5. The Invisible Hours (PS4)
The Invisible Hours is a slightly different type of walking simulator, as it casts you as a kind of voyeur in a choreographed story that unwinds over the course of 60 or so real minutes. Staged in Nikola Tesla’s mansion, this whodunnit explores the idea of overlapping narratives, as different events occur all over the house. You can only ever be in one place at any given time, so you need to replay the title multiple times in order to eke out every last drop of its brilliantly imaginative narrative.
4. Virginia (PS4)
The bizarre Virginia wears its Twin Peaks inspirations on its minimalistic, polygonal sleeve. Assuming the role of FBI agent Anne Tarver, this seemingly grounded story delves heavily into the supernatural, as it hops around unnervingly and leaves its story open to interpretation. It’s different to the other walking sims on this list, but that’s what makes it stand out.
3. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (PS4)
With Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, The Chinese Room produced a gorgeous, emotionally-charged, and downright creepy adventure title with oodles of atmosphere. A mysterious orb of light guides you through the abandoned English village of Yaughton to help you piece together where everybody’s gone, as if the title wasn’t a clue. The village is exquisitely detailed, and the 80s setting gives the game a nostalgic feel, but it’s the melancholic atmosphere and the story itself that really hit home. While it moves too slowly for some, this is a wonderful walking sim that’s well worth your time.
2. Gone Home (PS4)
One of the originators of the genre, Gone Home is still a fantastic walking simulator, with a narrative that beautifully interweaves with the setting. The more you poke around the stranded Greenbriar household, the more you’ll discover about protagonist Katie and her family, and why everyone has suddenly disappeared. A masterful example of environmental storytelling, Gone Home is an emotional ride that you absolutely shouldn’t pass on.
1. What Remains of Edith Finch (PS4)
Giant Sparrow’s thoughtful, innovative, and engrossing adventure takes the top spot on our list. Guiding a grown-up Edith Finch around her old family home, the heartfelt story is framed by the bizarre curse that blights the Finch name, with several unique scenarios that constantly subvert your expectations. The house itself is excellently put together and fascinating to explore. Its complexities unfold as you venture further into the plot, but it’s the vast variety of ways the developer merges the storytelling with the gameplay that makes this one of PS4’s most memorable experiences.
What do you think are the best PS4 walking simulators? Take a stroll in the comments section below, and be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to the best PS4 games.
Comments 21
Unchartered 4 comes pretty close to a Walking Sim in some parts …
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter needs to be on that list.
"Walking Simulators"
Didn't this start as a derogatory term? Isn't there a better alternative?
@munkholt you could say that about every game where your on foot though.
I tought death stranding was going to be number 1.word up son
Everybodys gone to the Rapture.
Incredible walking sim. That soundtrack, that tone. Total BoC vibes.
@naruball I know, but then I'm struggling to come up with an alternative, any suggestions? Maybe an article should be posted asking the community to suggest a name because every single game "simulates walking". Maybe "Walking Interactive Games".
Nice to have a list of these type games. Iv enjoyed Firewatch and Everyones gone to the Rapture. Got Dear Esther to play next and good to see other simular games.
I absolutely adored Edith Finch, such a wonderful game. Can't say I felt the same about Everybody's Gone to the Rapture though, that game just felt so slow and plodding.
@TheArt Can't come up with anything decent at the moment, but Walking Interactive Games sounds miles better, imho.
I usually enjoy games with a strong story focus, but I can't say that I'm keen on walking simulators. What Remains of Edith Finch and Gone Home are the main two that I've played, and I got bored of them fairly quickly.
My problem with them is probably that there isn't much actually happening in the game. Instead, it's mostly reading about previous events.
Maybe walking simulators just aren't my thing. Or maybe some of the others on this list would be better for me, I dunno.
@Kefka2589 I'd rather call it Zip Line Simulator. 😉
I checked my stats after finishing the main story and I spent way more time getting around using vehicles as well as the aforementioned zip lines. Heck you can even use floating crates to slide down the side of a mountain!
Death Stranding is pretty bloody far from being a 'mere' Walking Simulator but this is the age where people just regurgitate what some others have said and pass it off as being acquired knowledge and wisdom.
As some fiery redhead once said "You know nothing, Jon Snow!".
I'm gonna experience them how they should be experienced...
... by watching a playthrough on Youtube
Big fan of Edith Finch
BUT
Where the f**k is Return of the Obra Dinn??!!?
Of these 10 i have only played the top two. Walking sims i am glad to have experienced.
What about unfinished swan? One of my favs.
Firewatch should be in the top three.
@naruball @TheArt I think there's probably a better name for it. Whilst most of the gameplay will boil down to walking around and interacting with objects, I don't it's entirely fair to focus on that alone. It makes it seem like the sole purpose of those games is simply walking around, whereas it's often the narrative or environmental storytelling that makes them interesting to play.
@Octane exactly!
@Deadcow Totally agree- Ethan Carter is a huge, glaring omission on this list and better than a number of the titles here. Esther was kinda cool but kinda meh, virginia was a short, technical mess.
Gone Home was pretty mediocre and Rapture, although beautiful, was pretty slow to get through. I lost interest a couple of times before I finished it.
I'd be inclined to include Deliver us the Moon. Has a PS5 version also and is free on the upper PS+ tiers. Light puzzles, audio holograms, linear. Wasn't expecting it to be like that, in a good way!
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