Games Like Journey: Meditative Adventures That Stay With You

Journey is 90 minutes long. You control a robed figure crossing a desert toward a distant mountain. You can't die. You can't really fail. You can encounter another anonymous player in your session — you can't talk to them, but you can travel together if you want. And somehow thatgamecompany made one of the most affecting game experiences anyone has ever had.

Finding games like Journey means hunting for that specific blend: short, beautiful, wordless, emotional, meditative. These are games that prioritize feeling over challenge. Here's what works.

The thatgamecompany library

Flower is thatgamecompany's earlier meditative game. You're the wind, moving through fields, collecting petals. Pure atmospheric joy. Same developer as Journey, same philosophy.

Flow is their first game. Cellular organism exploration. Minimalist, relaxing.

Sky: Children of the Light is thatgamecompany's recent free-to-play social adventure. It expands on Journey's "travel with strangers" mechanic into a full ongoing experience. Genuinely captures Journey's magic.

The short meditative adventures

Abzu is from the lead designer of Journey's animation team. Underwater version of the Journey experience. Gorgeous, meditative, similarly short.

Sable is an indie coming-of-age desert exploration game with a visual style directly inspired by Journey's aesthetic. Longer than Journey but shares the contemplative pace.

The Pathless is from Giant Squid (the Abzu developers). Exploring a vast island with a bow and a falcon companion. Heavy Journey influence.

Gris is 2D platformer about grief. Watercolor art style, emotional storytelling without words, short and complete experience.

The wordless storytelling picks

Journey tells its story without a single word of dialogue. Games that match this commitment:

Inside is Playdead's puzzle platformer with unsettling atmosphere and wordless narrative. Completely different tone from Journey (dark rather than hopeful) but equal commitment to wordless storytelling. The games like Inside post has more.

Limbo is Playdead's predecessor to Inside. Silhouetted 2D platformer about a boy searching for his sister. Short, eerie, memorable. The games like Limbo post has more.

Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares 2 share the wordless storytelling approach with horror elements. The games like Little Nightmares post has more.

The meditative exploration adventures

Firewatch has dialogue but shares Journey's commitment to atmosphere over action. Wyoming wilderness summer romance tragedy. The games like Firewatch post has more.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of short stories told through interactive vignettes. Each family member's tale has different gameplay. Profoundly affecting.

Gone Home is first-person exploration of an empty house, piecing together the family's story. Essential for narrative gaming.

A Short Hike is the cozy version of Journey. Climb a mountain, talk to animals, relax. 60-90 minutes of pure joy.

The atmospheric indie picks

RiME is an emotional adventure about a boy on a mysterious island. Journey-adjacent aesthetics.

Lost Ember lets you possess various animals while exploring an ancient civilization's ruins. Meditative exploration.

Tchia is indie open-world adventure with soul-jumping mechanic. Captures Journey's exploration joy.

Dordogne is a gorgeous watercolor-painted memory exploration game. Short and emotional.

The poetic art games

Everything is... everything. You can play as any object in the universe. Genuinely weird, philosophically ambitious.

Mountain is a game where you watch a mountain exist. Yes, really. It's compelling in ways you wouldn't expect.

Kind Words is an anonymous letter-writing game where you send and receive encouragement from strangers. Pure kindness as mechanic.

If Found... is a narrative game about erasing your own story. Emotional, artistic, short.

The meditative exploration giants

The Witness is puzzle-based exploration on a beautiful island. Longer than Journey but shares the "discover through observation" philosophy.

Outer Wilds is cosmic exploration mystery. Not short but deeply meditative about discovery and meaning. The games like Outer Wilds post has more.

Subnautica has moments of pure wonder at underwater exploration that rival Journey. Different genre overall but hits similar notes. The subnautica tips post has more.

The multiplayer magic

Journey's anonymous multiplayer is one of its most special elements. Meeting a stranger you can't talk to but can travel with. Games that capture similar online magic:

Sky: Children of the Light directly extends Journey's multiplayer into a full game.

Death Stranding has asynchronous multiplayer where you share structures with other players across the world. You never meet them directly but their work helps you.

Noita — wildly different genre but captures "games can surprise you with their systems" in a way Journey's emergent multiplayer does.

What we make at Choost

We don't make meditative adventures — Granny's Rampage is chaotic bullet heaven, the opposite emotional register. But we love Journey's commitment to a specific feeling and executing it perfectly in 90 minutes. Some games are built to take hours of your life; others give you a brief, perfect experience. Both are valid. For more narrative-focused recommendations, the best narrative games and best story games posts have more.

The short answer

For the direct thatgamecompany experience: Sky: Children of the Light or Abzu.

For similar emotional weight: Gris or What Remains of Edith Finch.

For wordless storytelling: Inside or Limbo.

For cozy contemplation: A Short Hike.

For similar multiplayer magic: Sky: Children of the Light.

For meditative exploration: Outer Wilds or The Witness.

Journey is uniquely itself — 90 minutes of perfect atmospheric storytelling. Nothing else will be specifically it. But many games capture pieces of what made Journey special. Play several of these and you'll keep finding new angles on the same core feeling of exploration and connection.