The Best Surreal Games

Update, : Clash: Artifacts of Chaos added at rank #11.
1

Monument Valley (2014)

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97
Review score
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IOS iPhone PC Windows Mac OS Windows Phone / Windows 10 Mobile Android

Embark on a journey of forgiveness through impossible environments and illusionary puzzles. Experience this meditative and calming puzzle game by manipulating monuments and creating evolving paths to explore new, surreal, and mysterious worlds.


  • surreal
  • puzzle
  • illustration
  • design
  • escher
  • exploration
  • minimalist
  • emotional
  • adventure
  • relaxing
  • text-driven
  • platform
  • narrative
  • point-and-click

2

Creaks (2020)

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91
Review score
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Mac OS IOS iPhone PC Windows Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch

The ground starts shaking, light bulbs are breaking - and something rather unusual is happening right behind the walls of your very room. Equipped with nothing but wit and courage, you slowly descend into a world inhabited by avian folk and seemingly deadly furniture monsters.


  • hand-drawn
  • puzzle
  • surreal
  • stylized
  • supernatural
  • platform
  • atmospheric
  • linear
  • cartoony
  • relaxing
  • 2d
  • mystery
  • story
  • dark
  • single-player

3

When The Past Was Around (2020)

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85
Review score
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PC Windows Android IOS iPhone Playstation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch Mac OS

When the Past was Around is an adventure point-and-click puzzle game about love, moving on, letting go, and the joy and pain of everything in between.


  • point-and-click
  • puzzle
  • surreal
  • romance
  • hand-drawn
  • abstract
  • philosophical
  • hidden-object
  • interactive
  • fiction
  • music
  • cute
  • adventure

4

Rusty Lake Hotel (2015)

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97
Review score
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PC Windows Mac OS Android IOS iPhone

Are you ready to serve the guests in the Rusty Lake Hotel? Solve all mysteries in this dark and eerie puzzle game. Rusty Lake Hotel is a point-and-click adventure by the creators of the Rusty Lake & Cube Escape series.


  • surreal
  • puzzle
  • point-and-click
  • horror
  • inventory
  • abstraction
  • slideshow
  • mystery

5

Genesis Noir (2021)

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73
Review score
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Mac OS Nintendo Switch Xbox One PC Windows

A noir adventure spanning time and space. When a love triangle between cosmic beings becomes a bitter confrontation, you'll witness a gunshot fired by a jealous god—otherwise known as The Big Bang. Jump into the expanding universe and search for a way to destroy creation and save your love.


  • point-and-click
  • puzzle
  • noir
  • surreal
  • narrative
  • detective
  • exploration
  • adventure
  • hand-drawn
  • minimalist
  • stylized
  • tactile
  • interactive
  • space
  • mystery

6

Cruelty Squad (2021)

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94
Review score
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PC Windows

Cruelty Squad is a first-person shooter set in a science-fiction dystopia where you're a killer for hire, harvesting organs from your fallen enemies to make bank. With an array of weapons and the ability to upgrade your body with cybernetics, you must fight your way through pulsing fleshy walls and bookstores filled with sourceless, agonised wailing. Play through a unique story that questions hypercapitalism as you hunt down targets and keep your corporate overlords happy.

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Pros:
  • Unique story questioning hypercapitalism
  • Wide arsenal of weaponry
  • Interesting level design with MC Escher elements
  • Flechettes from shotgun feel solid and impactful
Cons:
  • Relatively low recoil on weapons
  • Difficult to differentiate friends from foes

  • shooter
  • first-person
  • capitalism
  • fps
  • surreal
  • assassin
  • immersive
  • simulation
  • psychedelic
  • stealth
  • horror
  • lore
  • tactical
  • dystopian
  • cyberpunk

7

Promesa (2020)

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80
Review score
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PC Windows Mac OS Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch Xbox One

A contemplative experience where you’ll wander through the dreams, memories and fantasies emerging from a dialogue between a grandfather and his grandchild.


  • surreal
  • underground
  • walking-simulator
  • short
  • experimental
  • relaxing
  • stylized
  • narration
  • pixel
  • psychological
  • cinematic
  • atmospheric
  • shooter
  • exploration
  • story

8

The Signifier (2020)

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78
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox One Playstation 4 Mac OS

This story-driven adventure follows a mystery of death and despair from reality into the surreal realms of objective memories and subjective experiences. Search the mind, solve puzzles, and unravel the dark truth in this psychological thriller.


  • surreal
  • psychological
  • investigation
  • emotional
  • multiple-endings
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • tech-noir
  • horror
  • dark
  • first-person
  • walking-simulator
  • choices
  • psychology
  • exploration

9

Manifold Garden (2019)

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92
Review score
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Playstation 5 Xbox Series X PC Windows Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch IOS iPhone Mac OS

Rediscover gravity and explore an Escher-esque world of impossible architecture. Witness infinity in first-person and master its rules to solve physics-defying puzzles. Cultivate a garden to open new paths forward, where an eternal expanse awaits.


  • abstract
  • surreal
  • philosophical
  • nonlinear
  • puzzle
  • psychedelic
  • experimental
  • minimalist
  • multiple-endings
  • first-person
  • atmospheric
  • exploration
  • relaxing
  • colourful
  • mystery

10

Verlet Swing (2018)

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92
Review score
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PC Windows Playstation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch IOS iPhone Mac OS

Verlet Swing is a curious game where you must swing and manoeuvre through obstacles towards a shimmering goal in order to escape. Target something, then use the left thumbstick to guide you through the air, timing your swings correctly to avoid obstacles and crashing into the ground. With 100 levels to clear, each with their own online leaderboards, it provides plenty of challenge and satisfaction.


Pros:
  • Unique concept
  • Interesting visuals
  • Exhilarating experience with sound of air rushing around
  • Reasonable price considering the amount of gameplay
  • Chilled out vibe with themed levels
Cons:
  • Repetitive tasks
  • Some stages can feel unfair

  • fast-paced
  • surreal
  • editor
  • level
  • abstract
  • 3d
  • action
  • first-person
  • challenging
  • replay-value
  • difficult
  • platform
  • manipulation
  • sport
  • corridor

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