 16,814 Price $5.99 PuzzleHorrorPoint & ClickIndiePsychological HorrorStory Rich2DSurreal
- 14
The Room
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Puzzle, Point & Click and Indie; released around the same time (2014).
A mysterious invitation leads to the attic of an abandoned house. In the room is a cast-iron safe laced with strange carvings and on top, a note from your distant companion. It promises something ancient and astonishing concealed in the iron chamber - you need only find a way in.
The Room at a glance Released 2014 Studio Fireproof Games Player sentiment 98% positive of 31,750 Price $4.99 PuzzlePoint & ClickIndieHidden ObjectHorrorDarkStory Rich
- 15
OneShot
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Story Rich, Indie and Great Soundtrack; released around the same time (2016).
OneShot is a surreal top down Puzzle/Adventure game with unique gameplay capabilities. You are to guide a child through a mysterious world on a mission to restore its long-dead sun. The world knows you exist.
OneShot at a glance Released 2016 Studio Future Cat LLC Player sentiment 98% positive of 64,849 Price $9.99 Story RichIndieGreat SoundtrackPuzzle2DSurrealPsychological Horror
- 16
A Plague Tale: Innocence
Why it matched: both horror, fantasy, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Story Rich, Female Protagonist and Dark; released around the same time (2019).
Follow the grim tale of young Amicia and her little brother Hugo, in a heartrending journey through the darkest hours of history.
A Plague Tale: Innocence at a glance Released 2019 Studio Asobo Studio Player sentiment 93% positive of 71,473 Price $39.99 Story RichFemale ProtagonistDarkHorrorGreat SoundtrackPuzzleDark Fantasy
- 17
Kathy Rain
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Point & Click, Female Protagonist and Indie; released around the same time (2016).
Set in the '90s, Kathy Rain tells the story of a strong-willed journalism major who has to come to terms with her troubled past as she investigates the mysterious death of her recently deceased grandfather.
Kathy Rain at a glance Released 2016 Studio Clifftop Games Player sentiment 92% positive of 4,003 Price $9.99 Point & ClickFemale ProtagonistIndieStory RichPuzzlePsychological HorrorHand-drawn
- 18
Alice: Madness Returns
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, fantasy, story-rich and atmospheric; shares 7 player tags including Horror, Female Protagonist and Dark Fantasy; released around the same time (2011).
Alice: Madness Returns is a third-person, single-player, action adventure platformer. Visit the grim reality of Victorian London and travel to the beautiful yet ghastly Wonderland to uncover the root of Alice's madness.
Alice: Madness Returns at a glance Released 2011 Studio Spicy Horse Player sentiment 91% positive of 30,764 Price $9.99 HorrorFemale ProtagonistDark FantasyStory RichPsychologicalSurrealFantasy
- 19
Bendy and the Ink Machine
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Horror, Puzzle and Dark; released around the same time (2017).
Bendy and the Ink Machine® is the first person puzzle action horror game that will forever ruin your childhood love of cartoons.
Bendy and the Ink Machine at a glance Released 2017 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 89% positive of 36,934 Price $5.99 HorrorPuzzleDarkIndieStory RichGreat SoundtrackPsychological Horror
- 20
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Female Protagonist, Story Rich and Great Soundtrack; released around the same time (2017).
A new cast of 16 characters find themselves kidnapped and imprisoned in a school. Inside, some will kill, some will die, and some will be punished. Reimagine what you thought high-stakes, fast-paced investigation was as you investigate twisted murder cases and condemn your new friends to death.
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony at a glance Released 2017 Studio Spike Chunsoft Player sentiment 83% positive of 23,187 Price $39.99 Female ProtagonistStory RichGreat SoundtrackPsychological HorrorHorrorPuzzleDark
- 21
Lucius
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Horror, Gore and Puzzle; released around the same time (2012).
Equipped with supernatural powers, take control of Lucius as he begins his blood filled tour of horror through his own house.
Lucius at a glance Released 2012 Studio Shiver Games Player sentiment 81% positive of 10,912 Price $1.99 HorrorGorePuzzleIndieDarkPsychological HorrorStory Rich
- 22
We Were Here Forever
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, fantasy, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 6 player tags including Puzzle, Fantasy and Psychological Horror.
You both awaken imprisoned inside the sinister Castle Rock - were you betrayed, or simply not that clever? Find out in the greatest co-op puzzle adventure in the We Were Here Series! Do you and your partner have what it takes to face the dark forces of this realm or will you be trapped… forever?
We Were Here Forever at a glance Released 2022 Studio Total Mayhem Games Player sentiment 91% positive of 18,807 Price $17.99 PuzzleFantasyPsychological HorrorStory RichDarkHorror
- 23
Little Nightmares II
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Horror, Puzzle and Dark.
Little Nightmares II is the second game in a series that has thrilled and captivated millions of players worldwide since 2017. Now it’s your turn to try to survive this critically acclaimed entry in the most charming horror series ever made.
Little Nightmares II at a glance Released 2021 Studio Tarsier Studios Player sentiment 93% positive of 58,455 Price $29.99 HorrorPuzzleDarkPsychological HorrorStory RichIndieGreat Soundtrack
- 24
Puzzle Agent
Why it matched: both horror, psychological, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including Puzzle, Point & Click and Surreal.
Created with indie comic artist Graham Annable's unique narrative and visual sensibilities, delivered with the distinctive Telltale storytelling style, Puzzle Agent is sure to challenge, thrill and engage in more ways than you can shake a cryptogram at!
Puzzle Agent at a glance Released 2010 Studio Telltale Player sentiment 89% positive of 2,838 Price $4.99 PuzzlePoint & ClickSurrealHorrorHand-drawn2DStory Rich
Common questions
What game is most like Fran Bow?
My Beautiful Paper Smile, on the evidence we have. It both horror, psychological, fantasy, story-rich, atmospheric and puzzle. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to Fran Bow" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with Fran Bow. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.