Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Kanon (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Kanon 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: Air, which made by the same studio, Key.
- Kanon is tagged Adventure, Casual, Visual Novel, Simulation, Dating Sim, Choose Your Own Adventure, 2D, 2D Platformer 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.
- 5 are free to download, so you can test the resemblance yourself at no cost.
- 3 are from the same studio: Air, Clannad, Rewrite.
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
Air
Why it matched: made by the same studio, Key; both story-rich and relaxing; shares 15 player tags including Casual, Simulation and Visual Novel; released around the same time (2000).
Summer stretches on endlessly. Beneath the vast blue sky. Beneath the air in which she awaits— AIR, the second game released by visual novel studio Key, is now available on Steam! Now featuring the side story novel, "First Sky Chapter" and full voice support!
Air at a glance Released 2000 Studio Key Player sentiment 98% positive of 848 Price $29.99 CasualSimulationVisual NovelDating Sim2D PlatformerChoose Your Own Adventure2DCute
- 2
Clannad
Why it matched: made by the same studio, Key; both story-rich and relaxing; shares 12 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Romance.
From the world renowned visual novel studio Key, the highly rated story of CLANNAD is now available on Steam! Improved visuals, achievement integration, and Dangopedia make this the best version of CLANNAD to date.
Clannad at a glance Released 2004 Studio Key Player sentiment 98% positive of 10,936 Price $44.99 Visual NovelAnimeRomanceDramaGreat SoundtrackMultiple EndingsDating SimChoices Matter
- 3
Rewrite
Why it matched: made by the same studio, Key; both story-rich and relaxing; shares 12 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Casual.
In this city built upon the ideal coexistence of civilization and the environment, Tennouji Kotarou spends his days with his friends, Kanbe Kotori and Yoshino Haruhiko. In this peaceful city, a tumultuous event shakes the foundations of Kazamatsuri once a year.
Rewrite at a glance Released 2011 Studio Key Player sentiment 95% positive of 783 Price $49.99 Visual NovelAnimeCasualChoose Your Own AdventureSimulationDating Sim2DDrama
- 4
LoveChoice
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 11 player tags including Romance, Dating Sim and Choices Matter.
"What is love?" We try to answer that with this game. The game encourages people to have a warm, soft, and understanding heart.
LoveChoice at a glance Released 2021 Studio Akaba Studio Player sentiment 92% positive of 36,611 Price $1.99 RomanceDating SimChoices MatterVisual NovelMultiple EndingsGreat SoundtrackCuteSimulation
- 5
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 10 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Dating Sim.
Welcome to the club! Write poems for your crush and experience the terror of school romance in this critically-acclaimed psychological horror story.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! at a glance Released 2021 Studio Team Salvato Player sentiment 97% positive of 32,198 Price $14.99 Visual NovelAnimeDating SimCuteRomanceMultiple Endings2DText-Based
- 6
The Fruit of Grisaia
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 9 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Multiple Endings.
SIX FRUITS BARE THEIR FANGS AT THE WORLD. --The academy was their orchard. In this place of learning, protected by high walls from the outside world, there arrived a single young man who'd lost his purpose in life. He'd lost sight of what he wanted to protect.
The Fruit of Grisaia at a glance Released 2015 Studio Front Wing Player sentiment 92% positive of 1,119 Price $39.99 Visual NovelAnimeMultiple EndingsRomanceDating SimCuteCasualChoices Matter
- 7
Everlasting Summer
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 9 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Great Soundtrack.
Visual novel loved by many – Everlasting Summer – now on Steam!
Everlasting Summer at a glance Released 2014 Studio Soviet Games Player sentiment 94% positive of 78,073 Price Free Visual NovelAnimeGreat SoundtrackChoices MatterRomanceMultiple Endings2DDating Sim
- 8
Love Is All Around
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 9 player tags including Dating Sim, Visual Novel and Romance.
The player becomes Gu Yi, uses the first-person perspective to immerse himself in meeting six beauties, and embarks on a joyful and sweet love journey with them. Six girls that are charming, innocent, intelligent, wild, sexy, glamorous, who will go to the end with you is up to you to decide.
Love Is All Around at a glance Released 2023 Studio intiny Player sentiment 93% positive of 45,888 Price $9.99 Dating SimVisual NovelRomanceMultiple EndingsChoices MatterChoose Your Own AdventureEmotionalDrama
- 9
Emily is Away
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 9 player tags including Choices Matter, Simulation and Casual.
Emily is Away is an interactive story. Create a screenname and choose your path through the branching narrative.
Emily is Away at a glance Released 2015 Studio Kyle Seeley Player sentiment 89% positive of 32,339 Price Free Choices MatterSimulationCasualChoose Your Own AdventureVisual NovelRomanceDating SimText-Based
- 10
Tricolour Lovestory
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 9 player tags including Visual Novel, Dating Sim and Anime.
Time flies and never comes back. But with an incredible 1-million-word script and 100+ original CGs, this game will take you back to when you were young, simple and pure. Go and get the love of your life back, start something new, or end everything in flame, that's for you to decide!
Tricolour Lovestory at a glance Released 2017 Studio HL-Galgame Player sentiment 81% positive of 28,058 Price $1.99 Visual NovelDating SimAnimeSimulationCasualGreat SoundtrackRomanceDrama
- 11
Steins;Gate
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 8 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Great Soundtrack.
Developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus, STEINS;GATE was awarded Famitsu magazine's coveted annual Game of Excellence award and was voted one of the most emotionally charged “tear-inducing games” ever made, in a Famitsu poll. It is a gripping and moving Visual Novel, which has already spawned manga and anime adaptations.
Steins;Gate at a glance Released 2009 Studio 5pb. Inc. Player sentiment 97% positive of 26,892 Price $29.99 Visual NovelAnimeGreat SoundtrackMultiple EndingsChoices MatterRomanceDating SimCasual
- 12
Muv-Luv
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 7 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Romance; released around the same time (2003).
One of the most highly-acclaimed visual novel series arrives on Steam, newly revamped and officially in English! An interdimensional love story that takes high school romance on a roller-coaster ride through the depths of despair, culminating in a sci-fi grand finale of epic proportions.
Muv-Luv at a glance Released 2003 Studio âge Player sentiment 93% positive of 2,078 Price $11.99 Visual NovelAnimeRomanceCuteChoose Your Own AdventureCasualGreat Soundtrack
- 13
Fate/stay night
Why it matched: both story-rich; shares 9 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Multiple Endings.
Seek the root of the Fate franchise. Return to where it all began.
Fate/stay night at a glance Released 2004 Studio Type‐Moon Player sentiment 96% positive of 4,865 Price $29.99 Visual NovelAnimeMultiple EndingsEmotional2DChoices MatterChoose Your Own AdventureGreat Soundtrack
- 14
NEKOPARA Vol. 0
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 8 player tags including Anime, Visual Novel and Cute.
Please note that NEKOPARA Vol. 0 is a fandisc for NEKOPARA Vol. 1What's NEKOPARA? Why, it's a cat paradise! This is a story just before Kashou opened "La Soleil".Enjoy a page from the leisurely, daily lives of Shigure and the Minaduki household's catgirls!
NEKOPARA Vol. 0 at a glance Released 2015 Studio NEKO WORKs Player sentiment 94% positive of 17,786 Price $2.99 AnimeVisual NovelCuteDating SimCasual2DRomanceGreat Soundtrack
- 15
The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 8 player tags including Visual Novel, Multiple Endings and Dating Sim.
He is a bandit who sells lives. She is a mute girl seeking revenge. In a famine-ravaged ancient China, a ruthless trafficker escorts four girls to a demon's feast. But when a deadly secret is revealed, a cold transaction turns into a journey of redemption. A dark visual novel about an unlikely bond.
The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty at a glance Released 2024 Studio 零创游戏(ZerocreationGame) Player sentiment 94% positive of 59,944 Price $9.99 Visual NovelMultiple EndingsDating SimAnimeCuteDramaRomanceCasual
- 16
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 8 player tags including Dating Sim, Romance and Visual Novel.
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is a game where you play as a Dad and your goal is to meet and romance other hot Dads. Are you ready? Hi ready, I'm Dad.
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator at a glance Released 2017 Studio Game Grumps Player sentiment 92% positive of 6,260 Price $14.99 Dating SimRomanceVisual NovelSimulationCasualChoices MatterCuteMultiple Endings
- 17
Sakura Swim Club
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 8 player tags including Anime, Visual Novel and Dating Sim.
In Sakura Swim Club, follow the story of Kaede, just your average guy. Upon transferring to a new school, he meets two beautiful girls in the swim club. Things haven't gone well for the swim club lately, but with Kaede's help, that all changes.
Sakura Swim Club at a glance Released 2015 Studio Winged Cloud Player sentiment 85% positive of 2,772 Price $9.99 AnimeVisual NovelDating SimCasualCuteRomance2DChoices Matter
- 18
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 7 player tags including Visual Novel, Anime and Dating Sim.
The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Doki Doki Literature Club! at a glance Released 2017 Studio Team Salvato Player sentiment 96% positive of 227,039 Price Free Visual NovelAnimeDating SimCuteRomanceGreat SoundtrackCasual
- 19
OneShot
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 7 player tags including Great Soundtrack, Cute and Choices Matter.
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 Great SoundtrackCuteChoices MatterMultiple Endings2DCasualAnime
- 20
Eternal Senia
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 7 player tags including Anime, Great Soundtrack and Cute.
Thoughts and expectations ARPG
Eternal Senia at a glance Released 2015 Studio Sanctum Games Player sentiment 97% positive of 12,057 Price Free AnimeGreat SoundtrackCute2DMultiple EndingsCasualVisual Novel
- 21
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 7 player tags including Visual Novel, Choices Matter and Casual.
VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a booze em' up about waifus, technology, and post-dystopia life.
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action at a glance Released 2016 Studio Sukeban Games Player sentiment 97% positive of 38,684 Price $14.99 Visual NovelChoices MatterCasualSimulationAnime2DCute
- 22
HuniePop
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 7 player tags including Anime, Dating Sim and Romance.
HuniePop is a unique sim experience for PC, Mac and Linux. It's a gameplay first approach that's part dating sim, part puzzle game, with light RPG elements, a visual novel style of presentation, an abrasive western writing style and plenty of "plot".
HuniePop at a glance Released 2015 Studio HuniePot Player sentiment 96% positive of 31,679 Price $9.99 AnimeDating SimRomanceCuteCasualGreat Soundtrack2D
- 23
Volcano Princess
Why it matched: both story-rich; shares 8 player tags including Multiple Endings, Choices Matter and Anime.
Prepare the next monarch by finding her hobbies, training her for battle, and befriending the citizens she'll one day protect. Dive into an all-new parenting-simulator-RPG adventure, where every decision you make will not only affect the future of your daughter but that of an entire empire!
Volcano Princess at a glance Released 2023 Studio 养蛋人 Egg Hatcher Player sentiment 98% positive of 49,009 Price $10.99 Multiple EndingsChoices MatterAnimeDating SimSimulationVisual NovelCuteDrama
- 24
MapleStory
Why it matched: both story-rich and relaxing; shares 6 player tags including 2D Platformer, Multiple Endings and Cute; released around the same time (2003).
Join over 260 million players worldwide in MapleStory, the world’s biggest 2D MMORPG adventure! Play now for free.
MapleStory at a glance Released 2003 Studio Wizet Player sentiment 61% positive of 15,432 Price Free 2D PlatformerMultiple EndingsCuteAnime2DCasual
Common questions
What game is most like Kanon?
Air, on the evidence we have. It made by the same studio, Key. 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 Kanon" 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 Kanon. 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.
What else did the makers of Kanon do?
Air, Clannad, Rewrite are also from Key, and appear in the list below for that reason as well as on tag overlap.
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.