The Best Nonlinear Games

Update : Ancient Mind added at rank #48.
1

Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary (2022)

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84
Review score
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Playstation 5 Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 PC Windows Xbox One

Entirely rebuilt from the ground up, Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is the ultimate celebration of the decade-old original, bringing refined visuals, completely redesigned and revised gameplay sections, and a whole new chapter to the award-winning, brain-twisting first-person puzzler.

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  • nonlinear
  • soundtrack
  • collectathon
  • puzzle
  • linear
  • logic
  • minimalist
  • narrative
  • 3d
  • action-adventure
  • first-person
  • mystery
  • atmospheric
  • controller-support
  • physics

2

Bilkins' Folly (2023)

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80
Review score
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Playstation 5 Playstation 4 PC Windows Nintendo Switch l

Percy’s on a quest to find his missing relatives, and he needs your help! Join him and his beloved dog Drayton as they adventure through a series of unusual islands, solve puzzles to uncover valuable treasure, and bring to light the foreboding family secret buried beneath it all.


  • nonlinear
  • adventure
  • puzzle
  • dog
  • colourful
  • multiple-endings
  • pixel
  • choices
  • exploration
  • family-friendly
  • cute
  • open-world
  • skill
  • light-hearted
  • pirates

3

DOOMBLADE (2023)

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85
Review score
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PC Windows

Take on the role of Gloom Girl as you join forces with a talking sentient sword, Doomblade, to exact vengeance on the Dread Lords. Explore interconnecting worlds, slaying monsters with the sword's brutal wrath. With memorable boss design, good graphics, and catchy music, prepare to teach your enemies fear with the Doom Drop, Wicked Wind, and the Nightmare Onion abilities. Are you ready for the quest?


What we like:
  • Refreshing movement mechanics
  • Engaging exploration
  • Great art
  • Fun boss fights
  • Nuanced gameplay
What could be improved:
  • Sluggish player movement
  • Lack of guidance
  • Challenging environmental hazards
  • Frustrating difficulty spike

  • dark
  • nonlinear
  • metroidvania
  • humor
  • 2d
  • scroller
  • multiple-endings
  • platform
  • action-adventure
  • exploration
  • souls
  • colourful
  • atmospheric
  • soundtrack
  • fantasy

4

Mail Time (2023)

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73
Review score
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l Mac OS Nintendo Switch PC Windows Playstation 4 Playstation 5 Android

It's Mail Time! As a newly trained Mail Scout, put on your pack, grab those letters, and deliver them across Grumblewood Grove! The forest animals eagerly await the sight of your mushroom hat in this cozy, cottagecore light-platformer adventure!


  • lgbtq
  • nonlinear
  • conversation
  • cute
  • relaxing
  • 3d
  • third-person
  • emotional
  • stylized
  • cartoony
  • funny
  • open-world
  • exploration
  • platform
  • comedy

5

Teacup (2020)

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96
Review score
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Xbox Series X Playstation 5 Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Xbox One PC Windows

Teacup is a short and wholesome narrative adventure game with a focus on exploration and non-linear progression. You play as the titular Teacup, a shy and introverted young frog who loves drinking tea and reading. The day before she is to host a tea party at her house, she realizes she is completely out of tea, and thus must venture into the woods around her to find the herbs she needs to restock her pantry. During your adventure you will meet the charming inhabitants of the forest. Some are talkative, some are grumpy, but all of them will lend you an ear on your adventure. Explore this gorgeous watercolor world filled with friendly animals, playful minigames, puzzles, and beautiful, calming wilderness.


  • nonlinear
  • scroller
  • cute
  • exploration
  • adventure
  • narrative
  • relaxing
  • horror
  • family-friendly
  • colourful
  • coffee
  • story
  • non-linear
  • funny
  • 2d

6

Terraformers (2022)

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87
Review score
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early access Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Playstation 5 Xbox Series X Xbox One Linux PC Windows Mac OS m

Transform Mars into a habitable planet in Terraformers. With challenging strategizing and resource management, explore the planet and expand population, all while watching the stunning new natural wonders build up before your eyes. Take on different scenarios and bonuses and create a thriving utopia. Get lost in the addictive puzzle-like game with unique replayability and rewarding graphics and UI.


What we like:
  • Focus on strategy
  • Various difficulty levels
  • Unique victory conditions
  • Nice graphics and UI
  • Rich soundtrack
What could be improved:
  • Only one way to lose the game
  • Some bugs present
  • Game can become repetitive

  • turn-based
  • mars
  • space
  • resource-management
  • science
  • rogue-like
  • nonlinear
  • card
  • procedural
  • board-game
  • colony
  • sci-fi
  • choices
  • simulation
  • management

7

Alien Hominid Invasion (2023)

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84
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Xbox Series X/s Xbox One PC Windows

Old friends and bitter enemies await as you invade Earth alongside a Mothership full of alien friends! Blast, beam, and bite your way through an endless swarm of enemies as you and up to three of your fellow hominids cause mayhem with a huge arsenal of weapons, mutations, and acrobatic maneuvers.


  • cooperative
  • nonlinear
  • beat-em-up
  • scroller
  • shoot-em-up
  • rogue-like
  • aliens
  • procedural
  • pve
  • run
  • multiplayer
  • online
  • cartoony
  • gun
  • non-linear

8

Pilgrims (2019)

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96
Review score
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IOS iPhone Linux Mac OS PC Windows Nintendo Switch

Pilgrims is a playful adventure game, created by the team behind Machinarium and Samorost. Roam the land as you please and make new friends, share a laugh with your fellow travelers and help them complete their little stories, your way. How many different solutions can you find?


  • card
  • cartoony
  • hand-drawn
  • short
  • nonlinear
  • relaxing
  • stylized
  • replay-value
  • family-friendly
  • point-and-click
  • 2d
  • funny
  • comedy
  • experimentation
  • puzzle

9

Castle on the Coast (2021)

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77
Review score
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Xbox One Playstation 4 PC Windows Nintendo Switch Mac OS

A hand-drawn, retro 3D collectathon. Parkour through a magic castle as George the Giraffe! String together sweet moves to explore crystal caverns, stone laden halls, and trippy alternate dimensions.


  • cozy
  • 3d
  • platform
  • collectathon
  • nonlinear
  • hand-drawn
  • emotional
  • parkour
  • cute
  • cartoony
  • retro
  • family-friendly
  • stylized
  • comedy
  • action-adventure

10

Manifold Garden (2019)

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

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

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