Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Polarity (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Polarity 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: Defy Gravity Extended, which both science fiction, puzzle and difficult.
- Polarity is tagged Puzzle, First-Person, Indie, Local Co-Op, Adventure, Singleplayer, Action, Strategy 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.
- 2 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
Defy Gravity Extended
Why it matched: both science fiction, puzzle and difficult; shares 9 player tags including Platformer, Indie and Puzzle; released around the same time (2016).
Defy Gravity is an action platformer that is a mix between classic platforming and gravity based puzzle solving.
Defy Gravity Extended at a glance Released 2016 Studio Paul Fisch Player sentiment 86% positive of 8,531 Price $0.55 PlatformerIndiePuzzleSpaceDifficultSci-fiGreat SoundtrackRetro
- 2
The Lab
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and puzzle; shares 7 player tags including First-Person, Sandbox and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2016).
Welcome to The Lab, a compilation of Valve’s room-scale VR experiments set in a pocket universe within Aperture Science. Fix a robot, defend a castle, adopt a mechanical dog, and more. Still not sold? It’s free!
The Lab at a glance Released 2016 Studio Valve Player sentiment 95% positive of 6,671 Price Free First-PersonSandboxSci-fiFPSPuzzleShooterStrategy
- 3
Antichamber
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric, puzzle and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Puzzle, First-Person and Indie; released around the same time (2013).
Antichamber is a mind-bending psychological exploration game where nothing can be taken for granted. Discover an Escher-like world where hallways wrap around upon each other, spaces reconfigure themselves, and accomplishing the impossible may just be the only way forward.
Antichamber at a glance Released 2013 Studio Alexander Bruce Player sentiment 95% positive of 17,755 Price $19.99 PuzzleFirst-PersonIndieDifficultGreat SoundtrackSci-fiPlatformer
- 4
SCP: Secret Laboratory
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 7 player tags including First-Person, Shooter and FPS; released around the same time (2017).
Deep within a secure underground facility, a sudden containment breach allows many of the secured anomalies to escape from their chambers. Assist the Foundation in re-securing the facility, help the Insurgency in their goal to capture it, or wreak havoc as an SCP in a frantic bid to escape.
SCP: Secret Laboratory at a glance Released 2017 Studio Northwood Studios Player sentiment 91% positive of 234,020 Price Free First-PersonShooterFPSSci-fiStrategyDifficultIndie
- 5
Ikaruga
Why it matched: both science fiction, puzzle and difficult; shares 9 player tags including Great Soundtrack, Shooter and Sci-fi.
Shoot! Dodge! and... Get Hit!? "Ikaruga" is a vertical shoot 'em up that features an unique polarity-switching gameplay. Switch the ship's polarity and "get hit and absorb" enemy bullets! Achieve High Score with the chain bonus!
Ikaruga at a glance Released 2001 Studio Treasure Player sentiment 95% positive of 2,364 Price $9.99 Great SoundtrackShooterSci-fiDifficultIndieLocal Co-OpRetroSpace
- 6
Hitman: Blood Money
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Great Soundtrack, Sandbox and Puzzle.
Money Talks. Silence Pays. Prepare to Make a Killing. When assassins from Agent 47's contract agency, The ICA, are eliminated in a series of hits, it seems a larger, more powerful agency has entered the fray. Sensing he may be a target, 47 travels to America, and prepares to make a killing.
Hitman: Blood Money at a glance Released 2006 Studio Feral Interactive Player sentiment 94% positive of 16,066 Price $9.99 Great SoundtrackSandboxPuzzleShooterFirst-PersonDifficultStrategy
- 7
SpaceChem
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Puzzle, Difficult and Indie.
Zachtronics is back with an ambitious new design-based puzzle game. Take on the role of a Reactor Engineer working for SpaceChem, the leading chemical synthesizer for frontier colonies. Construct elaborate factories to transform raw materials into valuable chemical products!
SpaceChem at a glance Released 2011 Studio Zachtronics Player sentiment 92% positive of 5,085 Price $9.99 PuzzleDifficultIndieSci-fiGreat SoundtrackSpaceStrategy
- 8
Sanctum
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including FPS, Strategy and Indie.
You think Tower Defense games are all about building? You thought wrong. Sanctum is not your average Tower Defense title. When the havoc starts, you get to join the fray! As one of the world’s first First Person Shooter - Tower Defense games, Sanctum has taken the best of both worlds to deliver an epic, one-of-a-kind experience.
Sanctum at a glance Released 2011 Studio Coffee Stain Studios Player sentiment 89% positive of 3,359 Price $1.99 FPSStrategyIndieSci-fiFirst-PersonShooterGreat SoundtrackDifficult
- 9
Baba Is You
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Puzzle, Indie and Difficult; released around the same time (2019).
Baba Is You is a puzzle game where the rules you have to follow are present as blocks you can interact with. By manipulating them, you can change how the game works, repurpose things you find in the levels and cause surprising interactions!
Baba Is You at a glance Released 2019 Studio Hempuli Oy Player sentiment 98% positive of 24,536 Price $14.99 PuzzleIndieDifficultGreat SoundtrackRetroStrategy
- 10
Papers, Please
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Indie, Puzzle and Retro; released around the same time (2013).
Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.
Papers, Please at a glance Released 2013 Studio Lucas Pope Player sentiment 97% positive of 80,337 Price $9.99 IndiePuzzleRetroGreat SoundtrackStrategyDifficult
- 11
VVVVVV
Why it matched: both science fiction, puzzle and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Platformer, Indie and Great Soundtrack.
VVVVVV is a platform game all about exploring one simple mechanical idea - what if you reversed gravity instead of jumping?
VVVVVV at a glance Released 2010 Studio Terry Cavanagh Player sentiment 96% positive of 10,540 Price $4.99 PlatformerIndieGreat SoundtrackDifficultRetroSci-fiPuzzleSpace
- 12
Natural Selection 2
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, FPS and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2012).
A fast paced multiplayer shooter that pits aliens against humans in a strategic and action-packed struggle for survival!
Natural Selection 2 at a glance Released 2012 Studio Unknown Worlds Entertainment Player sentiment 85% positive of 13,363 Price $4.99 StrategyFPSSci-fiIndieShooterFirst-PersonSpace
- 13
Titan Souls
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Difficult, Indie and Great Soundtrack; released around the same time (2015).
Between our world and the world beyond lie the Titan Souls, the spiritual source of all living things. Scattered amongst the ruins and guarded by the idle titans charged with their care, a solitary hero armed with a single arrow is assembling shards of the Titan Soul in a quest for truth and power.
Titan Souls at a glance Released 2015 Studio Acid Nerve Player sentiment 79% positive of 13,818 Price $14.99 DifficultIndieGreat SoundtrackRetroPuzzleStrategy
- 14
Cortex Command
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Indie and Sandbox; released around the same time (2012).
Choose between different factions, with their own set of expendable soldiers, mechas, and weapons. Protect your brain, mine gold, and destroy the enemy cortex in his bunker complex!
Cortex Command at a glance Released 2012 Studio Data Realms Player sentiment 72% positive of 6,034 Price $19.99 StrategyIndieSandboxLocal Co-OpSci-fiDifficultPlatformer
- 15
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 5 player tags including Strategy, Indie and Difficult; released around the same time (2016).
Shadow Tactics is a hardcore tactical stealth game set in Japan around the Edo period. A new Shogun seizes power over Japan and enforces nationwide peace. In his battle against conspiracy and rebellion, he recruits five specialists with extraordinary skills for assassination, sabotage and espionage.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun at a glance Released 2016 Studio Mimimi Games Player sentiment 96% positive of 38,415 Price $3.99 StrategyIndieDifficultPuzzleGreat Soundtrack
- 16
Alien: Isolation
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Sci-fi, First-Person and Space; released around the same time (2014).
Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a survival horror set in an atmosphere of constant dread and mortal danger.
Alien: Isolation at a glance Released 2014 Studio Creative Assembly Player sentiment 93% positive of 66,658 Price $11.99 Sci-fiFirst-PersonSpaceDifficultGreat SoundtrackFPSShooter
- 17
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 5 player tags including Strategy, Sci-fi and Great Soundtrack; released around the same time (2018).
MECHANICUS II ANNOUNCED! Take control of one of the most technologically advanced factions in the Imperium: the Adeptus Mechanicus. In this turn-based tactical game, your every decision will weigh heavily on the outcome of the conflict. Will you be blessed by the Omnissiah?
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus at a glance Released 2018 Studio Bulwark Studios Player sentiment 91% positive of 14,603 Price $29.99 StrategySci-fiGreat SoundtrackIndieDifficult
- 18
Serious Sam II
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and difficult; shares 7 player tags including FPS, Shooter and First-Person; released around the same time (2012).
Serious Sam II is a shot of adrenaline to the hearts of first-person shooter fans across the world. This is serious!
Serious Sam II at a glance Released 2012 Studio Croteam Player sentiment 90% positive of 14,188 Price $9.99 FPSShooterFirst-PersonIndieSci-fiGreat SoundtrackDifficult
- 19
Braid
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Puzzle, Platformer and Indie.
This is the original version of Braid from 2009, which may not work well on newer systems. For an updated version of the game with nicer graphics, more levels and a large amount of developer commentary, see Braid, Anniversary Edition.
Braid at a glance Released 2008 Studio Jonathan Blow Player sentiment 93% positive of 9,957 Price $14.99 PuzzlePlatformerIndieGreat SoundtrackDifficultStrategy
- 20
Gunpoint
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy and puzzle; shares 6 player tags including Indie, Puzzle and Strategy; released around the same time (2013).
Gunpoint is a stealth puzzle game that lets you rewire its levels to trick people. You play a freelance spy who takes jobs from his clients to break into high security buildings and steal sensitive data.
Gunpoint at a glance Released 2013 Studio Suspicious Developments Player sentiment 98% positive of 13,326 Price $9.99 IndiePuzzleStrategyPlatformerGreat SoundtrackSci-fi
- 21
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S: HELP WANTED
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 5 player tags including First-Person, Difficult and Puzzle; released around the same time (2019).
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted is a collection of classic and original mini-games set in the Five Nights universe. Experience the horror in flat (non-VR) mode or VR. Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are supported. A VR Headset is NOT required to play.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S: HELP WANTED at a glance Released 2019 Studio Steel Wool Studios Player sentiment 96% positive of 13,118 Price $29.99 First-PersonDifficultPuzzleIndieStrategy
- 22
Legend of Grimrock
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 5 player tags including Indie, First-Person and Puzzle; released around the same time (2012).
Use the Dungeon Editor to build entirely new adventures and challenges for other players to solve.
Legend of Grimrock at a glance Released 2012 Studio Almost Human Games Player sentiment 93% positive of 6,729 Price $2.99 IndieFirst-PersonPuzzleRetroDifficult
- 23
BONEWORKS
Why it matched: both science fiction and puzzle; shares 8 player tags including Sandbox, Shooter and Great Soundtrack; released around the same time (2019).
BONEWORKS is an Experimental Physics VR Adventure. Use found physics weapons, tools, and objects to fight across dangerous playscapes and mysterious architecture.
BONEWORKS at a glance Released 2019 Studio Stress Level Zero Player sentiment 92% positive of 36,454 Price $29.99 SandboxShooterGreat SoundtrackPuzzleFirst-PersonFPSIndieSci-fi
- 24
The Escapists 2
Why it matched: both strategy, puzzle and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, Local Co-Op and Indie; released around the same time (2017).
Craft, Steal, Brawl and Escape! It’s time to bust out of the toughest prisons in the world as you return to the life of an inmate in The Escapists 2, now with multiplayer! Have you got what it takes to escape?
The Escapists 2 at a glance Released 2017 Studio Team17 Player sentiment 91% positive of 33,775 Price $19.99 StrategyLocal Co-OpIndieSandboxPuzzleDifficult
Common questions
What game is most like Polarity?
Defy Gravity Extended, on the evidence we have. It both science fiction, puzzle and difficult. 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 Polarity" 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 Polarity. 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.