28 Games Like Limbo
Our collection of games like Limbo has plenty of puzzle games that also incorporate platform like elements for fans of puzzle solving adventures.
The release of Limbo in 2010 added new life to a somewhat stale genre at the time with its unique take on the genre and pleasant art style. The gameplay revolves around players completing various physics based puzzles as they attempt to rescue their sister from the unknown.
The game world takes place in a 2D environment and uses a monochromatic art style to create a dark atmosphere which has been the cornerstone of praise from critics. Limbo has also scored many awards since its release and has been credited as opening up the puzzle genre to wider audience thanks to its popularity.
The games like Limbo found on this page offer a similar high quality puzzle experience. These titles also have platform elements, physic based puzzles and dark art directions that are reminiscent of Limbo.
INSIDE
Following the impressively popular Limbo is INSIDE a similar themed puzzle platform adventure that sees the player guiding a young boy through a darkly theme world. Along the way you’ll uncover the mysteries of this world while completing environmental puzzles in the 2.5D side scrolling environments. For plot the game opens up with your nameless dark haired boy (with a striking red shirt) sliding down a steep rock face. Opening up into a forest you’ll run, stumble and balance your wa...[Read Review]
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an adventure game with an impressive story and interesting list of mechanics. The game was released in late 2013 and is available on Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The story follows the journey of two brothers (players control both characters) as they attempt to collect the powerful waters from the Tree of Life in order to save their father who has become very ill. Without their mother (who drowned some time ago) the boys are desperate to save their only rem...[Read Review]
Braid
Braid mixes the puzzle and platform genre to create a unique experience that has been highly praised by critics since release. The game originally launched on the Xbox 360 platform and eventually made its way to Windows, Mac and PlayStation. In Braid players take control of Tim as he attempts to rescue the princess from a dark magical monster. The relationship between you and the princess is vague but players soon become aware that Tim has recently made some sort of error that he wishes he could...[Read Review]
Fez
Released in April 2012 Fez is a puzzle experience like no other with its focus on game world manipulation (rotation) to solve puzzles rather than direct interaction from your avatar. With this unique premise combining with a fantastic art style and story Fez is a puzzle game that is more about the experience and overall design than delivering extreme brain teasing puzzles. For those that do consider themselves hardcore puzzle gamers that desire insanely difficult puzzles the anti-cube system mor...[Read Review]
Never Alone
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) takes an interesting idea and turns it into an even more interesting experience. With a strong atmosphere blending with puzzle and platform mechanics Never Alone tells an insightful story of Alaska Natives. During the adventure you play as a young Inupiat girl (Nuna) and an artic fox as they assist each other to make their way through the harsh artic environment to find the source of the eternal blizzard. This journey will take you across the frozen tundra, into p...[Read Review]
Machinarium
Machinarium offers a unique and addicting puzzle adventure game across a number of platforms. The game was originally released in 2009 for Windows and Mac with follow up releases for PlayStation 3, Android and iOS. Machinarium uses a point and click style of adventure along with a unique art style and no game dialogue. This no dialogue policy extends to spoken and written language so Machinarium definitely packs a unique experience that you no doubt haven’t seen before. The overall objective in ...[Read Review]
Ibb and Obb
Ibb and Obb is built around the premise of being a co-operative puzzle game for your PlayStation 3 and accordingly is available through the PlayStation Store. While Ibb and Obb can definitely be played alone the design and mechanics makes this a significantly harder experience as control of both characters will be in your single hands which becomes increasingly difficulty as the puzzles intensify throughout the core levels and constantly evolving game world. As the name suggests Ibb and Obb is b...[Read Review]
Oscura: Lost Light
After accidentally destroying the Aurora Stone, Oscura finds himself needing to track down the shards which are now scattered around the Driftlands with many dark creatures between you and these fragments. As this stone was the power behind the lighthouse that lit up these lands it’s an extremely important adventure that holds the fate of many on the line. This accident wasn’t all bad though as it bestowed the power of fire within your hand which will serve as your main weapon in thi...[Read Review]
Albert and Otto
Opting to take players to the heart of a pre-World War II Germany for a puzzle platforming experience is Albert and Otto. Not only is it quite possibly the only game in this genre to adopt such a setting it’s also the one game to feature a magical bunny. While this is where the uniqueness ends with fairly typical platform mechanics and a simple colour palette in a similar vein to Limbo Albert and Otto is a high quality offering and stands out nicely against the sea of puzzle indie titles t...[Read Review]
The Swapper
The Swapper is a puzzle game that is all about cloning yourself in an endless cycle in order to explore the eerie abandoned space station that you find yourself trapped within. With this dark atmosphere of The Swapper the visuals and atmospheric elements are just as strong as the unique core puzzle mechanics and adventure experience. In The Swapper players get the chance to explore a futuristic research facility and space station known as Theseus without much initial context and who, what, where...[Read Review]
And Yet It Moves
And Yet It Moves offers a unique platform experience and was put together by the indie developer Broken Rules. The game was released in 2009 for Windows and Mac. The origins of the game start back as a science project which after receiving a large number of game award nominations grew into a full game experience. The game is as unique as it is fun with players controlling their character through a variety of puzzles and dangerous environments. The core element that players use to solve these puz...[Read Review]
Trine 2
Trine 2 is a side scrolling adventure that uses platform and puzzle elements to create an addictive mixture of genres. The game is available on numerous platforms including Windows, PlayStation, Wii U and Xbox with a release in December of 2011. The game is very similar to the original game expanding on the story and game mechanics of the original popular game. Trine 2 takes place a few years after the original but the stories aren’t overly linked together so don’t feel compelled to start with t...[Read Review]
World of Goo
World of Goo relies on physics based puzzles to deliver an impressive and addicting puzzle experience across a large range of platforms. An award winning experience World of Goo is an indie puzzle game developed by a small two man team that explores the physics that globs of goo can go through. Underpinning this goo based adventure is the World of Goo Corporation who is the current leader in the Goo and related products with pieces of this tole to players through a number of in game cut scenes a...[Read Review]
Year Walk
Playing as Daniel Svensson as he visits his lover, Stina and engaging in the Swedish traditional of the Year Walking is an abstract adventure with light horror elements appropriately named Year Walk. Designed for iOS and later coming to Windows/Mac and Wii U your journey sees you attempting to do the risky affair of a Year Walk after Stina warns you against it, having had her cousin die from such activity. Said Year Walk requires players to head to a church and face supernatural beings for look ...[Read Review]
Monochroma
Bringing a cinematic treat from a basic colour palette is Monochroma, a title that is easy to write off as a Limbo clone but you’ll quickly discover its something just as deep in its own right. Taking you into an alternative universe your story revolves around the story of two brothers. With the younger brother injured early on in the piece this leaves the older brother to carry him through the madness and puzzles that lie in wait. The world that you’ll guide the brothers through is ...[Read Review]
Nightsky
NightSky brings you a puzzle adventure game mixed with some action elements to deliver a well paced game. The game focuses on creating on a visually intriguing experience through a unique world. NightSky was first released on the Windows platform in early 2011 and since its success has expanded to the Nintendo 3DS and eventually iOS. The game has received nominations for several awards and uses an experimental soundtrack with jazz foundations from musician Chris Schlarb. The game offers very sim...[Read Review]
Lost in Shadow
Lost in Shadow is a unique 2D platform game that has you trapped as your own shadow, limiting you to interaction with only the shadows of objects. The game was released in 2011 for the Nintendo Wii. In Lost Shadow you’ll be spending your time in the background of some impressive game environments as you only have control of the main character’s shadow. In your adventure you’ll attempt to climb the mysterious shadow tower while completing unique puzzles and fighting off other shadow beings. Playe...[Read Review]
Nihilumbra
Nihilumbra blends puzzles and platforming gameplay to deliver a very interesting and dark game for PC and iOS devices. Entering the game world as Born, a creature that comes from the nothingness that is the Void you’ll adventure out into the foreign land. The Void wants you back though and chases you relentlessly around the world, refusing to stop until you rejoin the nothingness that created you. In a cruel twist of fate all the amazing places that you explore in the game world will be co...[Read Review]
A Boy and His Blob
A Boy and His Blob for the Nintendo Wii revisits the 1989 NES adventure game with a refreshed look and refined gameplay which once again allows players to own a blob pet who loves to eat jellybeans. While fundamentally similar to the original the leap in hardware allows the Nintendo Wii edition to be a vastly superior re-imagining. Not content with limiting this experience to the Nintendo Wii the game was eventually ported to additional modern day consoles and computer platforms. Focusing on a s...[Read Review]
Closure
Closure is a puzzle and platform game which revolves around the concepts of light and darkness for its puzzle designs throughout the story. This light and dark focus also extends to the atmosphere with a mysterious world underpinning your adventure across an abandoned carnival, run down factory and the swampy forest. The mystery of these locations is significantly enhanced with a world that is entirely black and white and even more so when you come to terms with the primary puzzle mechanic of re...[Read Review]
Lume
Lume is an interesting take on the puzzle adventure genre and is set in a strange cardboard filled world that stands out like nothing before it. If you are up for a unique experience that you can enjoy on either your computer or handheld device then read on to discover what this paper world has in store. The story of Lume is simple enough but the setting is unlike anything that has been done before. In the game players will find themselves at their grandad’s house, except that the power has rece...[Read Review]
Another World
Another World (or Out of This World in North America) was originally released in 1991 and is considered a classic in the platform and adventure genre providing lots of innovation in cinematic effects. Since this original release the game has been brought to countless other platforms as anniversary editions. In the game players are Lester Knight Chaykin who is a very young and widely regarded physicist. You join Lester in his extremely high tech laboratory as he attempts to recreate the moment th...[Read Review]
Outland
Outland is a downloadable platform title for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 which available through their respective online portals amongst a Steam release version for computer based gamers. Marketing itself as a Metroidvania Outland sticks to the formula set by predecessors in this genre with a few additions and exclusions to make it a unique journey. One such refinement is the faster paced experience that plays out through the puzzle and platform level blend alongside consistent combat. Behind...[Read Review]
Odd Bot Out
From the brain that brought you Blocksworld comes a new adventure focused on blocks, Odd Bot Out. This puzzling mobile journey will take you across a minimalist game world as you help Odd after he fails the standardised robot test. Right from the start you’ll feel attached to your little robot friend after guiding him through the basic tutorial and watching him fail the robot test. While Odd might not have a face to show his emotions you’ll definitely feel his robotic heart break as ...[Read Review]
Vessel
Vessel is a puzzle game with steampunk elements that focuses on physic puzzles based around liquid. The game was released in 2012 and has proven to be popular among puzzle fans and the media for its unique mechanics and simulation of fluids. In Vessel players will be jumping into the shoes of M. Arkwright who is an inventor of Fluro, one of the core mechanics in your puzzle adventure. This Fluro was created in order to create liquid beings to perform labour tasks as it was shown to be more effic...[Read Review]
Saira
Saira brings a 2D puzzle platform experience to your Windows computer and was released in late 2009. The game has multiple endings, unique art style and even includes a level editor within the game. Saira was developed Nicklas Nygren the same mind that has created many other similar puzzle based platform games such as the highly popular NightSky. In Saira you take control of a photographer who after a mysterious and tragic accident finds herself to be the only remaining person in the entire gala...[Read Review]
Typoman
Launched as a Wii U title and eventually brought to Windows/Mac Typoman offers up a dark aesthetic with a unique focus on spelt words as puzzle mechanics and to provide information to the player. Starting as a simple O and then rolling down the hill to form a human like shape from other letters. From here you’ll start to pick up the various mechanics (all linked to words) which will serve you throughout your journey. Said mechanics include picking up letters and moving them to spell words ...[Read Review]
Selma And The Wisp
Offering up control over a colourful wisp as you lead the innocent Selma through various environmental obstacles is Selma And The Wisp a game with basic platform elements, adventure and discovery around each map screen. Opening with Selma alone in her room with a monster under the bed the player guides the bright wisp to Selma, giving her hope amongst the darkness and a way to safety from the unknown monsters that stalk her. This is where your bond with each other begins with Selma following you...[Read Review]