Games Like Control: Weird Fiction Action Games Worth Playing

Control is Remedy Entertainment's masterpiece. You play Jesse Faden, the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Control, navigating the Oldest House — a building that exists partially outside normal reality — while supernatural entities called the Hiss invade. The combat mixes gunplay with telekinetic powers. The atmosphere is SCP Foundation meets bureaucratic dread. And the writing is unlike anything else in gaming.

Finding games like Control means hunting for that specific intersection: supernatural/weird fiction atmosphere, action-driven gameplay with abilities, and writing that takes itself seriously in interesting ways. Here's what delivers.

The Remedy universe

Alan Wake 2 is Remedy's most recent work and it shares universe with Control. Alan Wake appears in Control's AWE expansion. Remedy's whole catalog forms a connected multiverse. If you loved Control's vibe, AW2 delivers more of it. The games like Alan Wake post has more.

Alan Wake (original) is from 2010 but the remastered version holds up. Psychological horror in a Washington state town. Flashlight-based combat mechanic that influenced a lot of later horror design.

Quantum Break is earlier Remedy with time-manipulation powers. Less polished than Control but the specific Remedy-ness is fully there.

Max Payne 3 isn't Remedy (Rockstar developed this one) but the first two Max Payne games are Remedy classics that set up their house style. Bullet time, noir narrative, heavy atmosphere.

The weird fiction/SCP neighborhood

SIGNALIS is retro-style survival horror with dream-logic narrative structure and themes of identity, memory, and bureaucratic horror. Made by two people, punches massively above its weight.

The Outer Wilds is cosmic mystery adventure. Less combat-focused than Control but the specific "something is very wrong with reality and you need to figure out what" energy is pure Control DNA. The games like Outer Wilds post covers this.

SOMA from Frictional is underwater sci-fi horror with deep philosophical writing. Different mechanical design but shares Control's commitment to ideas.

Observer is cyberpunk horror from Bloober Team. Memory-diving detective work in a dark future. Starred Rutger Hauer in his final role.

The supernatural-powers action picks

Control's specific joy is its combat — gunplay enhanced with telekinesis, levitation, shields made of debris. Games that nail similar abilities-driven action:

Prey (2017) is first-person immersive sim with supernatural alien powers (eventually). You can mimic objects, manipulate enemies, combine abilities in creative ways. Not identical to Control but shares the "experiment with your powers to solve problems" philosophy.

Dishonored 2 is supernatural first-person stealth action. Each protagonist has unique abilities that combine in interesting ways. Beautiful level design encourages creative problem-solving.

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is old-school but still unmatched for pure telekinesis fun. Not easily available on modern platforms but worth finding.

Second Sight is another classic psychic-powers action game from the early 2000s. Underrated gem.

The immersive sim siblings

Control has immersive sim DNA beneath its action veneer. The Oldest House is explored and re-explored. New abilities unlock new paths. Games that extend this approach:

Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided are cyberpunk immersive sims. Different aesthetic from Control but similar "make choices that matter, explore to find secrets" philosophy. The games like Deus Ex post has more.

System Shock Remake is the 2023 remake of the genre originator. Cyberpunk space horror with heavy exploration. The games like System Shock post has more.

BioShock Infinite has supernatural powers combined with gunplay similar to Control. Different setting (early 1900s flying city) and more linear but atmospheric and beautifully told.

The action horror picks

The Evil Within 2 from Shinji Mikami has reality-warping horror with action combat. Different tonal mood from Control but similar "things get weird and you shoot your way through" approach.

Scarlet Nexus has psychokinetic combat with narrative emphasis. Not quite at Control's level of polish but attempts similar fusion.

Returnal is roguelike third-person shooter with supernatural atmosphere. The games like Returnal post has more.

The narrative-forward alternatives

Control's story is a big piece of what makes it special. Games that match the weird-fiction narrative ambition:

Disco Elysium is a detective RPG with surreal dream logic and profound writing. Different genre entirely but shares Control's commitment to ambitious storytelling.

Kentucky Route Zero is a narrative adventure about a mysterious highway in Kentucky. Atmospheric, strange, devastating.

The Talos Principle 2 is a philosophical puzzle game with ambitious storytelling. Not at all like Control mechanically but similarly intellectually serious.

The indie "Control vibes" picks

Hypnospace Outlaw is a detective game set in a fictional 1990s internet. The bureaucratic weird-fiction humor matches Control's sense of place.

Cruelty Squad is an immersive sim so aggressively strange it loops around to brilliance. Not for everyone but if the aesthetic calls to you, nothing else like it exists.

Death Stranding from Kojima Productions is packaging-delivery simulator with supernatural elements and ambitious storytelling. Wildly different gameplay but similar commitment to taking itself seriously.

What we make at Choost

We don't make weird-fiction narrative games — the writing craft required is a specific discipline. But we love how Control commits to its atmosphere even in its UI design and marketing. Granny's Rampage has similar commitment to its specific tone (power-fantasy bullet heaven with a grandma) even though the genres are wildly different. For other recommendations in adjacent spaces, the games like Alan Wake post covers the Remedy universe more.

The short answer

For Remedy's universe expansion: Alan Wake 2.

For similar supernatural action: Prey (2017) or Dishonored 2.

For the weird fiction atmosphere: Outer Wilds or SOMA.

For narrative ambition: Disco Elysium or Kentucky Route Zero.

For indie weirdness: Hypnospace Outlaw or Cruelty Squad.

For cosmic mystery structure: Signalis or Outer Wilds.

Control exists at a specific intersection that very few games even aim for. Nothing else is specifically Control. But its influences and fellow travelers live across enough games that you can build a playlist covering the same receptors. Start with Alan Wake 2 if you haven't — it's the most direct continuation of Control's world.